Tiffany Circle Donates New Blood Services Van

“It’s been two years in the works, and it’s finally here!” exclaimed Aymee Balison, co-chair of the Wisconsin Tiffany Circle.  On April 14, 2015, members of the Wisconsin Tiffany Circle and their guests gathered at the chapter office in Madison, Wisconsin to celebrate the arrival of a new van for the American Red Cross Badger-Hawkeye Blood Services region.

The Dodge Pro Master, purchased with donations made by Tiffany Circle members in the region, has been on the road since January.

Tiffany Circle members Beth Anderson, Patty Flowers, Aymee Balison, Sara Horein, Marti Spittell Ziegelbauer and Lavina Harjani-Kuzuhara celebrate the new Blood Services van.

The van is on the road nearly every day, carrying supplies to and from blood drives around the state. Eighty percent of the blood donations collected by Red Cross are given through mobile blood drives like these; they are critical in helping the Red Cross meet the nation’s need for blood.  And, the new van has made a big difference.  In just the four months it has been on the road, it has allowed the Red Cross to collect an additional 1,500 units of blood – red cells, plasma and platelets that are being used to help patients in Wisconsin and beyond.

This project was very personal for Aymee, whose mother lost her battle with Leukemia when she was only 50 years old.  Though her mother died very young, Aymee explained that she was very grateful that blood donations had helped extend her mother’s life.  She advocated that the Tiffany Circle take on this project so that they could help others in a similar situation.

Today, the Wisconsin Tiffany Circle boasts a membership of 17.  With this project now finished, the members are now in the process of determining what their next project will be.

Please visit our website to learn more about Tiffany Circle and American Red Cross Blood Services.

The new van in action!

April Volunteer Spotlight: Linda Arnold

Congratulations to Linda Arnold of Milwaukee on being named one of the April 2015 American Red Cross Volunteers of the Month!

Intrigued by what nurses could do to help clients affected by disasters, Linda joined the Red Cross in February of 2008. Linda explains, “my daughter had volunteered for Red Cross when she was an undergrad at UW-Milwaukee (First Aid Service Team), so I checked it out and met April Eagleboy who was in charge of staffing and new volunteers at the time. She [April] was a good recruiter, and I took a number of classes at the Red Cross “Institute” a month later. In April there was a tornado outbreak in Atlanta and I was deployed. It was only a 6-day deployment, but by the time it ended, I was hooked on the Red Cross.”

Volunteering about 40-hours per week, Linda works in Disaster Cycle Services as the Health Services Lead for the state. Linda has taken the initiative to build the department by making policies and procedures strong, repeatable, and expandable. She has also invested a great deal of time building capacity among Health Services volunteers. Linda has set standards, developed organizational charts, and established efficient chains of command. Because of Linda, Health Services is stronger both in our region and nationally as well!

When asked about her favorite moment with the Red Cross Linda explained, “I would say it is not a moment, but a deployment. I was sent to Super Storm Sandy in New York just before the storm hit. I was on one of the last flights into New York before the storm. I was sent to Long Island to teach and mentor the Health Services Lead and to manage Health Services there. When I arrived, there were 10 shelters open with 1500 people in them. We worked together that night to get medications for 80 people who critically needed them. We worked all night with a pharmacy that had a small generator and was willing to help and asked the nearest open hospital if they could send a doctor to write prescriptions for the people who needed them…I stayed approximately two months and developed a long lasting friendship with the volunteer I mentored.”

Linda encourages everyone to consider volunteering their time with the Red Cross, “You can find something you enjoy doing by volunteering with the Red Cross. You can feel good about the work that you do. You can spend as much or little time as you have to give. You can make friends with people you would have never met otherwise. You can use your lifelong skills to learn new ones. You will have precious memories from working with the people who have been affected by disaster and may see parts of the country you’ve never seen before. You can be part of the solution!” Thank you, Linda, for sharing your talents and time with the American Red Cross!

To learn more about how you can get involved, visit http://www.redcross.org/volunteer or contact the office of Volunteer Services at volunteerwisconsin@redcross.org.

Congratulations to the American Red Cross Transportation Drivers

Thursday, April 16, the Volunteer Center of Brown County hosted the 27th Annual WPS Volunteer Awards Breakfast, the community’s most broad-based volunteer recognition event in Brown County in conjunction with National Volunteer Week.

The American Red Cross is honored to have the American Red Cross Transportation Volunteers awarded runner-up for the Green Bay Packers Large Group Volunteer Award. 

