Jane Seymour

The American Red Cross San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter is gearing up for its inaugural Gala, “Speakeasy with the Red Cross,” to be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at the Cravens Estate in Pasadena. The night’s festivities include an award presentation by actress Jane Seymour and entertainment by world-renowned pianist, Rueibin Chen, along with a silent and live auction. The evening will be a formal affair evocative of the glamour and mystery of the roaring 1920’s.

Actress and Red Cross advocate, Jane Seymour, will be the evening’s celebrity honoree.  Ms. Seymour has been an active member of the Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet since 2002 and has been instrumental in the campaign to eradicate measles.    She has also been an active supporter of American Red Cross relief efforts following the devastating Hurricane of 2004 and the 2010 Red Cross earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.  Ms. Seymour will be honored with the American Red Cross “Crystal Cross Award,” presented to celebrities who have shown exemplary support of and service to the American Red Cross mission.

Pianist Rueibin Chen

Rueibin Chen, a Chinese-Austrian born in Taiwan, is enjoying a distinguished career, having earned more than a dozen medals in various international piano competitions, a reputation for technical brilliance and the ability to combine intense energy with a refined sense of touch.  Mr. Chen has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras around the world; as well as being invited by officials of the 2010 World Expo to be the exclusive opening ceremony performer of the famous ”Yellow River Concerto” in Shanghai.  Among his many international awards and honors, Chen was honored by the County Supervisor of Greater Los Angeles County for promoting diplomacy between the United States and Taiwan through music with his solo recital at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to perform at an event supporting an organization as valuable as the American Red Cross,” said Mr. Chen.  “Money raised at the event will help deliver disaster preparedness education to the public and assist those who have been affected by disaster.”

For information on the night’s festivities or to purchase tickets, contact Rachelle Gayl at GaylR@arcla.org or (626) 376-4528.

Volunteer Christian Nunez treats a patient at the Rose Parade.

The American Red Cross has provided first aid services to the Rose Parade celebration for more than 30 years.  This year’s record heat in Pasadena, with temperatures topping out in the 80′s, kept the 13 Red Cross first aid stations on their toes during the course of the day.

“We were very busy this year,” says Paul Emmons, a Red Cross volunteer who has worked 23 Rose Parades and just spent his sixth year as the event’s senior coordinator.  “We handled it all.”

Brandon Anderson is one of 150 volunteers who assisted at the parade.

The staff and volunteers at the 13 aid stations dealt with approximately 82 people who needed help during the parade.  Of those, Pasadena Fire Department paramedics evaluated 15 patients and 10 were transported to area hospitals for additional care.  In the following two days, the four remaining first aid stations handled about 20 cases each day in the float viewing area.

Most of the high-level of activity was caused by the heat.

“We were hit hard at the end of the parade,” said Emmons.  “Our first aid teams on Sierra Madre had five patients at the same time, four band members reacting to the heat and one asthmatic.  Two of those were also treated by paramedics.”

Of the 150 Red Cross volunteers who joined the parade effort, 25 Red Cross coordinators and support personnel worked with the first aid teams and 25 Red Cross vehicles were used in the operation.

Red Cross volunteers (from left) Marla Keeth, Emily Thomas and Ray Avesian

In total, Emmons estimates that over 4,000 volunteer hours were involved in setting up and running the three-day operation.

“I want to express my deep respect to all the volunteers and staff who worked for more than three months preparing for this event,” concludes Emmons.  “Our job at the parade is to support the Fire Department and paramedics.  This year, among our volunteers were two doctors, EMT’s, nurses, and ER personnel. I want to give everyone who worked to make this event a success my personal thanks.”

Photos by Roxanne Schorbach

Story by Sue Reiner

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, a member of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter Leadership Cabinet, welcomed the crowd at the Inaugural Holiday Challenge Luncheon on December 2.

Dec. 2, 2011 –Over 100 friends and supporters of the American Red Cross gathered at the University Club in Pasadena for the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter’s Inaugural Holiday Challenge Luncheon, proudly sponsored by the Tawa Charitable Foundation. The event could not have been timelier, as an epic wind storm raged through Pasadena and the surrounding communities just two days earlier, emphasizing the need for Red Cross services in times of emergency

Actors Suleka Mathew and John Ducey, kicked off the program at the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter’s Inaugural Holiday Challenge Luncheon.

