Help the Red Cross overcome an emergency blood shortage

Since the beginning of the year, blood drives have been canceled in nearly every state where the American Red Cross collects blood, causing thousands of blood and platelet donations to go uncollected. This comes as the Red Cross is already experiencing an emergency blood shortage. You can help ensure lifesaving medical procedures aren’t delayed by making a blood or platelet donation appointment!

The national blood supply remains at critically low levels, and blood products are currently going to hospitals faster than blood donations are coming in. A sufficient blood supply is critical to being able to provide timely care for all patients in need of lifesaving blood.

Don’t wait – make your appointment to donate using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). As a thank-you, all those who come to give Feb. 1-29, 2024, will receive a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/Heart for details.

One Small Step: A Volunteer Story

By Joan Brasher, American Red Cross volunteer

A little over a year ago, I was sitting in my Nashville home watching the news as Hurricane Ian barreled across the state of Florida, leaving destruction and loss of life in its wake. I felt so helpless. I was completely unprepared to respond to a weather emergency, but I wanted to be. I went online and signed up to be an American Red Cross volunteer that very day.

In the following weeks and months, I took Red Cross’s online training modules to become certified in sheltering and feeding. For good measure I also took classes on CPR, first aid and disaster communications.

I offered to help with administrative tasks at the Nashville chapter and saw the dedicated individuals lining up in the lobby to donate blood and plasma. I began to see all the different ways Red Cross volunteers were providing physical and emotional support near and far — from wildfires in Hawaii to the Covenant Presbyterian School shooting in Nashville.

In December 2023, a little over a year after Hurricane Ian, I put my training into action when deadly tornadoes descended upon Middle Tennessee. I answered the call for volunteers to set up a Red Cross shelter in a North Nashville middle school gymnasium.

When I arrived, trailers full of cots, blankets and care kits were being unloaded and a command center established. Local restaurant partners like Outback Steakhouse and Cracker Barrel were being contacted to provide meals. Communications were established with local law enforcement, TEMA, the OEM, the local media and nonprofits like the Community Resource Center. I was in awe of the speed and efficiency of the Red Cross’s triage response.

For a week I did whatever was asked of me. I helped unload pallets of bottled water, served meals and emptied trash cans. I helped track down boxes of diapers, formula and a portable crib for a new mom with a two-week-old baby whose power was out. I read books to two little girls whose home had a tree in the middle of the living room.

I sat and listened to a man in his 70s describing how he survived the walls of his home caving in. His house was a total loss, and his dog Remy, an elderly arthritic beagle, had gone missing in the storm. With the help of local police and the Humane Society, we were able to reunite him with Remy — and keep them both fed, safe and dry until a family member could drive in from out of state.

After a week, the shelter emptied out and many of the volunteers were deployed to a larger shelter in Clarksville that still needed support. I helped pack up all of the cots, care kits and blankets and loaded them into a trailer that was hauled back to headquarters. I went home and slept for two days.

In the beginning I doubted I had what it took to be a Red Cross volunteer. It turns out that compassion and a heart for people are all you need to get started. If you are passionate about service, you will undoubtedly find your niche, whether large or small, at the Red Cross.

The next time you are watching the news and your heart aches for people in your community, across the country, or halfway around the world, ask yourself what you are waiting for.

Taking one small step like I did could change your life — and someone else’s.

Get started now at redcross.org/volunteerTN.

Plaza Mariachi Outreach Event for Middle Tennessee Tornado Recovery

Photos and story by Sabrina Lima, American Red Cross volunteer

On Jan. 10, American Red Cross staff and volunteers had the chance to bring help to hundreds of survivors of the tornadoes in the Middle Tennessee area. They gathered at Plaza Mariachi Music City where the Hispanic Family Foundation hosted an outreach event. During the meeting, the Red Cross team gave important information to survivors, such as how to get economic assistance to restart their lives and help them get the prescription medication they had lost during the disaster.   

"You are our family here. We want to support you and work with you," said Diane Janbakhsh from the Hispanic Family Foundation. The meeting had simultaneous translation to Spanish. 

Other partners offered assistance to the survivors, including Tennessee Services & Resources, US Small Business Administration, The Hope Station, Nashville Humane Society, Pawster Nashville, TIRRC, The Salvation Army, Second Harvest Food Bank, Mother to Mother, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, and The Nashville VOAD.

Tap here for our photo album.

14th Annual Red Boa Bash for the American Red Cross Announced for March 2

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 24, 2024— The American Red Cross, Mid-South Chapter will host the 14th Annual Red Boa Bash on March 2 in Memphis. This annual fundraiser is being held at The Guest House at Graceland at 3600 Elvis Presley Boulevard from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. This event is held during National Red Cross Month and is one of the best fundraising parties in Memphis. Funds raised from the bash will support home fire relief efforts throughout the Mid-South.  

The exciting event begins with a cocktail reception, along with live entertainment, and dancing. The Red Boa Bash is sponsored by Glo Medical Aesthetics and includes a live and silent auction. 

 

“We are tremendously excited about the upcoming Red Ball Bash, our signature fundraising event that brings together the Mid-South community to support our lifechanging mission,” said Dr. Sarah Breazeale, executive director for the Mid-South Chapter of the Red Cross. “We are grateful for the support of our partners that make this event possible, and we ask the community to join us. Your support ensures we can continue meeting the needs of our neighbors when they need us the most.”  

 

The Red Boa Bash is a ticketed event. Go to RedCross.org/redboabash to find out more and to purchase tickets. Tickets are $150 for an individual ticket, and $250 for a couple’s ticket.  

 

About the American Red Cross: 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. The American Red Cross Tennessee Region serves all 95 counties in Tennessee, Crittenden County in Arkansas and Desoto and Tunica counties in Mississippi. The Tennessee Region – part of a nationwide network of locally supported chapters - is comprised of the following eight Red Cross chapters: East Tennessee, Heart of Tennessee, Mid-South, Mid-West Tennessee, Nashville Area, Southeast Tennessee, Northeast Tennessee and Tennessee River. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.