Red Cross Issues Safety Tips for Labor Day Weekend

By Jody Weyers, Director of Communications

Many people view Labor Day as the end of summer and their last chance to travel, hit the beach and fire up the grill. I know I am looking forward to a 4-day weekend filled with birthday parties, a house warming party and spending time with family and friends.

With these activities, travel, grilling & swimming may be involved. I know I will be following these Red Cross safety tips, and I hope you do to.

Have a safe and fun weekend and keep your fingers crossed, for no storms, tornadoes, house fires or any other type of disaster, so our staff and volunteers can have a peaceful long weekend too.   🙂

Tips for Safe Travel

• Carry an emergency supply kit in your trunk.
• Don’t drink and drive.

• Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive.
• Buckle up and observe speed limits.

Tips for Safe Swimming

• Check weather and water conditions beforehand and throughout the day.
• Always swim with a buddy in a designated swimming area supervised by a lifeguard.
• Provide constant supervision to children in or near the water and always stay within arm’s reach of young children and inexperienced swimmers while they are in the water.
• Young children and inexperienced swimmers should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.

Tips for Safe Grilling

• Keep the grill away from the house, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Keep children and pets away from the grill.
• Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited.

The American Red Cross First Aid App for smart phones and tablets provides users with expert advice on what to do in case of an emergency. This free app is available on the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores and at redcross.org/mobileapps.

For more information on emergency preparedness, go to redcross.org. Additional water safety tips are located at redcross.org/watersafety.

American Red Cross and Walmart Announce Nurse Assistant Training Scholarships

$50,000 available to empower students throughout Wisconsin to pursue Health Care industry careers

*** On Thursday, August 29^th between Noon – 4:00p.m. we can provide tours of the Green Bay training location. In addition, Paulene Kipke, the statewide program manager, will be there to discuss the training, benefits, demonstrate a few skills ****

The American Red Cross in Wisconsin will help 50 students across the state receive nursing & life-skills training for entry-level healthcare careers through the Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training (NAT) program thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation.

The hands-on health care training program is available on a monthly basis in Altoona, Green Bay, Oshkosh & Waupaca with the next courses beginning the first week of September. The curriculum equips students for a career into the fast-growing health care industry. With the growing senior population, this training will help communities like ours alleviate a shortage of adequately trained Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs). With small class sizes, limited to 16-students, individual hands-on time is guaranteed which has historically meant 94% of Red Cross trained students pass the state testing exam on their first attempt.  With the certification, CNA wages range from $9.25 – $16.65 per hour, which is much higher than minimum wage and often include a variety of benefits.

By joining forces with Walmart and the Red Cross training, graduates can earn higher wages and find jobs that provide health insurance for themselves and their families. The collaboration will help meet Walmart’s goal of empowering women throughout Wisconsin, the U.S. and around the world.  To complement the nursing skills, each participant will participate in an additional 16-hours of life-skills designed to help them turn training into a professional career. Topics will range from building a resume, interviewing skills and personal finance with a distinct emphasis on professionalism, punctuality and a commitment towards work. With the scholarship, the tuition is only $250.00. Plus, due to the State of Wisconsin Medicaid training reimbursement program, this cost could also be recouped by the student upon gaining qualified employment.

Red Cross NAT instructors equip students with the skills required to become CNAs and provide basic care such as feeding, dressing, bathing and monitoring patients so they can work in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living, hospitals and in-home health care.

The scholarship is available across the state so students can participate in classes in Altoona, Green Bay, Oshkosh and/or Waupaca.  Course locations, dates, time and registration information is available at redcross.org/WINAT.  The scholarships are on a first registered basis and the complete application must be submitted by October 15^th. Specific course questions should be directed to Tanya Christianson at 715-902-1035 and/or Tanya.Christianson@redcross.org. Later this fall, the course may also be available in La Crosse and Woodville.

The American Red Cross has trained and engaged America’s nurses in its life saving mission for more than 130 years. Last year, the Red Cross taught health and safety skills to nearly 12 million people nationwide, including 336 Nursing Assistants throughout the State of Wisconsin

This is the first credential-specific training grant Walmart has awarded as part of their Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, one of which is to help 200,000 U.S. women from low-income households access job training, education, career counseling, and mentoring to increase their employment opportunities. More information on this initiative can be found at corporate.walmart.com/women.

