The Red Cross trains people to prepare for and respond to emergencies. Whether for professionals to meet business compliance or just to be knowledgeable, we offer various classes to teach you important skills and make sure you are ready for any situation. Our classes are provided in multiple formats to be as convenient as possible. In person classes are held at local locations and provide hands-on training with experienced instructors. Blended learning classes combine the flexibility of online with hands-on training. Online classes are interactive and customizable courses that let you work at your own pace. To make certification easy and accessible, we give Red Cross Digital Certificates through your personal Red Cross Account upon completion of courses.

First aid training and CPR training keep your loved ones safe or allow you to meet OSHA compliance. These classes prepare you for the unexpected so that you can provide care when it is needed most. Automated external defibrillator (AED) certification teaches you how to respond to sudden cardiac arrest, which can happen to anyone at any time. Babysitter and childcare training prepare you to be the best caretaker, which improves children’s safety and increases your value. Swim classes and water safety classes teach vitally important water safety for personal use and, further, lifeguarding training certifies you to be a lifeguard.

The Red Cross does not only provide training for personal uses but also for professional careers. Certified nurse assistant (CNA) training is an innovative program to enter the nursing field and play an important role in healthcare. The Red Cross has prepared individuals for nursing for over 100 years now. Basic life support for healthcare providers (BLS) training for healthcare and public safety professionals helps improve patient outcomes. It uses a scenario-based approach to further develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Through BLS courses, we also offer continuing education for emergency medical technicians (EMTs). EMT training ensures professionals are current with CPR, AED and other life support skills.

To find a class in your area visit: http://www.redcross.org/local/pennsylvania/eastern-pennsylvania/take-a-class

 

Written by Brady Schneider

Ready 365 Giving Circle Members

Every day, the American Red Cross assists people who face emergencies. We secure food and lodging for the family struck by a home fire. We provide cleanup supplies to the couple whose basement was flooded. We give the child who has lost everything the immediate psychological care she needs and a toy to call her own. Once basic needs are met, we begin guiding each family through the next steps to recovery.

The American Red Cross, Eastern Pennsylvania Region responds to over 1,200 disasters each year—a majority of these are home fires.  A home fire can strike anywhere, anytime. Fires often leave families without their homes and personal belongings and in many cases, cause serious injury and even death.

In October 2014, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign which is a multi-year program aimed at reducing fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent.  Teams visit homes and install free smoke alarms while educating each family on fire safety.

We are able to do this with the help of our generous partners.  Businesses throughout the region who value the local impact and global reach of the Red Cross, join as Ready 365 Giving Circle members.  These companies have a commitment to our mission and are ready to help save lives- 365 days a year.

For over 100 years in Eastern Pennsylvania, we have prevented and relieved suffering, one day at a time serving thousands of people across our footprint and will continue to do so for the next 100 years.  From small towns to large cities, wherever people live, they have one thing in common—they know where to turn when disaster strikes.

Thank you to our Ready 365 partners:

                    

        

Last year, our Ready 365 partners helped us to:

• Respond to 1,225 disasters in Eastern Pennsylvania.
• House 1050 people at Red Cross House–The Center for Disaster Recovery
• Provide direct assistance to 5,499 people affected by disaster.
• Install over 6,400 smoke alarms.

Thank you for your continued support. The generosity of all our partners empowers us to provide comfort and care where it’s needed most—365 days a year.

For more information on becoming a Ready 365 Giving Circle member, contact Natalie Reznik at Natalie.reznik@redcross.org or call 215-405-8828.

Visit our webpage to see a list of all our sponsors.

The images of devastation left behind by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 are unforgettable. The scenes of flooding, damage, and loss were seen throughout the northeast, including in the Lehigh Valley. But while the human toll may be what comes to mind when thinking about a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy, there is also a big toll on businesses.

In fact, according to the Insurance Information Institute, up to 40 percent of businesses affected by a disaster close their doors, never to reopen. Many of those are small businesses.

A big part of the reason is just how overwhelming a disaster’s impact can be. After Superstorm Sandy, an estimated 1.3 million customers in Pennsylvania lost power, among them, businesses in the Lehigh Valley. Floods and broken trees made roads impassable, preventing workers and materials from reaching those businesses. For business owners who did not have an emergency plan in place, the response was made up of guesswork, uncertainty, and confusion.

To help businesses keep their doors open after an emergency, the American Red Cross Lehigh Valley-Bucks Chapter has the Ready Rating Program. The program is a powerful tool that helps a business owner assess the business’s readiness if a disaster were to hit today, whether it’s a storm, blizzard, flood, or anything else. Using the results of the assessment, the program can help the business owner come up with a detailed plan to keep the business running.

                “It’s all about creating an environment where you’re reacting with a plan, not just having to make up a plan on the fly,” said Peter Brown, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Lehigh Valley-Bucks Chapter.

