Competitors celebrate their participation in the Kiddie Run

The American Red Cross is adding its informational efforts to two upcoming events that spotlight the Chinese community in Los Angeles — the Annual Lunar New Year Parade, on Saturday, Feb. 4, and the 2012 Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker Run/Walk Race, part of a weekend-long festival, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 12.

Both events will feature volunteer-manned booths for the Red Cross, which will be distributing preparedness materials in Mandarin to participants in the fun.

The Annual Lunar New Year Parade in Alhambra, kicks off in the morning on Valley Boulevard, between Garfield and Almansor.  Fifty-thousand people are expected at the popular parade and street festival.  The Chinese celebrate their new year in the spring, and the date is centered around a lunar calendar.  This year is the year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar.

Next weekend, festivities continue with the Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker Run/Walk Race, a 5/10k event that is part of the two-day celebration centered in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway.  In addition to an informational booth offeirng preparedness materials, the Red Cross presents a Disaster Safety Puppet Show for children.  The event will also feature a bike ride and kiddie run.

Red Cross runners prepare for LA marathon

Runners, walkers, fitness fanatics and couch potatoes are all invited to bring their support to the American Red Cross, an official charity of the upcoming Los Angeles Marathon 2012, Sunday, March 18 (7:24 AM) or the pre-marathon 5K on Saturday, March 17 (8:00 AM).  The starting point for both events is Dodger Stadium.

The Red Cross is reaching out to staff, volunteers, family and friends who can all take part in one or both races or help all the runners by manning the official Red Cross water station at mile 20 of the marathon.

Come out to show your support and be sure to wear red, so all participants can know you’re flying the flag for the American Red Cross.

To Register for the Marathon or 5K:
Pre-registration is required for both events.  Just send your name and contact information to Wendy Moltrup at moltrupw@arcla.org and the Red Cross will register on your behalf. Or you can register at: www.lamarathon.com.

If you are already registered for the marathon and want to re-register as part of the Red Cross team, just send your name and contact information to Wendy Moltrup at moltrupw@arcla.org and we will make the change for you for free.

To help man the Red Cross Water station:
Go to http://www.lamarathon.com/

• Select: Volunteer
• Select: Join an existing volunteer group
• Select Group: American Red Cross Los Angeles Region
• Password: runner35
• Fill out the required information
• Submit the form

And, please join us in going the extra mile:
The LA Marathon is partnered with Crowdrise to make it easier for race participants and supporters to raise money for the Red Cross. You can donate or become a fundraiser for the Red Cross through our LA Marathon charity page at http://www.crowdrise.com/americanredcrosslosangeles.

Contact the Red Cross Los Angeles Region headquarters at 310-445-2685 with any questions about volunteering or fundraising.

One of the teams of a Red Cross youth group distribute fire safety informatio in a Van Nuys neighborhood on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

More than 150 Red Cross L.A. Region youth volunteers celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by distributing fire prevention and safety information to nine communities across the Southland.

In partnership with HOPE Worldwide,  Red Cross youth volunteers canvassed door-to-door from Hawthorne to Van Nuys encouraging community residents to familiarize themselves with fire prevention information, including tips on the benefits of smoke alarms, creating and practicing fire escape plans, and safe in-home cooking and heating procedures. Volunteers also distributed door hangars with fire safety tips and information. For those who were not at home, the door hangars were hung on their doors so residents would have the information when they returned.

Sandee Grossman, a Van Nuys resident who talked with one of the Red Cross youth said, “You never think it’s going be you. I came home one night to find the fire department in front of our house because, when my son was younger, one of our babysitters decided to build a large fire in the fireplace! Fortunately, no-one was hurt.”

Fire is the biggest disaster threat to American families – not floods, hurricanes or tornadoes. And most fires are preventable. Still, over 90 percent of all disasters the Red Cross responds to each year are related to fire. On average, the American Red Cross provides food, shelter, comfort and hope to people affected by approximately 63,000 fires every year, or about one fire every eight minutes. Click here for fire safety tips.