We Have a NEW Disaster Trailer!

(l-r) Ron Maloney and Nancy Mirhashemi, Disaster Volunteers in front of the new trailer.

We get excited about our new “toys” that help us better respond and quicken our response time in the community.

Special thank you to the Green Bay Packers Foundation and Ron & Pam Maloney for their efforts in securing the funding and outfitting of our new disaster trailer in Sturgeon Bay. We also want to thank Ken and Jean Hill. They have donated space at an enclosed storage building in Sturgeon Bay for the trailer to be located.

This trailer has equipment and supplies in it to staff a 50 person shelter.   By having a trailer loaded with supplies we can just hook up, and GO!

Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative Supports Vital Work of Local American Red Cross

By Vicky Jenks, Board Member and Disaster Team Member

(l-r) John Jenks, Pat Bartsch, Vicki Jenks and Allen Stea.

Recently, Pat Bartsch and Allen Stea, Operation Trust Board Members for Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative, presented a most generous gift of $2,320 to the local American Red Cross Disaster Action Team, represented by John and Vicki Jenks, of Wild Rose. Earlier this spring, the local Red Cross chapter submitted an application to ACEC’s Operation Round-up.

Operation Round-Up is a wonderful program where individuals and companies voluntarily “round up” their monthly electric bill by a few cents or dollars.  The excess funds are then utilized helping support local citizens and charities–in this instance—the American Red Cross.

The local American Red Cross serving citizens in Green Lake, Marquette, Waupaca and Waushara counties, will utilize the funds for infant, child, and adult hygiene comfort kits, reflective vests for nighttime fire responses, first aid needs, coolers, and damage assessment kits. Additionally, the gift will be used to help families displaced by such disasters as residential fires—the most common local disaster.

  “Down the street, across the country, around the world—the Red Cross is there”, because of the generosity of American citizens like Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative.

(l-r) Allen Stea, Pat Bartsch and Vicki & John Jenks.

Get out your Change for the Bucket Brigade Coming to a Location Near You!!

Bucket Brigade on August 29th to Support Local Red Cross Disaster Relief

American Red Cross Disaster Volunteers and local firefighters and emergency workers are teaming up to support the American Red Cross. The Bucket Brigade raises vital funds to support Red Cross disaster relief and preparedness activities in Northeast Wisconsin.

On Thursday, August 29th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., local firefighters and Red Cross disaster volunteers will be collecting donations in their red buckets at various high-traffic, high-visibility locations such as grocery stores and gas stations.

 “As the recent apartment fires and tornadoes have shown, the Red Cross is ready to respond when a disaster strikes,” says Steve Hansen, local Chapter Executive.  “The Bucket Brigade provides a vital source of funding to sustain our relief operations, bringing compassion and hope to those in need. The annual event also enables us to celebrate our very important partnership with Northeast Wisconsin Fire Departments while providing fire prevention information to the community.”

There are 17 participating locations this year:

Abrams – Abrams Shell at County D and Sampson Road

Appleton – Festival Foods at 1200 W. Northland Avenue

Ashwaubenon – Kwik Trip at 871 Hansen Road

Bellevue – Festival Foods at 2534 Steffens Court

Darboy – Festival Foods at W3195 Van Roy Road

De Pere – Festival Foods at 1001 Main Avenue

Fond du Lac – Festival Foods at 1125 E. Johnson Street

Green Bay West  – Festival Foods at 2250 West Mason Street

Green Bay East– Copps Food Center at 1819 Main Street

Howard – Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly at 2465 Lineville Road

Kewaunee – Piggly Wiggly at 931 Marquette Dr.

