• Disaster Response and Disaster Assistance
• Health and Safety Education
• Health and Safety and Disaster Training Classes
• Emergency Communications Between Military Members and Their Families
• Holocaust and War Victims Tracing

We work in conjunction with the American Red Cross Southern California Regional Blood Services to ensure there is a safe and adequate blood supply in the area. For more information about blood donations, please visit www.socalredcross.org or call (800) 448-3543.

Disaster Response and Disaster Assistance

The Los Angeles Red Cross provides emergency and recovery relief for victims of residential fires, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, terrorist attacks, explosions and other man-made and natural disasters — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We assist people with immediate emergency needs, including shelter, food, clothing, basic medical services and mental health counseling to disaster victims, volunteers and rescuers.

Disaster and Preparedness Education

When we aren’t responding to disasters, we are helping people get ready for them. The Los Angeles Red Cross has developed a variety of materials to educate the public about how to stay safe and protect their home. These include the Be Red Cross Ready brochure, which outlines three actions to prepare for emergencies: Get a Kit, Make a Plan and Be Informed. We offer tips about preparing a Family Emergency Plan, which is available in more than 10 languages. Through our Community Disaster Education, we provide disaster preparedness presentations for schools, community groups and workplaces.

Preparedness and Disaster Training Classes

The Los Angeles Red Cross gives people the tools to become lifesavers by offering the following courses:

· First Aid, CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator )
· Aquatics, including Water Safety and Lifeguarding
· Nurse Assistant Training, California Child Care and babysitter training

To register for a course near you, please call (800) 627-7000. Through our Workplace Training Program, (310) 445-2688, we offer First Aid and CPR/AED training to employees.

Emergency Communications to Military Members and Their Families

The American Red Cross provides around-the-clock emergency communications between members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their loved ones. Red Cross assistance is required to verify family emergencies that require the presence of the service member. We also provide family counseling, social service referrals and may provide financial assistance in emergencies.

Holocaust and War Victims Tracing

Through the American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center, the Los Angeles Red Cross processes inquiries regarding the fate of persons missing since the Holocaust. Our International Tracing Services can help families who are separated by armed conflict or disaster a way to restore contact. These services include locating missing loved ones, exchanging family messages and securing travel documents from the International Committee of the Red Cross to reunite separated family members.

]]> http://redcrossla.org/howwehelp/here-to-help/feed 0 http://redcrossla.org/howwehelp/directions http://redcrossla.org/howwehelp/directions#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:23:20 +0000 Monica Diaz http://redcrossla.org/howwehelp/?p=208 Our office is located in West Los Angeles on the Veterans Administration Grounds. We are north of Santa Monica Boulevard, south of Wilshire Boulevard, west of the 405 Freeway, and east of Federal Avenue.

From the 405 Freeway or Santa Monica Boulevard:
Exit the 405 Freeway at Santa Monica Blvd.
Travel west onto Santa Monica Blvd.
Turn right (north) at Sawtelle Blvd., proceed north (crossing Ohio Ave.) and enter the VA Grounds.
Turn left at Dowlen Dr.
Turn left into first driveway (American Red Cross parking lot).

Weekends and Holidays: The Veterans Administration Grounds gate on Sawtelle Blvd. is closed during weekends and holidays. During these specified times, please use the main gate entrance, which is accessible via Wilshire Blvd. just west of the 405 freeway.

From Wilshire Boulevard:
Enter the VA grounds just west of the 405 freeway and travel south towards the large, main hospital.
Turn right at Dowlen Dr.  
The Red Cross building will be on your right.

JAKKS Pacific’s U.S. and Hong Kong employees rallied together and generously raised $27,000 to help support children and families affected by the disaster. As part of the JAKKS Cares philanthropic giving program, JAKKS matched each dollar donated, resulting in a total contribution of $54,000 to support relief efforts of the Red Cross Society of China.

In October 1863, The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement were created in Geneva, Switzerland, to provide nonpartisan care to the wounded and sick in times of war. The Red Cross emblem was adopted at this first International Conference as a symbol of neutrality and was to be used by national relief societies. In August 1864, the representatives of 12 governments signed the Geneva Convention Treaty.

The extraordinary efforts of Henry Dunant led to the eventual establishment of the International Red Cross. Today, the Red Cross Movement incorporates the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (the International Federation), as well as National Societies in 175 countries, including the American Red Cross of the United States.

Who founded the American Red Cross?
Clara Barton (1821-1912) was the first person to establish a lasting Red Cross Society in America. She organized the American Association of the Red Cross in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1881. Created to serve America in peace and in war, during times of disaster and national calamity, Barton’s organization took its service beyond that of the International Red Cross Movement by adding disaster relief to battlefield assistance. She served as the organization’s volunteer president until 1904.

