My Lifesaving Red Cross Story: Josh Berg

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, American Red Cross Volunteer

Name: Josh Berg
Recognition: American Red Cross Lifesaving Certificate of Merit, 2019

Meet Josh Berg. Josh helped save the life of an athlete who collapsed and lost consciousness at the finish line of a track meet at the Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 2019. 

Josh Berg receiving his award from American Red Cross
in the National Capital Region CEO Linda Mathes in  November 2019.

Just three days before the track meet, Josh was re-certified in American Red Cross CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers & First Aid, which Josh attributes as helping him to know how to save the athlete’s life. Josh explains that on the day of the track meet, he was the host athletic trainer – it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and the event was typical from a medical aspect. 

“As an athletic trainer at a track meet, however, you can never let your guard down, and you must be prepared to deal with the absolute worst of scenarios,” said Josh. 

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“The absolute worst of scenarios happened as quickly as I can remember. I got a radio call from my intern who said that there was an athlete at the finish line who apparently stopped breathing and lost his pulse. I immediately ran to the scene to evaluate the medical situation.”

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Josh said the athlete was a mid-distance sprinter who finished the race and collapsed as he was trying to catch his breath. 

“At the time of my initial assessment, the athlete was not breathing, and he did not have a pulse,” said Josh. 

“I instructed a bystander to notify emergency medical services (EMS) staff who were thankfully stationed at the meet. I immediately began giving chest compressions, and it did not take long for the athlete to regain consciousness. I remember around the 22, 23, or 24th chest compression, the athlete took a gigantic gasp of air. At that time, I never felt more relief in my entire life. EMS staff responded quickly and were on the scene very close to when that athlete began breathing and regaining a pulse.”

Josh said as the EMS staff removed the athlete from the scene for further medical treatment, the athlete was waving to the crowd.

 "A true miracle was that the athlete had the fight in him to remain alive,” said Josh, who was grateful to the intern and to the bystander for helping him save the athlete’s life.

“I retreated back to my tent and prayed I would never have to do something like that again. I was hopeful that the athlete would make a good recovery, which I later found out he did.”

Saving a life impacted Josh in many ways, including realizing how his training in American Red Cross CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers & First Aid made him prepared and able to respond to this unexpected event. 

“This lifesaving event taught me that there is no such thing as being overly prepared, especially if lives are on the line,” said Josh. 

“Whether you are a healthcare professional, summer lifeguard, coach, or a bystander with a CPR certification, you must always be ready to snap into action and to protect others. As an athletic trainer, not only are we surrounded by our student-athletes every day, we are surrounded by our school’s community. We are often the first line of help during an emergency.”

Josh hopes his story will inspire others who hear and read about it to become trained in CPR/AED or take part in other lifesaving trainings.

He says the key to a lifesaving event is being ready.

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“Trust yourself and the preparation that brought you to this point. True instinct will take over. I think this story will inspire some to not take their role for granted.”

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The American Red Cross Lifesaving Certificate of Merit is the highest award given by the American Red Cross to an individual or team of individuals who saves or sustains a life by using skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Training Services course. The certificate bears the signature of the President of the United States, who is the honorary chairman of the American Red Cross, and the signature of the chairman of the American Red Cross. According to the American Red Cross, a lifesaving action exemplifies the highest degree of concern of one human being for another who is in distress.

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Our Red Cross training programs include First Aid, AED, BLS, CPR, EMR, swimming, water safety, babysitting, child care, and more! Learn more and sign up today: http://redcross.org/takeaclass

American Heart Month: Saving Lives

By Tanesha Hayes, Volunteer

February is all about health and love! It’s what we call, American Heart Month. The month was created to raise awareness and combat the disturbing fact that more than half the deaths in the U.S were caused by cardiovascular disease. This disease can affect both your health and social aspects of your life. Your exercise patterns, what you eat, family involvement, employment options and ability to have fun (say goodbye to crazy rides at amusement parks), are the most common aspects of people’s lives effected by cardiovascular disease. Not to mention, living with cardiovascular disease decreases life expectancy and increases your chance of depression. Heart health not only affects you but everyone close to you!

