Haitian Red Cross Employee Finds Sister
Posted Friday, February 5, 2010 at 4:07 PM by Leah Kristie
On January 16, CBS3 aired a story about Red Cross employee Georges Fortune's search for his sister in Port-au-Prince.
Despite his anxiety, Georges continued to work his overnight shift as a Red Cross disaster responder. He spent his free time volunteering at the Chapter's Family Links Centers, where he was able to comfort others still waiting to hear from loved ones.
Here is the rest of the story: On Monday, January 18, Georges' sister called him! Unfortunately, he was not at home to receive her call, but he knows that she is safe.
We are thrilled for him, but we know that many people's searches will not have the same outcome. Our thoughts are with all those who have not yet heard from loved ones.
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You. Yes, you.
Posted Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 3:24 PM by Leah Kristie
We've had a serious lack of YouTube videos on the blog lately, so here's a little gem produced by the British Red Cross. Volunteers really are the hands and feet of our work, and we would love for you to join us. Check out the video. (My favorite part is the glob of bloodketchup!)
To learn about volunteer opportunities, click here.
Tags: Can You Find the Similarity?
Posted Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 10:34 AM by Sarah Amaral
68th, Anders, Andrew, Berger, Brookdale, Brown, Cambridge, Catherine, Chester, Church, Deerpath, Dyre, East Brinton, East Garrett, East Lynbrook, East Main, East Oakdale, East Penn, East Rittenhouse, East Wishart, Florence, Frankford, Gilham, North Jeffrey, Kensington, Kingston, Loney, Lyons, Morton, Nedro, North 11th, North 12th, North 29th, North Corlies, North Croskey, North Lee, North Newkirk, North Park, North Water, Page, Powelton, Queen, Roosevelt, South Farragut, South 27th, South 3rd, South 62st, South Allison, South Hobson, Spring Garden, Spruce, Stanbridge, Stenton, Strafford, Terwood, Vernon, Walnut, West Allegheny, West Glenwood, West Main, West Norris, West Olney, West Sergeant, Widener
What do these all have in common? Think hard, you can do it!
**Jeopardy music begins**
If you said they are streets in Philadelphia and the four surrounding counties, pat yourself on the back! You are right. (But also get the title of Captain Obvious.) If you take it one step further...they are all the streets that have had a fire within the LAST THIRTY DAYS.
In just the month of January, a fire could have occurred on the street you, a family member, or friend lives on. Shocked it could hit so close to home? Get prepared.
A Day in the Life
Posted Monday, February 1, 2010 at 12:58 PM by Melissa Hunsberger
Laura Hahn is a former Americorps Member with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross who will be spending the next four months in Baghdad, Iraq. She will share her experiences on this blog.
Once again I had another great blog request. I never thought about how an average day here is very different than back home. I’ve gotten into a routine and it just seems normal. I hope my daily routine is something interesting to read about.
1000 - 1200 Hours - Wake up: As you are all just going to bed, I am waking up for another productive day here in Baghdad. It is normally a good day when I wake up to my own alarm clock and no outside noises, if you get my drift. Since most of my emails come in while I sleep, the morning is spent trying catch up with replies, organizing donations, and following up with tons of random connections to the outside world, all by email in bed. This morning was even better because it was the first day all week that it was finally warm again, which put me in a great mood.
1200 - 1400 Hours - Gym: Working out here on base is much more of daily routine for everyone than it is at home. It is common to exercise 6 to 7 times a week, because physical fitness is really important in the military. Everyone who is deployed must maintain a certain BMI (Body Mass Index). So, since they feed us really well, the gym is very important. Besides, the gym is like a social thing on base for people that work night shifts, because there is not much else to do during the day. The gym is a funny place, because it is really rare for two females to be at my gym at the same time. So, needless to say, I get a lot of unwanted attention. I have gotten use to it and have started to run outside (instead of in the gym) whenever I get the chance. I should really try to write down all the pickup lines I get while I am working out. It was hard to get used to the weapons at the gym, and it is still odd to watch a guy bench press with a gun strapped to his leg or a knife on his belt.
1400 - 1430 Hours - Getting Ready: It has finally become normal to get ready in a trailer that I need to hike to from my room, all while my favorite cleaning lady continues to talk to me while I shower.
1430 – 1600 Hours - Hospital Visit: On base, we have a CSH, which is a small hospital. It is used to treat emergencies, minor operations like appendectomies, and to treat patients who are waiting to be sent for more advanced care in Europe or back in the States. Today we met with two soldiers who had minor injuries and a contractor who looked really sick and who had the worst hiccups. But he was very excited as I had a crossword puzzle book. We also visited a little Iraqi girl who had burns all over her body. It was really sad, because you could see the pain in her eyes. Unfortunately, since she didn’t speak any English, I could not really sit and talk with her. Since they don't have coloring books or anything, they have been getting her to draw on the walls to help her move around. The hospital does the best they can with what they have, but it’s not a lot. It makes me sad some days when we eat great meals at the DFAC, but the patients in the hospital don't even have a change of clothing or a toothbrush. Luckily, the Red Cross has started a new program that has allowed us to provide many needed supplies to the hospital, which will be very helpful long after our team leaves.
1600 – 1800 Hours - Work: At this point in the day, my case load at work is really low, because it is still early in the States. Therefore, the first few hours of my shift are spent on organizing activities. We are trying to have a Red Cross run in March, so today I worked on getting information together and creating a T-shirt design. Races are a really big deal here, and top finishers get a shirt. It becomes a big deal to have the best and the most shirts. All week, I have been working really hard at making a great design.
