My Life in Disaster: Couch Commerce Can Ease Holiday Shopping Stress!

With Thanksgiving behind us and the holidays not too far into the future I start to feel the pressure. From the beginning of last week we have been bombarded with "incentives" to get to the stores ASAP, or else the deals would pass us by.

According to this morning's online news sites Black Friday sales this year have broken records, with 226 million shoppers spending an average of $398.62 versus last year's 212 million shoppers who spent $365.34. Retail sales went up 6.6 percent. Apparently we don't even want to wait until the brick and mortars open up at midnight after Thanksgiving day anymore - with Turkey day online sales up almost 40 percent.

My best friend, Margaret, and I used to be two of those shoppers who woke up Friday morning--the shops opened up at 6:00 am back then--braving the chaos. We would take turns waiting on line as the other shopped for the latest toys on our kids' list to Santa. We made sure every wish their little hearts desired was fulfilled--only to watch them throw the toys aside a month later, to play with the packaging they came in.

Now that Black Friday is behind us, full steam ahead we barrel through to Cyber Monday. Here's where I breathe a sigh of relief. With just a few clicks on my keypad, I can put a dent in my Christmas shopping list.

Today, not only are major retailers offering huge deals, but so is the Red Cross at redcrossstore.org. They are offering free shipping today only as well as discounts on some best-selling items. I bought a Red Cross track jacket at 50 percent off with free shipping. That is a pretty good deal! Not only can I check off one person off my gift list, I can do so feeling good about where my money is going.

The Red Cross Holiday gift catalog is the place to shop for gifts that mean something. As you browse the catalog you not only see how you can help, but you also become informed of exactly what the Red Cross does. The global scope of their service is inspiring.

One line of gifts centers around those currently serving in the armed forces. You can send a military comfort kit to a wounded service member. The kit provides them with a robe, shower shoes, a phone card to call home and an MP3 music gift card. Another way to give back to our brave service members is by buying a Hygiene Kit for homeless vets. A staggering one third of homeless adults are veterans. This kit provides them a toothbrush, shaver, washcloth and other hygiene essentials.

For $75.00 you can buy a bicycle to help a Red Cross volunteer across the globe reach remote villages. You can help provide support for first responders, as they battle against disaster. You can provide food and shelter for victims of disaster worldwide, or right here in your own neighborhood.

However you want to help -- the choice is personal, but the benefit will be universal.

My Life in Disaster is a series of blog posts by Maha Awad, who is volunteering with the Red Cross and finding out first-hand what it means to be prepared for life’s many disasters.

My Life in Disaster: The New York City Marathon 2011

Six member of Team Red Cross on Staten Island before the race.

 The ING New York City Marathon took place yesterday on a perfect autumn day. I was lucky enough to witness first-hand the enthusiasm of these athletes. I volunteered to take pictures for the Red Cross and woke up at five in the morning. My husband was kind enough to drop me off a block before Fort Wadsworth, in Staten Island, at six in the morning. It was my second time as an eyewitness to this momentous event.

Years ago as part of Lambda Chi sorority, at St. John’s University, I volunteered to hand out hot drinks and bagels to the runners. It was cold and dark that November morning, and my sorority sisters and I were recovering from Halloween parties from the night before. So maybe we weren’t as enthusiastic as we should have been. Well that was our loss! Despite waking up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday, and searching for the Red Cross team of runners, among the over 40,000 participants for about an hour and half, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

It was a record-breaking race. The winner of the men’s category Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai broke the previous record by more than two minutes, finishing at 2 hrs 5 min and 6 sec. The women’s favorite and lead runner of the female contenders, Mary Keitany, could not hold on and lost her lead in the last mile of the race to Ethopian natives Firehiwot Dado and Buzunesh Deba, who came in first and second in the women’s category.

Runners from all over the United States and one hundred and ten countries came to participate in this iconic marathon. Of the 43,741 starters, 43,475 runners finished, including the oldest runners of the race Yolande Marois, 84 and Peter Harangozo, 88, who came in at 7:41:04 and 7:53:02 respectively.

I was privileged to meet and interview some of the runners on Team Red Cross. Raising money for the Red Cross were 45 runners from seven states and four countries.

Michael Curtin

 One of those runners is Michael Curtin of Brewster, N.Y. Michael’s story is so compelling and his enthusiasm so contagious that you find yourself drawn to him, as well as inspired to maybe one day run/walk the race yourself.

Michael is a veteran of the Armed Forces, and his first encounter with the American Red Cross took place in 1994. Michael was about to be deployed to Somalia when his mother called with the devastating news that his father had unexpectedly died. Stunned, Michael wanted desperately to get home for his father’s funeral. He was in Fort Bragg, N.C about to leave for Somalia when two Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) workers arrived and escorted him back to base.

