(L-R) Carie Salter, founder and CEO of Social Goodies, presents a check for $20,458 on April 15 to Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, at the charity’s regional headquarters in Los Angeles.

With an eye on “good deeds and good deals,” soon-to-debut SocialGoodies.com, a social enterprise that leverages e-commerce and social media marketing to raise money for charity, presented a check for $20,458 on April 15 to the American Red Cross for those affected by the earthquake and Pacific tsunami in Japan.

Social Goodies is creating a fast-growing movement to change the way we shop that is founded on the belief that each of us can find small ways to give back. Beginning with the formal launch of its website next month, Social Goodies will offer amazing deals to consumers at up to 70% off retail on a wide range of nationally recognized and emerging fashion, beauty, lifestyle and home décor brands and will then donate 20% of the gross proceeds of every purchase to one of the website’s featured charities, as designated by the customer.

“Our desire is to create a platform to raise a significant sum of money for a select number of trusted charitable organizations that make a positive and lasting impact on society,” commented Carie Salter, founder and CEO of Social Goodies.

“We are very grateful to Social Goodies for selecting the American Red Cross as one of the recipients of its pre-launch promotional campaign. This generous donation enables the American Red Cross to further assist the Japanese Red Cross for emergency relief and medical services,” said Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red Cross Los Angeles Region.

Social Goodies will debut May 23 with more than 58,000 registered users already in place. As the result of an organic, online marketing campaign in March – which pledged a dollar to charity for each new Social Goodies registrant – $20,458 was raised for donation to the American Red Cross.

Social Goodies offers a far different approach than most e-commerce sites. While also providing compelling value to both consumers and merchants, philanthropy is clearly the centerpiece of its model. From Social Goodies’ vantage point, the word “social” in “social commerce” refers to the fact that the company’s single most important priority is creating value for society, not maximizing profits.

For information on how you can donate to the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross in your community, in the country and around the world click here.

L-R: J. Bret Lane, Vice President, Field Services, SoCalGas; Carolyn Williams, Community Relations Manager, SoCalGas, and Steve Allen, Chief Development Officer, American Red Cross - LA Region.

LOS ANGELES, CA, January 22, 2010 - Sempra Energy Foundation has donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region in support of the organization’s PrepareLA campaign, an initiative that encourages communities and businesses to take simple steps to help them prepare for and respond to a large scale emergency.

Sempra Energy and its charitable giving arm, Sempra Energy Foundation have been supporting the American Red Cross for many years.

“The American Red Cross in Los Angeles plays an important role in helping people in need in Southern California,” said Beatriz Palomino Young, executive director of Sempra Energy Foundation. “We are pleased to be able to provide continued support to the Red Cross, particularly during these difficult economic times.

Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, thanked Sempra Energy Foundation for its generous donation: “We are honored to partner with the Foundation , whose funds will go to help Southern Californians prepare for a major disaster.”

To make a donation to the Red Cross PrepareLA campaign, call (310) 445-2685. Disaster preparedness information for you, your family and your business can be found at www.PrepareLA.org.

Sempra Energy Foundation is the 501(c)(3) private foundation of Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2009 revenues of about $8 billion. The Sempra Energy companies’ 13,800 employees serve about 29 million consumers worldwide. For more information on Sempra Energy Foundation, visit www.sempraenergyfoundation.org.

The American Red Cross – Los Angeles Region helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Serving more than 85 cities in the Los Angeles region, the Red Cross provides relief for victims of house and apartment fires, earthquakes, floods, hazardous material spills, transportation accidents, explosions and other natural or man-made disasters — 24 hours a day. Last year, the chapter trained more than 150,000 people in vital life-saving skills, including CPR and first aid. For more information, please visit www.RedCrossLA.org.

You can make a difference today. When a neighbor’s house burns down. When someone needs a lifesaving blood transfusion. When a family needs to contact a deployed service member in an emergency. When a child needs a hug and a blanket. Your gift supports to the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross in your community, in the country and around the world.

