Author: American Red Cross California Gold Country Region

Yesterday was a great day for the Sacramento region and its surrounding communities. The American Red Cross Gold Country Region was one of 529 local non-profits who took part of the 2^nd annual Big Day of Giving.

Altogether, there were 36, 531 donations totaling $5, 613, 700! Woo Hoo!

The @RCSierraDelta numbers are pretty awesome as well. We doubled last year’s donors to 182 this year and raised $25,545, compared to $15,000 last year.

We are so very thankful to each and every one who clicked to donate; we wouldn’t have been able to break our records without you!  We appreciate your support of to your local Red Cross.

What do your Big Day of Giving Donations mean:

• Thanks to your donation, we will now be able to provide shelter to 11 families for 3 nights each after they are displaced from a disaster.
• Several comfort kits, snacks, and two hot means for someone who has lost their home in a fire.
• Training and deployment costs for a shelter team
• Several comfort kits to deployed troops
• Two cribs for infants in a shelter

Big Dog 2015 was also organized in more than 100 communities across the country with the hope of reaching millions of donors and raising over 100 million nationwide, each community rallied support for the vital work of local non-profits.

It’s a day of celebration in Gold Country!!

 Big Day of Giving 2015
#BigDoG2015

The Sacramento region “Big Day of Giving” is here! This is really exciting for the Red Cross because GIVING BIG is what makes our mission happen.

EVERY 11 HOURS Red Cross volunteers are out helping families who have lost everything, usually in a house fire. The cost of providing lodging, food and necessities for these families – about $550 per day – is covered entirely by the generosity of our donors. We receive no government funding to help these families, so our volunteers provide immediate comfort and our donors make sure they have a place to go.

How can you help us help them? Give to the Red Cross today through the Big Day of Giving. Our link to the Big Day is below – by clicking on that link and making a donation, you’ll be linking those we serve to the things they need.

“The Red Cross volunteers gave me and my children a hotel room, meals and clothing for three days after our home burned to the ground. This gave me the time to wrap my arms around what had happened and find long term solutions. I will always be grateful to our volunteers and your donors.” (Jennifer, Stockton.)

Every donation makes a difference to those we help. It’s a big day to meet some big needs – with your help we can make this happen!

Hope to see you at one of our events;

BIG DAY OF GIVING HALFTIME CELEBRATION!
WHERE: Cesar Chavez Park 9th and J streets, Sacramento, CA.
WHEN: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
WHAT: Your local chapter of the Red Cross will be there with goodies, some of our nurse volunteers will be doing blood pressure checks and you can check out the ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle). Join us as we celebrate the first 12 hours of the campaign!

BIG DAY IN YOLO COUNTY
WHERE: Heritage Plaza, near the Opera House, on Main Street near Second Street, Woodland
WHEN: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
WHAT: We’ll have preparedness information and giveaways

BIG DAY IN OUR CHAPTER HEADQUARTERS
WHERE: 1565 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA
WHEN: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
WHAT: Cinco the Mayo Fiesta at our headquarters as volunteer make thank you calls and cards for our amazing donors.

Hope to see you at one of these events!

Kathleen Weis, CEO
American Red Cross Gold Country Region

Ready to Respond!

Registration is now open for the Fired up! Gold Country Institute in Sacramento June 4-7, 2015. 

Institute Goals

The Service in the Pacific Institutes Project was developed to:

• Train the Disaster Cycle Services (DCS) team to meet our mission requirements
• Increase morale across the Region
• Test and evaluate the readiness of the DCS team
• Train a significant number of trainers to continue the learning and growth of the organization

Join Us
DATES:  Thursday June 4 through Sunday June 7, 2015
:  Wildland Fire Training Center, McClellan Park, Sacramento
To register, visit: http://pacificdivision.weebly.com
Registration closes May 22

Go to the Pacific Division Institute website at www.pacificdivision.weebly.com, click on “Upcoming Institutes”, and choose the Fired up! Gold Country Institute.  Please read through the information, it will help you determine whether you want to attend, and if so, which courses you want to take.   Check the Step-by-Step instructions under Registration before you begin; that will help you quickly go through the process.

