February Blood Drives

Make 2013 the Year of Giving!

Have your New Year’s resolutions worn off? The Red Cross has a late New Year’s resolution idea to get you back on track - make 2013 all about giving!

Take time to volunteer! Join the local Disaster Action Team and you will receive training on how to help with local disasters and even gain the knowledge to assist in national disasters, such as Superstorm Sandy.

Volunteering is not just limited to just disaster however. The Red Cross needs volunteers to help work at blood drives, special events and even some office work. Just a few hours can make a large difference in the community you live in.

Here is another idea for a resolution – help others by donating blood! If you have not donated before make 2013 the year.  Just by donating one unit of blood you can save up to three lives.

Finally, a monetary donation can greatly help in the Southwestern New York area.  Funds donated can help support a family after a house fire by providing basic needs, like food, clothing and shelter.

So when your New Year’s resolutions fail you, make a new one for 2013. Contact your local Red Cross in Jamestown at 716-664-5115, in Olean at 716-372-5800 or in Wellsville at 585-593-1531 to get started. 

Red Cross Responds to Fire in Portville NY

The Southwestern NY American Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded to provide disaster relief following a house fire on Lili Bridge Road in Portville on January 23, 2013.

DAT volunteers Patricia Coate, Alice Frost and Marion Boyce was on scene to provide the initial disaster assistance. Temporary housing, clothing, and meals are services typically offered to address emergency needs. The local Red Cross chapter will continue working with the families and their recovery process if additional services or referrals are necessary.

All disaster assistance offered by the American Red Cross is complimentary and made possible by generous contributions from the American people and residents of Cattaraugus County. The United Way organizations of Cattaraugus County also provide financial support to the local Red Cross mission.

Safety Tips for Cold and Snow

With cold temperatures and snow expected over the next week, the American Red Cross of Southwestern NY urges residents to get prepared.

Exposure to cold and snow can cause injury or serious illness such as frostbite or hypothermia, and as temperatures drop, people may resort to alternative heat sources, which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or fires. The Red Cross offers these tips to stay safe in the cold weather:

• · Use generators correctly – never operate a generator inside the home, including the basement or garage. Do not hook up a generator directly to the home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment needed directly to the outlets on the generator. 
• · Prevent frozen pipes - when the weather is very cold outside, open cabinet doors to let warm air circulate around water pipes. Let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. 
• · Don’t forget family pets – bring them indoors. If that’s not possible, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure they can get to unfrozen water. 
• · Avoid using a stove or oven to heat the home. Keep a glass or metal fire screen around the fireplace and never leave a fireplace fire unattended. 
• · If using a space heater, place it on a level, hard, nonflammable surface. Turn the space heater off when leaving the room or going to sleep. Keep children and pets away from the space heater and do not use it to dry wet clothing. 

When travelling in the winter:

• · Carry an emergency preparedness kit in the trunk. 
• · Keep the car's gas tank full for emergency use and to keep the fuel line from freezing. 
• · If someone does get stuck, stay with the car. Do not try to walk to safety. 
• · Start the car and use the heater for about 10 minutes every hour. Keep the exhaust pipe clear so fumes won't back up in the car. 
• · Leave the overhead light on when the engine is running to help rescuers see the vehicle. 
• · Keep one window away from the blowing wind slightly open to let in air. 

If you have to go outside:

• · Dressing in several layers of lightweight clothing keeps someone warmer than a single heavy coat. 
• · Mittens provide more warmth to the hands than gloves. Wear a hat, preferably one that covers the ears. 
• · Wear waterproof, insulated boots to keep feet warm and dry and to maintain one’s footing in ice and snow. 

For more safety tips visit www.redcross.org/swny.

Local Red Cross Chapter responds to Help House Fire Victims in Hinsdale, NY

The Southwestern NY American Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded to provide disaster relief following a house fire on Friday, January 18th.

DAT volunteer Sue Folts was on scene to provide the initial disaster assistance. Temporary housing, clothing, and meals are services typically offered to address emergency needs. The local Red Cross chapter will continue working with the families and their recovery process if additional services or referrals are necessary.