Your dollars make a difference:

$1 – Five 8-oz. bottles of drinking water
$10 – Two warm meals for someone who has lost their home in a fire
$25 – Five blankets at a Red Cross shelter
$50 - A one-week supply of baby food/formula for an infant left homeless
$100 – Comfort kits—soap, shampoo, shaving gel, deodorant, toothpaste—for 50 people left homeless
$500 – Home clean-up kits—buckets, brooms, cleaning agents and more—for 25 families affected by a flood

Ways to give:

Donate Online, By Telephone or Mail, In-Kind Contributions, Workplace Giving, Corporate, Stock & Security, Tribute & Memorial Gifts, Leaving a Legacy, Tiffany Circle, Clara Barton Legacy Society, Vehicle Donations

Through face-to-face fundraising, Red Cross representatives share with members of the public how the work and mission of the American Red Cross saves lives every day in your community, across the country and around the world. Money raised for the Red Cross will support our life-saving mission where the need is greatest.

When members of the public donate or sign up as regular givers with Red Cross face-to-face fundraisers on the street, they provide personal information and bank details to allow automatic monthly donations. All this information is kept strictly confidential.

How to identify a legitimate Red Cross fundraiser:

American Red Cross street fundraisers work in teams, so you won’t see an isolated fundraiser asking for donations. Fundraisers will engage the public in discussion about Red Cross services and programs. They will request monthly, recurring donations although they are also allowed to accept one-time donations of cash, check, credit card or bank draft.

Our street fundraisers:

• wear a bright red polo shirt and baseball cap with the American Red Cross logo.

• carry a Red Cross binder and clipboard containing fact sheets and Red Cross donation forms.

• carry an ID card with their name, photograph, employee number and agency details (Public Outreach Fundraising).

Where are fundraisers working?

Our fundraisers work in Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle, all year round.

Is my information confidential?

Donating through street fundraisers is an effective way to support the life-saving mission of the Red Cross. Public Outreach Fundraising and the American Red Cross follow industry regulations related to face-to-face fundraising and data security. All personal and financial information is confidential.

Dear Friends:

It’s been an extremely busy week for the American Red Cross and your Greater Los Angeles Chapter. The Station fire started last Wednesday and was quickly followed by the fire in Palos Verdes Peninsula and a number of other threatening fires throughout our state.

We have been on the scene since the beginning and opened our first shelter last Thursday. The Greater Los Angeles Chapter’s Emergency Operations Center was activated and is serving as the Red Cross central communications hub for California to coordinate the deployment of mass care to the evacuees of all of the fires in the state. Since last week and in response to the Station wildfire: seven shelters were opened; close to 500 people received shelter, including 155 with physical and mental challenges; and almost 5,000 meals and snacks were served. These wildfires have challenged our resources but I am very pleased to report that our response efforts have been strong and effective.

Individuals and their families have quickly received shelter, food, comfort, support and assistance from our trained disaster service workers. As the fire shifted, we were able to quickly open new shelters, provide staffing, and deploy resources to the site including Red Cross disaster mental health workers, food, water, comfort kits, cots, blankets and other emergency items.

Our Emergency Operations Center is operating seamlessly and to capacity with almost all of the 40 stations in use. The photo (left) was taken during the middle of our response effort.

As the chapter’s chief executive officer and a trained disaster services worker, I could not be more proud of the Red Cross and the volunteers and staff involved in this massive response effort. I have been on the scene and have visited the shelters and evacuation sites and everything that can be done, is being done, to assist the evacuees.

I wanted to share the good news that your past financial support is at work. The chapter’s ability to respond during these tragic events and provide the mass care needed would not have been possible without the generous support from our community. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Paul Schulz, Chief Executive Officer

We would like to thank all our Clara Barton donors for their continued generosity and support to the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles!

The benefactors recognized on these pages contributed between January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2009.
We are grateful for the support of these donors and those who chose to remain anonymous who make the work of the American Red Cross possible.

We have made every effort to make sure that this information is accurate, if you find a discrepancy please let us know by contacting us at 310-445-2685.

The Partnership Program will:

• Increase your organization’s resilience to confront and recover from disaster;
• Provide your employees with valuable lifesaving skills so they are better prepared;
• Provide free disaster preparedness training at the company’s location;
• Enable your employees to fulfill an important social responsibility while enhancing their leadership skills through volunteer opportunities;
• recognition on the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region website; and
• monthly service and program updates.

Members of the Red Cross Partners Program make a minimum annual donation of $1,000 to support chapter programs and services. For more information or to join the Partners Program, please call (310) 445-2685.