Toward the bottom of the Fired Up! Gold Country page, above the colorful daily schedule items, you will find a button called “Register for the Fired up! Gold Country Institute.”  Click on the button and begin the three-phase registration process (payment, personal information & preferences, and selection of classes).

We have an “Early Bird” Special available until May 18^th which makes the price $45 for overnighters and $25 for commuters. The prices will go up to $75 for overnighters and $45 for commuters after May 18.  We encourage you to register soon so you can guarantee your spot.

If you have questions, we’re happy to help you at crdisastertraining@redcross.org.  We look forward to seeing you in Sacramento!

The Fired Up! Gold Country Institute Planning Team

Training Tracks

-DMH/DHS
-Experienced Client Casework
-Experienced External Relations
-Experienced Shelter
-Experienced Supervisor
-Feeding
-Financial & Statistical Information
-Logistics
-New Client Casework
-New External Relations
-New Instructor
-New Shelter
-New Supervisor
-New Volunteer
-Operations Management
-Preparedness
-Staff Services

Written by Carrie Reilly, American Red Cross Volunteer

I was sent someplace – can’t recall where – but a big fire had swept through a small city leaving it a lunar landscape. I was with the ERV [Emergency Response Vehicle] doing mobile feeding and it was just as the first light of day on a cold overcast morning that my partner and I suddenly noticed the people combing their property for anything of value suddenly stop and stand up. Utter silence engulfed us. Then, the most beautiful sound reached our ears. It was the sound of a single trumpet playing taps and someone slowly raised an American flag. When the final notes ended, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds. The chill of the day appeared to dissipate and warmth touched every heart and face. Freddie Az was my partner and we didn’t speak or move for minutes. I can’t explain it but it was as if every dead tree had absorbed the sound of taps and was echoing it back to everyone.

Taps was played in honor of the fallen town, but in my heart I’ve always believed it was those notes that began the rebirth of that blackened landscape and the people who had lived in those homes. The tribute of taps being played, along with the raising of the American flag, certainly was far more than any thank you I have ever received.

I have never worked any disaster – close by or far away – where the majority of people didn’t thank me as a Red Cross volunteer. I have met upset people, angry people, dazed people – but if I had to put it into words I’d say the reason for being a Red Cross volunteer is because it is in times of disaster that the best of mankind asserts itself.

Carrie Reilly joined the Red Cross the day after Hurricane Katrina hit – 10 years ago this August – and spent two weeks helping the disaster relief efforts in Louisiana. Upon her return home she took the first Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) class available and has taken numerous training classes since. She has deployed to many disasters, locally and nationally, providing shelter support, bulk distribution, mobile feeding, disaster assessment and much more.

This month the Annual American Red Cross National Award ceremony will be held in Washington, DC, highlighting the extraordinary work of the Red Cross over the past year. Specifically, this annual event will once again recognize those employees and/or volunteers from across the country who have gone above and beyond the level of extraordinary service. Continue reading Recognizing Excellence – Volunteer Instructor, George Schubel

Today is one of our favorite days of the year in the Gold Country Region. This morning, at the Woodland Community Center (Yolo County), we will celebrate our Annual Heroes Recognition Luncheon and proudly recognize members of the community who have gone above and beyond to make a difference. From saving lives – of both people AND pets, to going the extra mile to make a positive impact, Heroes come in all forms. Continue reading Red Cross Honors Local Heroes of Sacramento and Yolo Counties

This weekend, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service and a continued commitment to serve our communities, Red Cross volunteers will visit neighborhoods in Sacramento, Chico, and Turlock to help residents be fire safe.

The community canvass events – during which volunteers will also install smoke detectors in homes in need – is part of a national Red Cross campaign aimed to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires by as much as 25 percent over the next five years. Continue reading Red Cross Fire Safety Campaign Aims to Raise Awareness, Reduce Deaths and Injuries