The event’s emcees, actors John Ducey and Suleka Mathew, kicked off the program and introduced the wide range of services the Red Cross provides—from services to the armed forces to disaster relief. Dr. Stephen Abrahamson of Pasadena recounted his story during World War II when the Red Cross flew him from Japan back to the United States to be with his ailing father. Chaplain Carol Bamesberger shared her experience as a Red Cross volunteer providing emotional support and comfort to a grandmother and her grandchildren after a tornado destroyed their home in the Midwest. Dr. Abrahamson and Chaplain Bamesberger’s stories provided a human face to the everyday work of the Red Cross.

The winning table: (from left to right) Leanne Rodgers, Chuck Waterman, Eileen Kanner, Fred Finocchiaro, Chuck Wert, Alan Munnecke, Angelle Roussel.

As the lunch and program concluded, the challenge portion of the event began. The 17 tables competed to see which one could donate the most to the American Red Cross at that very moment. After all donations were tallied, it was revealed that nearly $50,000 was raised, and the table that took home top honors was Table 3, hosted by board member, Chuck Wert, CEO and President of Evercore Trust. Thanks to the generous support of the Tawa Charitable Foundation, 100% raised at the event will directly support programs and services.

Weeds	7/2011
The Muppet Movie	1/2011
Glee	10/2010, 11/2010
Paul Reiser Show	10/2010
The Green Hornet	9/2009
Big Love	9/2009
The Forgotten	8/2009
Mad Men	7/2009 8/2009
Desperate Housewives	3/2009
Ghost Whisperer	1/2009
Without A Trace	9/2009
Chuck	12/2008
Lie To Me	11/2008
Celebrity Rehab	6/2008
Fan Boys	12/2007
Pretty Handsome	11/2007
Rush Hour 3	4/2007
The Under Belly	8/2006
Commander And Chief	2/2006
24	12/2006
Bones	10/2006, 7/2005
The Under Belly	8/2006
Commander And Chief	2/2006
The Cell	8/2005
Holly Hester	4/2005
Cold Case	4/2005
Lions Den	6/2004
Judging Amy	11/2004 3/2002
Be Cool	3/2004
Mrs. Harris	3/2004
The Practice	1/2004
First Monday	3/2001
Swordfish	12/2000
Murder She Wrote	8/2000
Traffic	6/2000
An American Daughter	11/1999
Enemy Of The State	2/1998
Jag	Most of 1996
The Fan	2/1996
Paul Fleiss Story	12/1995
Deidre Hall Story	8/1995
Down Periscope	8/1995
Clear And Present Danger	9/1994
The First Gentleman	4/1994
Unsolved Mysteries	6/1993
Significant Others	5/1993
And The Band Played On	11/1992
Being There	1979

Hassan is a active with Volunteer of America Los Angeles chapter, Rotary club of Pasadena, Habitat for Humanity, Upward Bound House, American Red Cross, Iman, Rotary international, and is a member of: ULI, ICSC, CAR, and MLS .

Hassan lives in Encino and is married to Fariba and has two daughters.

CEO Ben Green presents Consul General Junichi Ihara with a Red Cross disaster kit. Photo courtesy Roxanne Schorbach.

June 22, 2011 – Over three months have passed since a devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Consul General Junichi Ihara of the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles visited the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter for a special evening reception to share the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain with local supporters.

Ben Green, CEO of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter, began the evening’s program by reporting that over $200 million had been contributed to the Japan relief efforts by the American Red Cross, thanks to the generous outpouring of support by the American people. These donations are currently being used to improve the living conditions for people in evacuation centers, equip more than 90,000 families with household appliances, rebuild a temporary hospital in Ishinomaki City, and help build a nursing school.

Consul General Ihara thanked the room of supporters and the American Red Cross for their compassion and generosity. He explained that although the Japan earthquake was 900 times larger than the 2010 Haiti quake, immediate loss of life was minimal due to Japan’s strong preparedness efforts and strict building codes; it was the tsunami that caused most of the destruction and fatalities.

