There’s a lot of space weather because the sun burps [NASA]

Old letters are fun to see [Roberthuffstutter on Flickr]

A Red Cross pin board [Liz Le Dorze Pinterest]

Things I would do during a zombie apocalypse [Graph Jam, hat tip to Michael Windle]

Volunteer Emily is headed to South Africa [Carolina Piedmont Red Cross blog]

Follow #ARwx and #ALwx for general tweets about the storms.

Open Shelters

#Washoe

#ORFlood

#ORwx

#Reno

#wildfire

Silhouette Smoke Alarm [Apartment Therapy]

Oregon floods, winter storms [Oregon Trail Red Cross Blog]

Hurricane Cookies [Instructables]

O Positive (or not) [Burdens Do a Body Good]

First Aid Kit Releases new music video [PerezHilton]*

Google Flu Trends is a powerful early warning system for emergency departments [Science Daily]

Social Media Tracks Disease Spread [Scientific American]

2 years ago today, Haiti was struck by an earthquake. Our work there has made significant progress and there’s still much to do. We just want to take a moment today to think of all those who were affected and to thank all of you who came together so beautifully to help.

* We just get a kick out of the name of this band.

I won’t list all 24 (my complete list begins on November 1st and continues through Thanksgiving on November 24th) here, but I will share my top seven in hopes they get the ball rolling on all of us sharing what we’re thankful for this holiday season.

I’m thankful…
- For my mom, who encouraged me to take my very first Red Cross Health & Safety course (Babysitter’s Training) when I was 11 years old.

- For my very first Red Cross supervisor, who looked past my youth and inexperience, recognized my passion for the Red Cross mission, and opened the Red Cross employment door for me.

- For the supervisors and co-workers who followed, who taught me the ins and outs of – as well as how to survive and thrive in – this complex and extensive organization. Oh, and they also taught me all of the Red Cross acronyms.

- For an inspirational elementary school teacher and her enthusiastic and creative third, fourth, and fifth grade students, who taught me as an adult that you don’t have to be old enough to donate blood to save hundreds of lives a year.

- For the generous individuals whose seemingly routine (to them) blood donations saved the life of a wonderful friend of mine.

- For my CPR training, without which I may not have known how to clear my nine-month-old son’s airway when he choked on a Cheerio.

- For ALL of the volunteers with whom I’ve worked and without whom the Red Cross could not exist. There are few greater gifts than one’s time, and Red Cross volunteers give that gift more graciously and generously than any other group of people I have ever have the privilege of knowing.

W.J. Cameron said, “Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”

How will you actively give thanks this week? Will you put your Red Cross training into action by teaching a CPR class or responding to a house fire? Will you donate blood, assemble Comfort Kits, or serve a meal to someone in need?

Or will you share what you’re thankful for – Red Cross-related or otherwise – in the Comments section below or on the American Red Cross Facebook page? Take this easy first step toward actively giving thanks, and then see where it leads.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Map of every shelter we’ve opened since January 1, 2011:

Fire prevention and safety checklist [Redcross.org]

What’s Your  Number? [Chicago Red Cross]

That Time My Apartment Burned Down [My Other Blog is a Hybrid]

Dog Alerts Sleeping Family to Fire [Atlanta Journal Constitution]

So many home fires every day [Google search for past 24 hours]

Looking After the Soldier, Back Home and Damaged [NYTimes]*

One Who Cared [YouTube CapeCodcatfarm]

What’s in our Go Bags? [The Onion]**

Prepare-aphernalia: Video Game Armor [Oregon Trail chapter blog]

Infographic: Disasters in the age of social media [Geary Interactive]

Infographic: Predicting the next big earthquake [InfDPV]

* Are you impacted by a military deployment? Our Coming Home Series can help.
** We hope you’re doing better than this. Get a Kit tips.

Interview with Carter Gibson [Community Organizer 2.0]

 The Zombie Map of the World [Guardian]

TP to the Rescue! [Louisville Red Cross]

Contagion movie catches some truth, doctors say [USA Today]*

Will it Shake? [Totally Unprepared YouTube]

* Tom Kirsch, quoted in this article, is a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council