Close to Home Experience Prompts

Local Business Owners to Raise

Funds for Red Cross

After Stephanie and Chad Sterling’s neighbor experienced a home fire, they learned something about how neighbors help neighbors in our area. Then, they took action of their own.

In the wake of the fire experienced by the Sterlings’ neighbors, local American Red Cross volunteers provided assistance. Members of a local Red Cross Disaster Action Team, when called upon by local officials or victims of disaster, assist those in need with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services and support families further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

The Sterlings, owners of The Dawg House Tavern in St. Johnsbury, set out to see how they can help their neighbor and others who face the devastation of fire, flood and other natural and man-made disasters. First, they raised funds and gathered food and other household items, all of which helped their neighbors in the wake of their fire. Then, when asked to consider a fundraiser on behalf of the American Red Cross, they quickly agreed.

On New Year’s Eve, The Dawg House Tavern, which doesn’t normally have a cover charge, asked each person that came that evening to donate $2.00. Just recently, the Sterlings presented the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley Region of the American Red Cross with a check for $306.00. Accepting the check on behalf of the Red Cross was Rick Cochran, a member of the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross board and founder of Mobile Medical International. “These types of donations are so heartwarming because those who helped raise the funds have personally known someone who has directly been affected by a tragic fire,” Cochran said.

In accepting the Sterlings’ donation, Mr. Cochran expressed gratitude and explained how helpful every donation is to the Red Cross. “All emergency assistance provided by the American Red Cross is provided free of charge,” Cochran noted. “Red Cross disaster volunteers bring their compassion and dedication to bear when helping their neighbors and it is members of the community that make the financial assistance possible through their donations.”

Noting that March is Red Cross Month, Cochran is calling on schools and businesses in the Northeast Kingdom to participate by picking a day and asking students/employees to wear red and make a donation to the Red Cross.

Photo: Stephanie Sterling presents board member Rick Cochran funds raised in support of Red Cross disaster services. Also pictured is Stephanie Bandy who works with Cochran at Mobile Medical Corporation.

Disaster Volunteers Assist Victim of Worcester House Fire

Shortly after volunteers with the Berlin Disaster Action Team (DAT) finished a meeting last night, they were called upon to assist a Worcester gentleman whose home was involved in a fire. The gentleman had lost his home, having just enough time to get out with his two dogs. Fortunately, through the kindness of neighbors, he had a place to stay. In addition to emotional support and comfort, the Red Cross provided financial assistance for some food, clothing and seasonal garments. It was rewarding for the Disaster Action Team members to know that when morning came, this gentleman would have something to help him start to rebuild. The Berlin Disaster Action Team is part of the Central VT/NH Valley Chapter's emergency response network.

West Lebanon fire update.

UPDATE . . . January 24, 2011, 1:15pm . . . The Seminary Hill School has provided American Red Cross volunteers with two rooms to use in connection with their response to this morning’s West Lebanon, NH fire. The fire occurred across the street from the school. This space will aid in providing client assistance services, ensuring private and efficient means of connecting with those affected by this disaster. The client assistance center at the school will remain open until 11pm this evening. At that time, an assessment will be made as to whether it will re-open tomorrow. The Red Cross primarily assists with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services and supports families further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS ON THE SCENE OF MULTI-UNIT APARTMENT FIRE

West Lebanon, New Hampshire – January 24, 2011 -- At this hour, Red Cross Disaster Services personnel are on the scene of an 11-unit apartment building fire on Seminary Hill in West Lebanon, NH. “The responding personnel are volunteers with the Central VT/NH Valley Chapter’s Upper Valley Disaster Action Team, with support from the Green Mountain Chapter volunteer corps,” said Bruce Pollock, Emergency Services Director for the Red Cross. “While below zero temperatures will present some challenges for our disaster response, none will be as great as those faced by the families impacted by the fire or the first responders who are on the scene.”

When the call came in to the Red Cross this morning, disaster services team members skilled in mass care and client assistance were dispatched to the fire. Rehabilitative support, in the form of hydration and food are already being provided to fire fighters and other emergency personnel. At every scene, families are interviewed to determine their immediate, emergency needs. The Red Cross primarily assists with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services and supports families further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

“Our mass care/rehabilitation personnel are there to help with the rehydration and electrolyte replacement so desperately needed by first responders as they conduct their fireground operations,” Pollock said. “Our role is to help them stay safe as they perform their very important jobs.” “The compassion and experience of our disaster services volunteers provides both comfort and direct assistance to families facing the trauma of such a disaster,” he added.

With a number of the building’s residents out of their homes and at work, the Red Cross is encouraging affected families to call (802) 254-2377 if they are in need of assistance and have not met with disaster services volunteers at the scene.

All emergency assistance provided by the American Red Cross is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of this and other disasters, contributions can be made by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley Region, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Services in the memo of your check.

Bennington DAT responds to tragic fire; weather keeps volunteers on their toes

Members of the Bennington Disaster Action Team (DAT) were on the scene of yesterday’s tragic fire in Shaftsbury. Team members are disaster services volunteers with the Green Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross. The role of the Red Cross was to provide mass care support to the six responding fire departments, including hydration and food. Disaster Action Teams (DATs) are volunteers who respond, day or night, to assess the needs of disaster victims and first responders. Sadly, the couple who lived in the home died as a result of the blaze.

Today, DATs across Vermont and New Hampshire’s Upper Valley are keeping an eye on the winter mix that is already blanketing much of our region. With the potential for ice and sleet, the risk of power outages increases. Working with state and local officials, the Red Cross will be prepared to address any shelter and mass care needs that may arise.

