RED CROSS SELLS PIECES OF HISTORY TO CUT DEFICIT

Yesterday in Washington, the Red Cross offered up the first round of assorted historical treasures for auction. These items, ranging from a rare four-faced Cartier clock lamp to World War I nurse uniforms to the famous Rose Percy, a 23-inch Red Cross wax doll, had been ammassed over the decades and were sold to help alleviate a substantial operating deficit.

The Red Cross formerly housed these and 135,000 other special objects, images, books and reels of film in a warehouse located in Lorton, Va., right outside of Washington. The warehouse will be closed next year to save $3 million annually and, in turn, allow the Red Cross to assist more of those in need.

To find out more about these Red Cross auctions and how you might be able to claim a piece of history for yourself, please enjoy the following article: Red Cross Auctions

RED CROSS ON STANDBY TO RESPOND TO SHOOTINGS AT FT.HOOD

Central Texas Red Cross staff, volunteers and mental health professionals on standby

A mass shooting has occurred at the Soldier Processing Center at Ft. Hood today in Killeen, Texas. Fort Hood is part of our neighboring Red Cross region, the Heart of Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross in Waco. American Red Cross of Central Texas’ staff is in contact with the Waco Chapter of the American Red Cross, which is in direct contact with the Ft. Hood Station Manager.

The Waco Chapter is in the process of establishing Safe & Well and getting communications established as there have been numerous inquiries from around the country regarding the safely of individual personnel at Ft. Hood. The Safe & Well program allows those involved in an emergency to register online at www.safeandwell.org so their loved ones can find them and check on their safety.

The Waco chapter has mental health workers on standby and is ready to deploy upon Station request. The American Red Cross of Central Texas currently has staff, volunteers and mental health professionals on standby as well should the Waco Chapter need assistance.

Locally, the American Red Cross provides services to Central Texas military families up to six times a day, 365 days a year, and is a vital resource for military personnel and their families.

HOLIDAY MAIL FOR HEROES TO DELIVER GREETINGS TO U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS AND VETERANS

In this season of hope and giving, the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. have joined forces again to invite the public to "send a touch of home" to United States service members and veterans across the country and abroad through the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign.

Now in its third year, the Holiday Mail for Heroes program provides Americans with the opportunity to extend holiday greetings and thanks to service members and veterans. Last year the program received more than 1.4 million cards for military men and women, their families and veterans. Our chapter processed 50,000 of the cards for this program.

The public can participate in the campaign by sending holiday cards with personal messages to a special post office box from Monday, November 2 through Monday, December 7. The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes will then screen cards for hazardous materials, sort and package the cards, and deliver them to military bases and hospitals, veteran`s hospitals and other locations in the U.S. and abroad during the holidays. Pitney Bowes is providing all screening, packaging and shipping at no charge, as well as providing thousands of volunteer hours around the country. The Red Cross will utilize volunteers at over 300 participating chapters nationwide to sort and deliver greetings to military and veteran`s hospitals and military bases in November and December.

"The United States currently has 1.4 million active duty members, reservists and guards serving within our borders and abroad. Additionally more than 24 million veterans have faithfully served our country in the past," notes Sherri Brown, Sr. Vice President of Service to the Armed Forces at the American Red Cross. "With increased chapter participation this year we hope to reach many more service members and veterans who may be spending this holiday season away from home or without loved ones," says Brown.

"The men and women who serve our country in uniform deserve our thanks every single day, and sending just one card is all it takes to make a difference in the life of one of our nation`s heroes," said Jon Love, President of Pitney Bowes Government Solutions. "We are honored to participate in this important initiative again with the American Red Cross and look forward to helping the public say happy holidays and thank you."

Holiday cards should be addressed and sent to:

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

Please be sure to affix adequate postage. Cards must be received no later than December 7. Cards received after this date will be returned to senders. For reasons of processing and safety, participants are asked to refrain from sending "care packages," monetary gifts, using glitter or including any inserts with the cards.

FUND RED

Fun Ways to Help the Red Cross
• Hold an eBay sale and use the Mission Fish option
• Dedicate your holiday gatherings to the Red Cross - charge a “cover” or pass the hat.
• Have a garage or bake sale.
• Make and sell homemade holiday crafts.
• Have a bowl-a-thon, walk-a-thon or skate-a-thon.
• Children can do holiday chores like cleaning, decorating or addressing holiday cards.
• Wrap gifts for a fee.
• Hold a penny drive at church or school.
• Call us with your creative idea! 512.928.4271