They helped him pack, drove him to the airport and handed him a roundtrip ticket home to Brewster. After the funeral, Red Cross SAF representatives met Michael at the airport and drove him back to base. What the SAF division of the Red Cross did for Michael and his family is forever etched in his heart. This is his third time running the NYC Marathon for the American Red Cross. "I will run the marathon for the Red Cross till they day I die,” Michael says. “They had my back.”

Simon Curtis

 Another runner raising money for the Red Cross is Simon Curtis who came all the way from Auckland, New Zealand. Simon says "If you want to run for a charity, this is the one." Simon was impressed with the response that the Red Cross had in New Zealand after the devastating earthquake that shook Christchurch, NZ, earlier this year. It’s Simon’s first time running; he’s been training for three months. Good on you Simon!

Marina Kanes

 Brendan Quinn and Marina Kanes were also running for the American Red Cross. Brendan is from across the river in Hoboken, N.J., and just wanted to raise money for a worthy cause. Marina, who lives in Manhattan, is raising money because her life was also touched by the Red Cross. In 2002 there was a fire in her building. Marina says the first people to knock on her door to see if she needed any assistance or a place to stay were the Red Cross. Luckily she had friends and family to turn to. But she remembers being "impressed" with the Red Cross response and has been looking for a way to repay the Red Cross ever since.

Rob Sell came all the way from Fort Worth, Texas. His brother inspired him to run the race for the Red Cross and so he did.

As an eyewitness to the Marathon you become caught up in the enthusiasm of these athletes. As you get to know their stories, you are not only impressed, but you find yourself rooting for them. I’m waiting to find out how they finished, and what their experiences were as they completed that 26.2 mile leg of their journey.


Rob Sell

  

My Life in Disaster is a series of blog posts by Maha Awad, who is volunteering with the Red Cross and finding out first-hand what it means to be prepared for life’s many disasters.

My Life in Disaster: I'm dreaming of a White ... HALLOWEEN?

It's Halloween, a day that thousands of kids look forward to all year long. It’s also the day after a weekend of record-breaking snow fall—in October.

Imagine the look on kids’ faces when mom wakes them up and says it's a Snow Day. Imagine the jubilation, the joy, the bouncing on beds, the squeals of delight as they ponder their luck.

Once the holidays have passed, a Snow Day is the only beacon of hope that gets kids through the winter doldrums. And to have a Snow Day to fall on the second-best day ever—Halloween—is like winning the lottery.

Now imagine the look on their faces as mom breaks the news: "Halloween will have to wait."

“WHAT?! NO!!”

Yes. And you can't blame this on your mother. On Mother Nature—yes. On Mom—no!

"But why?!”—a refrain heard across the Northeast.

Well, this weekend’s snowstorm downed trees and power lines, and caused major havoc. Thousands of people don't have power, so many streets will be dark. Trees have fallen and have yet to be cleared, so navigating in the dark will be hazardous. Most importantly, downed power lines will be a DANGER.

What is a mom to do? Well for one thing, heed the warnings. If your community has asked that Halloween activities be postponed, then postpone them. It's for your own safety and your children's.

You can go out in the yard and build a Snow-Jack-O-Lantern. You can stay in and tell ghost stories. And when the coast is clear—follow these Red Cross tips in order to have a safe Halloween—even if it is a few days late!

My Life in Disaster is a series of blog posts by Maha Awad, who is volunteering with the Red Cross and finding out first-hand what it means to be prepared for life’s many disasters.

My Life in Disaster: Support Breast Cancer Awareness – Give Blood!

It's already October. I love the change of seasons. I love the crisp, fall air in New York, and even the fall fashions. But October is bittersweet for me. It's the month when my family and I remember loved ones passed. I remember my father and my mother-in-law. We commemorate his death and her birthday in October. Both of them were ailing; my father with heart disease, my mother-in-law with breast cancer. Both of them suffered for many years, and both of them needed blood transfusions at one point in their treatment.

As a teenager and young adult I used to donate blood all the time. In college, when it came time to donate, I did, twice a year. As a newly employed college graduate, I donated, and even as a new mom I did. I don't know what happened, but I haven't donated blood in a very long time. It's not something I admit to enthusiastically. I even walked by a blood donation truck the other day, and guilt tugged at me, but I still didn't donate.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. More than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with the disease this year, as well as close to 2,000 men, according to the American Cancer Society. The nature of cancer treatments, which can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, may lead to the need for blood transfusions.

So I have committed myself to donating blood in October. The Red Cross allows you to make an appointment online. I can't think of a better way of honoring the memory of my loved ones than by helping to save a life.