Story by Priyanka Banerjee, Communications Volunteer

Video by Bob Carey and Deanna Morgan, Communications Volunteers

The Red Cross partnered with the Tzu Chi Foundation to assist the Mandarin-speaking residents at a shelter opened in San Gabriel. Pictured are (l to r) shelter client Chuo Lin Song, Red Cross volunteer Chun Chan, shelter client Wu Yu Qin and Tzu Chi translator Harriet Hsu.

Approximately 30 Mandarin-speaking residents of San Gabriel were provided with a place to stay, meals and other assistance at a Red Cross shelter on Jan. 12 and 13 after an apartment fire left the residents displaced.

The Red Cross shelter, located at  Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel, provided approximately 40 overnight stays, meals, and other services to the residents of the damaged apartment building in the 100 block of W. Ramon Blvd.

The shelter, located at 1372 East Las Tunas Drive San Gabriel, was closed Jan. 14 after the Red Cross determined with the City and the apartment owners that alternate housing was available.

The Red Cross thanks the following partners that it worked closely with to provide services to the displaced residents: the Tzu Chi Foundation, which provided translators, some meals and transportation to its medical facility; the City of San Gabriel, the San Gabriel Fire Dept., and the San Gabriel Union School District, which provided the shelter space.

Photos by Roxanne Schorbach

In a two-year update, the American Red Cross highlighted its emergency work after the 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, as well as its recovery efforts over the past year.

“People in Los Angeles and across the country responded to help Haiti, and their donations are making a difference with recovery and rebuilding,” said Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, “The money provided life-saving relief to millions of Haitians after the earthquake and is now being used for longer-term housing, health, safe water and other recovery programs.”

The two-year report on Red Cross relief and recovery efforts in Haiti can be found at www.redcross.org/haiti.

Despite many challenges – such as the ongoing cholera outbreak – the Red Cross has made significant progress in Haiti. For example the pace of home construction has increased rapidly, with the American Red Cross and the rest of the global Red Cross network providing housing to more than 100,000 people as of December 2011.

Other highlights of the past year include:

• Providing clean water and sanitation services to more than 369,000 people
• Providing health services and hygiene education to more than 2.4 million people
• Reaching more than 3 million people with cholera treatment and prevention
• Teaching more than 436,000 people how to better prepare for disasters
• Providing livelihoods assistance – grants, jobs and other help – to 114,000 people

The American Red Cross received about $486 million in donations following the earthquake, and has spent and signed agreements to spend $330 million on Haiti earthquake relief and recovery efforts in the first two years. The largest portion of spending has gone to food and emergency services, followed by housing, water and sanitation, health, livelihoods, disaster preparedness, and response to the cholera outbreak.

In the coming year, the American Red Cross will focus on programs to renew communities, which includes constructing and repairing homes, providing clean water and sanitation, health education, livelihood support and disaster preparedness programming. The American Red Cross also will continue to support hospitals and clinics that are critical to providing access to needed medical treatment in Haiti, and will maintain its efforts to combat cholera and teach people how to prevent diseases.

VP of Operations Jane Ha accepted the Corporate Hero Award on behalf of Forever 21 at the Heroes Breakfast

The Red Cross recently honored Forever 21 at its second annual Red Cross L.A. Region Heroes Breakfast. Approximately 200 guests from the local business community and preparedness organizations paid tribute to the honorees who have taken an active role in community disaster preparedness. These ‘heroes’ have helped make our city safer and better prepared in the event of disaster. Forever 21 was amongst the businesses honored along with Panda Restaurant Group, Inc and The Walt Disney Company.

Forever 21 is one of the most widely recognized and fastest-growing retailers, operating over 480 stores in the US, Canada, Asia, The Middle East and the UK, as well as an e-commerce site. Pioneers of fast fashion, the chain offers inexpensive and chic apparel and accessories for women, men, teens and kids.