The time is ideal to take part in the Ready Rating Program. Almost five years have passed since Superstorm Sandy, which was perhaps the last big natural disaster to hit the Lehigh Valley. That’s the longest stretch without a disaster in the last 20 to 30 years. While that’s good news for the Lehigh Valley, it also means business owners may have forgotten the importance of preparation.

“The key is that you’re not going to be caught off-guard. It creates an organizational awareness, working from a plan, that you know where you are and what you need to do, so you can focus on implementation and keeping your team moving forward,” Brown said. To learn more about the Red Cross Ready Rating Program please email peter.brown@redcross.org

You can also visit our Workplace and Organization page on redcross.org, by visiting here.

Written by Chris Peralta

It was the middle of the night when Carol Crawford, 59, felt someone shaking her as she slept. When she turned to look – no one was there.

She went back to sleep. Then, it happened again – but this time, the shaking was harder. Again, she turned to look – and no one was next to her.

Stirred, she decided to go check on her son, Reggie Crawford, 32. Reggie works late into the night stocking a freezer at Wawa. He usually returns home in the early morning hours.

When she opened his bedroom door, it was a terrifying sight: a fire was completely surrounding him in his bed.

Carol quickly woke her son and got him out of the home, telling him to leave everything behind.

As scary as the situation was, it was one Carol had prepared for. She was trained by the Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania on how to respond to emergencies. As a teacher, she had even taught students what to do if a fire broke out. For her, it was second nature.

“I froze sometimes,” Carol said, recalling moments when the adrenaline rush almost paralyzed her. “But I had to be strong for my son.”

The fire department quickly arrived and contained the blaze, which was limited to Reggie’s bedroom. Unfortunately, though, they had to check to see if there was fire elsewhere in the home – which resulted in damage.

The Red Cross was called to help. Within ten minutes, a volunteer arrived. “We were frightened. We were scared. They gave us courage, hope, peace,” Carol said.

Since Carol had been trained by the Red Cross, she knew about the Red Cross House, and the services it made available to people affected by fires.  The Red Cross House quickly responded when she reached out.

For Carol and her son, it made a devastating life event a little easier to cope with.

“When I got here, it felt like home,” she said. “The People here are very generous. There are no words to describe.”

Now, Carol and Reggie are working to clean and restore their damaged home. Carol credits her disaster preparedness with saving her and her son’s life.

“Training. What to do in a disaster. Practice it. Even plan it.”

 

Interviewed and written by Chris Peralta

 

The house was quiet as Reggie Ector sat in his den, reading. Suddenly, he heard three pops.

Curious, he looked around, wondering what the sound was. It didn’t take long to find out: he saw fire coming out of an electrical socket in the room.

Seeing that the fire was small, he tried to put it out with water. His fiancé, who was in a bedroom at the time, soon joined the effort. Reggie would later call this a mistake.

“Trying to put the fire out put our lives in danger,” he said.

They tried to fill a bucket with water. The bucket was too large for a sink, so they could barely get any water inside. Eventually, they grabbed a fire extinguisher, but by then smoke was becoming too thick and they were becoming disoriented.

Ten minutes after the fire started, they escaped the house.

A neighbor saw all the smoke and called 911. Firefighters soon arrived and were able to put the fire out.

Reggie was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. His fiancé was treated for a burn on her ear, the result of exposure to the heat.

Reggie’s sister came to see him in the hospital. While she was there, she told him she had called the Red Cross to help him out.

“It was a sense of relief to know I’d have a place to rest my head,” he said.

It wasn’t Regggie’s first time interacting with the Red Cross. He had been a volunteer with Disaster Services. But even though he had comforted and helped fire victims before, he admits he had no idea what it was like.

“Never did it dawn on me what a fire victim goes through, until it happened to me.”

The house has significant damage to it. The fire was mostly contained to one room, but the smoke damage is extensive. While he plans his next steps, Reggie says the Red Cross House is helping him through one of life’s toughest experiences.

“The food, the shelter, having a place to lay your head that was safe and clean,” he said, “that made a difference.”

But it hasn’t just been about the place to stay. It’s also been about the people who are providing comfort through some of life’s difficulties.

“I’ve laid in bed, crying many nights, thankful to God for this place,” Reggie said. “This place is excellent. Never have I met a more compassionate group of people. There’s a special kind of people here.”

Interviewed and written by Chris Peralta

Your time and talent can make a real difference in people’s lives.

Volunteers carry out 90% of the humanitarian work of the Red Cross. That’s 15 volunteers for every one employee.  Our vital work is only possible because of our amazing cadre of volunteers.

Nearly 400,000 individuals volunteered nationwide with the American Red Cross last year, but our volunteers aren’t just a number. Volunteers are the heart of the Red Cross, and we couldn’t fulfill our lifesaving mission without them.  Whether helping one displaced family or thousands, providing care and comfort to an ill or injured service member or veteran, or teaching others how to respond in emergencies, it’s through the efforts of ordinary people that we can do extraordinary things.