I encourage every person to take initiative and combat cardiovascular disease. You can do this by learning more about the heart, living a healthy life style, and preparing yourself to handle any cardiac crisis that could happen.

The American Red Cross understands the importance of heart health and that cardiac attacks could affect anyone within moment’s notice. Would you know what to do if someone near you needed saving? After taking the CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation)/AED (Automatic defibrillator) course, you will be trained and certified to save anyone during an emergency.

The CPR/AED course teaches students how to save a life during a cardiac or breathing emergency. To be more specific, this skill can be useful for saving an adult or child in cases of a heart attack, near drowning, or when a person’s heartbeat has stopped. Reid Heiser is a former student of the Red Cross’s CPR/AED course. The 17-year-old saved the life of Jim Hammer when he collapsed at the recreation center where Reid worked. This incident was unexpected and happened one week after completing his Red Cross CPR training. Both Reid and Jim are thankful for the CPR training and are now friends!

This month is about the love of our hearts- and others. Like Reid, you never know when you’ll have to perform a lifesaving act, but you’ll be proud when you know how!

If you are interested in learning more about the CPR/AED course, check out the Red Cross website.



Sources: 
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-3566-american-heart-month-1964
https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr
https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/aed
https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/aed/using-an-aed
https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/cardiovascular-disease-in-the-united-states/social-impacts

Show Your Love this Valentine's Day 💗 Learn CPR with the Red Cross 💕

By Rose Ellen O'Connor, Volunteer

February is National Heart Month❤, and the perfect time to learn how to save lives with your American Red Cross. Knowing how to perform CPR and being able to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) during a cardiac emergency are just a few of the many ways you can make a difference. 

Why not show your love this Valentine’s Day by learning how to save a heart-attack victim’s life? 💓

In response to the thousands who die every year in the U.S. from Sudden Cardiac Arrest, the American Red Cross offers CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) classes throughout the Washington area. Nationally, the American Red Cross trains 9 million people a year in life-saving skills.
The difference between a bystander and someone trained in CPR or AED can be the difference between life and death.

More than 356,000 people in the U.S. suffer out-of-hospital Sudden Cardiac Arrest or SCA and nine out of ten die, according to the American Heart Association. That means that one person every two minutes dies somewhere in the country from sudden cardiac arrest, notes AED.com, making SCA the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and killing more people than lung cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDs combined.

There are rarely symptoms and almost no warning when SCA strikes, says AED.com. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation explains that SCA occurs when the heart stops beating. It can happen to all sorts of people, including children and teens. The person suffering an SCA collapses and may gasp or shake as if having a seizure, according to the foundation. The victim’s heart is no longer pumping blood throughout the body or to the brain.

That’s when CPR and AED come into play. There are only a few minutes to spare. To administer CPR, a rescuer places one hand on top of the other in the middle of the chest and pushes hard and fast, using body weight to administer compressions that are at least two inches deep and at least 100 per minute. The victim’s head is tilted slightly back, chin lifted and nose pinched closed. The rescuer places his mouth over the person’s mouth to make a complete seal and blows two times into the mouth to make the chest rise. Compressions are then continued. CPR can buy time until an ambulance arrives. It’s even better if an AED, a padded device that analyzes the heart and may deliver a shock to restart the heart’s normal rhythm, is available.

CPR given within three to six minutes of the onset of cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

The American Red Cross, in conjunction with affiliates, offers a four-hour course in First Aid, CPR and AED. You can receive certification in each of the areas that is valid for two years. The classes are given throughout the region during the day and evening and on weekends. They start at $70 and free refreshers are offered online.

Red Cross also offers web-based training. It allows you to work at your own pace and requires only a short, in-person session to check your skills.