Is the American Red Cross part of the U.S. government?
The American Red Cross functions independently of the government but works closely with government agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), during times of major crises. It is responsible for giving aid to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and to disaster victims at home and abroad. It does this through services that are consistent with its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement allowing the Red Cross to stay neutral and impartial. Race, religion, legal or economic status are irrelevant to receiving Red Cross assistance.

How does the American Red Cross support the U.S. Armed Forces?
In 1905, the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the American Red Cross that required it to act “in accord with the military authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and their armed forces.” Since then, the Red Cross has provided communications and other humanitarian services to help members of the U.S. military and their families around the world. Living and working in the same difficult situations and dangerous environment as U.S. troops, Red Cross staff has given comfort to soldiers thousands of miles from home by providing emergency messages, about deaths and births, for example, and comfort kits for loved ones to send to their troops.

What is the worst disaster the Red Cross has ever dealt with?
The natural disaster with the highest death toll in U.S. history was the Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900 in which an estimated 6,000 people were killed. Clara Barton, founder and president of the American Red Cross in 1900, gathered a team and traveled by train from Washington, D.C., to Galveston to provide relief.

Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on August 29, 2005, is the most expensive single, natural disaster in the organization’s history to date. This hurricane necessitated the largest mobilization of Red Cross workers for a single relief operation. In the weeks and months that followed that storm, two subsequent severe hurricanes—Rita and Wilma—struck the GulfCoast states during the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

More than 233,000 Red Cross workers were activated and/or deployed to provide shelter, food, water and other immediate necessities for millions of storm survivors. Ninety-five percent of those workers were volunteers. As the response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma shifted from emergency relief to providing recovery assistance, cost estimates for the operation reached $2.116 billion.

Why won’t the Red Cross accept small, individual donations of supplies or collections of items such as clothing and food? Doesn’t every little bit help?
The Red Cross does not accept individual donations of material items (called “in-kind” donations) because receipt of such items can actually hamper relief efforts. The financial and personnel cost of receiving, sorting, transporting goods and ensuring the quality and cleanliness of items donated by individual households is very high. It does not allow for individuals and families to receive what they uniquely need in their own size and shape.

What are the requirements to volunteer?
There are minimal requirements around age, health and background check factors to help the Red Cross. Click here for relevant information.

Where can I give blood?
Individuals wishing to make a blood donation to the Red Cross may call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.givelife.org to find a blood drive near you. At this time, customer service staff can address questions in English only.

How can the Red Cross help me?
The Red Cross is committed to saving lives and easing suffering. This diverse organization serves humanity and helps you by providing relief to victims of disaster, both locally and globally. The Red Cross is responsible for half of the nation’s blood supply and blood products.

The Red Cross gives health and safety training to the public and provides emergency social services to U.S. military members and their families. In the wake of an earthquake, tornado, flood, fire, hurricane or other disaster, it provides relief services to communities across the country. The Red Cross is America’s most trusted charity, and it needs the support of compassionate Americans to succeed.

As rain continues to pound the Midwest, a team of six volunteers and staff members from the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles left June 9 to assist disaster victims in northern Iowa struck by a deadly tornado and flooding. The disaster personnel have been assigned to Cedar Falls and will work in various capacities at Red Cross shelters, including providing disaster mental health assistance, for a period of two to three weeks.

More than 450 Red Cross workers nationwide have been mobilized to date to assist Iowa disaster victims, including people from the town of Parkersburg, Iowa, half of which was ruined or heavily damaged following a tornado that ripped through a stretch of northern Iowa on May 25. Officials counted 222 homes destroyed, 21 businesses destroyed and more than 400 homes damaged. Among the buildings destroyed were city hall, the high school and the town’s sole grocery store and gas station.

The Red Cross continues to operate seven shelters or evacuation centers and more than 68,000 meals and snacks have been served. Nearly 740 clean up kits and 525 comfort kits have been distributed.

The following Los Angeles Emergency and Disaster Response personnel are assisting Iowa disaster victims: Robert Buhrow and Myrna Specktor– Disaster Mental Health; Christina Jurado, and Jerome Thierry— Mass Care Sheltering; Kelly Mulock, Staff Support; and Nancy Carrillo, Public Information Officer.

Another Los Angeles Red Cross disaster worker, Jennifer Bailey, was assigned June 10 to assist with Red Cross operations in Wisconsin. The American Red Cross is also providing disaster assistance in Nebraska, Indiana, and West Virginia.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appealed to international societies to contribute $19.3 million, which will assist approximately 100,000 people over the next 12 months. The American Red Cross has long history of working in partnership with the Red Cross Society of China, including this year’s severe winter storms.