1800 - 1930 Hours - Temple: Fridays are my favorite time of the week mainly because temple is the highlight. It is the one thing I can do with the troops that is entirely on a personal level and not Red Cross related. Plus, we all have a bond and we've formed a great little community. They all have such great stories, and I have learned so much from each one of them. It’s interesting when we take time to talk about each week’s pasha and relate it to our deployed lives.
Today was really special because I got up in front of the group and said the prayer over the candles alone in Hebrew. It was very much an honor to even be invited up, and it was great to be able to contribute a little extra. After the service, I grabbed dinner to-go and raced back to the office, since at this point, most of the world is now awake and my day gets a lot crazier.
1930 - 0000 Hours - Work: I got back to work and had a ton of cases. I like when it’s busy, because it’s easier to be more productive with no lag time between cases. For a Friday, it was really busy. In any shift, I always have a mix of situations including illnesses, deaths, leave extensions, births, and always something random and crazy. Today, I had a high number of deaths, which can start to get to me after some time. However, I normally deliver messages to the same group of service members on the other end of the phone, and when delivering bad news, it helps take the edge off of the tough ones.
0030 Hours - Bed: Now, I am back in bed, ending my day like it started - on my computer, but now writing about my day. I have developed a routine here, which is important in order to keep going. Every day is unique in some way. Every day there are always new stories, adventures, and encounters. I love hearing the all the questions and comments, so please keep the blog ideas coming.
Strafford Station Apartments Fire
Posted Monday, February 1, 2010 at 12:15 PM by Leah Kristie
Early Saturday morning, a fire tore through the Strafford Station Apartments in Tredyffrin, displacing 60 people. I'm glad to report that no one was hurt, despite the speed of the fire and the windy conditions. Red Cross disaster responders set up a comfort center at another building in the apartment complex to get the displaced residents out of the cold, and we are providing financial assistance for food, clothing, and other immediate needs to 17 families. The apartment complex management is working to place all of the fire victims in new units. Our thoughts are with the residents as they begin their recovery.
Fire Safety Fail or I.O.U. Fail?
Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 4:21 PM by Luke Van Meter
Featured Red Ball Restaurant - Ristorante Panorama
Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 8:53 AM by Maurice Weeks
This is the second post in a recurring series of Red Ball featured restaurant reviews. For more information about the featured Red Ball restaurants, please contact Maurice Weeks (maurice.weeks@redcross-philly.org).
Ristorante Panorama has been a longstanding restaurant sponsor of the Red Ball. They are always a hit, and there is no question why. Delicious, delicious, delicious Italian food. We got a chance to preview this featured Red Ball restaurant to see what their chefs will be bringing to the Red Ball.
Ristorante Panorama is located on the first floor of the Penn's View Hotel on Front and Market streets in Philadelphia. Panorama's walls are lined with beautifully painted murals which make you feel like you are on the streets of Italy, and bottles and bottles of fantastic wine. In fact, Ristorante Panorama is known in particular for their wine collection and even have their own Sommelier (don't worry - here's the wiki page). Head down on Fridays for their "Friday Night Flights" - a wine tasting and discussion session.
We focused on the food during our visit, because that is what they'll be bringing to Red Ball on March 6th. See photos below of Ristorante Panorama's Cuisine. The menu for the evening, descriptions, and reviews of the food appear with the pictures.
APPETIZERS
We started out with a selection of prosciutto, roasted red pepper, green olives, and cheese just to set us for our meal. The proscuitto was unbelievable (and influenced my later dinner choice), but the unexpected star was the roasted red pepper. Perfectly seasoned, it would be satisfying just to have a plate of this for dinner. We also had a bit of bruschetta, bread, and pesto to prep us for dinner. Luke Van Meter (who lived in Italy) personally approved of the prosciutto, pesto and the bruschetta - made with the freshest tomatoes.
ENTREES
Pollo Farcito con Prosciutto e Mozzarella and Costata di Vitello
The entree sizes were quite sizeable, which for the A+ quality of the food, was remarkable! The chicken breast was stuffed with roasted peppers, spinach, proscuitto, and mozzerella, lightly battered and pan seared with lemon butter and white wine. It was so juicy and rich - it is clear why it is a popular dish. The veal was tender as you expect with an outstanding sauce. In fact, both sauces were so good that Luke and I put our leftover bread to good use to finish them. Both entrees were flanked by delicious potatoes and fresh veggies that shouldn't be overlooked. Ristorante Panorama's chefs know how to put together a plate!
DESSERTS
The desserts alone could easily satisfy me. Profiteroles drizzled with chocolate and this beautiful pear (poached with mascarpone and hazelnuts). The pear was almost too beautiful to eat (almost). Ristorante Panorama is among the best I've ever tasted, so if you can't make dinner, stop by just for a quick sweet treat. It would be well worth it.
Take it from me, Ristorante Panorama should not be missed. Their expert chefs will again wow Red Ball attendees.
Visit Ristorante Panorama on the web HERE!
From the Ground in Haiti
Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 2:04 PM by Leah Kristie
On Monday, Steve McAndrew, a Disaster Relief Specialist in Port-au-Prince, participated in a press briefing about Red Cross operations in Haiti. In the conference call, he shared that the Red Cross is not using military protection. Red Cross relief workers do have very strong security protocol, but they are not armed. The Red Cross seeks to build relationships - when relief workers visit camps to distribute relief supplies, they ask the Haitian people to provide their own security and help with distribution. Disaster victims want to be heard and respected, and the Red Cross is doing just that. For this reason, the Red Cross has not experienced looting and violence, and the Red Cross is able to manage large crowds in a respectful way.
Top 25 Accomplishments for 2009
Posted Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 3:38 PM by Tom Foley
SEPA Chapter Relief Efforts Update
Posted Monday, January 25, 2010 at 2:12 PM by Tom Foley
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