CrossLink. Canadian Red Cross. March is Red Cross Month. Invitation to Annual General Meeting

Transcription

1 CrossLink Your link to what s happening at the, Toronto Region March is Red Cross Month Invitation to Annual General Meeting Winter/Spring 2007

2 Hello From Bob and Norbert Norbert Woo Region Council President Bob English Director, Regional Operations The past few months have been an exciting time at the,toronto Region. Our mobile food bank program continues to experience unprecedented demand. In the past year, the number of clients served has more than doubled and the frequency of our hamper deliveries has increased. We are working hard to meet this demand and liaising closely with other food banks to help serve all clients in need. We are especially grateful to our volunteers that help to minimize costs so that we can maximize our current funding. Other street relief programs, specifically the hot meals program and the Scarborough Drop- In Centre continue to run at full capacity. These programs are highly dependent upon volunteers. Thank you! Volunteers are integral to the operational success of our programs and services and in the overall governance of the organization. Volunteers are present in all aspects of our operations and are hard at work everyday touching the lives of many in our community. From the Regional Council, whose members provide vital consultation and approval of budgets and operating plans, to our front-line service delivery volunteers - our work would not be possible without their commitment. As a Red Cross supporter you are part of our growth and our success. We thank you for your support. Enjoy this issue of CrossLink. Sincerely, Bob English Director, Regional Operations Norbert Woo Region Council President

3 Volunteer Spotlight Audrey Wilson Volunteer Spends Over Half a Century With the Red Cross Dedication, commitment, service, and charity - these are just words for some people, but for Audrey Wilson this is how she has lived her life. Audrey has been a volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross in the Toronto Region for over 50 years. Wilson first began volunteering with the Red Cross when she was a teenager during World War II. During the 1950s, she joined the Red Cross Corps and assisted in many areas including the coordination of transportation for seniors and veterans, visiting and entertaining seniors in nursing homes, and first aid. She also served as a chairperson for North York and all of Ontario for the Red Cross Corps. Wilson says what attracted her to the Red Cross was the organization's service to others, which she witnessed during World War II. She says the Red Cross gave all the veterans good care. "There is no race, religion or politics in the Red Cross," she says. "We'll help everyone." Wilson shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to volunteering with the Red Cross. In recent years, she delivered health kits to those quarantined during the SARS crisis in 2003, assisted with answering phones following the tsunami disaster in 2004, and she continues to volunteer in the office doing administrative work and as a member of the awards committee. Wilson's hard work and dedication to the Red Cross haven't gone unnoticed. She has received several awards and citations including the Order of the Red Cross (member level) and a distinguished service award. In 2006, she also received an award for 50 years of service. She has also been honoured with several municipal and provincial awards for her service to the Red Cross.

4 Red Cross Disaster Management - Here When You Need Us Are You Prepared for an Emergency? Floods, fires, tornadoes, lengthy electrical blackouts - fortunately most Torontonians are rarely faced with these emergencies, but they are certainly very real possibilities. How would you handle an emergency? Would you be prepared? The Red Cross' disaster management team in Toronto headed out to local malls for March is Red Cross Month. The message was very clear - be prepared in the home for 72 hours in the event of an emergency. Emergency response experts including Emergency Management Ontario, Public Safety Canada, and the advise Canadians to be prepared for 72 hours. When a major incident occurs, response personnel will not be able to reach everyone immediately and people should be prepared to help themselves. During the mall presentations, Toronto residents learned what to do before, during and after a disaster. Disaster management volunteers will continue personal preparedness presentations throughout the year. The Red Cross is always looking for new volunteers for the Disaster Management program. Volunteers receive training and are called upon to assist when a disaster strikes. If you are interested in volunteering, please call for more information.

5 Fund Development New Addition to the Fund Development Team The Toronto Region office is happy to welcome Kirill Zaretsky as the new manager of fund development. Kirill has been in the fund development field for over eight years. As a graduate of York University, Kirill has served as fundraising coordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society and Bloorview MacMillan Children's Foundation where he discovered his zest for raising funds and awareness. He has also served as associate director for the Scarborough Hospital Foundation and was managing director of a private college in Toronto. Looking to further his contributions to humanitarian organizations, Kirill was attracted to the Red Cross for its reputation of being the largest disaster relief agency in the world. He has a very strong desire to uphold the Red Cross mission and believes that together, we can improve the lives of our city's most vulnerable populations. To make a financial donation to the, or to volunteer with Fund Development, please contact us at (416) or

