Red Cross Fun/Fundraiser with Utah Grizzlies

This Saturday, April 4^th at 7:00 pm, the Utah Grizzlies Battle Alaska at the E Center. It is the last hockey match of the season!!!! The hockey match will also serve as a special Red Cross fundraiser! Red Cross fans and volunteers will be on hand to offer a couple of fun Red Cross surprises at the event including:

A Red Cross Chuck-a-Puck ! Grizzly fans can buy a few pucks, throw them onto the ice at half time, and whoever gets their puck in the very center of the arena wins prizes! Part of the proceeds go to the local American Red Cross Chapters in Utah!

Pump & Dump – During one of the intermissions, adults and kids can go to the concourse to participate in “Pump & Dump”. You show off your Red Cross CPR skills by pumping – or compressing – a dummy or a nerf-like-ambulance to show off your CPR skills and then you dump out the change from your pockets into a Red Cross donation jug. The CPR experts on hand will let you know if you are compressing correctly and show you how to make a proper CPR compression.

Also, during one of the intermissions you’ll learn a little bit about what the Red Cross does in your community and nationwide Donation cans will be passed through the rows for donations to the national Disaster Relief Fund.

It will be fun. Grizzlies games are fun!

Call me with any questions and I’ll be there that night also, so call my cell if you need me when you get there. 801-707-7535 Susan

Utahn Helps Flood Victims In North Dakota

Salt Lake City, Utah (Tuesday, March 24, 2009) — This morning a Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter Disaster Volunteer is packing his bags and heading to the airport to go help families affected by floods in North Dakota. Sandy Resident Bill Gully, pronounced Gooly, took the call and answered, “Yes. I can go to help.” At 11:30 am, Bill will be taking off from the Salt Lake City International Airport. This Red Cross disaster-trained volunteer will be helping on the front lines of the disaster relief efforts, he will be working in an American Red Cross shelter where he’ll help people with shelter, food, water and comfort kits.

Gully also volunteered his time and efforts to help during last summer’s Midwest floods in Wisconsin and helped people along the Gulf Coast this Fall during the evacuations for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Two other Salt Lake City area volunteers, Nancy Adams and Kelly Hess are making their plans at the Chapter office this morning to deploy to North Dakota this afternoon. All three of these golden-hearted volunteers will be helping people evacuated by the floods in the Red Cross Shelters!

Bringing Comfort to a Sandy Resident

Sandy, UTAH ( Tuesday, March 17, 2009)— This morning, the Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping a Sandy resident after a fire heavily damaged this individual’s home at about 400 East and 8000 South. An American Red Cross disaster action team volunteer is on the scene to help as needed with essential needs like clothing, food and shelter.

The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross responds to up to 100 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help victims of this fire and other disasters in your community. For more information about donating to the Chapter Emergency Services please go to www.utahredcross.org or call 801.323.7000.

About the American Red Cross, Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; provides blood to 30 area hospitals; and supports military members and their families. The organization also provides emergency utility assistance and international family tracing services. The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization, not a government funded agency, which depends entirely upon volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. Donate your time or resources to the Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross by calling 801-323-7000 or visit www.utahredcross.org.

Red Cross Hero Video

Watch This – Red Cross Hero Pulls His Friend Out of the Wilderness

Helping Those In Need

The American Red Cross Shelters 25 Provo Families

Due to Gas Leak in Downtown Provo

Provo, Utah ( Thursday, March 12, 2009) — Right now the American Red Cross is helping about 25 families after a gas leak forced an evacuation in downtown Provo. The volunteer Disaster Action Team is on the scene. The Red Cross Mountain Valley Chapter’s Garr Judd said, “We are getting these families out of the cold right now. We are working with UTA to shuttle them from the evacuation area to our shelter. We’ll have a warm place for them to stay and will get them a hot meal.” More information will be available soon.

Red Cross Chapters in Utah respond to about 200 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help those affected by this evacuation and other disasters in your community.

About the American Red Cross in Utah:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; supplies blood to 30 area hospitals; and supports military members and their families. The organization also provides emergency utility assistance and international family tracing services. The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization, not a government funded agency, which depends entirely upon volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. Donate your time or resources to your local Chapter. Salt Lake Area 801-323-7000 or visit www.utahredcross.org, Provo Area (801) 373-8580 www.redcrossut.org, Ogden Area (801) 627-0000, www.redcrossutah.org.

Today's Featured Heroes

Workplace Good Samaritan – Saving a Life at Zion’s Bank

Belem Jimenez and Robert Storey were helping customers at Zion’s Bank on what started as a typical day in the workplace when they heard a loud thud and saw a customer had collapsed.

