Parent’s Guide to Surviving New Year’s Eve

by Sydney Holt, volunteer contributor

Ringing in the New Year often comes with added pressure and last-minute, frantic planning. If you’re lucky enough to snag a sitter, you may be tempted to run out the door the second they arrive, shoes-in-hand with a purse only big enough to hold lipstick and identification. Before you do, take 10 minutes to complete this simple NYE checklist from American Red Cross.

• Contact info – this may seem like a no brainer, but there’s more to it than just giving your contact information. Be sure to save the caregiver’s contact info in your phone, and write the number down on a slip of paper for safekeeping in your purse or pocket in case you phone battery dies or goes missing.
• Emergency Contact Sheet – Your sitter may not be familiar with your area like you are. In the event you can’t be contacted, be sure to leave an Emergency Contact Sheet. You can make your own, or use a template like this one from BabyCenter.com.
• CPR – Anyone watching your child should be CPR & AED certified. In addition, always leave a healthcare authorization form that allows your babysitter or childcare provider to get medical attention for your child.
• Activity Schedule – The New Year brings excitement for both the young and the young at heart. Be sure to leave plenty of indoor activity ideas for the kiddos and you’re guaranteed an uninterrupted night of friends, laughter and dancing! 

PS: Want to be sure you're leaving the kiddos in the safest hands possible? Get a babysitter who is Red Cross trained!

Happy New Year!

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Five Stocking Stuffers to Save a Life

by Suzanne Wiley, volunteer contributor

They say it is better to give than to receive, especially if you are giving the gift of life. Among the chocolate, candy and trinkets, this year fill their stockings with life-saving gear. 

Extreme weather, accidents and heart disease are the top killers in America. From 1950 to 2010, there were 6,524 extreme weather events in the Dallas Fort Worth, Texas area. While nearly 30 million Americans were affected by natural disasters from 1980 to 2010. Storms, floods, and extreme temperatures are the top causes of death and injury when bad weather happens. As North Texas is experiencing its first severe winter weather of the season, we are reminded how important it is to have food, blankets and plenty of water on hand in preparation for a disaster.

Artist and healer, Mbali Creazzo said, “Giving of any kind…taking an action…begins the process of change, and moves us to remember that we are part of a much greater universe.” 

In the event of a major weather catastrophe or other disastrous event, make sure you, your loved ones and neighbors have a way to stay warm, procure clean drinking water and plenty of food. Give your loved ones small gifts that could save their lives. 

Fortunately, the American Red Cross provides numerous items online to help save lives. The following are my top five favorites that will fit in a stocking: 

Aspirin tablets 
Besides helping aches and pains and bringing down fever, aspiring helps prevent heart attack and stroke. 

Safety Tube 

The safety tube includes three survival essentials: drinking water pouch, emergency blanket and a location whistle, so you can be found. Keep one in your purse, backpack, car or briefcase. 

Scout Survival Kit
For hikers, campers and other outdoor adventures, the Scout kit includes a fire striker and tinder, emergency blanket and various ways to summon rescuers.

Emergency First Aid Guide
This compact guide provides instructions on how to treat potential life-threatening situations such as cardiac emergencies, choking and allergic reactions. 

Donate in Someone’s Name 

Via the Red Cross 2013 Holiday Giving Catalog, you may donate money to causes around the world that save people’s lives, such as emergency kits, water containers and vaccinations. 
  
This holiday season as you hit the mall and shop for gifts, remember a few extra items that you can order online from the Red Cross that could possibly save a life. 

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Perform a Random Act of Kindness in Memory of those Lost at Sandy Hook Elementary

by Melissa Lanier, volunteer contributor

This weekend marks the first anniversary of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, resulting in the loss of 20 children and six adults. While it might seem like there’s nothing we can do, that’s really not the case. Community members in Newtown, Connecticut are asking for support by way of random acts of kindness or time spent volunteering for a good cause. Here are a few ideas of how we can mark the day: 

• Buy the people behind you in the line at Starbucks a cup of coffee
• Walk dogs at your local animal shelter
• Go through your children’s closets and donate those coats that no longer fit them to an organization that can give them to those in need right now 
• Sign up to volunteer with a local nonprofit agency that could use a helping hand

You can sign up to volunteer for the American Red Cross. The agency dispatched more than

160 relief workers to Newtown who passed out meals, blankets and teddy bears in response to the December 14th tragedy last year.

The community gathers to remember Sandy Hook.

Members of the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Team, made up of psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed social workers, trauma nurses, school counselors and others specially trained to deal with emotional trauma, were also deployed to Newtown. The Red Cross worked with state government and local agencies to set up grief counseling there after the shootings. 

Large scale events like the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and now Newtown have shown the importance of having a team of professional mental health volunteers to support those devastated by disaster. These services are also made available for victims in our community affected by house fires, the weather and other emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

Saturday I’ll talk to my daughter again about what happened in Newtown, listen to her concerns and go over our family and school security preparedness plan. We’ll limit TV time in order to keep anxiety to a minimum, and we’ll be making a donation to American Red Cross to honor the victims at Sandy Hook. Then we’ll get out of the house and find something nice to do for somebody we don’t know. What are YOU doing this weekend?

