Nashville Area Red Cross Approves New Members to Board of Directors

The Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has announced new members of its Board of Directors for 2014 – 2015.  The Red Cross Board of Directors is comprised of respected business and civic leaders, who together, contribute their time, their talents and their resources to ensure the organization’s mission is met every day with compassion, care and responsiveness to the needs of the community to help alleviate suffering and to save lives.

 

New members include:
Tony Grubbs - US Bank
Colleen Welch - Community Volunteer
Tom Rodgers - Retired
Dan Mohnke - Nissan North America, Inc.
Ramiro Pineda - Bridgestone Americas, Inc.
Cynthia Howard - DVL Public Relations & Advertising
Gary Wilson - Community Volunteer
David Griswold – Metro Nashville Airport Authority

 

2014 – 2015 Board Officers include:
Board Chair - Roland Lundy
Board Vice-Chair – Susan Lanigan
Secretary - Tim Warnock
Executive Chair - Roland Lundy
Governance Chair - Peter Rousos

 “We would like to welcome each of these talented, respected community and business leaders who are committed to helping others,” said Joel Sullivan, regional CEO of the Tennessee Volunteer Region. “Together, we will ensure the American Red Cross can continue its vital humanitarian mission and is there for families and individuals down the street, across the country and around the world in their hour of greatest need.”

Board members are elected for three-year terms by local Red Cross chapters. The Nashville Area Chapter Board currently has 47 volunteer members. The Tennessee Volunteer Region includes one regional chapter, the Nashville Area Chapter, and eight community chapters that span a 62 county area across Middle and West Tennessee. 

Over the past year, the Nashville Area Chapter has assisted 295 families with immediate emergency needs such as food, clothing, shelter, emotional support and replacing medications after disasters like fires, floods and tornadoes.  Over 6,870 local citizens were trained in lifesaving CPR, AED, babysitting, water safety and other caregiving courses to help make the community a safer place to live, work and play. Through the Service the Armed Forces program, the Red Cross provided 734 various services to help link service members and their families during emergencies such as a death or a birth in the family. Internationally, the Nashville Area Chapter Restoring Family Links Red Cross program helped open 85 cases and provided 167 different services to help connect family members separated by crisis, conflict, or migration.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

 

 

Two Rivers Chapter Seeks New Volunteers

The Two Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross is recruiting new volunteers to serve on Disaster Action Teams (DAT) to help serve residents in Benton, Dickson, Houston, Henry, Humphreys, Montgomery, and Stewart Counties as well as Ft. Campbell, KY and Land between the Lakes.

“Disaster Action Team volunteers are the heart of Red Cross disaster relief efforts,” said Larry Crowell, Disaster Program Manager for the Two Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross.  “These volunteers respond immediately to disasters such as fires, floods, tornadoes etc., to assess the scope of damage and to meet with the affected family or families to determine their immediate disaster-related needs and ensure that those needs are met.”

Depending on the circumstances, Red Cross assistance may include: shelter, food, clothing, toiletry items, clean-up items, help in obtaining prescription refills or medical equipment, mental health support, and referrals to other community organizations that may assist with additional long-term needs. All disaster assistance is free, provided through the generosity of the American public.

Responsibilities for Disaster Action Team Members include:

• The willingness and availability to respond to emergencies anytime during their self- selected "on-call" shift
• A sensitivity to people's needs in difficult situations
• The ability to work objectively and compassionately with diverse individuals
• Respect and concern for the people you serve and work with
• The ability to maintain confidentiality to protect clients served by the Red Cross
• The ability to work well in a "team" environment

“Ask the average person about the American Red Cross and chances are they will mention disasters like hurricanes and floods. But the majority of disasters that the American Red Cross Two Rivers Chapter responds to are single-family house fires, which affect many families locally every day,” said Ron Lanfear, Volunteer Mass Care Lead for the Two Rivers Chapter.  “We need more dedicated local volunteers that will join our Disaster Action Team to help us help our neighbors in need.”

All Red Cross volunteer training is free, as part of the American Red Cross disaster preparedness training program.  To register online to become a volunteer you can visit:  redcross.org/tn/clarksville/volunteer or contact the local chapter at (931)645-6401. 

Red Cross Attends "Faces of Valor"

Veterans, family members and state officials gathered on the Bicentennial Mall lawn on Thursday afternoon for the “Faces of Valor” ceremony to kick off a statewide effort to locate photos of all 1295 Tennesseans who lost their lives in Vietnam.  The “Wall that Heals”, a mobile replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in our nation’s capital, was a stark and moving reminder of the 58,286 lives that were lost in the Vietnam War. 

State Senator Mark Green, along with fellow senators, and guests kicked off the Faces of Valor Rally to distribute individual lists of the remaining 699 photos of the fallen that have yet to be located to their respective districts to every Tennessee State Senator.    Once the photos are submitted, they will be prominently displayed in Washington D.C. at the new interpretive center that is being constructed next to the wall. 

Representatives from the Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross were honored to attend the ceremony and to continue the proud tradition of military support.  Red Cross services for veterans date back to World War I and remain consistent with the mission of its congressional charter. Today, the Red Cross is proud to maintain its commitment to the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The American Red Cross offers confidential services to all military veterans and their families by connecting them with Red Cross, national, state and local resources through our network of chapters in communities across the United States and offices on military installations worldwide.

