Press

8/10/2007 - State Farm Awards $25,000 Grant to American Red Cross in Support of Community Disaster Education

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from State Farm in support of Community Disaster Education. The mission of the Red Cross is to provide relief to victims of disasters and to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. The important contribution from State Farm directly supports this lifesaving mission by providing funding for preparedness presentations that are available to individuals, businesses, schools and community organizations at no cost.

8/9/2007 - American Red Cross Deploys Six Disaster Relief Workers to Rockford, IL in Response to Severe Flooding

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter deployed six disaster relief workers to Rockford, Illinois on Thursday to assist in the ongoing emergency relief effort following severe local flooding. More than five inches of rain has fallen in the Rockford area during a short period of time this week, and local Red Cross workers will specialize in sheltering, feeding, health services and logistics during the recovery effort. Local Red Cross workers have accepted a deployment that may last as long as three weeks.

8/3/2007 - KTRS Radio to Auction St. Louis Sports Memorabilia and Tickets to Benefit American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund

KTRS Radio (550 AM) will auction sports memorabilia and tickets from the St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams live on the air throughout the day on Friday. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables nearly 800 chapters across the country to respond to more than 70,000 disasters each year.

8/2/2007 - City of Belleville Partners with American Red Cross to Host Lifesaving Hero Day

The City of Belleville and the American Red Cross recently partnered to host "Be a Belleville Lifesaving Hero Day" on Saturday, July 21 at Belleville West High School in Belleville, IL. During the event, the public was invited to take three steps to become a lifesaving hero - 1. Donate blood, 2. Learn CPR, and 3. Prepare for disasters. The event enabled the Red Cross to train 24 people in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and to collect 29 units of blood.

7/30/2007 - American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Elects Vivian M. Luce as New Chair of the Board of Directors

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter announces that Vivian M. Luce has been elected to serve a two-year term as Chair of the Board of Directors. Vivian, a 30+ year Red Cross volunteer and the Vice-President of Business Development for Cejka Search, is committed to the Red Cross mission to help the community prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies. Vivian embraces her new leadership role in the St. Louis Area Chapter's 90th year of service to the metropolitan area.

7/25/2007 - 15 Teams Participate in Annual American Red Cross Lifeguard Competition

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter trains over 42,000 people in water safety programs every year, including Learn-to-Swim and lifeguard certification curriculum. In support of the Red Cross' mission to save lives, the St. Louis Area Chapter hosted the 11th Annual American Red Cross Lifeguard Competition at Queeny Park on Sunday, July 22. During the event, lifeguard teams competed in scenario-based events designed to enhance their rescue skills. The first place overall winner was Dellwood - Team 1. The City of Omaha Parks and Recreation team from Omaha, Nebraska won second place, and Manchester - Team 2 won third place overall.

7/24/2007 - American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Announces a $10,000 Grant from The Home Depot

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter today announced that it has received a $10,000 grant from The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, to support the Chapter's goal in 2008 of educating at least 80,000 St. Louis area residents through Community Disaster Education presentations. Red Cross Community Disaster Education prepares people of all ages for a variety of emergency situations, including fires, floods, earthquakes and tornados. This is the second consecutive year in which the chapter has been awarded a grant through this program.

7/23/2007 - American Red Cross Presents Lifesaver Awards and the National Certificate of Merit to Local Heroes

During a ceremony in Creve Coeur on Monday, July 23, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter presented Lifesaver Awards to residents from the St. Louis metropolitan area. A variety of citizens from all walks of life received honors during the event for preparing themselves through training and then reaching out to save the life of a fellow citizen. The Lifesaver Award program, sponsored by AAA, is designed to inspire others to get trained in First Aid and CPR.

7/21/2007 - American Red Cross to Host 11th Annual Lifeguard Competition

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter will host the 11th Annual American Red Cross Lifeguard Competition in support of the Red Cross mission to help the community prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies by promoting the highest standards of water safety. This year, 15 teams from across the Midwest will compete during scenario-based testing exercises.

7/20/2007 - Red Cross Disaster Action Team Responds to Multi-Unit Apartment Fire on North 10th Street in East St. Louis

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter's Metro East Service Center dispatched a Disaster Action Team to a multi-unit apartment fire in the 600-block of N .10th Street in East St. Louis, IL on Thursday night. Red Cross volunteers provided assistance on the scene and caseworkers are supporting the recovery effort of 33 people from 11 families displaced by the fire.

7/19/2007 - Red Cross Lifesaver Awards to Spotlight St. Louis Area Heroes

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter will feature seven stories of heroism during a Lifesaver Award ceremony at Chapter Headquarters on Monday, July 23 at 1:30 p.m. The event is designed to recognize local residents for developing skills through training and then reaching out to save a life. A variety of citizens from all walks of life will receive honors - from police officers and teenagers to a school nurse and a retired teacher.