Below is a list of the courses we offer – with classroom, online + classroom, and online only options available:
• First AID
• CPR
• AED
• BLS/CPS for Healthcare
• Babysitting & Child Care
• Swimming + Water Safety
• Lifeguarding
• CNA Training
• CNA Testing
• Instructor Training

Register in seconds at www.redcross.org/take-a-class and start your journey to save a life.


You can also download the free Red Cross First Aid App for instant access to information on handling the most common first aid emergencies, including sudden cardiac arrest, at your fingertips.

My Red Cross Story: Eric Coates

By Sandy Habib, Volunteer

Three hundred and fifty-four hours! When you do the math, that translates to almost nine 40-hour work weeks - essentially two months.

This is exactly how much time Eric Coates has volunteered with the American Red Cross between January 2018 and January 2019. This is an extraordinary amount of time by any measure, but it’s even more amazing given that Eric manages to give so much of himself and still work full-time.

Professionally, Eric is a Safety Director, ensuring that structures are architecturally secure for people to occupy. It is through his job that he began his work with the Red Cross. In December 2017, Eric was earning his “CPR Trainer” Certification, which includes CPR, AED and First Aid. The course instructor was from the Red Cross and informed him that the organization could really benefit from volunteers with backgrounds like his - in Safety, Engineering and Construction. Eric quickly got involved and did his orientation course on January 6, 2018.

From there, Eric dove head-first, used all of his vacation time from work and embarked on a fantastic journey of Red Cross volunteer work that has taken him across the National Capital Region and as far as North Carolina. In Fayetteville and Wilmington, North Carolina, he ensured that safety standards at Hurricane Florence relief shelters met local and Red Cross guidelines. In Maryland, he serves as a shelter associate. In D.C. and Maryland, he installs residential fire alarms as part of Sound the Alarm, a Red Cross program that educates families about fire safety and ensures that they have functioning fire alarms in their homes. He also works on the March for our Lives LSAP (Life Safety Asset Protection) Go Team, providing support services as needed.

“There are so many opportunities to do good with the Red Cross. I’m going to keep helping my community as long as I can. It’s extremely rewarding to be able to help so many people in need.”
Eric Coates, Red Cross Volunteer

The volunteer opportunities that Eric helps at most often, though, are house fires in the National Capital Region. Regardless of the hour or the wintery temperatures outside, Eric goes to help local families who are distressed after their homes and possessions have gone up in flames. After spending a few hours (usually in the wee hours of the night) helping to get the family settled, Eric heads back home to shower and goes straight to work. He may need a few more cups of coffee than usual to make it through his workday after assisting at a pre-dawn house fire, but for him, it’s worth it.

Volunteering at these house fires with the Red Cross is especially meaningful to Eric. He appreciates how the Red Cross provides those affected with hotel accommodation, food and a debit card to meet their basic immediate needs. Almost as importantly, though, he finds it very rewarding to be able to offer these distraught families much-needed emotional support. He helps them relax - and sometimes, even smile - which is quite a feat in the face of such loss.

Eric proudly explains, “The part of the Red Cross that I love the most is that we’re not a group that gives a debit card and walks away. We do a lot more to get distressed families through the crisis.”

Even talking to Eric is an inspiration. He speaks about the Red Cross and his volunteer work with such exuberance. He loves meeting so many diverse people, and he thrives on the contributions he is able to make to help others. Even more than the extra cups of coffee, it’s Eric’s passion for helping those in need that keeps him energized to continue volunteering with the Red Cross. 

Want to join us as a volunteer? Visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more about opportunities.

CPR/AED Awareness Week: The Basics of How to Perform CPR and Use an AED

By Hailie Duenkel, Volunteer

June 1st – 7th is National CPR and AED Awareness Week. 

The Red Cross offers CPR training and AED course options for schools, employees, healthcare providers, and individuals both weekdays and weekends. Whatever class you decide to take, you can be confident you will leave the certification class feeling confident to accomplish life-saving resuscitation methods when someone goes into cardiac arrest.