For information about volunteering or assistance, veterans and their families should contact their local Red Cross office.

DAT+GRAM - Nashville Area Chapter 6/24/14

World Refugee Day Red Cross Event

Join us Friday, June 20th from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the Nashville Area Chapter (2201 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203 - Disaster Operations Center Room 257) for an informative session about Red Cross refugee and immigrant services. Our guest speaker will be Gatluak "Gat" Ter Thach.

Gatluak Ter Thach
Former Sudanese Child Solider, Nashville Author and CEO

Gatluak “Gat” Ter Thach is the founder, current President and CEO of Nashville International Center for Empowerment, NICE. Gat came to America and to Nashville as a refugee from South Sudan in the late 1990s. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics from Tennessee State University in Nashville Tennessee. He went on to pursue a master’s degree in public service from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, and graduated as a member of Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in social science. Gat is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership. NICE is a nonprofit community-based organization that provides direct social services and educational programs for refugees and immigrants in Middle Tennessee. Gat is an expert in community and organizational development, program and budget planning and management, strategic planning, collaboration and partnership building, resource development, executive coaching, and training for executive leaders. He is also the author of My New American Dream.

Red Cross 5th Annual Mash Bash Celebrates Success

More than 220 friends and supporters attended the 5^th Annual Mash Bash event on the evening of Saturday, June 7^th on Barbeque Hill at the historic Jack Daniel’s Distillery.  Over $19,000 was raised through sponsorships and ticket sales to support the mission of the Red Cross. 

“We were thrilled to celebrate another successful event to raise funds so we can continue to help the community prepare, respond and recover from disasters,” said Mike Cowles, Chapter Executive.  “The Mash Bash is always a light-hearted event with a southern atmosphere and this year we were very glad to be able to move the location up to Barbeque Hill to accommodate the growing number of attendees.” 

Event sponsors included:  American City Bank, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Charter Communications, Cubic Transportation System, The DUCK, Farm Bureau – Mark Ralston, First Community Mortgage/Carlene Smith NMLS #769916, First Vision Bank, Griffin Technology, Inc., Hilltop Electronic Design – Matt Johnson, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Light-Tube, Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors, Moore Cortner Funeral Home, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Special Touch Disaster Restoration, Southern Community Bank, State Farm – Deb Insell, Stan McNabb Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Scott Jones Investments, Toyota of Murfreesboro/Jim & Joyce Russnogle, WGNS Radio and Woodard’s Diamond Showroom.

  

Red Cross volunteers Nell Pisano and Doug Rasbury attended the event. 

 

Red Cross Launches Six Free Spanish-Language Apps

The American Red Cross is launching six free Spanish-language apps for disasters and home emergencies with simple lifesaving information that will help keep families safe. 
 

“The free Red Cross Spanish-language apps make mobile devices a lifeline for emergency information for families,” said Dom Tolli, vice president, product development, Preparedness, Health and Safety Services division at the American Red Cross. “The Red Cross wants as many people as possible to benefit from the crucial emergency information available via mobile apps,”

The six Spanish-language apps are the Red Cross First Aid, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wildfire and flood apps. The Red Cross First Aid App gives people instant access to expert advice for everyday emergencies. The five Red Cross disaster preparedness apps give people local and real-time information for severe weather or disaster threats, and offer step-by-step instructions that let users know what to do before, during and after a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wildfire and flood.

The Red Cross apps have a feature that enables users to easily toggle between English and Spanish language on their app. Previously, users needed to set their entire phone language to either English or Spanish. The Red Cross, with its experience working with people during disasters, knows that people behave differently when under stress – such as a First Aid emergency or a weather emergency. In these times, people want to consume important information in the language they are most comfortable with. The Spanish toggle makes the life-saving information in the apps easier to get in emergency situations.

Each one of these Spanish-language apps are free and available for iPhones and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. They can also be found at RedCross.org/SpanishApps (English) or RedCross.org/AppsenEspanol (Spanish).

All the apps offer pre-loaded content ensuring that Red Cross guidance is available anytime, anywhere – even if no Internet connection is available. Another important feature in the disaster preparedness apps allows users to let family and friends quickly know they are safe with a customizable “I’m Safe” alert for Facebook, Twitter, email and text. The apps also have interactive quizzes allow people to earn badges that they can share with friends on social networks.

The Red Cross created and released the six Spanish-language mobile at a time when smartphone use among Hispanics is surging. A 2013 study by the Pew Research Center found that Latinos own smartphones and go online from a mobile device at similar – and sometimes higher – rates than other groups of Americans.

“With natural disasters, it’s vital that people can receive and share warnings, preparedness information and their own status immediately with their social networks, and that’s what these Red Cross apps do,” Tolli said. “If people can take only one step to make their family better prepared for disasters, they should download these free Red Cross apps and help their loved ones download them too.”

These six free Spanish-language apps build on the Red Cross legacy of teaching life-saving skills to people across the country. Overall, the award-winning Red Cross apps have been downloaded more than 4.7 million times.

The Red Cross is an established leader in teaching people the skills they need to survive life’s emergencies, and wants people to be ready to respond to emergencies and spread emergency information on their social networks, anywhere, anytime – even if they don’t have formal training.

While apps can prepare people for disasters, it’s important to remember that downloading any of the Red Cross apps is not a substitute for training. To learn more about Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED courses or to register, visit redcross.org/TakeAClass.