Consul General Ihara shared remarkable images of the recovery, but noted that Japan still faces numerous obstacles ahead. Many Japanese people continue to live in temporary shelters, which provide little privacy or normalcy; there is now extreme reluctance among the people to rely on nuclear power, yet energy demands rise in the hot summer months, and Japan plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by expanding its nuclear energy program; and the public debt as a percentage of GDP continues to rise.

However, one of the most important lessons Japan has learned is to be open to outside help, Consul General Ihara explained. This marks a major shift in the culture, and the Consul General has been touched by the many ethnic communities, non-profit organizations and community groups that have shown solidarity with and humanity towards the Japanese people.

The Red Cross is accepting Tracing Inquiries on a limited basis for individuals who have been missing or detained since the onset of the conflict in Libya.

Inquiries regarding civilians in Libya:

Tracing Requests can be accepted that meet the following criteria:  

• Missing persons living in the city of Benghazi, Libya : at this time, the Red Cross can conduct searches for missing persons in the city of Benghazi only.  It is not possible for the ICRC to conduct active searches in other areas of Libya at this time.
• Missing persons living in other areas of Libya whom inquirers have been unable to reach by telephone:  Due to the conflict, individuals in the United States who are trying to reach Libyan mobile telephone numbers have been unable to get through.  However, the majority of mobile networks within Libyan borders are functioning. The Red Cross will attempt to reach sought persons by phone from within Libya. **please note that in the city of Misrata, while there is no telephone service at this time, the Red Cross has made satellite phones available for the population to use to call their relatives.
• Requests are accepted for family members only who are not U.S. citizens.

To initiate a Tracing Inquiry: Contact International Services to speak to a caseworker- call 626-407-4536

Inquiries concerning U.S. citizens should be referred to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202 647-5225

Inquiries concerning individuals believed to be detained

The International Committee of the Red Cross has access to, and is visiting detainees under the custody of the National Transitional Council.  The ICRC is currently in negotiations to gain greater access to detainees who are in the custody of the Libyan authorities in Tripoli.  ICRC is continuing to submit the names of sought persons to the Libyan authorities in the event that ICRC will gain access to those places of detention in Tripoli. At this time the Red Cross is able to accept inquiries related to persons detained in Libya.

To initiate a Tracing Inquiry: Contact International Services to speak to a caseworker- call 626-407-4536

 In the last two weeks, the ICRC, operating from Benghazi, also distributed food and other necessities to over 25,000 displaced people in towns in the east, and delivered equipment to repair the electrical network between Benghazi and Ras Lanouf. Along with volunteers from the Libyan Red Crescent society, the ICRC also continued to educate people about risks of unexploded ordnance. So far, the campaign has reached more than 2,500 displaced people, including nearly 700 children

Related Articles:

Prisoners of war and detainees

The third Geneva Convention provides a wide range of protection for prisoners of war. It defines their rights and sets down detailed rules for their treatment and eventual release. International humanitarian law (IHL) also protects other persons deprived of liberty as a result of armed conflict. Read full overview

The blankets were knitted by members of the Knitters group at Villa Gardens and will be used to keep Red Cross disaster shelter residents warm during cold nights.

The visitors, who also enjoyed tea and a talk about the Red Cross, included long-time Red Cross supporters like Stephen Abrahamson. He spoke about the Red Cross flying him, at no charge, to his dying father’s bedside in Philadelphia when Stephen was in the Army in the South Pacific in 1945.  Another Villa Gardens resident said her mother-in-law enlisted the help of the Red Cross during WWII when her son didn’t write to her. The Red Cross told him to write, so he did, and everyone was happy.

Volunteer Charlie Murphy conceived of the event and presented each visitor with a gift-wrapped package of Lorna Doone cookies, since they were invented in 1912! Everyone had a good laugh and a good time.

The main program was a welcome by Director of Development Rachelle Gayl, who gave a tour of the mansion and a talk about the work of the Red Cross locally, nationally and internationally. The group did not know that the local chapter responded to two single-family house fire the previous weekend, and that Holocaust Tracing Services are provided free-of-charge by the Red Cross. They were also told about the Services to the Armed Forces, and that 50 local volunteers are currently in the South and Midwest, helping with the disaster response to the spring storms.

The group was given information by Gift Planning Officer, Amy Gross, about how to consider leaving a legacy of support to the Red Cross through a will or trust, and how to volunteer.

—Amy Gross