NOTES FROM JOPLIN: A DEPLOYED VOLUNTEER WRITES HOME

A message from Quinn, a Red Cross logistics services volunteer on deployment in Joplin, MO for the last 10 days

I have 4 and a wake up (4 full days then one more night),  then I fly home to Austin.  Once I get there, the two weeks I have spent on assignment with the Red Cross will slowly begin to filter through the layers of my psyche, and I will experience the sights, sounds and feelings all over again.  The horizonless devestation.  The hundreds of family pets that live in kennels anxiously waiting for a beloved owner to claim them.  The obituaries.  "Beloved sister, husband, wife, son ... died of injuries sustained in the tornado."  I am hopeful that those memories will fade.  I would prefer that when I think of Joplin, I remember the local Red Cross volunteer, who after her home was utterly destroyed, showed up at headquarters, starting working and is still here.  I want to remember the hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters who came from all over four states to help keep vulnerable people safe.  I know that my memory of the many, hundreds even, of people I saw every day who in spite of whatever level of damage they suffered, were kind, generous and eager to help, will never fade. 

 

CLUB RED TO HOST HURRICANE PARTY THIS SATURDAY

 

Click Here to Purchase Your Ticket

Join Club Red this Saturday, June 11th as we kick-off summer with the annual Club Red Hurricane Party. June marks the start of hurricane season which affects thousands of North and Central Americans every year. At this event, we’ll raise awareness of the importance of emergency preparation and volunteerism. At the same time, we’ll provide a fun and relaxing environment for young professionals, equipped with a Cajun meal and cocktails.

Saturday, June 11, 2011
1 – 4PM
Star Bar
600 W 6th St
Austin, TX 78701
Tickets
$20 non-members, $15 members
Includes food, 1 drink ticket

A special thank you to our sponsors:
Austin Yellow Cab
Terri & Lemuel Williams
Payton Bridges at Nox Creative
Key Staffing, Inc.
Evie Evan
Austin Java
Tiff’s Treats
Embellish Nails
Perry’s
Body Business
Uncle Billy’s
Ski Shores

MOONSHINE GRILL RAISES $3,800 FOR JOPLIN RELIEF

On Wednesday night, the wonderful folks at Moonshine Grill hosted a cool (in spite of the heat) fundraiser for the Red Cross relief efforts in Joplin, MO.   The owner of Moonshine Grill has ties to the Joplin area and wanted to help those that had been affected by the devastating tornado that hit Joplin on May 22^nd.   He talked to friends in Joplin and told them he wanted to help families there.   His friends told him to give to the Red Cross because the Red Cross was there from the beginning with assistance.

Moonshine Grill provided appetizers, drinks, live music, a raffle and an intimate patio area for all the fun.  The band Jitterbug Vipers  played – they are a really hip jazz swing band – and occasionally had a hip 2 year old sing with them!

Some local restaurants provided really generous gift certificates for the raffle:  ZTejas, Uchi, Fleming’s Steak House, Parkside and Hopdoddy Burger Bar just to name a few.  This fun event raised $3,800 for disaster relief efforts in Joplin, MO.  This was such a terrific effort on the part of Moonshine Grill and their guests.  We cannot thank them enough.  Great community partners like this allow us to provide our services for free.  We couldn’t do it without them.  Thank you  Moonshine Grill!!

World's Largest Swim Lesson

Join the 2011 World's Largest Swim Lesson Team, become a Guinness World Record™ holder & encourage water safety!

WLSL 2011 takes place Tuesday, June 14th at 11 am, CST.

REGISTER NOW!

• Take a swim lesson during the WLSL event on June 14th by finding one of the local WLSL locations.

OR

• Become a WLSL Host Facility & teach a swim lesson! 

COMMODORE WILBERT E. LONGFELLOW (1881-1947)

Fondly called "the Amiable Whale"

Wilbert E. Longfellow, a writer for the Providence (RI) Telegram, was inspired to reverse the nation's alarming drowning rate, which, unless curbed, would assume the proportions of a national tragedy.  Longfellow proposed a radical change to contemporary practice--teach water safety in water instead of on land.  Practicing what he preached, he traveled around the nation teaching policemen, boy scouts and YMCA groups.

In 1905, the U.S. Volunteer Life Savings Corps recognized his work by awarding him the title of "Commodore" and, in 1910, following a remarkable recovery from tuberculosis of the spine, he was appointed to a salaried post, Commodore-in-Chief of the U.S. Volunteer Life Saving Corps.

In 1912, he presented a plan to the American Red Cross to "waterproof America."  The organization adopted the plan in 1914 and proceeded to pioneer a new service entitled "water first aid."  Although the American National Red Cross' Life Saving Corps was part of the First Aid Department, it was years before the Commodore earned a first-aid certificate because the doctors teaching first aid "were so busy with their program and I with mine that our paths seldom crossed."

Longfellow died on March 18, 1947, three months after his retirement.  To the end, his slogan remained:  "Every American a swimmer, every swimmer a lifesaver!"

BOATING SAFETY

With the kids almost out of school and Memorial Day in just a few weeks boating may be in your future.  Here are a few tips to keep you and your loved ones safe while enjoying the beautiful lakes and rivers of central Texas:

 

·         Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. This includes anyone participating in any boating activity. The American Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability. To find a provider of American Red Cross Learn to Swim lesson click here.

·         Alcohol and boating don't mix. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance, and coordination -- over 50 percent of drownings result from boating incidents involving alcohol. For the same reasons it is dangerous to operate an automobile while under the influence of alcohol, people should not operate a boat while drinking alcohol.

·         Look for the label: Use Coast Guard-approved life jackets for yourself and your passengers when boating and fishing.

·         Develop a float plan. Anytime you go out in a boat, give a responsible person details about where you will be and how long you will be gone. This is important because if the boat is delayed because of an emergency, becomes lost, or encounters other problems, you want help to be able to reach you.

·         Find a boating course in your area (U.S. Power Squadron, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, US Sailing, etc) -- these courses teach about navigation rules, emergency procedures and the effects of wind, water conditions, and weather.

·         Watch the weather: Know local weather conditions and prepare for electrical storms. Watch local news programs. Stop boating as soon as you see or hear a storm. 

Be safe!

- Denise Blok