Monday, April 26, 2021

In Case You Missed It

Red Cross volunteers participating in our 2021 Run for Humanity.

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 52 adults and 18 children following 34 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review
Upcoming Events and Activities

Monday, April 19, 2021

In Case You Missed It

Red Cross volunteers working alongside partners to support Queens residents

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 55 adults and 10 children following 35 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review
Upcoming Events and Activities

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Red Cross Needs More Bronx Volunteers for Local Disaster Relief & and Other Community Programs

National Volunteer Week: Red Cross Needs More Bronx Volunteers for Local Disaster Relief & and Other Community Programs


by John Norris, American Red Cross in Greater NY

National Volunteer Week, running from April 18th to April 24th, is upon us and the American Red Cross in Greater New York wants to thank the many dedicated volunteers in the Bronx who for the past year have worked tirelessly to help those in need during these uncertain times. In fact, for many dealing with the loss of their home to a fire or other emergency, the pandemic has meant a disaster on top of a health crisis and Red Cross volunteers have been there for these individuals with compassion and care. 

“Red Cross volunteers in the Bronx are invaluable for the organization, providing support after local disasters, teaching resilience and emergency preparedness, supporting service members, veterans and their families, and so much more!” said Mary Barneby, CEO, American Red Cross Greater in New York.

This interactive Red Cross disaster response map from 2020 highlights how volunteer teams have been particularly busy supporting our diverse communities in the Bronx and across NYC. But the Red Cross needs more volunteers in the Bronx to help in their efforts!

In 2020, Red Cross teams helped roughly 2000 Bronx residents following approximately 300 local emergencies like fires, floods and building collapses. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Red Cross has adapted their work to help ensure the safety of their volunteers and those they serve with PPE, social distancing, and virtual caseworkers.

The Red Cross is calling on Bronx residents to volunteer their time with the Red Cross to lend their compassion and skills to provide hope and comfort during these tumultuous times. The Red Cross is always looking for volunteers that mirror our diverse local Bronx communities.

Among those Red Cross team volunteers from the Bronx is Hector Pereira, who for decades, has served the New York City Bronx community. Hector states that his “desire to do volunteer service in his community came at a youthful age and has continued to this day,” and mentions that, at the Red Cross, “volunteers are not only respected, but cared for.”

As emphasized in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), volunteerism is an important vehicle for sustainable development because it enables communities to participate in their own growth. Bronx volunteers are particularly needed to help strengthen community disaster resilience, bolster community trust, and build social cohesion, because their efforts will be most effective in advancing the transformations required to enable sustainable outcomes for the people, by the people.

For more information on Red Cross volunteer opportunities and to sign up as a volunteer, please visit www.redcross.org/volunteertoday.

The Red Cross relies on the generosity of the American public to carry out its humanitarian work. To make a financial donation visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.




Monday, April 12, 2021

In Case You Missed It

Volunteers supporting residents displaced by Queens fire.

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 65 adults and 11 children following 30 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review

Upcoming Events and Activities

Monday, April 5, 2021

In Case You Missed It

Long-time Greater NY Red Cross volunteer, Dottie Brier. 

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 91 adults and 34 children following 49 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review
Upcoming Events and Activities

Friday, April 2, 2021

"Three Questions" With Vanessa Diez

by Angelina Vasilevsky, American Red Cross in Greater NY

“Three Questions” is an American Red Cross in Greater New York blog series featuring staff, volunteers, and partners who help carry out our humanitarian mission. Through these short interviews, we hope to shine a light on our different programs and get to know those who make this work possible.




Vanessa Diez, from Yonkers, N.Y., is a full time student pursuing her master’s in public administration/emergency management and a full time social worker, helping immigrant youth in NYC. She is a remarkable young woman who, despite a busy schedule, made it a priority to serve through the American Red Cross as a volunteer. She recently joined the Red Cross and just graduated from our Disaster Action Team Academy, a specialized training program for our volunteer leaders. As part of her Red Cross work she helps local residents affected by disasters during weekly takes night shifts.

Where does your desire and commitment to help others come from?

My entire career has been in service, so I’ve always kind of leaned that way. It was not something I necessarily planned on; it’s just something that always felt very natural to me. I also strongly believe that my commitment to service and the need to help others, came from my mom. She had a very rough life, but still managed to help everyone around her. Hearing her life story and the help she didn't get, encouraged me to be a person who is able to help other people, to let them know what services are out there, what they are entitled to, what their children are entitled to, to help people advocate for themselves. I felt like my mom just didn't really know how to advocate for herself, or advocate for my brother or me. Information is power, so if you have the information and you know that there are people behind you supporting you, you’re going to go the distance.

In the middle of the pandemic, you decided to volunteer with the Red Cross. What led you to this decision?

I felt like there was a lot of madness going on in the world. Ever since Covid-19 hit, it almost felt like I wasn't helping enough for my community and my people, so I needed to do more. I realized that I had all of this time working from home, and I wasn't using it productively. So I started looking for volunteer opportunities, in particular with emergency management. I just wanted to help the people that needed help. The Red Cross seemed to offer the ideal opportunities especially once I reached out to the supervisors, saw how flexible they are and how appreciative they are. I was impressed by everything that the Red Cross offers, in terms of training, connections and mostly the people who are providing the experiences and mentorship. The online training was very informative and easy to access. They even provided ways to practice, which is not something that is expected with online training and I thought that was really great.

You have a very busy schedule. When do you find the time to volunteer?

In my day job I work with kids. So most of my work with the Red Cross has been virtual. Now I will be going into the field, and that's something I've been waiting to do. I do overnight shifts, and I don't mind them at all. Sometimes it's quiet, but a lot of times it gets crazy in the middle of the night. I catch as much sleep as I can, and I try to get as much done as I can throughout the day. I think that the most important thing the Red Cross brings and offers is kindness, understanding and patience in a moment when a person doesn’t have any. I am so grateful and so happy to be working with such an amazing organization.