An elderly male customer had hit the floor hard. He was struggling to breathe. Belem ran to his side and comforted him. She called out for help, “Does anyone know CPR?” Robert responded and ran to help. He recalls, “He breath was very raspy and his movements were unnatural. He was getting progressively worse and I knew I was witnessing the end of a human life. I was sure he was going to die. His breathing quieted and he stopped struggling. I held my ear to his mouth and listened, placed my fingers on his lips. He wasn’t breathing.” Belem had just taken a CPR class recently herself and Robert had taken CPR many times as an Eagle Scout.

The two of them rolled the man over onto his back and began their lifesaving efforts. All the while Robert was thinking, “This could be someone’s grandpa, someone’s dad.” Robert tipped the man’s chin up, cleared his airway of obstructions. Belem reminded him to pinch the man’s nose, and Robert gave his patient rescue breaths. “It was so natural, I just breathed air into him, I just did what I was trained to do.” Later, people said that Belem and Robert had been calm, but Robert said his anxiety level, “Raised through the roof!” Robert continued, “I breathed in him twice. Before starting compressions, I felt for his breath again and to my surprise, he was breathing again!” The man slowly regained consciousness.

Soon, paramedics arrived and took over. Belem and Robert’s smart teamwork brought this man back to life. Belem shares, “When you are taking CPR and AED classes, you hope you never have to use these skills, but when things happen, everybody should know what to do.” Robert says this was the most amazing experience of his life, “To be that close to death and in some way help. It was awesome.”

Together, Belem and Robert saved a life.

By Susan Thomas

Read more stories of local heroes at http://www.utahredcross.org/general.asp?SN=200&OP=5125&IDCapitulo=I2OD6QV708

The American Red Cross helps family of 7 in Provo after fire

Provo, Utah ( Wednesday, March 04, 2009) — Tonight the Mountain Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping a family of 7, 5 adults and 2 children, after an apartment fire in Provo ripped through their building located at 511 North 100 West this afternoon. One person died in the fire.

Disaster volunteer Wendy McGee said, “We are helping one family affected by this fire so far. They were very grateful to see the Red Cross on the scene, they are glad they will have a place to stay tonight.” The Red Cross will help them with immediate and essential needs.

Red Cross Chapters in Utah respond to about 200 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help those affected by this fire and other disasters in your community.

March is Red Cross Month

Throughout Utah, [Monday, March 2, 2009] -- March is Red Cross Month, a time to recognize the life-saving difference the American Red Cross makes for people around the world, across our nation and right here in Utah every day.

Year round, the American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. During the fiscal year 2008-2009, the Red Cross in Utah responded to local disasters and helped 951 individuals with emergency food, shelter and supplies; educated more than 78,000 people in disaster preparedness; trained 54,654 people in CPR and first aid, 53,679 in water safety, 396 in babysitting and care giving, and 5,996 in HIV/Aids; and provided 971 emergency military communications. The Blood Services region collected 116,749 units of blood ensuring that an adequate and safe blood supply was available in 29 Utah hospitals.

During this month, the American Red Cross in Utah will celebrate with a variety of activities. The Greater Salt Lake Chapter hosts its annual Heroes event for 10 local heroes: Ordinary individuals in our community who have done something extraordinary. Like Skip Morgan who volunteers 50 hours per month teaching people to save lives and has saved a life himself, or Belem Jimenez and Robert Storey who rushed to the aid of a customer at their bank and saved his life using Red Cross CPR skills. You’ll hear their very inspiring and heartwarming stories at the Heroes Luncheon on March 18, 2009 at 11:30 am at the Salt Lake Convention Center. A complete list of the heroes with their personal heroic stories can be found online as well. For more information about the heroes or the event, visit www.utahredcross.org or call (801)323-7000.

The Blood Services Region in Utah will observe Red Cross Month at several of the many blood drives held throughout the state in March. There is one very special blood drive being held this month at the Salt Lake Donor Center on March 23. It will be held in honor of 14-year-old Lizzie Bell, a transfusion recipient in Arizona who has become a dedicated and determined champion of blood donating. Her home was demolished and rebuilt as one of the episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which will be aired on KTVX Channel 4 on March 22.

In Ogden, Northern Utah will host a “Celebration of Local Heroes” on March 24^th at noon at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. Four individuals will also be in the spotlight this month with a feature about “How the Red Cross changed their lives,” posted at the Chapter office. Cache County Red Crossers and Utah State University will host a 5k run on March 28^th.

The Mountain Valley Chapter, based in Provo, celebrates Red Cross Month with the 5th Annual Run for Red 5k event on March 7th, 10 am at Independence High School. Registration and other information can be found at www.RunForRed.org There will also be a free community class on Thursday March 26th entitled "Evacuating your home, what to expect from your 72-hour kit.” More information on this class and more call (801)373-8580.

March is a great time to learn more about the “splendid aims and activities of the Red Cross,” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked more than 6 decades ago and President Barack Obama echoes today: Be a volunteer, make a donation, give blood or take a class offered by the American Red Cross.