All disaster assistance offered by the American Red Cross is complimentary and made possible by generous contributions from the American people and residents of Cattaraugus County. The United Way organization of Cattaraugus County also provides financial support to the local Red Cross mission.

Donating Blood During Flu Season

This winter’s flu season has hit early and hard. The American Red Cross is seeing a lower-than-expected turnout at some scheduled blood drives because donors are unable to keep their appointments.

If you have any concerns about donating blood at this time, here are some important tips and information to help ease your mind. 

If you are not feeling well on the day of donation, you will be deferred from giving blood. If you have the flu, you should wait until you no longer have flu symptoms, have recovered completely and feel well before you attempt to donate. Blood donors must feel healthy and well on the day of donation.

You can donate after receiving the influenza vaccine if you are symptom-free and meet all other eligibility requirements. Neither the flu shot nor the intranasal form of the influenza vaccine is cause for a blood donation deferral, because there is no risk of transmitting influenza after receiving the vaccines.

Red Cross staff members take standard precautions to prevent the spread of the flu at blood drives, including frequent hand washing, cough etiquette, influenza vaccination, and appropriate management of ill staff members to minimize potential exposure.

You can find more information about preventing the flu on www.redcross.org, as well as with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Please call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org to schedule or cancel a blood donation appointment. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.

High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Eligible donors can call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or go online to redcrossblood.org for more information and to make a blood donation appointment.

Red Cross Urges Flu Vaccine

Most of the country is seeing a widespread outbreak of the flu and the American Red Cross urges people who have not yet gotten a flu vaccine to try to get their vaccination now.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older. Those with chronic conditions like pulmonary and cardiovascular illness, residents of nursing homes and other facilities and those with many other medical conditions are especially urged to get a flu shot. There have been some reports that the vaccine supply is running short in some areas.

“Flu season doesn’t peak until late January or February and can last until May, so it is not too late to get a flu vaccine,” said Dr. Richard Benjamin, Chief Medical Director for the Red Cross. “It takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to provide full protection, so the sooner someone gets vaccinated, the sooner they will be fully protected.”

Health officials around the country are reporting the flu has arrived earlier than usual and causing fairly severe illness in some patients. In Boston, the number of people with the flu prompted the mayor to declare a public health emergency. In Illinois, the number of sick overwhelmed some hospitals which had to turn people away.

In Allentown, Pennsylvania a hospital set up a tent outside its emergency room to see people with less-severe flu cases. Maine health authorities are reporting a significantly higher number than normal of flu cases and North Carolina is seeing the highest flu levels in the last ten years.

The best step someone can take to prevent the spread of flu in their workplace is to get vaccinated. If someone is sick with fever and respiratory symptoms, they should stay at home until 24 hours after their fever is gone without taking medicine. Other steps workers can take include:

• · Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
• · Avoid touching the nose, mouth and eyes.
• · Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or cough and sneeze into your upper sleeve. Dispose of tissues. Clean hands after coughing, sneezing or blowing one’s nose.
• · Keep common surfaces people touch clean, such as telephones and computer equipment.
• · Don’t use a co-worker’s phone, desk, computer or other tools.
• · Avoid shaking hands or coming in close contact with co-workers who may be ill.

How does someone know they have the flu? The common signs of influenza are high fever, severe body aches, headache, being extremely tired, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and vomiting and/or diarrhea (which is more common in children).

If you think you have the flu, your health-care provider should be consulted. Seek medical care immediately if you develop any of the following symptoms:

• · Fast breathing, trouble breathing or bluish skin color.
• · Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen (adults).
• · Confusion or sudden dizziness.
• · Not drinking enough fluids, not being able to eat, or severe or persistent vomiting.
• · Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough.
• · Not waking up, being so irritable that the child does not want to be held or not interacting (children).
• · Fever with a rash (children).
• · No tears when crying or significantly fewer wet diapers than normal (children).

For more information visit www.redcross.org/swny.

Savor the Flavor- Get your Tickets Today!

