St. Louis Area Chapter Blog

Yvonne Berry- Celebrating Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:46:00 GMT

Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church was recently featured on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Sunday, February 7^th). The church is located in the inner-city of St. Louis and has a membership of 5000. With the completion of its latest building project, an $8 million sanctuary, and current construction plans for a four-block, $34 million housing development, the church is leading the way in urban renewal. In the midst of full construction schedules, community outreach programs, senior housing projects, and youth support initiatives, the church wanted to make a difference in Haiti.

Pastor Jones and the Friendly Temple have already gained notoriety for its tremendous impact in the North St. Louis City neighborhood, but they wanted to reach beyond the St. Louis metropolitan area. They had the perfect solution: The Church’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday concert attracts hundreds of guests and entertainers, so the church decided to donate the proceeds from its annual concert to the American Red Cross, St. Louis Area Chapter for Haiti disaster relief.

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Kathrine Vigil- Team Preparedness Talks Flooding

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:24:00 GMT

It’s Flood Safety Week, so it only seems natural that Unprepared Ursula is at it again and this week she has managed to get herself caught in a flood. In fact, she may even be in New Jersey or Fargo, North Dakota, where Red Cross volunteers (including a few from St. Louis) are currently working to provide relief to those affected by spring flooding. Luckily for Ursula, the Red Cross’s Team Preparedness is here with the answers to her flood questions.

How can I protect myself in a flood?
Regardless of how a flood occurs, the rule for being safe is simple: head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater. Even a shallow depth of fast-moving floodwater produces more force than most people imagine. It is exceedingly dangerous to try to walk, swim, or drive in floodwater...

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Molly McHugh- Not So Secret Santa

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:33:00 GMT

I've been a Red Cross volunteer since 2007, frequently spending my Wednesday nights down in the Chapter's Ready Room. Last year I was fortunate enough to experience a streak not often allowed to us - no fires for my team from late February until this past January. Aside from the occasional disaster assessment for a fire earlier in the day or helping to relieve a team that's been at a fire into the next shift time, I've had a lot of boring nights. I would often apologize to new volunteers because riding with me meant they were not going to have a chance to learn their new job. All that time spent not being at a fire scene allowed me to get a lot of my own work done and let me sit back and reflect.

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Yvonne Berry- FAHLO Christian Academy Supports Haiti

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:56:00 GMT

On March 1^st, twenty-two students, ranging from pre-school to 5^th grade, visited the Chapter with their donation for Haiti Disaster Relief. Thelma Bryant, director of FAHLO Christian Academy, related how the students wanted to support Haiti relief. They decided not to have their annual Valentine Day party, but instead donate money to the families in Haiti.

The Academy stresses the importance of giving to one’s neighbor in need. This opportunity gave the students an actual project to demonstrate what they had been taught by their teachers and parents. Such excitement surrounded the students as they donated funds toward the Haiti effort and made plans to visit the Chapter. Phyllis Greene, in our Accounting Department, has known the director of FAHLO for many years. When the director of the Academy voiced an interest in donating to Haiti Relief, she contacted Phyllis.

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Lindsey Weber- Tuesday Trivia: Supportive Celeb in STL

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:57:00 GMT

Another week, another Tuesday, which can only mean it’s time for Tuesday Trivia with Lindsey. I’m pretty excited about today’s answer so let’s get down to business. Cue the music: Welcome to Tuesday Trivia. I’m your host Lindsey, and here is your Red Cross inspired trivia question of the day.

During the past two months, dozens of musicians, actors, and public figures have leant a hand in our efforts to provide immediate disaster relief to those affected by the Haiti earthquakes. One such artist opened not only his musical repertoire, but also his personal pocketbook to support the Red Cross’s mission. This particular artist will be in St. Louis later this week performing a concert of his hit songs- perhaps even including a song used in a Red Cross Haiti Public Service Announcement. Who is the musical superstar in town this week that contributed directly to the Red Cross Relief Effort in Haiti?

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Yvonne Berry- Shalom Church City of Peace donates for Haiti

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:33:00 GMT

Shalom Church City of Peace, under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Dr. Freddy J. Clark, is committed to assisting persons in the community with various educational and support programs. Recently, the congregation of 10,000 responded to the emergency and long-term needs of the people in Haiti for food, clothing, medicine, and emotional support. Rev. Dr. Clark was compelled to announce to the congregation to bring a special love offering for Haiti Disaster Relief on a designated Sunday.

The North County congregation is known throughout the community for its outreach in bringing information, job resources, health screenings, and wellness events to St. Louis area residents.

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Katie Nagus – Using Social Media to Prepare for a Disaster

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:22:00 GMT

Despite how far modern technology has come – the truth remains: we cannot prevent a disaster from happening. Knowing this, the best thing to do is prepare in advance. With just a little advance preparation, you’ll know where to go, what to do, and how to recover.

These days, modern technology is making that process of getting ready even easier. Here’s a quick of websites and mobile apps that can help in your preparedness efforts:

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Angela Hakim- Lasting Impact on Youth

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:27:00 GMT

Everyday American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Youth Services staff go to schools all over the St. Louis Metro area. Often times we get to go to the same schools several times over the course of a year get to know the children, and hear their personal stories about how their family started to check their smoke detectors once a month, or what they did when they had a fire. One story in particular has stuck with me.

When I first began working in Youth Services I went to a school in the Normandy School District to give a Cool Cat presentation. The Cool Cat presentation teaches children what do to in the event of a fire and how they can prepare their family for home fires...

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Lindsey Weber- Haiti: Two Months Later

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:19:00 GMT

Today not only marks two months since the tragic earthquake in Haiti, but two months since the global Red Cross has been in Haiti working to provide immediate relief. Since January 12^th- thanks to the overwhelming generosity of those of you down the street, across the country, and around the world- the American Red Cross has been able to provide food, shelter, clean water, basic necessities, and lifesaving treatment and vaccinations to millions in Haiti.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you our Two Month Progress Report, which provides insight as to where donated dollars are being spent and how the Haitian community is receiving your aid. The Red Cross relief operation truly has been a team effort...

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Kathrine Vigil- Team Preparedness Talks Tornadoes

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:10:00 GMT

Earlier this week, several tornadoes ripped through Arkansas leaving behind a path of damaged homes and injuries. This got Unprepared Ursula thinking, and Team Preparedness is once again coming to her rescue. Here are tornado safety tips to keep you safe this spring.

How can I protect myself from a tornado?

•The safest place to be is an underground shelter, basement or safe room. If no underground shelter or safe room is available, a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building is the safest alternative.

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