7/18/2007 - Most St. Louisans Are Not Ready for a Local Emergency

As the metropolitan area marks the one-year anniversary this week of the severe windstorm and resulting power outages that struck the St. Louis region on July 19, 2006, most St. Louisans have not taken the necessary steps to be ready for another local emergency, according to a new survey by the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. "We have both good news and bad news to share with the community," said Joseph C. White, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. "Most St. Louisans generally understand what it means to be ready, yet the majority have not acted on that knowledge."

7/12/2007 - American Red Cross Presents Lifesaver Community Award to the YMCA of Southwest Illinois

During an onsite award presentation on Thursday, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter presented the Lifesaver Community Award to the YMCA of Southwest Illinois. A Red Cross Celebration Team, comprised of volunteers and staff, took part in the recognition event to celebrate the YMCA's outstanding commitment to helping communities throughout southwestern Illinois to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

7/3/2007 - Fourteen Local American Red Cross Disaster Relief Workers Respond to Flooding in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas

As extensive flooding continues throughout the Midwest in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is deploying eight additional relief workers to assist in the recovery effort, bringing the total number of deployed local Red Cross workers to 14. Volunteers and staff from the St. Louis Area Chapter are supporting the delivery of Red Cross services to disaster victims, including emergency shelter, food, emotional support and emergency supplies as needed. In addition, the Chapter will deploy its emergency response vehicle to assist with the delivery of food and supplies.

6/29/2007 - American Red Cross to Deploy Two Disaster Relief Workers to Texas in Response to Severe Flooding

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter will deploy two disaster relief workers to Texas in support of the ongoing Red Cross response to extensive flooding throughout the state. Nancy Bates (O'Fallon, IL), executive officer of emergency services, and Nicole Holtgrefe (St. Louis, MO), director of preparedness and client services, will serve in Red Cross leadership roles as part of the large-scale relief effort. During their deployment, Bates will serve as deputy director of the overall operation, and Holtgrefe will serve as assistant manager of client services.

6/28/2007 - Lohr Distributing Company Gives $25,000 to American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter in Support of Ready When the Time Comes

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is the recipient of a $25,000 gift from Lohr Distributing Company in support of Ready When the Time Comes - a new corporate volunteer recruitment and training program. In addition to the financial contribution, employees from Lohr Distributing Company have been trained to serve as Red Cross volunteers specializing in transporting and delivering emergency supplies to disaster victims during times of great need.

6/25/2007 - The City of Belleville and the American Red Cross Team Up to Host Belleville Lifesaving Hero Day

The City of Belleville, Illinois and the American Red Cross will host "Be a Belleville Lifesaving Hero Day" on Saturday, July 21, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Belleville West High School located at 4063 Frank Scott Parkway. The public is invited to participate in this lifesaving event. Participants are encouraged to become a hero by taking any or all of the following steps: 1. Donate Blood, 2. Learn CPR, and/or 3. Prepare for Disasters.

6/20/2007 - Red Cross Youth Volunteers Attend Leadership Development Camp

Twenty Red Cross youth volunteers from the St. Louis area recently attended a three-day Leadership Development Camp sponsored by the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter at the YMCA's Trout Lodge near Potosi, Missouri. The selected youth are active members of YouthCorps, contribute to at least one community service project and Red Cross teaching opportunity each year, and are certified in CPR, First Aid, and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

6/14/2007 - American National Red Cross Honors St. Louis Area Chapter

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter has been named one of the 80 best-performing chapters in the United States by the American National Red Cross, headquartered in Washington, D.C. In 2006, approximately 800 chapters were evaluated and were scored on a comprehensive set of performance criteria. The St. Louis Area Chapter achieved the important distinction of ranking in the top 10 percent.

6/8/2007 - St. Louis Area Chapter Presents Red Cross Ready Award to Hancock Place Elementary and Scruggs Elementary Schools

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter recently presented the Red Cross Ready Award to Hancock Place Elementary School (Hancock Place School District) and Scruggs Elementary School (St. Louis Public School District) for embracing emergency preparedness by reaching students, faculty, staff and parents with important Red Cross safety information during the 2006-2007 school year. In these two schools alone, the Red Cross' message of preparing for disasters and emergencies has reached nearly 900 students of all ages.

6/5/2007 - City of Florissant Partners with American Red Cross to Host Second-Annual Community Heroes Day

The City of Florissant and the American Red Cross recently partnered to host the second-annual Community Heroes Day on Saturday, May 12 at the James J. Eagan Community Center in Florissant. During the event, the public was invited to take two steps to become a hero - 1. donate blood and 2. learn CPR. The event enabled the Red Cross to train 69 people in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and to collect 24 units of blood.

6/1/2007 - New Scam Targeting Military Spouses

Military family members are urged not to give out any personal information over the phone if contacted by unknown/unverified individuals. American Red Cross representatives will contact military members/dependents directly only in response to an emergency message initiated by your family. The Red Cross does not report any type of casualty information to family members. The Department of Defense will contact families directly if their military member has been injured. Should any military family member receive such a call, they are urged to report it to their local Family Readiness Group or Military Personnel Flight.