CPR Training
CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is an emergency process performed when someone’s heart stops beating. Performing CPR can triple the chances of the victim’s survival. Here are some basic concepts you will experience in a training course:

• Call 911 and ensure the area is safe for you to approach the victim.
• Check for breathing and tilt their head back to clear the airway.
• If the person is not breathing, begin performing CPR:
• Place your hands one on top of the other in the middle of the chest.
• Push at a hard, fast past with a compression of about 2 inches deep.
• Distribute 2 rescue breaths. 
• Continue these steps until the person starts breathing or until a trained medical responder arrives.

*Steps are different for a child or infant and are described here.

AED Training
When CPR is proving ineffective, an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) can be used to resuscitate victims when they go into cardiac arrest. An electric shock is sent to the heart to resume a heartbeat. An AED device can often be found in most offices and public buildings and having the certification to use one can prove detrimental in emergency situations. Below are steps in using an AED machine:

• Turn on the AED machine and follow the audio commands. (The machine will tell you step-by-step instructions on what to do!)
• Place AED pads on the victim’s bare chest where the machine indicates.
• Ensure you and anyone else present are not touching the victim.
• Press the “analyze” button for the machine to analyze the person’s heart.
• If a shock is needed, the machine will tell you. Then press the “shock” button.
• Begin CPR after the shock is delivered.

The best way to deal with an emergency is to prepare for it. With topnotch instructors and recognized online courses, you can be certain you will receive the best training to keep you on your toes in a crisis situation. Go online to sign up for a CPR or AED training course so next time you can do more than just call 911. You can save a life.

Diana Davis: Red Cross Hero

June 1-7 is designated as National CPR and AED Awareness Week. The American Red Cross, along with other National Cardiac Arrest Collaborative members, is stressing that every second counts in cardiac arrest and people can save lives by knowing how to perform CPR and use an AED.

Written by Rose Ellen O'Connor, Volunteer

It was a quiet evening last November when the panicked call came for help. Diana Davis’s 30-something neighbor was having a heart attack and his father-in-law wanted to know if anyone new CPR. Diana reacted on instinct.

She ran across the street and found her neighbor, Bobby Clark, on the floor, his face purple and his eyes rolled back in his head. She pulled up his shirt and put two fingers to his throat looking for a heartbeat. There was none. Then she put her ear to his mouth and listened for breathing. Again, nothing. Finally, she checked his chest and found no movement. She began administering compressions to his chest, just as she learned in CPR class.

He began taking shallow breaths that gradually moved closer together. When the paramedics arrived, they administered shocks to his heart and his normal color returned to his face. They told Diana she had saved her neighbor’s life. Her mother went with Bobby’s wife Jaime to the hospital and the doctors issued the same verdict: if Diana had not administered CPR, Bobby would have died.

“I wasn’t really thinking anything. I just wanted to help,” Diana says.


Knowing that she had saved a life was mind-blowing.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” she says. “He changed my life and I definitely changed his. I feel like I have more purpose. I wanted to be a doctor before but now I know I’m going down the right path.”

Diana, 18, who lives in Gaithersburg and is graduating from Northwest High School, received the Certificate of Merit from the Red Cross at a graduation awards ceremony in May. The American Red Cross in the National Capital Region will also be honoring her at its Annual Meeting on June 6.

Diana Davis with American Red Cross,
National Capital Region CEO, Linda Mathes.

She learned CPR in a life guard class sponsored by the Red Cross. Diana was following in her two older brother’s footsteps, both of whom are lifeguards. She took CPR class again in a first aid class her sophomore year of high school, and was recertified before last summer’s lifeguard season began.

Diana plans to start a Red Cross club at Montgomery College, which she will be attending in the fall.

