When we consider our health care, we as a society tend to focus on our doctors; their experience, their credentials, and recommendations from family and friends help us determine into whose hands we place our lives. And while yes, our doctors are important (they’re the ones removing tumors, transplanting organs, setting bones, and prescribing medications, and we want and expect them to do all these things WELL), our overall experiences as patients often have much more to do with the care we receive from our nurses than anything else.

Nurses – who work in clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, schools, early childhood programs, and homeless shelters – support our doctors in a way that allows them to better focus on their responsibilities and perform in their roles within the health care arena. But more importantly, nurses care for and both physically and emotionally support us and our families throughout our recoveries.

Nursing is not an easy job. I worked for one summer as a nurse’s aide and knew after less than a week that nursing wasn’t the career for me. But my mom has been a nurse for more than 35 years. At times I witnessed the frustration that comes with the job: among other things, wanting so badly to help patients who refuse to help themselves. At other times I witnessed the pain that comes with the job: patients grow sicker, and some, inevitably, pass away. But she, along with thousands of nurses throughout the country, keeps at it. Day in, day out, through the frustration and the pain, because nurses believe that what they do makes a difference.

This week, from May 6th (National Nurses Day) through May 12th (Florence Nightingale’s, the founder of modern nursing, birthday), our country celebrates National Nurses Week. These seven days provide Americans with an opportunity to recognize and thank nurses in all settings for their continued and selfless service to their patients and communities.

Interestingly, nurses have always played a significant role in the services provided by the American Red Cross. Red Cross nurses offered their skills and support during times of disaster and conflict beginning with the 1888 Yellow Fever epidemic and the 1889 Johnstown floods. The Red Cross Nursing Service was officially established by Jane Delano in 1909, and has been a leading player in the evolution of nursing and nursing leadership throughout the United States ever since.

Today, more than 20,000 nurses in both paid and volunteer positions are involved with the American Red Cross. These nurses:
- Provide direct services as members of local Disaster Action Teams and by staffing Health Fairs, volunteering in military clinics and hospitals, promoting blood collection, and caring for the public at community first aid stations.
- Teach and develop courses such as CPR, First Aid, Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Disaster Health Services, Nurse Assistant Training, Babysitting, and Family Caregiving.
- Act in management and supervisory roles as Chapter and Blood Services region executives.
- Function in governance roles, from the local board level all the way to the National Board of Governors.

The American Red Cross is committed to supporting and promoting the involvement of nurses, primarily volunteer, throughout the organization and in this vein (pun intended) has created a National Nursing Committee and the Office of the Chief Nurse to direct these efforts.

The American Red Cross Nursing Vision is as follows: American Red Cross Nursing…a presence throughout…uplifting lives with compassion and special skills…competent and prepared…strengthening the organization with innovation and support…enhancing the Red Cross.

This week we recognize ALL nurses – those involved with our organization as well as those providing services elsewhere – for their presence, for uplifting lives with compassion and special skills, for their competence and preparedness, for strengthening our communities with innovation and support, and for enhancing our lives.

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week has grown every year since its inception and now includes the support and endorsement of all subsequent US presidents (click here to read President Obama’s Proclamation) and many governors, mayors, and elected officials throughout the country.

According to National Service Resource Center, National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing, and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, in unison, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. It’s about taking action, encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change – discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive transformation.

The Red Cross would not exist without the support of generous volunteers…an estimated 650,000 volunteers. (There are more Red Cross volunteers than there are residents in Wyoming – crazy, right?)

Red Cross volunteers teach first aid, CPR, water safety and other lifesaving skills; respond to disasters and reconnect families separated by disasters or conflict; support blood drives throughout the country; and help military families both in the United States and overseas.

National Volunteer Week celebrates and recognizes volunteers who take action and solve problems in their communities; ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things through service. But National Volunteer Week also provides those who might need a gentle push with the perfect opportunity to answer this quiet but important call to serve by becoming a volunteer.

Click here to explore the many volunteer opportunities available with the American Red Cross.

Like all volunteers, disaster volunteers come from all walks of life and fall into every category imaginable with regard to age, education level, ethnicity, and religion. What they share – their common bond – is the inability to look the other way when disaster strikes. Witnessing the devastation caused by natural and man-made disasters is too much for these kind and generous people to take sitting down, and so their hearts lead them to the Red Cross where they go through Volunteer Orientation, become CPR certified, and take Disaster Services Shelter Operations, Mass Care, Logistics, and Public Affairs classes.

