Red Cross L.A. Region Director of Corporations Stephanie Pell (left) and City National Bank Vice President of Community Relations Jennifer Nickerson check the thermometer that tracks charitable workplace giving among departments during the bank's annual employee campaign.

When it comes to charitable workplace giving, L.A.- based City National Bank employees are among the most generous in the Southland.

An astounding 83 percent of the company’s 3,000 employees participated in the 2011 workplace giving campaign. And corporate leaders are hoping for an even larger percentage by the end of this year’s campaign, which begins in May. Their goal for 2012 is to raise a whopping $1 million in support of their charities.

Employees can contribute directly to one of seven charitable organizations, including the American Red Cross. The designated non-profits are selected through a process that begins with employee suggestions. They must be national organizations, since the bank serves a number of cities throughout the country, and the charities must make a demonstrable impact on local communities.

Jennifer Nickerson, vice president of Community Relations for City National Bank, says the generosity of the employees reflects the corporate culture of the bank, where there is a definite familial feel and a desire to help others. She reports that the bank leadership leads by example and encourages friendly competition among the departments in terms of participation.

Most employees elect to contribute through payroll deduction, but employees can give one lump sum in any amount. The important thing is to give something.

“We are happy and proud to partner with the Red Cross during the campaign,” said Nickerson. “The Red Cross is an organization which helps everyone during times of disaster, whether it’s local, national or international.”

Red Cross L.A. Region Director of Corporations Stephanie Pell applauds the bank and its employees. “City National Bank demonstrates a ‘best practice’ company when it comes to employee giving, and we are grateful for their support and generosity.”

Even in war, there are limits. The L.A. Region encourages educators to take the Red Cross Exploring Humanitarian Law course.

On May 8, the American Red Cross will join 187 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies from around the globe in celebrating World Red Cross Red Crescent Day. (May 8 marks the 180th birthday of Henry Dunant, founder of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.)

The American Red Cross plays an important role in this movement — the world’s largest humanitarian network — and the L.A. Region is an active participant in supporting and promoting Red Cross International Services.

Alexandra (Sasha) Poll, L.A. Region International Services program manager, said that the Region offers the following international services:  Restoring Family Links; Holocaust and World War II Tracing; International Humanitarian Law; Exploring Humanitarian Law and the Measles Initiative and International Disaster Support.

The Red Cross conducts searches to reunite families separated by conflict or disaster.

Poll, who joined the Red Cross in December of 2011, is currently recruiting and building a team of volunteers to assist with international-related services. Two priorities are the Restoring Family Links and Exploring Humanitarian Law programs.

With Restoring Family Links, Poll is training volunteers to conduct searches to reunite families separated by conflict or disaster. This free service gives families a way to restore contact.

“We are starting outreach to ethnic communities to let them know we provide this service and are reaching out to refugees, asylum agencies and other groups to target the biggest communities that might need our help,” said Poll.

The Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) initiative is dedicated to giving students the skills to understand how conflict intersects with the rights and protections of people – at home and abroad. The EHL program gives middle and high school teachers a toolkit for exploring important issues pertaining to the protection of the dignity of vulnerable people during times of war.

With the leadership of the Youth Services Coordinators, on April 21, Global Youth Service Day, EHL sessions were conducted with Red Cross youth clubs. The students were taken through some of the Toolkit’s modules and then ended the event by performing skits on some of the topics covered in the learning materials.

To find out more about volunteering with the American Red Cross in the Los Angeles Region, click here. To learn more about specific volunteer opportunities within International Services, please click here. For information about International Services, please call (626) 407-4535 or email IntlServices@arcla.org.

A Red Cross volunteer talks with children who are participating in an emergency evacuation exercise at the Pacific Palisades Charter High School.

In preparation for wildfire season, the Red Cross Los Angeles Region took part in a multi-agency disaster readiness drill for the Topanga Canyon community on Sat., April 28.

Nearly 300 Topanga residents participated in a multi-agency evacuation drill led by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.   The scenario was a massive evacuation of the canyon due to a brush fire at Topanga State Park fanned by 45-mile winds. 

Residents were asked to evacuate to two Red Cross shelters — Taft High School and Pacific Palisades Charter High School. At the schools, the participants were met by Red Cross volunteers who provided services the Red Cross offers during a real disaster, including feeding, sheltering, client casework, as well as health and mental health services. 

