I discovered during my search that Etsy is THE place to find both authentic vintage and beautifully handmade Red Cross gifts and home decor. After far too many hours spent online, I narrowed down my list of “likes” to a list of “loves”, and then my list of “loves” down to my top five. Here they are in no particular order:

Red Cross Burlap Pillow Cover, 18 x 18

Red Cross Vintage Canvas Clutch/Fold-Over Shoulder Bag
(w/ Vintage Red Cross Patch)

Red Cross Vintage Tie Tack

Red Cross Vintage 1940s First Aid Kit

Red Cross Silver Pocket Watch

If you’re looking for the authentic Red Cross memorabilia, vintage Red Cross supplies, or handmade Red Cross home decor – either for yourself or as a gift for a fellow Red Crosser – check out the sites above, and stop back by Red Cross Love… on Pinterest every once in a while!

Note: Neither I nor the American Red Cross have any affiliation with Etsy or the Etsy sellers listed above.

Today’s post comes to us from New York’s “Changing Lives: The Story Book” Blog

Volunteers come from many walks of life. For some, it is a chance to give back to their communities. For Francklin Morose, a volunteer with the American Red Cross on Long Island, it’s much deeper than that— as his journey began with the world literally crumbling at his feet.

Morose was at his accounting job in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 12, 2010—the day of the worst earthquake in the island nation’s history.

It began with a simple shake he recalled. He and his colleagues thought a big truck had driven by.
“Then,” he said, “everything started to fall down—the walls, the ceiling.”

With all the entrances blocked, Morose and his colleagues were forced to jump to the ground from a second story bathroom window. That’s when they realized an earthquake had struck.

“The whole block was dark; everything had changed,” Morose said.

He described buildings destroyed; communications disrupted; trees down; and people who were bloodied and bruised running through the streets. He made his way home and found it destroyed.

That night, Morose located his family in a park, among hundreds of others that had lost their homes.

“There was no food, drink, nothing,” he said.

The mental toll was equally as heavy. Morose became concerned about Alexa, his six-year-old daughter. She had been at school during the quake. Although physically unscathed, she had been traumatized by the experience and screamed at every noise.

A few days later, Morose heard that the United States was allowing Haitian-American citizens who had been affected by the quake to evacuate. Because Alexa had been born in Florida, she was eligible to travel. Because she was underage, Morose was permitted to accompany her. Alexa’s mother, concerned about leaving her job, stayed behind in Haiti.

Father and daughter took a military transport plane to Orlando, Fl. At the airport, American Red Cross relief workers gave them food, toys and contact information for the Red Cross on Long Island as they would be traveling to Baldwin, N.Y., the next day; Morose planned to stay with a cousin who lived there.

Shortly after arriving on Long Island, Morose visited the Red Cross office in Mineola, and was given a stipend for winter clothing, along with information about how to apply for Social Security, food stamps and more.

“This was exactly what I needed to start,” he said.

“Red Cross gave me their friendship,” he added. “When I came to my cousin’s house, I didn’t know anyone. The Red Cross called to make sure we were okay. That’s when I decided to volunteer.”

Morose is on call two days a week as a Disaster Action Team volunteer who responds to fires and other local emergencies, helping those in need with the same kind of immediate humanitarian relief he and Alexa received from the Red Cross.

In the two years since he and Alexa arrived in the United States, they have moved from his cousin’s house to Bellerose. Morose now works as a childcare worker for children with disabilities.

He says Alexa, who attends first grade at a Queens public school, is doing better. But because she does not want to return to Haiti, they will stay in the country. Morose, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration he earned in Haiti, plans to go to school here for a degree in finance.

Meanwhile, he says he volunteers for the American Red Cross “to help other people as they helped me.”

He added, “I would like to thank everyone who contributes to make the Red Cross what it is. Without the Red Cross, we would have been lost.”

And because it’s the beginning of January and we’re all busy making New Year’s Resolutions – many of which are likely related to volunteering and/or providing support to those in need – I’d be willing to bet that this blog has recently attracted at least a few new readers.

So for those who’ve already decided that involvement with the American Red Cross is on the agenda for the year, and also for those who are just now joining our readership and may eventually decide to support the American Red Cross in one way or another, I thought I’d share with you how to take that first step.

First, a bit of important background information to help you understand how the American Red Cross is organized.

We are a National organization headquartered in Washington D.C. Under the umbrella of the American Red Cross are hundreds of Chapters, all responsible for providing American Red Cross services (providing relief to victims of disaster and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies) throughout their jurisdictions. Unless you live in Washington D.C. or the surrounding metropolitan area, involvement with the American Red Cross is most easily accomplished through your local chapter.

Additionally, it’s important to understand that, in most cases, only registered and trained volunteers can provide American Red Cross services. If you think you might like to be deployed (sent to a disaster-stricken area) when the next big hurricane or tornado or flood hits, GET INVOLVED NOW so you’ll be ready when you’re needed.

Second, the steps you need to take.