To see Diana receive the highest Red Cross award, the Certificate of Merit (signed by the President of the United States), click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM3rjHbwbqs 

National CPR/AED Awareness Week: Step-by-step CPR Guide

By Carly Flumer, Volunteer

The first week of June is National CPR/AED Awareness Week, and the Red Cross wants you to know how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) when an emergency occurs. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide that you can print and take with you.

Before giving CPR:

1. Check the scene to make sure it’s safe. Then tap the person and shout, “Are you okay,” to make sure that the person needs help.
2. Call 911 for assistance. If help is required, call (or ask a bystander to call) 911, then send someone to get an AED. If an AED is not available or there is no bystander to assist, stay with the victim and begin giving assistance.
3. Open the airway by having the person lay on his or her back. Tilt the head back slightly to lift the chin.
4. Listen carefully for breathing, but no more than 10 seconds. (Occasional gasping sounds do not equal breathing). If there’s no breathing, begin CPR.

 Red Cross CPR Steps

1. Push hard and fast by placing your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to help you administer 30 compressions that are at least two inches deep and delivered at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
2. With the person’s head tilted back slightly and the chin lifted, deliver rescue breaths by pinching the nose shut and placing your moth over the person’s mouth to make a complete seal. Blow into the person’s mouth to make the chest rise. Deliver two rescue breaths and then continue compressions. (Note: If the chest doesn’t rise with the initial rescue breath, re-tilt the head before delivering the second breath. If the chest doesn’t rise with the second breath, then the person may be choking. After each subsequent set of 30 chest compressions, and before attempting breath, look for an object and remove it, if  seen.) 
3. Continue CPR steps. Keep performing cycles of chest compressions and breathing until the person begins breathing, an AED becomes available, or an EMS or a trained medical responder arrives. (Note: End the cycle if the scene becomes unsafe or you can’t continue performing CPR due to exhaustion.)

To find a CPR training course, visit here: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/cpr-training

My Hurricane Harvey Story: Karen Holmes

“Why I Use My Vacation Time to Deploy as an American Red Cross Volunteer”

Written by: Rosalind SE Carney, volunteer

Karen Holmes works for the Federal Government as a Safety Officer and is a Cadre Member with the Disaster Team. Karen works in an agency that oversees organizations such as AmeriCorps, working to ensure safe and healthy environments by providing CPR and first aid training and certification. Her role requires her to be in DC so she is unable to deploy on missions associated with her job. However, she knew that her experiences would benefit the Red Cross, so Karen joined as a volunteer in 2008.

On her own initiative, Karen pursued several training opportunities within the Red Cross to diversify the types of assistance she can provide locally and nationally. She is a certified Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) driver, shelter trailer driver and shelter manager, instructor for CPR/first aid and a Disaster Action Team (DAT) responder.

On 23rd September 2017, Karen used two weeks of her vacation time to deploy to Dickinson County, TX, to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Each day, Karen and fellow volunteers loaded up an ERV with meals prepared by the Southern Baptist mobile kitchens. Karen drove the ERV and helped serve meals to those in need. Interacting with people is Karen’s favorite Red Cross activity. She describes how people impacted by Hurricane Harvey initially had a look of devastation on their faces that turned to a beacon of hope at the sight of the ERV.

Karen saw a community that was just starting to rebuild. The devastation was evident–furniture and clothing on the streets, children running out into the streets to obtain meals and people who had not eaten in a day or two because they had missed the prior visit(s). Many people did not have electricity or a working stove, and some were sleeping on mattresses on the floor, not wanting to leave their homes to go to a shelter. Whatever the individual circumstance, the residents were so thankful that the Red Cross was there. In four days, Karen and her fellow volunteers served 1,078 meals in one area and delivered 300 meals to a church another time.

Karen enjoyed giving people the very special touch for which the Red Cross is known. Karen is grateful that her employers are so supportive, telling her that they are happy she deploys as they know how much this volunteer role with the Red Cross means to her.

Learn more about Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief.