My Life in Disaster is a series of blog posts by Maha Awad, who is volunteering with the Red Cross and finding out first-hand what it means to be prepared for life’s many disasters.

My Life in Disaster: Transitions

I am a mother of three, two girls and one boy. My girls are both in college, and my son is a sophomore in high school. Like many moms who chose to stay at home with their kids, I found myself left in their dust, as they charged out of the house as fast as they possibly could, thinking “What next?” My daughters wouldn't even consider colleges within a 75-mile radius of home.

Was living at home that bad? The answer comes to me in my younger daughter's phone calls home. We talk now more than ever. She and I look forward to parents’ weekend. My older daughter is home again; three years away was enough for her. She now attends school in New York. The distance made my kids closer. They actually miss each other and talk more than they did when they were living under one roof.

While I was and am so happy for them as they forge ahead, when the girls left I felt abandoned. Now what was I supposed to do? Yes, my son is home, but he is a very independent young man, who doesn't need his mom that much anymore. That's a good thing, I know.

I decided to apply to the Red Cross to become a volunteer. It's the best decision I could have made. While I was raising my kids, I became interested in writing and photography. As a volunteer for the Communications Department at the New York City chapter, I am able to use those skills, and even improve them.

Coming into the office feels like old times. It's good to have a reason not to walk around in sweats all day, It's good to get out of the house, and we all need a change of scenery. But more than that, I love putting my skills to good use. It's very satisfying to know that I am helping to make a difference. Giving my time to the Red Cross allows me give back. Now when I see the Red Cross responding to disasters, I'm not only impressed, I'm know that I am part of the team.

There are so many volunteer opportunities at the Red Cross, and each one fits a different personality or skill set. Opportunities range from responding to disasters to instructing people in emergency preparedness or lifesaving skills to helping someone locate a relative separated from family members by armed conflict or natural disaster. No matter what your personality or skill you will find a match, and you will feel the satisfaction that only helping others brings.

My Life in Disaster is a series of blog posts by Maha Awad, who is volunteering with the Red Cross and finding out first-hand what it means to be prepared for life’s many disasters.

The Morning After …Ten Years Later

It’s September 12, 2011. Yesterday’s 9/11 memorials are still on my mind as I ride the 8:15 Staten Island ferry, which is standing room only this morning. I wonder if this is due to the heightened security in the terminals.

I decide to stand outside on the rear deck and enjoy the warm and unusually sunny morning. Since Hurricane Irene, it seems that we’ve had rain almost every day.

I spot a coast guard escort in the wake of the ferry. The sight triggers memories of ten years past. I’m back on the boat, only this time it’s September 14, 2001. Ten years earlier I felt the need to see what was left of the trade towers for myself.

I don’t know what possessed me; maybe it was the fact that my husband’s plane was midair as the attacks occurred and his airplane was diverted to Canada. All of those passengers arriving from Korea, along with my husband, had to find their own way back to New York, from Vancouver. It took him one week to get back home, and I could not sit and wait any longer; I had to do something.

I left my kids with my mother and rode the ferry. I walked to where the Towers had stood and stared in disbelief. It was a war zone. I couldn’t believe that these two towers, where I had worked in the late eighties and early nineties for cargo steamship lines, were the piles of rubble I was staring at now.

That ferry also had a coast guard escort that day, but that sky was dark with ashes. I shake the memory from my mind. After all, yesterday’s 9/11 memorials had a common thread of “it’s time to move forward.”

Granted, it’s hard to move ahead when the threat of terror is looming like a vulture over its prey. But what 9/11/2001 taught me is that I should be prepared.

Ten years ago my kids were in school. I was at work at the College of Staten Island, listening to the radio—in disbelief—as the events unfolded. I remember not knowing what to do. Some people stayed at work. I rushed to my kids’ school a twenty-minute drive away and picked them up. Fortunately we were able to keep up with the news on television.

What I realize today, after Hurricane Irene, is that you must have electricity to watch the news. When Irene swept through Staten Island on August 27, our power went down. The only way we could hear the news during Irene would have been to sit in the car with the motor running.

Luckily my husband found his battery-operated short wave radio so we were able to follow 1010 WINS. The radio and a few candles were the extent of our preparedness. (I now know the Red Cross advises against lighting candles during a power outage due to the extreme risk of fire.)

Since September is National Emergency Preparedness Month, I’ve decided to rethink my strategy. I’m going to “Get a kit, make a plan, and be informed.” After surfing redcrossstore.org I’ve got decisions to make—like which kit to buy for my family and my friends. I know they’ll make great Christmas gifts.