6 Commemorating March is Red Cross Month in Toronto Staff and volunteers from Toronto Region hosted fundraisers and activities throughout the month of March to raise funds and awareness in support of the Red Cross. Toronto Region's March is Red Cross Month activities began in the early morning of March 1 with a stop at Breakfast Television, one of Toronto's best known and most watched morning shows. From the inside of a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), Tim Steele, disaster management chair, talked to host Dina Pugliese about how the Red Cross responds in disasters and the importance of volunteers to the organization. Later in the morning the ERV was on display at Nathan Phillips Square for the public to tour. Despite the frigid temperatures, Red Cross volunteers had smiles on their faces as they distributed mini first aid kits and disaster preparedness information. The highlight of the kick-off event was when Mayor David Miller met with volunteers and staff to tour the ERV. He then proclaimed March as Red Cross month and talked about the importance of the Red Cross in the community citing our ever present involvement in disaster assistance. (l-r) Tim Steele, disaster management chair, Mayor David Miller and John Saunders, director, disaster management and international response Other events during March is Red Cross Month included: Red Cross Ribbon Campaigns at Union GO Station, TTC Stations and Commerce Court Wal-Mart Emergency Preparedness Community Booths Coin collections at different Emerge concerts (Kool Haus, The Phoneix, and the Opera House) City Hall flag raising for the Red Cross from March The Beer Store in-store coin collection About 50 volunteers participated in the fundraising and awareness campaigns during March. The Toronto Region would like to thank all the volunteers involved for their assistance and enthusiasm.

7 Homeless Services Street Relief Reaching Out to Those in Need The Toronto Region's Hot Meals Street Relief program continues to be busy contributing to the health and well-being of Toronto's homeless and underhoused population. In the past year, more than 8,000 meals have been served. On December 13, Kitty Lorriman, a volunteer who is a second year law student at the University of Toronto, gave a presentation to Street Relief clients. The housing and tenant information session explained how tenants can protect themselves from issues such as rent increases and eviction and landlords' legal responsibilities including safety and maintenance. The Street Relief program also recently received a generous donation of 25,000 hygiene items including shampoo, body lotion, and soap, which will be distributed to clients. The donation was from Vancouver's Georgian Court Hotel in conjunction with the Holiday Inn on King Street in Toronto.

8 First Aid Services Changes to First Aid Programs On January 1, the implemented new first aid standards in its CPR and first aid courses. The courses now include the most updated CPR skills based on international guidelines. All CPR programs and first aid programs which include CPR, now also include automated external defibrillator (AED) certification. An AED is a portable electronic device that diagnoses and treats cardiac arrest by re-establishing an effective heart rhythm. This treatment, which is called defibrillation, applies an electric shock to the entire heart muscle, uniformly clearing the electrical activity of the heart, hopefully allowing it to resynchronize. The Toronto Region branch offers a variety of CPR and First Aid classes for all ages. For more information, call (416) First Aid Tip: First Aid & CPR knowledge should not be the sole responsibility of one family member. We can all help if an emergency occurs. Make first aid training a family experience.

9 Dates to Remember april 2007 April 6 April 9 April Good Friday - Office Closed Easter Monday - Office Closed Volunteer Week May 2007 May 6-12 May May 21 Emergency Preparedness Week National Safe Boating Week Victoria Day - Office Closed June 2007 June 3-9 Water Safety Week CrossLink 1623 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M4T 2A1 Tel: (416) Fax: (416) Editor-in-Chief Contributing Editors Graphics and Layout Jennifer Mayville Tanya Elliott Kathleen Killen Sandra Cabral The programs of the are made possible by the voluntary services of the Canadian people. The red cross emblem and designation Red Cross are reserved in Canada by law for the exclusive use of the and for the medical units of armed forces by the Geneva Conventions act, R.S.C. 1970, C.G-3. National Library of Canada D Charitable Number (c) 2007 A partner in United Way Invitation to Toronto Region's 14th Annual Meeting The, Toronto Region extends a warm invitation to all volunteers and staff to our annual meeting. When: World Red Cross/Red Crescent Day - May 8, 2007 Where: 1623 Yonge Street - Toronto (Yonge & St. Clair) Classroom, first floor 5:00 p.m. - Registration 5:30 p.m. - Annual Meeting R.S.V.P. to Joyce at (416) by Friday, April 27, Note: all interested parties are invited to attend, but only registered members will be permitted to vote.