 

A Spirit of Caring—the American Red Cross Partnership with AvalonBay Communities

Company Donates $1 Million Plus—CPR Classes for Employees; Blood Donation Drives; Life-Saving Equipment Purchases; Home Fire Campaign Volunteers

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

The American Red Cross prevents and eliminates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors, says its mission statement.

To have a spirit of caring, genuine kindness and concern for others, is a core value of AvalonBay Communities, an equity REIT, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas nationwide.

When the two organizations form a partnership, the end goal is clear—building strong communities—which is the theme of the AvalonBay Communities’ strategic philanthropy program that was launched in 2015 when company executives made the first contribution of $250,000 toward a four-year, $1 million commitment to support the American Red Cross.

“This partnership is a model for the American Red Cross,” says Denise Miller, American Red Cross Executive Director, Fairfax, Virginia, who serves as the national liaison to AvalonBay Communities. “I get asked by my colleagues, ‘Why does this partnership work?’ It’s the corporate culture of this company and the people who work for it. Also, for the American Red Cross, no money, no volunteers, means no mission. Why we can be there to help alleviate human suffering during disasters is because of the generosity of donations from partners like AvalonBay Communities. They have donated a lot money and employee volunteers for our mission, and we are grateful. We want to thank AvalonBay Communities for all they do for us and for allowing their employees to give back to the community.”

AvalonBay Communities provides its employees nationwide with Red Cross CPR training, purchases life-saving equipment from Red Cross, sponsors on-site blood donations, and allows its employees to volunteer on company time.

In 2016, employees from AvalonBay Communities donated 1,017 pints of blood; 232 were trained in Adult First Aid/CPR/AED; and more than $260,000 was donated to the Red Cross, not including the cost of training and equipment.

“Each pint of blood potentially saves 3 lives, which means the employees of AvalonBay Communities contributed to potentially saving 3,051 lives—that is amazing,” said Miller. “Also, being certified to save the lives of your employees, your residents, and your families is a valuable asset.”

Miller encouraged the employees to keep up the great work and to also consider becoming more involved in the American Red Cross’s nationwide Home Fire Campaign, where local partners and volunteers go to at-risk neighborhoods and install free smoke alarms, free batteries, and supply fire prevention information.

“We also work with military and veteran hospitals that need volunteers,” said Miller. “We provide comfort carts to the hospital. When our volunteers go to talk to the patients and families, they bring the comfort cart which is stocked with everything from puzzles and books to snacks.”

The Arlington location of AvalonBay communities is hosting a blood drive for its employees on March 1 and many are already signed up. The nationwide corporate goal this year is to donate 1100 pints of blood.

“AvalonBay has a long-standing value of a Spirit of Caring, and our partnership with the Red Cross makes this value visible,” said Tim Naughton, AvalonBay Communities Chairman and CEO. “We are proud to support the mission of the Red Cross.”

Mark Delisi, Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility, for AvalonBay Communities, said the partnership with the American Red Cross is built on mutual respect and passion for building strong communities.

“We are committed to creating a better way to live, for our residents, our employees, our shareholders, and our partners,” said Delisi. “Our commitment to Corporate Responsibility is an ongoing journey. We are thankful to the American Red Cross for being a perfect partner to help us achieve our goal, and to Denise Miller in particular, for being an exceptional liaison, always responsive, enthusiastically supporting our efforts to make a difference for our communities nationwide.”

Honor National Heart Month

Let The American Red Cross Teach You How to Save a Life

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

Hundreds of thousands of people die each year in the U.S. due to a sudden heart attack. Heart disease, including coronary, hypertension, and stroke, remains the number one cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association.

February is National Heart Month, and a good time to learn a new skill that can help save a life. The American Red Cross is a perfect resource. Knowing how to perform CPR and being able to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) during a cardiac emergency are just a few of the many ways you can make a difference.