1. If you don’t know your zip code, look it up; your zip code will be needed to connect you with your American Red Cross chapter.
2. Look up your zip code on redcross.org. Once you enter your zip code and click “find”, the page will update and you will see the name, address, and phone number of your local American Red Cross chapter along with links to email the chapter and visit the chapter’s website. You will also see the name of your local American Red Cross blood region and links to schedule a blood donation appointment and visit the region’s website.
3. If you’d like to donate blood, you can also visit our blood donation website to search by zip code. You’ll immediately be directed to a page listing all of upcoming blood drives in your area. Follow the instructions to schedule an appointment online and then show up – it’s that easy!
4. If you’d like to volunteer, click on the link to your chapter’s website, and then on the heading on the chapter’s homepage that reads, “Volunteer”. (Each chapter’s website is slightly different, but all will have links on their homepages with similar – if not identical – headings.) You’ll be volunteering before you know it! You can also call your local chapter to get information on volunteering.
5. If you’d like to take a class, enter in your zip code here.
6. If you’d like to donate money, visit our donation page at redcross.org to see a variety of ways to donate.

If you have additional questions about how to get involved, please don’t hesitate to post your questions in the comment section.

The first step is almost always the most difficult, but I promise you, it gets easier on down the road.

- Donate blood three times. I’d love to commit to donating blood every 56 days, but my iron levels just don’t rebound in that amount of time. I also have very little child-free time each week, and while the cheerful, optimistic part of me would love to take my kids with me when I donate blood, the realistic part of me – the part of me that has actually MET my “spirited” children – knows this would be a mistake. There’s no need to subject other blood donors and Red Cross employees to those two rugrats.

- Volunteer for four events. My family’s schedule doesn’t allow me to volunteer on a regular basis (i.e. weekly administrative assistance) or at off times of day (i.e. middle of the night disaster response). Instead, one-time events – like the Bryan Christmas Parade, for which my family and I volunteer a couple of weeks ago – are a good fit, as they generally last for only a few hours and are planned far enough in advance to allow me to clear my calendar.

- Spread the word. We’ve lived in our current city (after a move across the country) for a full year, and I’ve met quite a few people – both friends and acquaintances – over the course of these last 12 months. It’s time for me to start talking about Red Cross blood donation, volunteering, etc. with those who will listen, which means it’s also time for me to brush up on my elevator speech!

- Organize at least one Red Cross-related activity for each of my children’s classes. A few weeks ago I coordinated a Holiday Mail for Heroes event for my son’s preschool class, and it was a huge hit. I’d like to do the same for both kids’ classes next year, and perhaps throw another activity into the mix as well. Ideas?

What are your Red Cross New Year’s Resolutions? How do you make sure you’ll follow through on your plans to accomplish it all?

Happy New Year!

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!

This unique situation, where we are presented with a potentially captive audience but choose not to take advantage of it, led to the creation of the Elevator Speech/Pitch.  An elevator speech is a short description of what you do; the point you’d like to make; or a product, service, or organization and its value to the individual or community.  The name “elevator speech” comes from the idea that the entire summary should be deliverable in approximately 30-60 seconds, or the time the average person spends on an elevator ride.

Why am I talking about strangers and elevators and speeches, you might ask?  Because we, as representatives of the Red Cross, have a responsibility to the organization, and those the organization serves, to create and USE our own elevator speech.

How many times have you mentioned your Red Cross affiliation to someone unfamiliar with the organization (either on an elevator or elsewhere) and received a response like, “Oh sure, you guys host blood drives, right?”  Or, “I took a CPR class once, back when I was in high school.”

Most people have heard of the Red Cross.  Many people know a little bit about one piece of the organization.  But very few people truly understand how important the Red Cross is to the health and safety of communities across the country and around the world, and your elevator speech can change this.

They’re easy to write.  Talk about who you are and why you became a Red Crosser.  Talk about what you’ve contributed to the Red Cross.  Talk about the impact the Red Cross has on your community.  Keep it short and simple, speak to your audience, and share what’s in your heart.

Here’s mine (in response to the “Oh sure, you guys host blood drives, right?” question):

“Yes, we host blood drives, more than 200,000 a year throughout the country.  But we also teach lifesaving classes like CPR and first aid, and respond to natural and man-made disasters like floods, tornadoes, and fires.  The Red Cross provides assistance whenever and wherever there’s a need, thanks to generous donations from this community, which is what motivated me to become involved in the first place.  Might you be interested in getting involved?  I’d be happy to connect you to our local chapter!”

Now it’s your turn!  Those of you with a Red Cross elevator speech, please consider sharing – perhaps along with a story about using your speech – in the comments section.  Those of you without, read through the elevator speeches written by your fellow Red Crossers for ideas.  Together we can help our neighbors, communities, country, and world better understand the American Red Cross, one elevator ride at a time.

Emotional Bag Check [May be useful mental health tool for disasters?]

Joplin and the tornado sirens [Scientific American]

This would make an interesting Disaster Action Team call [Fire Rescue 1]

Small Talk Saves Lives [The Moth Podcast]

Volunteering will make you live longer [Yahoo! News]

A Hint from Heloise [Washington Post]

Did you find a link we should be reading and sharing? Leave it for us in the comments.

Which got me to thinking, “We’re no Shakespeare, but we sure have a lot of weird terms and acronyms. I wonder how many phrases might we owe to the Red Cross?”

ERV

DOSR

We do have a small dictionary to explain some of our idioms, but we could use your help to add to it. Add your favorite Red Cross term or acronym in the comments.

The story of Gavin DeGraw and my near CPR experience [St. Louis Chapter]

Move [Vimeo. We're all in this world together]

Heads will roll [JWalk Blog. We're not going to fight your zombie love anymore]

World must act to stop attacks on health workers [CNN Opinion]

The Threadless design challenge is ongoing. We don’t want to sway your opinion, but this entry made our day.

IFRC Horn of Africa photos [Flickr]