Red Cross Youth Help Brighten the Holidays for Veterans, Service Members and their Families

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Nearly to 100 Red Cross High School Club members from around New York City came to Greater New York Red Cross chapter headquarters in Manhattan December 1 to create close to 300 holiday greeting cards.

The cards will be sent to veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world as part of the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

These cards, along with those sent by sent by tens of thousands of Americans, provide a welcome “touch of home” for our troops during the holiday season.

If you and your family want to take part this year, make sure to send cards postmarked no later than December 6 to ensure they are delivered in time for the holidays.

All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Card information and requirements can be found at redcross.org/holidaymail.

Red Cross and Stephanie Crispinelli Humanitarian Fund Partner with Primrose Elementary for “Steph's Comfort Kit” Event

by Ehrett Ramey

The second annual Valentine's Day "Steph's Comfort Kit" event was hosted by the Stephanie Crispinelli Humanitarian Fund and the American Red Cross Feb. 14 at the Primrose Elementary school in Somers, N.Y.

Stephanie Crispinelli, herself from Somers and a graduate of Primrose Elementary, devoted herself to helping others, volunteering and making children smile. She participated in mission trips abroad and volunteer projects, especially to help in-need youth. She returned to Primrose to help young students and start youth programs.

Tragically, Stephanie lost her life at age 19 in the 2010 Haiti earthquake while on a humanitarian mission through Food for the Poor. The Valentine’s Day event embodied Stephanie’s spirit, as a group of first graders celebrated her memory by making comfort kits for other children in need.

The day was filled with smiles, as around 100 first graders and volunteers tied together colorful blankets and stuffed comfort kits with all kinds of goodies, including a pillow, a beany baby teddy bear and children’s books.

Watching our youngest Red Cross volunteers in action was an awesome sight, especially in light of their enthusiasm and excitement. It was hard to tell who was having a better time, the adult volunteers or the kids putting together the comfort kits. 

One of the most energetic and productive first graders, Rebecca Fabry, said, “Getting out of class to have fun and help others is the very very best thing.” 

“The second annual Stephanie Crispinelli Day was a huge success,” said Andrew Sindell, manager, Volunteer Resources & Youth Services for the Metro New York North chapter. “The Red Crossers who participated are looking forward to Valentine’s Day next year to continue this uplifting celebration of Stephanie and her legacy.”

Red Cross Youth Take International Humanitarian Law Training

Fourteen high school students from across New York City came to Greater New York Red Cross headquarters in Manhattan Feb. 10 to learn about the rules of war through an interactive Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) simulation.

The simulation included six scenarios that placed students into roles as prisoners of war, humanitarian aid workers, soldiers and army generals. The program is designed to teach students the rules of war through representative experiences.

“This Red Cross training for ages 13 to 18 is an exciting way to teach students the importance of International Humanitarian Law. Going into the training, the youth don’t know what to expect and are literally thrown into scenario after scenario, encouraging them to put themselves in other’s shoes,” said Amanda Crabbe, Greater New York volunteer and youth services associate.

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The students who participated will in turn recruit a group of six to 10 of their peers, facilitate the same simulation, then work together to come up with an IHL action campaign by April, 2013.

“The action campaign will address one or more issues related to IHL in an effort to spread awareness about the rules of war, and to stimulate deeper discussions among their peers,” said Crabbe. 

Photos by Evan Marcy.  See more photos here.

Long Island Youth Step Up during the Sandy Relief Effort

Students from Central Islip High School

When American Red Cross youth volunteers on Long Island saw how Hurricane Sandy affected their communities, they were eager to contribute to the relief effort.

After Red Cross disaster volunteers received requests for school supplies in disaster impacted areas, a request went out to Red Cross High School Clubs and other youth organizations that had expressed interest in helping neighbors affected by the storm. Would they please host a school supplies drive?  

Three groups stepped up to the plate: the Central Islip High School Red Cross Club, the W.T. Clarke High School Red Cross Club, and the Howitt Middle School National Junior Honor Society. Youth volunteers from these groups collected backpacks filled with supplies—notebooks, pens, rulers, and protractors—to help children in communities that no longer had even these basic materials.

The supplies were delivered to a Disaster Recovery Center in Mastic Beach, under the guidance of Mayor Bill Biondi. They will be distributed to school children in the Mastic Beach school district on the south shore of Long Island. 

Students from W.T.Clarke High School

“We thank these groups for coming together to help their peers during this time of need,” said Doha Ali, Red Cross Volunteer & Youth Services Associate. “The families and children the youth groups helped are truly thankful for their support.”