A Familiar Symbol of Relief

Last week we visited a Sandy distribution hub in Coney Island where hundreds of Brooklyn residents lined up to pick up hot meals and grocery boxes provided by the Red Cross. Among them was Amadou, who came to New York more than 17 years ago from Senegal, West Africa. 

Back in his home country, Amadou was very familiar with the work of “La Croix Rouge,” as the Red Cross is known in Senegal. Post-Sandy, he was heartened to see the Red Cross at work, providing assistance to disaster victims in America too. “This is very nice what they do over here”, he says as he scans the line of volunteers serving hot meals on a chilly March day. 

As a result of Sandy, he lost his job and is now focusing his energy on finding a new one.  The continuing presence of the Red Cross in Coney Island has meant that Amadou has been able to get a hot meal, or a grocery box every day.  “We’re very happy for what the Red Cross does here on Coney Island”, he says.    

Red Cross was prompt and friendly.

by Michelle Shore

When fire began spreading through Marjorie Farrell’s fourth floor Brooklyn apartment on the bitterly cold night of Feb. 20, the young couple’s first reaction was to warn their neighbors.

“We ran from apartment to apartment telling people,” Farrell said. “Luckily, our six-year-old son, Tawfiq, was staying with relatives,” she added with relief.

They then made several attempts to put out the flames shooting up from their mattress with cups, and then buckets of water. But to no avail. Black smoke began to billow through the apartment, and they ran out.

Farrell was wearing pajamas and socks, but no shoes. A neighbor gave her a piece of cloth to wrap herself in. Her husband was brought into an ambulance and evaluated for smoke inhalation.

Farrell, who is a devout Muslim, rushed down the street to her family’s mosque, where she works and her husband teaches. She began to pray. It was 5 am; just in time for morning services.

When Farrell and her husband returned home, the American Red Cross was on hand to help.

Some of the things the Red Cross made available included a debit card with funds for food and clothing; city housing referrals, and the documentation needed to retrieve her husband’s prescriptions after his medications were lost in the fire.

“Red Cross was prompt and friendly,” she said. “I could relax for a second."

Farrell says she’s no stranger to working to assist and counsel families. On a daily basis she works at the mosque, helping other families in need put the pieces back together.

Moving forward, Farrell said she also wants to get involved in volunteering, possibly even at the Red Cross. She stresses she wants to “give back to the community and help others,” as she was helped.

Maria Castro, Strength in Tragedy

By Ashley Chapman

Maria Castro likes to talk about how her 17-year old son, Jorge Rosario—or Jay Jay, as she calls him—spontaneously dove into the freezing ocean on a cold day last November after a construction job for post-Sandy clean up in the Rockaways.

Not long after that, Jorge was fatally shot in the head at a party in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

For Maria and her remaining three children: Diamond, 12; Reyshawn, 6; and Crystal, 1; the months since then have become increasingly difficult. Three months after the Castro family lost Jorge, they lost their home.

On February 17, a fire started in the apartment next door to the Castro’s in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Maria was across the street while Diamond was home with the baby, Crystal. Maria saw smoke coming out of the building and started running towards it just as Diamond emerged, carrying Crystal in her arms.

“The first thing I thought was ‘Thank God, my kids are okay,’” said Maria. “But then I began to think, ‘What else will God put in front of me’? I don’t bother nobody, I don’t hurt nobody.”

The fire destroyed the Castro’s apartment on a bitter cold morning when New Yorkers were stocking up on winter supplies, preparing for the snowstorm that was expected to hit the next day.  But unlike most people, the Castros had not only lost their basic supplies—necessities like baby blankets and diapers—they had also lost all of their possessions, including irreplaceable photos of Jorge.

Within hours of the fire, the New York Red Cross provided Maria and her kids with vital emergency support: diapers and a blanket for the baby, a debit card to purchase essential items, and hotel lodging for the entire family. Since then, the Red Cross has helped the Castros get settled into a more permanent home.

“As a mother protecting her children,” said Maria, “if I didn’t have the Red Cross to put us in a hotel, I think I would have just gone to a hospital waiting room to sleep. At least it would be warm and safe there for my kids. Otherwise, we’d be on the streets.”

“My kids are my priority,” she added. She admitted that the past few months have been especially hard on Diamond, who, at 12, is old enough to absorb the pain.

“My daughter cried a lot and said things like, ‘I lost my big brother. Now we are losing our home. What else will happen to us?’” Maria said.

For now, Maria tries to provide her kids a sense of comfort in the routine. On the first Sunday after the fire, she took them to church and then to get ice cream, as they had every other Sunday. That was when Diamond asked her what the Red Cross does.

“I explained to her how the Red Cross has helped us,” Maria said. “And she said, ‘The Red Cross makes us safe. Without the Red Cross, we would be sleeping in our car, Mom.’”

These days, when you ask Maria how she is doing now, she speaks evenly, but then her voice cracks.

“I will not forget about him,” she said. “Everything is hitting me and I’ve got to be strong. I have to stay focused. I thank God every day for waking me up. I say, ‘Today’s a new day, I have to keep my head up.”

With the help of the Red Cross, this task has hopefully been made a little easier.

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.”

“I thank the Red Cross for helping me bounce back up.”