Since its inception in 1984, Forever 21 has demonstrated a concern and commitment to fulfilling its “Corporate Social Responsibilities”. Its efforts on behalf of those most in need clearly demonstrate the company’s passion for helping the less fortunate. Along the years, Forever 21 has utilized its position and corporate resources to improve the quality of life and the health and safety of individuals and families across the globe.

Forever 21 has supported charitable projects such as The American Forest Project, Shoes That Fit, Fashion Delivers, Missing Person’s Project and the Starlight Foundation. During the Haiti Earthquake, the chain worked in collaboration with the Clinton Foundation to ensure direct assistance for the people and government of Haiti. In addition to this, Forever 21 donated over $5 million worth of clothing to Haiti to help with relief efforts.

More recently, Forever 21 donated over $2 million to the Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Effort.

Forever 21 has demonstrated its commitment to improving the quality of life – locally and globally. They truly are our ‘Corporate Hero’.

By Priyanka Banerjee, Marketing and Communications Volunteer

Spurred by the terrible spate of arson in the West Hollywood, Hollywood and San Fernando Valley areas,  as well as non-arson-related fires — the Red Cross opened over a dozen separate cases helping people in need of housing, health services, food and comfort.  The Red Cross responded to a total of eight local fires over the long weekend.

Nearly 30 Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers and eight duty officers attended to the immediate needs of families, individuals and pets whose lives were impacted by the fires over the long weekend.  

Two of the fires the Red Cross responded to — in Sunland and in Hollywood —were reported to be arson-caused.  Helen Lemich, a duty officer, helped direct a six-person DAT team to the Sunland fire on December 29, where five units housing 13 people were affected. 

Michael Hicks, a DAT Leader in the Los Angeles Region, was on site at the Hollywood arson-caused fire where two units of a ten-unit apartment building were damaged.  One of the residents suffered from smoke inhalation, and the Red Cross has followed up with health services as well and information about community resources. 

Red Cross duty officers and Disaster Action Teams are on call around the clock, ready to respond whenever needed in emergencies.

By Sue Reiner, Communications Volunteer

For the cook:  Never leave a pot unattended on the stove.  Stand by your pan!  Don’t leave boiling or frying pots alone to do their magic.  Stay involved in the cooking process.  Wear tight, fitted sleeves — nothing that can brush against a flame and catch fire.  Keep pot lids handy to smother an oil fire.

For the Decorator:  Make sure all festive lighting, both indoor and outdoor, satisfies safety standards and is appropriately wired to protect against weather and wet. Be sure all outdoor lighting is secure against wind amd be sure to plug into ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) safe for outdoor use.  

If you have a recently cut Christmas tree, make sure it is appropriately mounted in a tree stand.  You’ll need to replenish the water at the base of the tree every day.  Place ornaments high enough on the tree to keep out of reach of curious toddlers who could cut themelves or swallow something dangerous. 

Candles are a lovely addition to the holiday mood.  Be sure that your lit candles have a one-foot, non-flammable area around them, a circle of safety.  Never leave candles lit overnight or leave a room with burning candles.  Keep lighted candles out of the reach of small children and pets. 

The Red Cross Los Angeles Region offers the following additional tips on how to prevent fires:

• Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves, or fireplaces.
• If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes.
• Keep children and pets away from space heaters.  When buying a space heater, look for models that shut off automatically if the heater falls over as another safety measure.
• Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.
• Keep fire in your fireplace by using a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
• Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned once a year.

“Planning for fire emergencies is important,” said Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red Cross Los Angeles Region. “Make sure all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home, and set up a meeting place outside in case of fire. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year and at different times of the day. Teach household members to stop, drop and roll if their clothing should catch on fire.”

The Red Cross wishes you and yours a safe holiday season.  These tips will help guarantee a great end of year and a good start to 2012.