Once trained, these volunteers can be and are contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year – including in the middle of the night – to respond in support of both those affected by disasters and first responders assisting on the scene.

Volunteers see horrific destruction and devastation, but they also see hope. And that hope keeps them coming back, time and time again. Most disaster volunteers, once they’ve completed their training and deployed – either locally or nationally – for the first time, are hooked. In all likelihood you’ll find them still volunteering for the Red Cross five, 10, 20 years after their first orientation to the organization.

There’s a strange balancing act done by disaster volunteers. The desire to help, and to use the skills learned both in disaster classes and in the field, is incredibly strong. But disaster volunteers are all too aware of the fact that in order to help and to use those skills, a disaster must strike. People’s lives must be negatively affected. No one would ever wish for disaster, but when they occur, Red Cross disaster volunteers demonstrate time and time again that they are, simply and in my humble opinion, the best of the best. They walk a tightrope – surrounded on one side by their almost-burning need to help and on the other side by people whose lives have been turned upside down – with the grace and confidence of trapeze artists who’ve been atop the rope their entire lives.

I wrote last week about how I felt when disasters struck cities I’ve called home. In the first two cases (a tornado in Iowa City, IA and flooding in Cedar Rapids, IA), it was terribly difficult to sit on the sidelines. I worked for the Red Cross – but in Ann Arbor, Michigan – when both of these disasters occurred, but as the volunteer administrator I stayed put and deployed ready, willing, and able volunteers from my chapter in Michigan to my beloved Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. I was a coach, working with a team of other coaches to strategically put players (volunteers) into the game (deployment and local support positions), but I wanted desperately to be in the game myself.

I also wrote last week about the recent tornados that severely damaged Southeast Michigan, another place I’ve called home. My desire to help, and to use the skills I’ve learned in disaster classes and the field, is incredibly strong. I would give anything to be there right now…with my coworkers, with my volunteers, with the people in my community who need my help.

I can’t be there, and the only peace I find is that which comes from knowing that the best of the best – Red Cross disaster volunteers – are there in my place.

If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t followed through – at least not 100% – on your New Year’s Resolutions. Perhaps you resolved to start volunteering, or to donate blood more regularly, or to finally take that CPR class…and now here it is March, and you still haven’t signed up for an orientation, made an appointment to donate, or registered for the class.

What are you waiting for?

Don’t let the month of March – a perfect opportunity to finally act on those resolutions – pass you by without taking a step toward getting involved with the American Red Cross as a volunteer, blood donor, or class participant.

Here are the basics:

• If you’d like to donate blood, visit our blood donation website and enter your zip code. You’ll be immediately directed to a page listing all of the upcoming blood drives in your area. Follow the instructions to schedule an appointment online and then show up – it’s that easy!
• 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.
• If you’d like to take a class, enter your zip code here.
• If you’d like to donate money, visit our donation page at redcross.org to see a variety of ways to donate.
• If you’d like to become a Red Cross Hero, sign up to help fundraise here.

I also encourage you to contact your local American Red Cross directly, as many chapters host incredibly unique and fun special events, fundraisers, and outreach opportunities (CPR Saturdays, Health and Safety Fairs, Heroes Fundraising Campaigns, etc.) in honor of March is Red Cross Month.

So, what are you waiting for?

I thought his idea was a great one, until we acted on it. Despite our best efforts, the result of this project was pretty hideous; the picture below is of the least-disgusting Red Cross crayon we created.

We were in crafting mode at that point though, so we moved on to little Red Cross first aid kits. The “carrying case” was cut out of an extra-long piece of black construction paper (two identical sides connected at the bottom and folded up to one another) and the Red Cross was cut out of a red piece of construction paper.

Inside the kit, Will taped one of each of a variety of items from a real first aid kit. He chose one cotton ball, cotton swab, band-aid, tongue depressor, and disposable plastic glove, but could also have included sanitizing wipes, gauze bandages, etc.

When the kit was finished, he wrote his name – and drew a picture of a mountain range (??) – on the back in white chalk.

So if you’re stuck inside during these last few weeks of winter, consider a spending an afternoon on a Red Cross-themed art project with your kids (or on your own). I wouldn’t recommend Red Cross heart-shaped crayons, but the Red Cross first aid kit was lots of fun.

Next up on our list is some kind of Red Cross cupcake…great, now I’m hungry for cupcakes…and perhaps, if I’m feeling really ambitious and patient, a Red Cross knitting project. Check out a few awesome patterns here!

Happy crafting!

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!