(left-right) Attending the breakfast on behalf of the American Red Cross Transportation Program: Randy Wery, Jeff Baum, Bill Craig, Kenton Immerfell, Cathy & Tom Harrison, Dick Neuses and Tina Whetung, Program Manager.

Here is a brief summary of the impact these individuals make on a daily basis to those 60 and over and/or with a disability. 

An elderly parent needing rides to/from dialysis 3 days per week and they no longer drive or perhaps never had a driver’s license.  An individual with special needs who received job training while in high school, has now graduated and is in need of rides to/from work. 

These are just a couple of the reasons why American Red Cross provides this much needed transportation service.  American Red Cross Transportation Services has provided rides to the elderly and/or disabled residents of Brown County for more than 50 years. 

Door to Door transportation is offered Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. for the cost of $3.00 per person/per one way ride.  Rides are provided to/from medical, employment, nutritional, educational and social appointments.  Medical rides are priority and can be scheduled months in advance or on a routine basis for trips to/from dialysis, radiation, wound treatment, etc.  Employment rides can be scheduled on a routine basis as long as the days/times are the same each week.  Nutritional trips can be scheduled one week in advance with educational and social trips just two days in advance. 

American Red Cross provides volunteer drivers with a vehicle, schedule, insurance & training, what the volunteer provides is essential, their time.  As the demand for safe, dependable, low cost transportation continues to grow; we continue to ask more of our dedicated volunteers.  Some of our volunteer drivers are here 4-5 days per week for 4 1/2 – 5 hours per day.  Each time a volunteer gets behind the wheel of a Red Cross car they take comfort in knowing that they are not only helping the client but many times they are also helping the family of that client.  Individuals with elderly parents or a special needs child are not always able to provide the rides their loved ones need, that is why they contact American Red Cross Transportation Services.  Our volunteer drivers provide a safe and reliable transportation service, allowing those they serve to lead a more fulfilling, self-sufficient lifestyle.

In 2014 American Red Cross Transportation Services provided:

48,928 total rides

40,320 to ambulatory clients (walking)

8,608 to client using a mobility device such as a wheelchair

25,342 medical trips

16,357 employment trips

1,583 nutritional trips

808 educational trips

4,838 social trips

Drivers volunteered 32,861.75 hours  and traveled 404,043 miles to transport clients in need      

When You Say WISCONSIN, You’ve Said…House Fires?

By Marytha Blanchard

What do you think of when you think of Wisconsin? Beautiful lakes, tranquil forests, the Packers, Badgers, cheese, brats and beer? House fires probably don’t make your list. Unfortunately, they should.

As One Red Cross serving Wisconsin, between January 1 and March 31, 2015, we have responded to 391 fires alone! That’s an average more than four households being assisted each day! During the first three months of the year, disaster responders have helped individuals and families in 81 cities and towns across 44 counties and 1,040 people have received Red Cross financial assistance to help them start rebuilding their lives after a fire. Assistance can include lodging, food, clothing, emotional and medical support, information and referrals, a shoulder to cry on, a hug, guidance on where to begin to start picking-up the pieces and more. All assistance is provide free of charge and is delivered by caring volunteers that respond day or night, rain or shine to help neighbors and strangers alike.

So what can you do?

1. Check your smoke alarms at least twice a year. Seven times a day someone dies in a home fire. Every 40 minutes an injury from a fire is reported. Working smoke alarms will alert you to a fire and allow you the maximum amount of time possible to escape. Going to have dinner at a neighbor’s? Visiting your kids or parents? Help them test their alarms while you are there. They might think you’re odd but who cares, smoke alarms save lives!
2. Make an escape plan and practice it. From the time a fire starts, you will have two minutes maximum to safely exit your home. Make an escape plan. Determine two ways to exit from every room in your home. Practice your plan regularly. Include all members of your family.
3. The Red Cross is always accepting new volunteers. There are many different volunteer roles. You could respond to fires and other disasters and work directly with those affected to provide comfort and assistance. You can work behind-the-scenes, helping to make sure volunteers are trained and have the supplies needed to respond.

JOIN our preparedness team! Take part in activities like our door-to-door smoke alarm installation events http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/prevent-home-fires

Teach youth to be prepared for disasters through the Pillowcase Project http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/school/preparedness-education/the-pillowcase-project).

To learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross and to start an application visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.