At the same time, the American Red Cross continues to assist with relief efforts as a result of the cyclone that tore through Myanmar on May 2. The Red Cross contributed $250,000 to relief efforts, with the greatest priorities continuing to be shelter and access to clean drinking water for the survivors.

To help those affected by countless disasters around the world each year, the American Red Cross recommends that people make a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which provides immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other support to help those in need. Contributions to this Fund may be sent to:

American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles,
11355 Ohio Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

or:

International Response Fund
PO Box 37243
Washington, DC 20013

Or call 1-800-RED CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish).

Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org. American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation.

For more information about the Myanmar and China Red Cross relief efforts, please visit the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies website at http://www.ifrc.org/. Preparedness is more than an exercise; it can help people live through a disaster, and it also can help disaster survivors emotionally weather the trauma they’ve undergone.

———————

Photo: Members of a medical team from the Red Cross Society of China, treating a patient at a temporary medical center set up for earthquake survivors in Shifang, Sichuan. (Credit: Sho Huang/International Federation)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has successfully shipped shelter kits, made up of tarps, ropes and hammers, and containers for storing clean water to the Myanmar Red Cross, which is partnering with UNICEF to distribute to the hardest hit areas of the coastal delta region.

You can help those affected by countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a donation, please call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or make a secure, online donation by visiting www.redcross.org. Or contributions to the International Response Fund may be mailed to the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, 11355 Ohio Ave., Los Angeles 90025. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation. To find out more information, please visit www.redcross.org or www.ifrc.org.

The Myanmar Red Cross is currently relying on its existing volunteer base to deliver relief to the cyclone survivors and, therefore, the American Red Cross does not have plans to send volunteers to the disaster site at this time. We do, however, have opportunities for volunteers to respond to local disasters. To learn more about becoming a volunteer at the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, please click here.

Ellis Stanley will oversee the city’s plan for the DNC and coordinate federal and state agencies, as well as work with the Denver Police Department on safety planning.

Stanley has 32 years of work experience in emergency management from three past national political conventions, the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the 1994 Papal visit and World Youth Conference in Denver.

Stanley is on loan to the city from his position as director of Western Emergency Management Services for Dewberry LLC. He will be under contract with the city through the August convention.

Before working for Dewberry LLC, Stanley was the general manager of the Emergency Preparedness Office in Los Angeles, where he worked for 10 years.

Buzz McCoy, a member of the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles Board of Directors, has been a part of the Red Cross family since the 1950s. His father, Bowen McCoy, was the chapter’s first manager. In honor of the McCoy family and all their contributions to the Red Cross, the chapter’s planned giving society is named The McCoy Society.   

My mother and father were Red Cross workers who met at the Long Beach-Compton earthquake in 1933, so you could say: “Red Cross is in my blood.” In the 1950s, I served as a Red Cross youth member, spoke at the 1954 Red Cross annual convention in Los Angeles, and even saved a man’s life using my Red Cross lifesaving skills.

I became active again as an adult and have served as a member of the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles Board of Directors for the past 23 years. I have chaired several committees including the finance, investment, development, nominating, facilities, and executive committees; and I served as chairman of the board for two years in the late 1980s.

As an active business person and banker, I have assisted the chapter primarily in the areas of governance and finance. I have been an annual donor for 23 years, preferring to give unrestricted funds for use primarily in disaster preparedness and training. I made one substantial capital contribution for the blood drawing room at the S. Mark Taper Headquarters located on the Veterans Administration property in West Los Angeles. The room is named for my father and my grandfather, who was Commandant of the Veterans Administration in the 1920s.

I have supported the Red Cross actively now for 28 years because I value its mission of people helping people in times of need, regardless of their race, creed or culture.  Unlike many cultural institutions, the Red Cross is a microcosm of our community. The needs are everywhere. You cannot buy your way out of an earthquake, mudslide or fire, and the Red Cross will always be there to help you.

Gail is a successful business executive and proven nonprofit fundraiser, twice recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the most powerful and influential women in corporate America. She has held top management positions at AT &T Corporation and Fidelity Investments.

She currently teaches marketing at the Harvard Business School. She also co-chairs a campaign for The Johns Hopkins University that set out to raise $2 billion in seven years; they not only exceeded their goal two years ahead of schedule but they have now raised the bar to $3.2 billion!

Gail has passion for the Red Cross and enthusiastic support for the critical mission of the ARC. Deeply committed to volunteerism, Gail is a blood donor and has been Red Cross-CPR certified

ARC General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Mary Elcano, successfully served as interim CEO during the search process and will return to her post.