Opportunities to volunteer/donate to the American Red Cross of Greater New York
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
1. VOLUNTEER – Our Chapter is responsible for recruiting, training and deploying 2,500 disaster responders to the Gulf Coast States to help survivors of Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita in the next few months. To accelerate the process of preparing new volunteers for service, we have scheduled frequent sessions of a special New Volunteer Training Program. Information about the sessions, including dates, times and the locations, is available now at www.nyredcross.org. Registration can be made online or by calling 1-877 – REDCROSS ext. 2068.
2. DONATE MONEY -- Your gift will enable the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need during this unprecedented disaster.
• Online: Go to www.nyredcross.org
• By telephone: Call 1-800-HELP NOW SPANISH 1-800-257-7575
• By mail: Send a check or money order to
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013
• Long-term Housing Resources – Call 1-888-7-NYS-AID
3. ATTEND THE CENTENNIAL AMERICAN RED CROSS OF GREATER NEW YORK BALL - on Thursday October 10, 2005 honoring Former President Bill Clinton. For more details and ticket/table prices call 212 875 2151 or email redcrossball@nyredcross.org.
4. PREPARE YOUR FAMILY – Make sure that you and your family have made plans to prepare for the unexpected. The Red Cross offers a variety of preparedness programs and products. Go to www.nyredcross.org
HURRICANE UPDATE
The American Red Cross is responding to the continuing Hurricane Katrina crisis and the impending Hurricane Rita landfall with solutions that will help meet the immediate needs of all those affected.
NATIONAL RESPONSE TO KATRINA
• The Red Cross is providing emergency financial assistance to meet urgent needs until state and federal aid is available. 236,000 families have already received more than $300 million in the form of client assistant cards, vouchers, checks and cash.
• Since Katrina struck on 8/29, the Red Cross has provided 2.4 million overnight stays to survivors in 902 shelters across 26 states, 12.4 million hot meals and 9.2 million snacks.
• On Tuesday, 9/20 32,000 people spent the night in one of 216 Red Cross shelters and an additional 241,000 were in transient accommodations throughout the U.S.
• More than 327,000 people have received Red Cross Disaster Mental Health services.
• The Red Cross is recruiting 40,000 new volunteers nationwide to help bring safe shelter, food and comfort to those touched by Katrina, and to help respond to local needs.
• The American Red Cross estimates the total cost to meet the financial, shelter, food and counseling needs of Katrina survivors will be $2 billion.
LOCAL RESPONSE TO KATRINA
• The Greater New York Chapter has sent more than 70 responders to help in the relief efforts.
• Our New York Hurricane Call Center, staffed by volunteers, has handled more than 10,000 calls.
• More than 960 families from the region have received Red Cross family assistance here, including, as appropriate, shelter, food, financial assistance and counseling. We are servicing client needs at both the City’s Hurricane Katrina Welcome Center at City College and the nearby Disaster Assistance Service Center on 135th Street.
• A new volunteer training program is rapidly transforming volunteers into the 2,500 certified disaster service workers we need from our Chapter for deployment to the Gulf Coast.
HURRICANE RITA
• The Red Cross has already established shelter hubs in a number of inland Texas communities
• One million box lunches are in place and provisions have been made to serve 300,000 hot meals per day 48 hours after Rita’s landfall.