Volunteers assemble cots for the shelter opened at Pacific Palisades Charter High School.

Participants were asked to enter their names in the Red Cross Safe and Well website system, which is activated during disasters so people around the country can determine if their loved ones are safe at a Red Cross shelter.  Residents also received disaster preparedness information to help them prepare for the real thing.

All Red Cross services were coordinated from the Red Cross Emergency Operations Center in West Los Angeles.  Red Cross personnel were also stationed at the Incident Command Post in Calabasas along with representatives  from partner agencies including L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, L.A. County 3rd  Supervisorial District, L.A. County Office of Emergency Management, CHP, LAPD, Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness, and several CERT Teams.

The Red Cross Emergency Operations Center is staffed by volunteers during the evacuation drill in Topanga Canyon.

More than 70 Red Cross volunteers from across the Los Angeles Region took part in the drill to be better prepared in helping neighbors improve their ability to react during disasters.

“In my 20 years as a Red Cross volunteer, I have helped out with disasters ranging from an apartment fire, to a police standoff, to hurricanes across the country, said volunteer Carmela Burke. ” Emergencies happen anytime, anywhere.  It’s important to test the readiness and proficiency of volunteers so we can effectively respond during real disasters.”

Click here for more information about becoming a Red Cross disaster volunteer.

McGovern, who is entering her fifth year as CEO, discussed the dramatic cost-cutting measures undertaken over the past four years  to ensure the Red Cross has a balanced budget and a sound foundation for the future.  She thanked each and every “Red-Crosser” for making the transition a success.

McGovern said that while most Americans know that the Red Cross responds to large-scale disasters and generously support the organization’s efforts in that arena, she also discussed some lesser-known facts about the Red Cross. For example, the Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 local disasters each year—mostly single family house fires.  McGovern also discussed the Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces program and the Los Angeles Region’s Nurse Assistant Training program. 

McGovern recognized the critical importance of the L.A. Region’s preparedness efforts, recognizing the “audacious” goals that the Red Cross has set for its recently launched, three-year “PrepareLA”  campaign.   

Mayor Riordan, who is recognized for his quick response after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, addressed the importance of building Red Cross partnerships with schools, faith-based organizations, businesses and governments. These partnerships will ensure Los Angeles is as prepared as possible for the next disaster.

Photos by Roxanne Schorbach

The fire, which took place at the corner of Arizona Ave. and Second St. in Santa Monica, was contained to one unit, but smoke spread to the other floors. After the building was yellow-tagged, tenants were escorted in and out of the structure by firefighters to retrieve medicine and personal essentials before being transported to a shelter opened by the American Red Cross at Santa Monica High School.

Over the weekend, 26 residents stayed at the shelter, receiving meals, comfort kits, and access to nursing and mental health assistance through the Red Cross. The Red Cross also provided canteen services, including a hot meal, to fire and police personnel at the scene Friday night. 

The Red Cross thanks the the 40 Los Angeles Region volunteers who assisted with the shelter operation throughout the weekend.

Renowned veterinarian Dr. Karen Halligan advocates that all pets have a BARKCODE® identification tag.

The Red Cross recommends taking some simple steps to protect your four-legged family members in the event of a disaster.

BARKCODE Helps Pet Owners Reunite With Pets

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, hundreds of thousands of pets were lost or separated from their families. The American Red Cross recognizes that losing a family pet during a disaster adds to the suffering of humans, which is why the Red Cross is partnering with BARKCODE®, the leader in pet reuniting systems. 

BARKCODE® is an identification system that integrates with cell phones, tablets, computers and other everyday mobile communication devices to connect a lost or injured pet to its owner or caretaker.  Once attached to a pet collar, the nickel-sized tag, which contains a 2-dimensional code, can be scanned by any mobile or cell phone device with a camera to pull up multiple contacts and other important information about the pet immediately.

In addition to providing a simple method to identify lost animals and help them back to their loving families after a major disaster such as flood, hurricane or earthquake, BARKCODE® will donate $3 to the American Red Cross for each discounted $10 tag purchased to raise funds for American Red Cross disaster preparedness and disaster response missions.  