Manitowoc – Festival Foods at 2151 S. 42nd Street

Neenah – Festival Foods at 647 S. Green Bay Road

Oshkosh – Festival Foods at 2415 Westowne Avenue

Pulaski – Super Ron’s at 960 County Road B (NOTE: collection taking place Friday, September 6th)

Pulaski – Smuwara’s Bakery at 204 East Pulaski St. (NOTE: collection taking place Saturday morning, September 7th and Sunday morning, September 8th)

Sheboygan – Festival Foods at 595 S. Taylor Drive

Suamico – Festival Foods at 2348 Lineville Road

My Experience with Youth Volunteering

By: PaKou Lee, Red Cross PR/Social Media Volunteer

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

Youth volunteering reinforces a feeling of involvement, belonging and acceptance in their community. Youth volunteers also have a tendency to do better in school and have a lesser chance by 50% of engaging in risky and unhealthy behaviors  by volunteering once a week. They gain new life skills, important work ethics, and meet different types of people.

Volunteering is important for me because I enjoy the feeling of giving back to the community. I get to meet great people with amazing backgrounds and learn so much from them. I also come from a huge Hmong family and as an aunt to more than 28 nieces and nephews I do my best to be a great role model for them. I have accomplished the typical expectations: go to school, get good grades, graduate college, and not be married by the age of 18. Although I don’t get to see many of my nieces and nephews, I still want to show them that there are better things in life than just video games and having good grades.

So when the Packer 5K was coming up on July 27th, I knew it’d be the perfect opportunity to bring two of my nieces, Nevaeh, 10 and Cienna, 6 along. The night before the race I explained to them that we were going to pass out water and Gatorade to the runners. The next morning, Cienna was ready by 9a.m. and eager to leave.  I was impressed with her enthusiasm but we didn’t have to leave the house until 5p.m.

When we were setting up the Gatorade station with other Red Cross volunteers, Cienna asked me, “Auntie PaKou, what does volunteer mean?” I was surprised by her question because I thought I had explained to her what we were doing. Then I realized I only told her what we were doing, not the meaning of the word and why we were doing it. I answered her, “Volunteering is about helping people for free and not asking for something back like what we are doing right now. We are going to pass out the Gatorade to the runners.” It was great to see Nevaeh and Cienna excited for the runners. We worked great as a team.

At the end, Nevaeh and I had a friendly “argument” about who passed out more Gatorade. To this day, she still thinks she passed out more than me. The only things that mattered to me were they both had fun, they gave back to the community, and wanted to come back next year to volunteer again.

American Red Cross has many volunteer opportunities for youth from starting a Red Cross club at school to activity guides to spread the Red Cross mission. Click here for more information.

Thanks to the Red Cross for the opportunity. Cienna (L) and Nevaeh (R) look forward to more volunteering!

Have you thought about becoming a Disaster Volunteer??

Volunteer, Chris Worm, from Fond du Lac, giving out water and sandwiches to those in need.

You have seen our volunteers out in the community helping for the recent tornadoes to hit Northeast Wisconsin.

Have you ever thought, “I could do that”!  Now is the time to put that thought into action. Learn more about what is involved and how to get started to become a Disaster Action Team Volunteer.

The American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin is offering two Disaster Services: An Overview courses in the Oshkosh and Appleton area. This class is a basic level training that provides an introduction to Disaster Services and the American Red Cross.

The purpose of this course is to provide information about ways participants can help their community prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. Participants will also learn about volunteer opportunities at their local Red Cross chapter.

When:  Monday, August 26, 1:00pm-4:30pm

Where: Oshkosh Red Cross Office, 515 S. Washburn St, Ste 201

When:  Tuesday, August 27, 1:00pm-4:30pm

Where: Appleton Red Cross Office, 1302 E. Wisconsin Ave, Appleton

How to register: Call or e-mail Nick Cluppert at 920-231-3590 or nick.cluppert@redcross.org

The Power of Social Engagement

By Jody Weyers, Volunteer and Communication Director  @jweyers2

With smartphones, facebook, twitter and other social engagement platforms it is changing the way we communicate with people.  Working in the communications field for over 12 years at the American Red Cross, I have seen a lot of changes in technology, forms of communications, what works and what is outdated.

Over the last few years, on larger disasters I have seen how our National Headquarters team uses social engagement as a way to communicate with our clients, and as a way for the community impacted to communicate with us.

I have now experienced this power first-hand on the impact social media has in times of a disaster with the recent tornadoes and storms that hit Northeast Wisconsin on the morning of August 7.