Here in Eastern Pennsylvania we have over 3,800 volunteers throughout the 17 county region.  Volunteers with the American Red Cross can set flexible schedules in volunteer positions that appeal to their specific skills or interests.  The American Red Cross provides compassionate care in five critical areas with many opportunities within each department:

• People affected by disasters
• Support for members of the military, veterans and their families
• Blood collection, processing and distribution
• Health and safety education and training
• International relief and development

In Eastern Pennsylvania, we responded to over 1,200 disasters last year.  We train and send volunteers to respond both locally and to help in national disaster relief efforts.  We help educate communities through preparedness presentations on how to prevent and prepare for emergencies.

The Red Cross responds to military families experiencing an immediate need by providing emergency communications, family follow up, access to financial assistance, and disaster services.  The American Red Cross serves the military community and military medical facilities including military and VA hospitals, VA outpatient clinics, military community health care clinics, Veteran Centers, Veteran Community Living Centers, and Veteran State Homes.

The Red Cross is one of the nation’s largest blood collection organizations.  We need more donor ambassadors, transportation specialists, and community outreach specialists.

Preparedness and Health and Safety Services is the prime provider of education on first aid, CPR, AED, aquatics, and water safety and we need instructors to help train the communities.

Beyond our core focus areas, there are opportunities in fundraising, special events, communications, writing and social media outreach, volunteer management, community outreach, office administration, and board member positions.

Our volunteers give their time and talent every day to the Red Cross because the Red Cross is needed every day.  By volunteering with the American Red Cross, you can truly make a difference in a variety of ways. Visit: www.redcross.org/volunteer to become a volunteer today.

Join us!

 

 

Georgiann Teater was making a meatloaf dinner when she noticed smoke emerging from the back of her stove. Flames quickly followed, and she yelled to her family to flee outside.

After escaping, Teater immediately called 9-1-1. Firefighters arrived within minutes, but the damage to the first floor was severe enough to deem her Philadelphia home unlivable.

“I was so upset because this had never happened to me before,” said Teater, a grandmother.

Stranded outside on an October evening, she was grateful to have the support of American Red Cross Volunteers, who arrived to offer assistance for her family’s urgent needs. They helped provide a safe place to stay, food and clothing.

“The people here at the Red Cross are just absolutely fantastic,” Teater said. “They have treated my family with respect every step of the way. They just continue to go above and beyond the call of duty.”

 

Every Wednesday morning before dawn, Ruby Jackson arrives at the American Red Cross Tri-County Chapter office, in Reading, Berks County.  There she picks up a roster, a set of van keys, and starts out on a journey.

She carefully weaves her van along the narrow, winding city streets to arrive at the first stop.  She gets out to help an elderly gentleman board and assists him with his seat belt.  As she gets back into the driver’s seat, she looks in the rearview mirror and asks, “You ready?” With a nod from her rider, she’s off to the next address on her sheet.

Today there are only two passengers, but Ruby explains, “Sometimes every seat is full.”  She laughs when she says that on those days, it gets loud. She arrives at the destination and with care, helps her riders off the vehicle.  As they are walking away she reminds them, “I’ll be right here when you’re finished.”

Ruby, along with twelve other volunteers, ensure that veterans in the Berks County area have a ride to get to their medical appointments at the Lebanon VA Medical Center.  Many of the riders do not have transportation of their own and would have no way of getting to their needed appointments.

The service is provided five days a week and is free of charge.  In addition to providing a ride to a medical appointment, the time spent in travel provides veterans social time with others that understand them and can relate to their prior life experiences.

Any veteran who rides the program at least once during the year is eligible to receive a holiday food basket, given out in December.  Community members and organizations generously donate goods to be given out.

This program has been running in Berks County for 30 years.  They have a list of veteran’s over 450 and counting that rely on this needed service.

So who is Ruby Jackson?  Ruby, a veteran herself, has been volunteering with the American Red Cross for eleven years.  In addition to giving her time as a disaster volunteer, she was also active with the Meals on Wheels Program, and currently volunteers for the Berks County Red Cross Heroes event.  When asked why she does this, she replies, “The reason I volunteer for the Red Cross is to pay back.  I enjoy driving the vets because they are so worth it and so deserving. I am a vet also and to have that common denominator makes it easier to relate to each other.  It’s double rewarding. Serving our vets plus representing this wonderful organization, the Red Cross.”

Compassion, Collaboration, Creativity, and Commitment are values that are essential to the continued success of the American Red Cross. Thanks to Ruby and her fellow volunteers, these values are put into action daily for our country’s veterans.

Take a moment to watch a short video about the Access to Medical Needs Program: https://youtu.be/6MJUZv3hdgo

 

Know of a Berks County veteran that needs help getting to their appointment at the VA Medical Center in Lebanon?  Call 610-375-4383 today.

Would you like to volunteer to drive veteran’s to their appointments or volunteer another way, helping the Service to Armed Forces programs?  Visit: http://www.redcross.org/local/pennsylvania/eastern-pennsylvania/volunteer