American Red Cross Youth

For those of you that have been using Windows Live Messenger to communicate with your friends and also raise money for the Red Cross, you’ll be pleased to know that Microsoft has committed $100,000 to the American Red Cross on behalf of you and other users around the country.

Read the full Red Cross press release here.

This was submitted by an aquatics instructor in Baltimore… your CPR training really can save lives!

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Unlike matzoh, Chelsea Smith rises to the occasion on Passover.

Chelsea, an Owings Mills High School sophomore, proved that point last Sunday night, April 20, when she helped save the life of an elderly relative — a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor — by thinking quickly and utilizing her cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.

“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” said Chelsea, who turns 16 next month.

To read the full story, visit the Baltimore Jewish Times.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a design for our t-shirt design contest!   We are currently reviewing the entries, and we expect to contact the winner on May 1.  Keep checking back here for more info.

I’ve been looking at the computer screen for about an hour now, trying to think of what to say; how to say it. I spent another hour typing introductory paragraphs, deleting them, staring at the screen, typing them again, and deleting them once more. I thought I would never get this blog typed.

But then it came to me, in a strange, eerie message. I was sitting in front of my TV, watching American Idol, and Carly Smithson (who is AWESOME by the way) started singing “The Show Must Go On” by Queen. And I think it just clicked at that one moment. I took a deep breath, started to type, and hoped to death that I would be able to convey what I wanted to convey.

I never thought that The American Red Cross had the capability to hurt. Heck, I never thought that anything could actually hurt this much. But ladies and gentlemen, it has. Something has broken through the barriers of my heart and wounded me severely. And what might this be you ask; the loss of Youth Services for The National Capital Area, and thus, the loss of jobs for some of the most amazing people I know.
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The Youth Council of the Wyoming Valley Chapter (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) held a “Senior” Prom at Manor Care Nursing Home in Kingston, Pa.  The Youth Council provided decorations (later donated to the nursing home) and spent the afternoon talking and enjoying big band era music with the residents.  The residents then participated in a game of Name That Tune and concluded the afternoon with light refreshments and a grand prize raffle.  Both the residents and the youth had such a good time that the event will be repeated.

Gail McGovern, a business executive and professor at Harvard Business School, was just named the next President & CEO of the American Red Cross. Ms. McGovern brings many skills to the table, including extensive experience in the business world, non-profit fundraising and marketing. Red Cross leaders have spent a significant amount of time ensuring that Ms. McGovern is committed to the mission of the organization. I look forward to welcoming her when she starts her new position on June 23!

Good morning everyone!  I arrived in Houston last night for what is being called the American Red Cross Volunteer Leadership Summit.  As you probably have already heard, the Red Cross is facing some tough decisions as we work to operate at a “balanced budget” by fiscal year 2010.  This means that the structure linking national headquarters to the field will be reorganized.  The Red Cross has already decided what the staff piece is going to look like - we’re here for the next couple of days to figure out what it’s going to look like for volunteers.  Creating meaningful leadership opportunities for volunteers beyond-the-unit has always been important for the Red Cross.  This enables us to recognize good performance with promotions.  It also allows us to provide our volunteers with extremely valuable leadership experience.  

I’ve gotta run to the morning sessions, but I promise I’ll be back with updates and more background.  Before I go, I have an interesting question.  If 95% of the Red Cross workforce is comprised of volunteers, should the leadership of the organization have the same breakdown?  Let me know what you think!

Ralph Chislett, Live from Houston, TX

The 2008 Red Cross Red Crescent World Congress on Humanitarian Drug Policy was held in Barcelona, Spain from 5–7 March 2008. This congress brought together leaders of over 70 National Society from all over the world, along with representatives of the International Federation secretariat and other offices and centres of our Movement. The goal was to discuss how to implement the Rome Consensus, and work with our governments to develop humanitarian drug policy. The congress was co-hosted by the Spanish Red Cross, Centre for cooperation in the Mediterranean and the Italian Red Cross, and was funded by the Senlis Council.
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The Knit Your Bit program started as an activity during a recent trip of the Summit County Chapter (Akron, Ohio) youth leadership group. While there, the 11 participants learned to knit hats to help them realize the commitment made in the 1940’s by the civilian population to support soldiers. The activity was so popular that the Red Cross Youth Group introduced the Knit Your Bit to the Tallmadge DECA marketing club. The Tallmadge DECA group will have 22 scarves by next fall, and Red Cross youth volunteers will continue to knit hats and scarves for the military, hospital patients, homeless, international refugees and disaster victims.