Teenager has a passion for fashion and the Red Cross - Available for interview Saturday 12/1 at 10 am

			Southern Missouri Region 1545 N. West Bypass Springfield MO 65803 417-832-9500 Ext. 107 417-207-6349 Cell Media Contact:  Nigel Holderby nigel.holderby@redcross.org

 

Junior Red Cross Volunteer Gives Back with Fashion Show

Join the fun and support Red Cross Disaster Relief

 

American Red Cross, Southern Missouri Region: 11/30/2012

Destinee Douty is currently a Junior at Everton High School.  She joined the Red Cross as a "junior member' after hearing information regarding the Red Cross presented at Everton's annual Career Fair in 2011.  During that same Career Fair, Destinee had the opportunity to meet with Josh Porter, a representative from MSU's Department of Fashion Design, to discuss her interest in designing clothes.  Immediately following, Destinee and the other Everton School volunteers, began fundraising activities and community help projects as representative of the Red Cross Organization. 

During one brainstorming session, the original idea of making and selling Fashion scarves as a fundraiser quickly morphed Destinee into the idea of using her passion for designing clothes as a fundraiser.  Destinee is a fan of Laguna Beach, the TV show, and watched one episode about a group of teenagers putting on a fashion show for charity. The idea of taking her drawings and turning them into outfits from which others would benefit so excited her that she immediately began planning. She knew this fundraiser require long hours of work and diligence, but that was only a minor detail considering the contribution she felt she could make to the Red Cross.

In January of 2012, determined not to rely on the generosity of adults to make her dream happen, Destinee began the process of interviewing classmates and friends - deciding who she would like to have model her designs, and finding those who would have time to help her with fundraising activities to pay for the needed fabric and supplies. For the past year, two to three times a week, Destinee has been designing, sewing, buying, fundraising, and fitting her models with outfits for this fashion show fundraiser.  Her dedication to this dream goes deeper, however, because her road has been riddled with setbacks.  For one thing, Destinee had never sewn a stitch in her lifetime.  She searched and found someone to help with that void and after some lessons on cutting, patterning, and sewing, she has learned much.  In addition, her Thyroid Disease, previously under control, flared up, making the road difficult to travel - not to mention school and homework expectations. But she did not give up!

Almost one year later, Destinee's dream coupled with her compassion for others is becoming a reality.  On Saturday, December 8, 2012, her "Designs by Destinee 'Rearview Mirror Collection' " will be shown and all proceeds donated to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. 

Pre-show begins at 5:30 p.m.
Fashion show begins at 6:00
Silent auction and refreshments to follow
Admission: Minimum $5 donation

Location: Southern Missouri Regional Red Cross Office in Springfield, MO 1545 N. West Bypass

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 join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

 

All In A Days Work

It’s the heartfelt thank you that keeps you going in the day to day efforts of support for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Perhaps the thank you comes from the senior mother and adult daughter in Long Beach. They were sitting and warming themselves on their front stoop as their home was still without power nearly two weeks after the storm. Full of the typical New Yorker attitude and independence, they challenged our three-person team as we approached. This was despite all of our American Red Cross regalia (bright red vests, ID cards, and cap). We parted friends.

Perhaps it comes from the elderly woman trapped in her seventh floor apartment in the Rockaway projects and yelling for our attention. You climb by flashlight up the chilly stairs – that sometimes smell of urine – as there is no power for the elevators and many services had ceased. And along the way you meet caring people trying to help one another and your team.

Or, perhaps it is the young family in the Red Cross shelter, simply grateful for the volunteers paying attention to their needs as they get through this difficult time.

These were some of the people that energized me during my two week deployment in the New York City area in mid-November. I was assigned to the Safe and Well Linking Team. This group of about 20 volunteers sought to reconnect family and friends that had been separated due to Hurricane Sandy. Sometimes it was a family member; other times it was a concerned friend or worker. We worked the phones, knocked on apartment doors, searched the shelters cot-by-cot and eventually went to specific house addresses seeking individuals. We offered to put people on the Safe and Well database online or loaned them a cell phone to call concerned family and friends.

At one point we worked as part of a group made up of a nurse, Safe and Well team and members from the Mexican Red Cross -- all of whom were trained paramedics. We sought to check on the well-being of residents in the city by updating prescriptions and giving residents information on sources of help as well as putting them in contact with others if need be.

Repeatedly, we received that thank you from residents still getting through Sandy’s impact. But, other New Yorkers also let us know our efforts were appreciated.

There was the man yelling across a New York sidewalk, “Hey, guy! Hey, guy!” who then gave me a thumbs up, a grin and a “Thanks!” as I walked to the Manhattan headquarters one morning wearing the Red Cross white cap and red vest. Or, the woman on the subway who went out of her way to get me on the right train to the HQ that day -- was it my look of confusion? My extreme gratitude I give to her. The experience was tiring and frustrating at times, and I hope I would make the effort without a single word of thanks. But, that feeling sure does help.

So, if you are a Red Cross volunteer, keep at it. If you haven’t helped as a volunteer, consider it. If that isn’t possible, then make a donation. One option is to make use of the 2012 Holiday Giving Catalog (1-800-RED CROSS or redcross.org/gifts). You can designate specific gifts such as aid to wounded military personnel, caregiver training or a day of expenses in an emergency shelter like those in use for Hurricane Sandy.