Learn more about how licensed counselors support the American Red Cross. 

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Updated 12/10 9:15am: Winter Storm Shelter Information for DFW

9:15am update: All shelters in DFW have closed! Big thanks to the Red Cross shelter workers who have been working so hard to provide a warm place for people to go during this winter storm. They are part of more than 200 Red Crossers who have worked on this relief operation since Thursday. Thank you all so much for your service.

Please Give Blood

The winter weather across many parts of the U.S. has so far forced the cancellation of 115 Red Cross blood drives in 18 states and the District of Columbia, resulting in more than 4,000 uncollected blood and platelet donations since last Wednesday.

While the Red Cross blood supply is currently sufficient to meet hospital demand, winter is always a challenging time to ensure enough blood is on the shelves. While all blood types are needed, the Red Cross especially urges all eligible donors with blood types O positive, O negative, A negative and B negative to make a lifesaving appointment.

Donors in unaffected areas are encouraged to make and keep blood and platelet donation appointments to help offset the current shortfall. Donors in affected areas are urged to give blood or platelets once the storm has passed and travel is deemed safe. Appointments can be online at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

To give blood, someone must be at least 17 years of age, meet weight and height requirements and be in general good health. Donors should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID with them. Some states allow 16-year-olds to give with parental consent.

More Information

• Winter Storm Safety Tips
• Preventing & Thawing Freezing Pipes
• Power Outage Safety Tips
• How to Use a Generator Safely

Follow us on Twitter @RedCrossDFW & Red Cross DFW on Facebook for the latest updates. Stay warm out there!

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A Message of Thanks and Cheer: Last Call for Holiday Mail For Heroes

by Amy Yen, Digital Communications Manager, American Red Cross North Texas Region

Every winter, the Red Cross puts the call out to Americans to make and sign holiday cards that we deliver veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world as part of our Holiday Mail For Heroes campaign. This year, we put the call out to our community for a talented young artist to design the card we'd be having thousands of North Texans sign.

10 year old Larissa Cantu drew our winning card:

"I was so excited to win and it was really cool to see my drawing on the card and my name on the back of it," said Larissa.

Larissa's card was printed and sent to events across North Texas, thanks to the generosity of our program sponsor Wells Fargo. We collected thousands of personal notes, thanking troops for their service and letting them know they are in our thoughts this holiday season.

"We are a military family," explains Lisa Cantu, Larissa's mother. "My husband has been in the U.S. Navy for 17 years. So anytime we can spread some cheer to our troops, we always try."

10-year-old Larissa drew
this year's holiday card
for troops

And what would Lisa & Larissa say to the troops if they could?

"We would like to wish our troops and their families happy holidays. We would like them to know that we are always thinking of them and thank them for everything they do to protect our freedom."

If you want to sign one of Larissa's cards, or sign or make your own, just remember you have until this Thursday, December 5 to drop off cards at our Dallas chapter. Or you can mail them in yourself to this address...just make sure your cards are postmarked by December 6 to ensure delivery to our troops!

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Don't forget to check out the website for card guidelines.

PS: A special thank you for everyone who has already signed a card, including those who organized signings at our corporate partners, including Nationstar Mortgage, TXU Energy, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Texas Instruments, PepsiCo, Wells Fargo and more!

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Give Something That Means Something This Cyber Monday

by Melissa Lanier, volunteer contributor

This year I invite you to join me and do something different by taking part in “Tearful Tuesday,” which, if you didn’t know, is the day after ‘Cyber Monday.’ That’s the day when MOST people return to work from the Thanksgiving holiday and sneak-shop from their desks. Tuesday, however, is the day you get the bills and realize you’re broke now and Walmart owns the deed to your home. 

In fact, it’s a race to keep up with retailers cashing in on record sales that start over the week of Thanksgiving and last through Christmas. Powerhouses Walmart and Amazon came to play this year with ‘Pre-Black Friday’ sales that started almost a full week before the turkey even made it to our plates.

Today’s ‘new normal’ has store employees shuffling off to work earlier every year on a day that is now synonymous with shopping deals, but remember we didn’t meet ‘Black Friday’s’ little brother until 2005, when some savvy marketing agents looking to capitalize on the yearly spike in online sales introduced us to 'Cyber Monday,' who appears to be growing up and may soon overshadow his big brother.

In fact, online sales are expected to break last year’s records by 17 percent. Amazon alone reports over 26 million items sold that day were purchased at 306 items per second. Mobile sales are booming and here to stay with promotions like Walmart’s rollback of ‘Cyber Monday’ deals to start the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year.

So this Cyber Monday, when you're clicking away for something to put under the tree, consider this: the American Red Cross has released our 2013 Holiday Giving Catalog and it lays out the different ways to give this year. Sit down on Cyber Monday and look at how to really give a gift that makes a difference.

A $25 donation provides 25 children with lifesaving vaccinations against measles and Rubella. How about you organize a group project with your family and friends. $1,000 will vaccinate an entire village of people. This is just ONE way to give this year so take a couple minutes and check out the link here. If you’re tired of the hyped up sales drama: then HERE is where you’ll find true value this holiday season by giving to those who need your help. 

Happy shopping!

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