“Someone who knows how to respond to an emergency is an asset to every household, workplace, and community,” said Richard N. Bradley, MD, Chair of the Red Cross Scientific Council’s Resuscitation Sub-Council, in a 2016 news release.

What do we do?

• Teach CPR Red Cross provides expert and affordable CPR training and certification courses for mandated job requirements or personal use.
• Resource for AED’s Red Cross trains you on how to use an AED and partners with manufacturers to help you receive the devices you need for your workplace, schools, and facilities.
• Host online and classroom courses Red Cross instructs participants on how to identify and respond to cardiac, breathing, and first aid emergencies, including helping someone who is choking, controlling bleeding, and treating heat-and-cold related emergencies.
• Offer the Red Cross First Aid Mobile Application Red Cross enables you to have instant access to information on handling first aid emergencies.

There are also tips for lowering heart disease risk, which include:

• Watch your weight
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation
• Get active and eat healthy

Freshmen 15? The flu? Blizzards? Don’t worry, we've got you covered!

Written by: Harsha Jha, volunteer

The time has come for all new university freshmen to say goodbye to their childhood bedrooms and head off to their dorms. The parents are probably trying to keep it together as their child is shopping for bedding, supplies, and the much-needed mini fridge; but deep inside they just want to hold on and never let go of their kid. So hey parents and college freshmen, as you prepare to start this new part of your life, here are some tips from the American Red Cross.

1. Have a fully stocked First Aid Kit. You will get sick in college and without mom and dad, there will be no one to get you medicine. So keep a first aid kit for all those small emergencies. Not sure what to take? Check out the one at the Red Cross Store!
2. Know your new environment. Is your college in a hurricane prone area? Or prone to flooding, tornadoes or blizzards? Know what kind of climate to prepare for and make sure you have the proper clothing and items. We highly recommend having the Emergency app downloaded to keep you prepared. Here is a list of all the apps available to keep you safe.
3. Seek help. If you are feeling very sick or just under the weather, know where the health center is on your campus. Also, remember to write down any medications you are allergic to, your insurance company, etc.
4. Eat healthy. There is going to be a lot of good food around, but try your hardest to stay fit too. Free gym? Try to go 2-3 times a week. Keep healthy snacks in your dorm for all those midnight snacks during finals week and most importantly, eat breakfast!
5. Be prepared to help peers. There will be many students who will not be ready for the new lifestyle, so why not be the hero on campus? Teach them about emergency preparedness or maybe even learn CPR or take a first aid class. College is all about trying new things, so why not start now? Check out some American Red Cross classes to get started.
6. Call your parents. In the moment, you will be so busy with welcome week, new friends and new classes, but remember at the end of the day to just send mom and dad a text or call them. It brightens their day and trust me it will have you feeling better too.

College is all about limitless opportunities; so don’t be afraid to seize them. With all of these tips, you are prepared to start your new life in at a college or university! Good luck from the American Red Cross!

2016 New Year’s Resolution: Prepare to Care

Written by: Corey B. Welcher, volunteer

Many of us begin each new year with goals and plans to do something new/better/different than the last. The sense of getting a fresh start propels many of these well-intentioned goals forward, for at least a little while. What do your goals look like this year? Do your goals include ways to care for both yourself and your community in 2016?  

Ensuring completion of goals is a task itself! Our fresh start can quickly lose speed as calendars fill up and energy depletes.  We become “too busy” to take a class, be nice, eat better, etc. To try and give myself the best chance of success in the new year, I follow these steps: The first week of January I take a look at my goals and make sure they include both personal improvements/changes and volunteer goals. Next, I evaluate them to confirm they are both realistic and achievable within twelve months. Lastly, I make a due date for each goal and put it on my calendar- with a reminder attached! 

One of my resolutions for 2016 is to take a CPR certification class. I first completed my CPR certification when I was thirteen during the Red Cross Babysitting class. Having the certification gave me an added confidence and additional tools to pull from during my babysitting jobs. Now that I teach yoga lessons in my home and at studios around the DMV, I am realizing that it would be a responsible, good idea to complete the CPR training. Should anything happen during class or in my community, I’ll be prepared to help. 