Here are some real life examples of how we identified those who needed help and we were able to help:

Tweet from @WendyH0405:  @newredcross I’m in rural Hortonville and am wondering where to go to get ice thanks?

I sent her my e-mail and she contacted me with her information and I was able to provide her number to our team delivering ice to call her when they were in the area. I am happy to say Wendy sent back an e-mail at 2:00pm that day, saying she was able to get ice and thank you!

Here is another success story.

Idell Johnnston @sfagentidell is a State Farm agent from Shawano, and has helped in the past with her family to canvas the area with fire prevention door hangers. She saw me on the news that night, wanted to help and followed up via facebook.  I made a call to the disaster lead and, yes, we did need some extra hands. Idell and her daughter came down to help give out ice all day at our Appleton Office.

Social engagement cannot replace your traditional forms of communication. You still have to pick up the phone, meet people in person, and I am a firm believer of the hand written thank you note, but in times of disaster, and with social engagement being instant, this is just another tool to help the Red Cross connect with people and for people to connect with the Red Cross!

Thank you @lisajduff  for your nice message of appreciation!!!

 

Action and Compassion Continues for the People of Northeast WI

American Red Cross workers continues to help those impacted by the August 7^th tornadoes that hit Northeast Wisconsin. Over the weekend, the Red Cross sent two mobile feeding trucks to the communities of Wrightstown, Freedom, Appleton, Hortonville and New London. These trucks had water, ice, snacks, sandwiches and gloves for our disaster responders to distribute to those in need.  In addition, we had our health services and mental health professionals going door-to-door to offer their services. We also had items including teddy bears and books to help calm and comfort children impacted by the storms.

Char Martinson shows Mallory, Red Cross worker, the damage an f2 tornado caused to the back yard.

 “It’s unbelievable how responsive and dedicated the American Red Cross is…it’s great!” are the first words that came from Char Martinson, who was helping with clean-up efforts at her daughters home. Not 10 years prior, Char and her husband experienced a tornado in their hometown of Ladysmith, WI. “Yep, you bet Red Cross was there for us then too!”

As of Aug 11, our total response includes:

• Serving 6,317 meals and snacks to those impacted.
• Distribution of 8,000 pounds of ice.
• Three shelters open (Wrightstown, Appleton and New London) for people to receive water, food, ice, take showers, a place to stay, and a place to charge electronics.
• Two mobile feeding trucks were in impacted communities delivering water, ice, snacks, sandwiches, and gloves.
• 75 Red Cross workers responding to those in need.

When walking the storm ravaged neighborhoods, it was easy to see neighbors were helping neighbors and the whole community pitching in. “That’s why it’s so rewarding to drive into communities with the Red Cross supplies and a shoulder to lean-on to help people start recovering,” stated Jody Weyers, a Red Cross responder.

If you need help due to storm/tornado damage throughout Northeast Wisconsin, please call 1-800-236-8680 for assistance. Disaster teams are ready to help you with your immediate emergency needs and we are turning our attention to long-term recovery.

To view pictures of our response efforts please click HERE.

The Spirit of People in Wisconsin

Written By: Sara Bruesewitz, American Red Cross Public Affairs 

“It’s unbelievable how responsive and dedicated the American Red Cross is…it’s great!” are the first words that came from Char Martinson after I told her I was a Red Cross worker. Char’s daughter and son-in-law’s home and yard were severely damaged after 5 tornadoes ripped through New London and surrounding Northern Wisconsin communities on the night of August 6, 2013. Red Cross teams came around with food, water and ice in the days following the storms. Volunteers have been working around the clock since the storms hit providing immediate needs like food and water but also health services and emotional support.

Not 10 years prior, Char and her husband experienced a tornado in their hometown of Ladysmith, WI. “Yep, you bet Red Cross was there for us then too!”, Char said with a big smile on her face. Char and her husband traveled to New London, WI on Wednesday to bring a generator to their daughters house and help with clean up efforts. “If you can’t help your family, who can you help?”, she ended her story with.

The spirit in Northeast, Wisconsin is bright. Neighbors helping neighbors is an overall theme; everyone coming together to move forward following an unexpected disaster.