Friends and neighbors Cristina Morales (l) and Miguelina Jaquez (r)

Miguelina Jaquez and Cristina Morales, neighbors and friends for 33 years, live on the “E” line of apartments at 2440 Amsterdam Ave., in Manhattan’s Washington Heights.

The evening of Jan. 23, a four-alarm fire drove them both from their homes and out into the bitter cold. 

Morales , whose smoke alarm had gone off, ran down to Jaquez’s apartment to alert the family—Miguelina, her daughter, son-in-law, and their 8-month old son—to get out. 

Jaquez grabbed her purse and they ran from the building.

“If had been 1:30 in the morning we’d all be gone,” said Jaquez, an administrator for the MTA. “When the fire was climbing up the walls it got stronger toward the fourth floor and blew up; it went up to the roof …. we’re blessed to be alive.”

Morales, who left her apartment with no coat and only slippers on her feet, said she is grateful for the emergency financial assistance she received from the Red Cross for food and clothing. She says from now on she plans to donate ten dollars a month, every month, to help other families who may be displaced from their homes as she was.  

Jaquez said, “You helped me get back on my feet. I had no clothes; I lost everything. So to be able to get some clothes with the [debit] card you gave me helped so much. I thank the Red Cross for helping me bounce back up.”

Generations of Service

Brooks Brothers has a long, proud tradition of supporting the American Red Cross. The relationship between the clothing retailer and the humanitarian organization goes back to 1898 when Brooks Brothers made a financial contribution to the Red Cross during the Spanish-American War.

Today the Golden Fleece Foundation, Brooks Brothers’ non-profit arm which manages its charitable endeavors, carries on this tradition. The Foundation aims to create a “culture of caring” within the Brooks Brothers organization by giving back to the communities it serves. 

The Red Cross has found a staunch partner in Brooks Brothers. The retailer hosts Red Cross blood drives, encourages volunteerism within its workforce, creates and carries out customer donation programs and provides direct financial support for Red Cross programs and services. Brooks Brothers’ support extends to almost every Red Cross line of service, including the Service to the Armed Forces program that helps military members and their families, blood services, and local, national and international disaster response.

Spearheading this modern-day relationship is Emilie Antonetti, vice president and managing director of the Golden Fleece Foundation.

“Personally, I hold the same ideals as the Foundation,” she said.

Accompanied by her 16-year-old niece, Katie Stratton, Antonetti recently visited a Red Cross feeding site in Howard Beach, Queens, a community deeply impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

“I wanted to see service delivery first-hand and interact with those affected by Sandy in person,” explained Antonetti. “I also wanted to share the experience with Katie; imparting to her ideals that have so much meaning for me.”

Overseen by Tommi Patterson and Billy York, two long-time Red Cross volunteers, Antonetti and her niece spent the afternoon serving lunch to local residents still reeling from the effects of Sandy.

For several hours a steady stream of people, mostly elderly residents, came to the Red Cross mobile feeding truck to collect meals and snacks. On the menu when Antonetti and her niece were serving: chicken, corn and mashed potatoes. 

“Each day, the residents are lined up here, waiting for us when we arrive at 10:45 am,” said Patterson. “The financial strain Sandy has put on these folks makes buying food really difficult.”

This was the first time Stratton had helped people in need face-to-face. Originally apprehensive about what to expect, Stratton felt real empathy for those she knew were suffering. 

“It was sad to see people hurting,” she said. “I’m glad we were able to help them in some way.”

Antonetti, who embodies the humanitarian ideals the Red Cross stands for, was glad to give her niece an opportunity to see and practice compassion in action. And thanks to her leadership at Brooks Brothers, the retailer’s tradition of service should continue for years to come.

Volunteer Profile: Franklin Maidman

Story and photo by Bill Fortune

There are times when the American Red Cross could be considered an international organization. That is especially true during times of emergency. The desire to help those in need is what drives the organization and individual volunteers. Volunteer Franklin Maidman exemplifies that attitude. 

Here on a student visa from Holland, Maidman, 19, is in New York City to study dance. In the evenings he works with his dance troupe; but every afternoon you will find him at Greater New York Red Cross regional headquarters on West 49th Street in Manhattan.

He found his way to the Red Cross shortly after arriving in the United States in early November. Recognizing that he had extra time on his hands and that people in New York needed help, he walked into the Red Cross office and asked to become a volunteer.

“When I walked into the building it was very busy,” he said. “It was only a couple of days after Hurricane Sandy and people were everywhere.”

Franklin completed the application process and began volunteering. He worked in bulk distribution for a while and then stepped into the local community volunteer activity for the disaster response operation. His energy, bright smile and strong work ethic have endeared him to the Greater New York workers.

Timothy Pitoniak, regional director of staffing and training, has high praise for Franklin:“He is here every day, working hard to meet the needs of the Red Cross,” Pitoniak said. 

Maidman has been a quick learner and easily tosses out Red Cross acronyms. He has learned that the business of the Red Cross can be hectic, challenging and rewarding, all at the same time.

“I have met so many new friends and the Red Cross is like a second family,” he said. “What I really like is meeting people of all ages and backgrounds. It is cool that there is no generation gap here. We all learn from each other. We are one Red Cross.”