“We are pleased to work with the American Red Cross and provide this proprietary technology to assist both individual owners and pets,” said BARKCODE® Co-Founder Laura Erickson. “By going to www.barkcode.com/redcross you can receive the BARKCODE® Pet ID Tag (provides 10-year service), and in turn, the American Red Cross will receive a donation for their tremendous global disaster efforts.”

Red Cross L.A. Region CEO Paul Schulz commented, “The BARKCODE® Pet ID system is an ideal way to bring people and their pets together and relieve unneeded stress and suffering during and after a disaster.  BARKCODE®’s support of the Red Cross is much appreciated and just one more key partnership between the Red Cross and socially aware business interests.”

Click here for more information about protecting your pet during a disaster or assistance in locating a lost pet. Donors will receive this revolutionary tool for assisting and locating pets while helping the Red Cross to support disaster preparedness and disaster response missions. 

Remember Your Pet When Planning for Disasters

Before disasters strike, the Red Cross urges you to keep your pets in mind while planning for emergencies and possible evacuations from your home or neighborhood. Please remember the following tips when preparing for disasters: make plans to take your pets with you if you have to evacuate; most Red Cross shelters cannot accept pets because of health and safety concerns and other considerations. Know which friends, relatives, hotels, or boarding facilities will accept pets in an emergency; assemble an easy-to-carry kit with emergency supplies for pets, including:

• Leashes, harnesses and/or carriers
• Food, drinking water, bowls, manual can opener
• Medications and copies of medical records
• Current photos of the pets

Learn Pet First Aid

If your pet is injured or stops breathing, would you know what to do? Several Red Cross chapters in the L.A. Region offer courses on pet first aid. Recently, the Santa Monica Red Cross co-sponsored a Prepare UR Pet workshop and Preparedness Fair, which generated a large community response.

Click here to see if there is a pet first aid course offered near you or call 1-800 RED CROSS. The Red Cross has also developed Dog First Aid and Cat First Aid Guides with DVDs that teach basic responsibilities, such as spaying/neutering, giving medications, performing CPR, and preparing for disasters. To purchase a guide, please visit the Red Cross Store. 

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins Red Cross L.A. Region CEO Paul Schulz and actress Jamie Lee Curtis in launching the PrepareSoCal campaign.

Seismologists can’t predict where or when earthquakes will strike, which is why the Red Cross is bolstering its efforts to respond to a major quake and urging residents to do so as well. To draw attention to this urgent need, on March 29, the Red Cross L.A. Region kicked off a three-year campaign —PrepareSoCal — to prepare Southern Californians for a catastrophic disaster.

Attending the press conference at L.A. City Hall to promote the campaign were: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; actress and Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet member Jamie Lee Curtis; Paul Schulz, Red Cross L.A. Region CEO; James Featherstone, L.A. City Emergency Management Dept. general manager; and Janet Clayton, senior vice president of Edison International, the founding sponsor of the campaign.

Kicking off the PrepareSoCal campaign at L.A. City Hall are (l to r): James Featherstone, L.A. City Emergency Management Dept. general manager; L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Red Cross L.A.Region CEO Paul Schulz; actress and Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet member Jamie Lee Curtis; and Janet Clayton, senior vice president of Edison International, the founding sponsor of the campaign.

Mayor Villariagosa and James Feathersone applauded the Red Cross, which works side-by-side with City personnel in responding to disasters, and Jamie Lee Curtis discussed her commitment to promoting personal disaster preparedness — which studies have found is the most critical step in a community’s ability to recover from a quake. Curtis, a long-time champion of disaster preparedness, describes how to build a personal disaster preparedness kit in a public service announcement “Do More Than Cross Your Fingers.”

Paul Schulz outlined the four campaign goals: to strengthen the region’s disaster response capacity to feed, shelter and care for disaster victims; engage and empower a growing team of disaster volunteers; forge community partnerships and teach lifesaving skills and preparedness education; and build strong and sustainable disaster logistics and communications systems.

Schulz encouraged businesses and individuals to join the campaign and thanked the current campaign sponsors, including Edison International, Occidental Petroleum, Wells Fargo and ABC7.  He said the Red Cross plans to raise $15 million over three years for the preparedness effort.

Click here for more information about the campaign, how to volunteer or how to take the steps necessary to prepare for a disaster.  For more information on how to become a PrepareSoCal sponsor, please contact Stacey Freeman at stacey.freeman@redcross.org or (310) 477-2846.

Photos by Roxanne Schorbach