Join Our Team of Business Partners

• 2H Construction, Inc.
• ACM Entertainment
• American Security Force, Inc.
• Anonymous Content, LLC
• AO Freight Corporation (LAX)
• ASC Process Systems
• AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
• Bank of America
• California Commerce Club
• Cathay Bank
• Century Park Capital Partners, LLC
• Certified Service
• Chevron Corporation
• City National Bank
• Costco Wholesale
• CPEhr
• Daz Systems, Inc.
• Dickinson Frozen Foods
• Edison International
• Employee’s Comm Fund of the Boeing Co
• Farmers Insurance Group Federal Credit Union
• Flo-Mac, Inc
• Gelson’s Markets
• Haley Industrial Coatings & Linings Inc
• Hallmark Lighting
• Hansen Cold Storage Construction
• Health Net of California, Inc.
• Holland & Knight
• Jeff Jensen Band
• Jimenez Custom Painting
• J.L. Penrod-Properties
• Kintera
• K.V. Collections, Inc.
• L & N Apartments
• LBI Holdings, Inc.
• Leko Construction
• Lilly Enterprises, Inc.
• Los Angeles Federal Credit Union
• Los Angeles Galaxy
• Mattel, Inc.
• MB2 Raceway, Inc.
• Morley Group, Inc.
• New Century International Inc
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Occidental Petroleum Foundation
• One Eighteen Advertising, Inc.
• Pacific Western Bank Foundation at The San Diego Foundation
• Professional Visioncare Associates
• Rainbow River, Inc.
• Reliance Steel and Aluminum Co.
• Sara Lee Corporation
• Scott Halley and Associates, Inc
• Sempra Energy
• Sinton Productions
• Surf Management Company
• The Allstate Foundation
• The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd
• The Capital Group Companies
• The Kroger Co.
• Towers Perrin
• Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A, Inc.
• Transcon Shipping Co., Inc.
• Unified Grocers
• Union Bank of California Employee Workplace Campaign
• Verizon
• Wachovia Bank
• Watson Land Company
• Wellpoint Associate Giving Campaign
• Wells Fargo
• Wessco International
• Wetherby Asset Management
• Wilmington Trust
• Wilshire State Bank
• Yusen Terminals Inc.
• Zenith Insurance Company

A major disaster, like a large magnitude earthquake, will require that the American Red Cross provide mass care for 250,000 families for up to five days and until outside help arrives. To shelter and feed this number of people requires that the Red Cross identify potential shelter sites and pre-position supplies now. The Red Cross also is building community partner relationships to provide the care that will be required during a catastrophic disaster. This includes the training of 20,000 volunteers to serve as disaster workers. A state-of-the-art communications system will allow us to communicate with first responders, disaster volunteers, shelters and community partners. The newly constructed Emergency Operations Center is the chapter’s central communications hub for the Greater Los Angeles region in the event of a catastrophic disaster and will be used to communicate with key non- governmental and governmental agencies throughout Los Angeles to coordinate mass care for the hundreds of thousands of evacuees and injured.

The Red Cross is reaching out to the Greater Los Angeles community for financial help.

“ Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call and clearly demonstrated the need to prepare communities in advance of major disasters. As a result of the many lessons learned, the American Red Cross must train thousands of disaster volunteers in advance of a disaster, pre-position relief supplies throughout vulnerable areas, build and cement relationships with our community partners and equip ourselves with state-of-the-art and alternate systems of communications and technology.” — Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles

How you can help:
Donate online by clicking here.
Donate by phone: (310) 445-2685
or mail donation to:
American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles
11355 Ohio Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90025

Important: Please indicate if you would like your donation to be part of the Weingart Matching Grant program.

 

Donate your car and show your support of the Los Angeles Red Cross!

It is easy to make a contribution that supports Red Cross services within Southern California while earning yourself a valuable tax deduction.  Here is how it works:

Call Toll-Free  888-5Red Cross( 888-573-3276) or email donations@charitableautoresources.com  to speak with a Vehicle Donation Representative.  Our representative will schedule a pick up time for your vehicle that’s convenient for you, and provide you confirmation of your donation.

If the gross proceeds from the sale of your vehicle are $500 or more, and if you provide your Social Security number at the time of your donation, you will also receive and an IRS Tax form 1098C verifying stating the sale price of the vehicle for tax purposes.  This is the amount that you can claim on your itemized tax return.

Since January 1 2005, if the claimed value of the donated vehicle exceeds $500 the taxpayer is limited to the gross proceeds of the sale.