Category Archives: Homepage Posts — Other

Reflections on Paradise Lost

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By LeeAnn Woodward

Tuesday, September 10 was a day I will never forget.  I had the chance to visit the town of Paradise with some of our donors, 11 months after the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, devastated this community.  It took the lives of 86 people, destroyed almost 19,000 structures, and covered over 153,000 acres.

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As we drove through the ridge, we saw charred trees, the signs of where a hospital used to be, the local salon, a grocery store, even a McDonald’s with only the golden arches left standing – it was not only emotional but also strangely inspiring to see the rebuilding that’s starting to happen. Read more

Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Supports 129th Rescue Wing

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The 129th Rescue Wing is part of the California Air National Guard, and is based at Moffett Field, California. “That others may live.” Is the motto of Air Rescue and typifies the wartime mission of combat search and rescue and the peacetime missions of finding and rescuing distressed people on shifts, lost or injured hikers and medical evacuations. The unit consists of over 1,000 members, 700 of whom are part time California Air Guard Members. Read more

Red Cross Support to Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting Relief Operation

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On Sunday, July 29, 2019, a tragic mass casualty event occurred at about 5:30 PM, in the closing hours of the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Shortly after midnight that evening, the City of Gilroy Fire Department and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) formally requested American Red Cross support for a city shelter providing refuge for people who were not able to retrieve their personal belongings, vehicles and or identification. The Red Cross opened a shelter at Christopher High School in Gilroy and operated that shelter until Thursday, August 1 during which time Red Cross volunteers and community partners provided health, mental health, feeding and recovery planning services. Read more

Caring donors make Santa Cruz blood drive a special success

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Zoë Brouillet is following in her father’s footsteps as a regular Red Cross blood donor.
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You could almost say that helping others is in Zoë Brouillet‘s blood.

That’s why the 19-year-old Santa Cruz resident shifted gears halfway through a “Gap Year” program last year, deciding that her time between finishing high school and beginning college would be better spent in Asia helping the disadvantaged, rather than in Italy studying opera. “I decided part way through the year that I wanted to change locations so the experience could be about something greater than me,” Zoë said. “I ended up helping build water-filtration systems in Cambodia, treat Agent Orange victims in Vietnam, and conserve elephants in Thailand.”

That’s also why Zoë was one of the first people in the Santa Cruz office of the American Red Cross yesterday morning for a blood drive event. Read more

IS training underscores importance of International Humanitarian Law

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together-for-humanity_420x279In early June, volunteers and staff of the American Red Cross International Services Division gathered in Orlando, Florida for a two-day training in International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The sessions provided much more than that!

The group was comprised of volunteers with a diversity of backgrounds: from lawyers, to International Red Cross delegates, to retired IHL military lawyers, to JAG officers who had been active in war zones. Taking place on June 1–2, the training focused on the “Rules of Engagement in Armed Conflict,” protection of the most vulnerable in times of war, and forced migration. Additionally, the group discussed best practices for outreach on these subjects.

The training was thoroughly inspiring. The IHL trainers — Randy Bagwell, Noah O’Connor, and Molly Kovite — were outstanding in their knowledge of the material and facilitated lively and inclusive discussions. All three were enthusiastic and supportive of the attendees throughout the training.

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