The Southwestern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross invites everyone to join us once again at an exciting, fun-filled occasion where restaurants and food service businesses are invited to put their signature cuisines on display and out for the public to enjoy. 

This is an exciting opportunity for our local restaurateurs to show off their culinary specialties to members of our community.  The American Red Cross is hosting three events of Savor the Flavor – A Taste of Allegany County will be held on Sunday, March 3, 2013, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Cuba VFW; a Taste of Cattaraugus County on Sunday March 10, 2013 from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm at the Olean Elks Lodge, and A Taste of Chautauqua County on Sunday March 17 from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena.   

One of the greatest things about Southwestern New York is that we enjoy food, friends, and giving back to the community and the Savor the Flavor events puts all three under one roof.  This special fundraiser has two goals in mind:  to help promote the variety of tempting food establishments in our area and to enable our chapter to continue to meet the emergency needs of our county residents. 

For only $25 per ticket or $60 for tickets to all three Savor the Flavors, you can enjoy everything from specialty soups, elegant horse d'oeuvres, succulent meats, and decadent desserts as well as have the opportunity to taste local wine and beer. In the seven years of our Savor the Flavor event, the cost has not increased despite the rising cost of the basic services that the Red Cross provides in Southwestern New York.

Local businesses and friends of the Red Cross are invited to become a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Diamond Patron for this event.  The patrons of the event support the American Red Cross with their donations and in return, receive an advertisement in the Savor the Flavor program and tickets to the event. Becoming a patron of Savor the Flavor is a great way to show your support for the American Red Cross.

In the past years, each event has had over 20 restaurants and 300 wine and dine together to celebrate the Red Cross and due to the overwhelming success of the past year’s event, it is recommended to purchase tickets in advance. To purchase your tickets visit the American Red Cross Office in Wellsville at 112 North Main Street, (585-593-1531) or the Cuba Library at 39 East Main Street, Olean Red Cross Office at 452 N. Barry St. (716-372-5800) or at the Jamestown Red Cross at 325 East 4^th St. (716-664-5115). The American Red Cross of Southwestern New York is a United Way Agency. 

January Blood Drives

Thank You Donna

Donna P. Meder of Stockton, NY, a disaster services volunteer for more than 15 years, passed away Monday at the age of 78.

Donna was an active member of the Red Cross of Southwestern New York, serving as volunteer emergency services coordinator, an instructor, ERV driver, and assisting with Staff Services in deploying responders from the Southwestern NY Chapter. She responded to numerous national disasters, including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. 

If you had the opportunity to know Donna Meder, then you had the opportunity to gain immeasurably from a wonderful, giving person who changed the world by caring for others every second of her life.  The list of all she has done for her community and for our world is long; if you take just one part of it, her service as a Red Cross Disaster Action Team and Service to Armed Forces volunteer, you can fill a phone book with the names of all those that Donna helped.  Often with husband Charlie by her side, this blessed couple would hit the road in the middle of a cold February night to help a family that had just lost their home to fire; work 18 hour days for weeks on end to help local residents impacted by severe floods; or hop on a plane and travel into the chaos of a major hurricane, where they would immediately get to work to shelter and feed and hug people who had suffered the loss of everything.  In short, Donna gave of herself in the most unselfish of manners, that of enduring hardship to ease the pain of others.  For this we can never repay her; we can simply say, “Thank you Donna.”

If you ever asked Donna why she did so much for others, you would hear her say that it began with the life she so enjoyed here in Chautauqua County.  When Donna and Charlie were awarded the Distinguished Service Award in Memory of Amy King by the American Red Cross of Southwestern New York in October, and simultaneously named the County’s Red Cross Volunteers of the Year, Donna told us something that she had said many times before - “I have been so lucky to raise a wonderful family in this beautiful community that I want to give something back.  Besides, when you give you get more in return.”

Donna gave us so much.  She was a wonderful person who loved her family above all else, a dedicated supporter of her community, and a dear friend to the Red Cross.  She will be greatly missed by all, to include those of us in her Red Cross family who depended on her so much.  Thank you Donna.