By breaking down your plans for the new year into achievable goals with realistic timelines, we can all meet our goals for the new year. To help round out your resolutions for volunteering, take a moment to check out your local Red Cross, consider donating blood at redcrossblood.org, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for more information on opportunities for involvement

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Not All Heroes Wear Capes

... Although Many Wear Red!

By Geoff DeLizzio, Chief Operating Officer

In March we celebrate American Red Cross Month and honor those who dedicate themselves to our mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in our community, country, and around the world.  (See President Obama’s Proclamation Here)

Everyday Heroes Helping Every Day 

In the first 2 months of 2014 the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region has responded to over 100 incidents and served over 450 clients in every jurisdiction throughout the DC Metro Area. We’ve responded to those impacted by house and apartment fires, water main breaks, gas and power outages, and set up emergency shelters during the extreme weather events of January and February.

We continue to train our community in First Aid, CPR, and general preparedness. Recently we launched the Pet First Aid App that provides advice for everyday emergencies such as the treatment of wounds, shock, heat-related emergencies and CPR for both dogs and cats. In February alone, over 30% of incidents we responded to included pets needing love and care. 

On any given day you can find an American Red Cross blood drive throughout our region. Due to the extreme weather there is still an urgent need for blood donors. Ever wanted to save a life? This is how you can do it today!  (Find a donor site here)

Heroes Helping Heroes

The American Red Cross is also present on most military installations throughout the DC region. Our heroes directly support the troops and their families by giving workshops on topics such as coping with deployment and resiliency training, serve as volunteers on installations including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir, and greet our wounded warriors every week when they arrive at Joint Base Andrews. 

Our volunteers have already been busy in 2014. We cannot do it without them and we need more heroes. 

How Can You Get Involved?

• Volunteer:  Become a Hero and serve your local community
•  Donate Blood:  Save a life. Need I say more?
• Donate Money:  We exist on the generosity of our donors. Consider a donation of any size
• Be Prepared:  Get Trained and Make a Plan for you and your family (don’t forget Fido)
• Attend one of our March Events
• March28:  One Enchanted Evening, Heritage HuntCountry Club
• March27:  Social Hour at Virtue in Alexandria

I may be biased, but our volunteers are HEROES! A big THANK YOU to all those who serve: past, present, and future!

February in a Nutshell

Stayin' Alive by Learning CPR During American Heart Month

By Squiggy the Squirrel

I'm a big fan of the TODAY show. I watch it every morning as I brew my hazelnut coffee, catching up on the news and checking the weather. One story recently caught my eye. You probably heard about it, too: A 5-month-old baby became unresponsive while in his aunt's vehicle on a Florida highway. The aunt pulled over, called for help, and performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) twice before emergency responders came to assist. Thanks to her quick response and those of the emergency responders, the baby is now in stable condition.

Would you be prepared in such a situation? Only about 30% of Americans feel they would be ready to act during a cardiac emergency by administering CPR. This statistic is rather alarming when paired with another one - 80% of cardiac arrests occur in the home, meaning it's likely that the ones we love may be the ones we need to help. So, in honor of February being American Heart Month, I thought it was a good time to go over some information about Hands-Only CPR (CPR with just chest compressions), which has been proven to be just as effective as mouth-to-mouth CPR in treating adult cardiac arrest victims. 

The use of CPR dates all the way back to 1740, but the majority of Americans don't know how to perform it. CPR can save lives, so it's a great preparedness skill to have. I think this video below does a great job going over the basics, but I encourage you to also sign up for a Red Cross course.

A helpful tip that the TODAY Show hosts, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, recently learned was that the beat of the Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" has the right beat for Hands-Only CPR. Pretty cool, right?

Share this post with a friend or family member and make a promise to learn CPR together!

xo,

Squiggy