And let me be the first to say to you, “Hey, guy! Thanks!”

Story by: Don Underwood
American Red Cross Volunteer
Photos Courtesy: American Red Cross Public Affairs

2012 Holiday Mail for Heroes deadline approaches for sending cards.

			Southern Missouri Region 1545 N. West Bypass Springfield MO 65803 417-832-9500 Ext. 107 417-207-6349 Cell Media Contact:  Nigel Holderby nigel.holderby@redcross.org

American Red Cross Reminds Public to Send Holiday Cards for Heroes by December 7

 

American Red Cross, Southern Missouri Region; November 27, 2012 — The December 7 deadline is fast approaching for people to send holiday greetings to men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces through the American Red Cross.

 

The Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes program distributes the cards to service members, veterans and their families across the country and around the world.

 

“As individuals and families make their holiday plans this year, we hope they will remember to send words of cheer and gratitude to the men and women who serve our country,” said Debi Meeds, Southern Missouri Regional CEO “We hope people will continue this simple, yet very meaningful tradition of giving thanks to those who have sacrificed so much.” 

 

Once the Red Cross receives the cards that are sent in by the public, Pitney Bowes Inc. scans them to ensure safety and security. Red Cross volunteers sort and deliver them to military installations, in VA and military hospitals and to veteran’s organizations in the United States and overseas.

 

All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

 

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

 

The Red Cross cannot guarantee delivery of those cards postmarked after December 7. Visit redcross.org/holidaymail for a full list of recommended guidelines. The public can connect with fellow card senders through Facebook at facebook.com/redcross and Twitter at Twitter.com/redcross using the hashtag #holidaymail.

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 join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

About our Holiday Partners

During this holiday season, the American Red Cross is grateful for the support of our corporate partners that generously contribute to our Holiday Giving Campaign. They include:  University of Phoenix, Circle K West Coast Division, and the Community Safety Foundation, funded by AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange.  Thanks to the generosity of these and other sponsors, the Red Cross is able to carry out its mission of helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies everyday here and around the world. Each holiday season the Red Cross gives everyone the chance to support our work by giving blood, signing a card for military heroes or buying a gift through our holiday catalog. To support the Red Cross this Holiday Season, visit www.redcross.org/holiday

 

In Service,

 

K. Nigel Holderby

Chief Communications Officer

Please Note My New Email: nigel.holderby@redcross.org

American Red Cross

Southern Missouri Region

(417) 832-9500 ext 107 (p) 

(417) 207-6349 (c)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 Wheaton MO Apt Fire

			Southern Missouri Region 1545 N. West Bypass Springfield MO 65803 417-832-9500 Ext. 107 Media Contact:  Nigel Holderby nigel.holderby@redcross.org

 

Red Cross Responds to Thanksgiving Day Fire

Apartment Fire Claims Five Lives in Wheaton MO

 

American Red Cross, Southern Missouri Region: 11/22/2012

Five Red Cross Volunteers in Barry County responded to a fire at the Blue Ridge Apartments in Wheaton, Missouri where five people died this morning from 2 different families.  Five cases of financial assistance have now been opened with 16 people being helped with emergency relief for lodging, food and clothes. More assistance will be given as funeral assistance needs are determined.

 

It is difficult to imagine such disaster on this day of Thanksgiving and hard to comprehend the suffering in our community, yet we are reminded of our mission; The Red Cross continues to alleviate human suffering through the dedication of Volunteers and through donations from the American People. We thank the Rock Solid Baptist Church in Wheaton MO, who made a $1000 donation this morning to the Red Cross for these families who have suffered so much. 

 

 

You can help people affected by disasters like home fires, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

 

 

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 join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

 

 

Red Cross response to hurricanes and fires continues

			Southern Missouri Region 1545 N. West Bypass Springfield MO 65803 417-832-9500 Ext. 107 Media Contact:  Nigel Holderby nigel.holderby@redcross.org

 

Local Red Cross Support to East Coast Continues

In addition, Volunteers remain focused on response to home fires.

 

American Red Cross, Southern Missouri Region: 11/19/2012

As the Thanksgiving Holiday week begins more local Red Cross Volunteers are answering the call for help to support the American Red Cross response to the east coast. At this time 65 Volunteers from the Southern Missouri Region are on deployment in New York and New Jersey.

Thanks to the generosity of the American people and the commitment of our volunteers, the Red Cross has been able to spend tens of millions of donated dollars providing food, shelter, relief supplies and comfort to people affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The Red Cross has been helping people since before Sandy made landfall and will continue to help for weeks and months to come as families get back on their feet. This is likely to be the largest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past 5 years, and we have mobilized the full resources of the organization across the country to help people. Right now nearly 5,500 Red Cross workers from all 50 states are supporting shelters, providing food, water and supplies. About 90 percent of these are volunteers.

As the response continues on the east coast, the needs here at home are still being met as well. In the last 19 days volunteers in the Southern Missouri Region have responded to over 30 house fires providing emergency relief to almost 90 people with monetary assistance over $13,000 dollars. The needs at home and afar are great this holiday season. Won’t you help?

 

You can help people affected by disasters like floods, fires, and hurricanes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

 

 

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 join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

 

Photo by: Nigel Holderby

American Red Cross Youth Volunteer, South Jersey Region

Andrew Kosinski looks with disbelief at the damage from Hurricane Sandy