Real Fire; Disaster Exercise Keep Red Cross Busy

Volunteers on scene of Craftsbury Common’s fire; participating in Vermont Yankee exercise
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . . January 12, 2011. At this hour, volunteers from the Northern Vermont Chapter of the American Red Cross are on the scene of a large barn fire in Craftsbury Common, VT. Due to the scale of the fire, which has required the response of 5 area fire departments and local EMS, the Red Cross was asked to provide support to first responders. Disaster services volunteers from the Chapter’s Orleans County Disaster Action Team responded by supplying rehabilitative support in the form of hydration and feeding. Having been on the scene since this morning, Red Cross volunteers have furnished breakfast and lunch to the first responders.

In other parts of the state, Red Cross volunteers and staff are participating in a statewide Vermont Yankee exercise. In a logistics and support role, Red Cross personnel are among those working the exercise from the State’s Emergency Operations Center. Exercising various mass care scenarios is a regular part of what the Red Cross does to ensure readiness should a disaster strike. This includes a national Red Cross exercise tomorrow in which a hurricane scenario will be played out.

All American Red Cross emergency assistance is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of these and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Relief in the memo of your check.

Haiti One Year Later

American Red Cross Reflects Upon One-Year Anniversary
of Haitian Earthquake
Donations Made a Real Difference in Lives of Haitians Following 2010 Earthquake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Burlington, VT – January 10, 2011) — January 12th will mark the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. On both a national and local level, the American Red Cross is taking the opportunity to reflect upon the past year. In our region, the response came in the form of both financial support and the hands-on efforts of Red Cross personnel working on the ground in Haiti.

This past week, the American Red Cross released a one-year report on how the Red Cross has helped hundreds of thousands of Haitian survivors after the January 2010 earthquake. The Report also addresses what has been done to respond to new issues such as the cholera outbreak, and plans for the years ahead to support Haiti’s recovery. Since the earthquake on January 12, 2010, the American Red Cross and the global Red Cross network have provided:

• Medical care for nearly 217,000 patients
• Cash grants and loans to help 220,000 people
• Latrines for 265,000 people
• Daily drinking water for more than 317,000 people
• Emergency shelter materials for more than 860,000 people
• Vaccinations for nearly 1 million people
• Food for 1.3 million people for one month

“Thanks to the generous contributions of so many donors, people in Haiti are receiving immediate relief and resources, as well as the necessary support and training to help them recover and rebuild,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “People across Vermont, New Hampshire’s Upper Valley and across the country responded quickly to help Haiti, and these donations have made a real difference in the lives of Haitians,” added Larry Crist, Regional Executive for the Vermont & New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross.

In our region, financial support for the people of Haiti came to the Red Cross in donations ranging from $5.00 to $25,000.00; from children and corporations alike. On an individual level, donations came from people with long histories of philanthropy, as well as the proceeds of piggy banks and countless bake sales. Corporate giving came not just from the businesses themselves, but also through the efforts of employee-led giving.

On the human capital side of the equation, two Red Cross personnel from our region have worked in Haiti. Cristina Hammond of Hanover, NH, who spent time in Haiti this past year, will soon be returning to work on Red Cross cholera response efforts. Hammond has previously volunteered for disaster services work in our region and has, more recently, worked on behalf of the American Red Cross internationally. She serves as an international health delegate for the American Red Cross.

George Sykes, of Lebanon, NH, who has served in both a volunteer and a paid capacity for the Red Cross in our region, has worked in Haiti over the past year and has just returned for another assignment. He is scheduled to be in Port-au-Prince until May, working on warehouse operations. This is in keeping with his prior logistical support work in Haiti.

The one-year report on Red Cross relief and recovery efforts in Haiti can be found at www.redcross.org/haiti. To date, the largest components to American Red Cross aid in Haiti have been shelter, food and emergency services; comprising 56% of the funds expended this past year. Additionally, money has been spent providing clean water and sanitation; health and disease prevention programs; livelihood and host family assistance; and disaster preparedness activities.

Over the next several years, money will go to longer-term recovery, with spending plans likely to evolve to respond to changing needs. The focal point will be the rebuilding of lives, including homes and livelihoods; the vaccination of millions against life-threatening diseases; and rebuilding water supply systems. These efforts will be coordinated with the Haitian government and other aid agencies with whom the American Red Cross has partnered.

“The Red Cross will continue to spend the money entrusted to us by the American people in the most responsible way possible to help Haiti and its people,” McGovern said.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

New Year Looking Much Like Last Year for Red Cross

January 6, 2011 -- In the closing weeks of 2010, the American Red Cross in our region responded to twelve fires, opened two shelters and provided support at the scene of an overturned bus and a derailed train. Responding to two fires in the past three days, local Red Cross disaster services volunteers are preparing themselves for a new year that looks a lot like the close of the last.

At this time, disaster services volunteers from the Green Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross are concluding their work with a Brattleboro resident displaced by an overnight fire on Main Street. On Tuesday evening, volunteers with the Central VT/NH Valley Chapter were on the scene of a fire in Williamstown, VT, assisting a family who was also put out of their home by fire. In both instances, the volunteers were part of local Red Cross Disaster Action Teams, a corps of volunteers who respond day or night to assess the needs of disaster victims and, when requested, provide aid to first responders, most often in the form of hydration and rehabilitative support.

In response to the Brattleboro and Williamstown fires, financial assistance was provided for food, clothing and shelter. Referrals were also made for additional support.

“Winter is a time when we traditionally see an increase in the need for Red Cross disaster services,” said Tim Stetson, Chief Response Officer of the Vermont & New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross. “In recent weeks, however, we have seen more activity than usual,” Stetson added.

All American Red Cross emergency assistance is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of these and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323, or by going to our website: www.redcrossvtnhuv.org. For checks, please specify Disaster Relief in the memo line of your check.