4. Contribute to the #GIVEWHATFIRETAKES (https://www.crowdrise.com/givewhatfiretakes) campaign.

Fires are devastating and scary events for anyone who experiences one. There are steps you can take to make you and your loved ones more prepared and should you, your family, or your neighbor experience a home fire the Red Cross will be there, giving back what fire takes.

Welcome Vet Corp Intern, Michelle Meuer!

John Kost, Service to the Armed Forces State Manager

We are excited to announce Red Cross Wisconsin has added to its Service to the Armed Forces team, Vet Corp Intern, Michelle Meuer

“I am 29. I was in the National Guard for nine years as a member of the 1157th Transportation Company out of Oshkosh. I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and performed convoy security. I have been married for 6 years and met my husband in Iraq. Our first date was at pizza hut at one of the FOB’s (forward operating base)! I was a Medical Assistant for four years and have returned to UW Oshkosh to receive my Bachelors in Nursing.“

Michelle joins us from AmeriCorps’ Vet Corps program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. During her time in the Guard she earned the rank of Sergeant and served on two overseas deployments, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, conducting convoy and convoy security missions.

She is Medical Assistant and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) trained and currently in her second year at UW-Oshkosh pursuing admission to its College of Nursing.

Her focus in Service to the Armed Forces is to partner with State of Wisconsin Veteran Homes at King (Waupaca County) and Union Grove (Milwaukee County) to grow our staff of volunteers and participation in programs that assist veterans.

Welcome Michelle to the American Red Cross!

 

April Volunteer Spotlight: Linda Kohler

Congratulations to Linda Kohler, of Larson, on being named one of the April 2015 American Red Cross Volunteers of the Month!

Linda joined the Red Cross in November of 2010. “I wanted to volunteer because I wanted to get out of the house, but continued to volunteer because of the staff at the Red Cross,” explained Linda.

Volunteering about 12 hours per week, Linda supports the front desk at both the Oshkosh and Waupaca offices. As her nominator, Nick Cluppert, wrote, “Linda is always willing to help however she can. She puts on a smile and welcomes everyone that comes to the office. Linda is always eager to take on special projects from staff to help out by making phone calls, researching information and putting together packets of information for upcoming activities. If it was not for our front desk volunteers, our small staff would have a difficult time getting these things done. Linda really helps the office function smoothly and offers different perspectives on how things might be able to get accomplished.”

Linda’s work impacts the value of Red Cross every day. Not only is Linda a valuable resource for staff, but an important welcoming face of the organization. Nick explained, “Linda has a great sense of humor that she brings to the office every time she comes in. If anyone is having a bad day you can bet that Linda will bring a smile to your face. Linda is also very good at working with the clients and guests that come into our offices.”

“My favorite part of volunteering is being able to help people that need it. The staff makes me feel like I am part of their team and I feel really at home. Every day I’m here is a memorable moment even with the little things that happen. I would definitely recommend volunteering with the Red Cross. It will enrich your life and make a big difference, just as it has mine!” – Linda Kohler

Thank you, Linda, for sharing your talents and time with the American Red Cross!To learn more about how you can get involved, visit http://www.redcross.org/volunteer or contact Volunteer Services at volunteerwisconsin@redcross.org.

No April Fool’s Day Joke

We are proud of our American Red Cross responders! Here’s just a brief one-day recap:

• For a large apartment building fire on S. Cesar E Chavez Drive in Milwaukee, we opened a shelter for residents displaced by fire. Many of whom, had to jump to a neighboring buildings before being rescued by fire fighters. We are now working one-on-one with them to address emergency needs and longer term living solutions as the building is, now, rubble.
• An apartment building fire in Taylor (Jackson County) has taken the life of an elderly gentleman. We are assisting survivors with lodging, food, clothing and emotional support during this difficult time.
• We also responded to fires in Sheboygan County and to a family of six in Cudahy (Milwaukee County) after fire destroyed their homes too.
• Altogether 32 people have been assisted with their immediate disaster-caused needs.
• National Deployments! Three of our trained responders, Brenda Haney of Deforest and Cheryl and Doug Mason of Chippewa Falls, are deploying to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 “It is days like today that leave me in awe at the dedication of wonderful volunteers and staff who give so much of their time and energy to help people in need. They respond day and night, rain or shine, to bring help and hope to so many. If you run into a disaster volunteer or staff member in the next few days please thank them for what they do.” Marytha Blanchard, WI Disaster Officer

Doug and Cheryl Mason are Oklahoma bound!