Portland, OR. The American Red Cross is on the ground where thousands of people are impacted by wildfires. Trained Red Cross disaster workers are working around the clock to open or support shelters and evacuation centers. They’re helping out with the nation’s largest fire, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire which started on July 6th and is still burning 28 miles northeast of Klamath Falls. The wildfire is approximately 42% contained as of July 25th and has burned over 401,000 acres. Click here for a link to the current information about the Bootleg Fire.
The National Preparedness Level has been raised to 5, the highest level of wildfire activity. This is the earliest to reach that level in 10 years.
Several weeks ago, experts predicted 2021’s wildfire season could be extremely dangerous due to the severe drought occurring over much of the western half of the country following back-to-back years of record-breaking wildfire seasons.
According to the Oregon State Fire Marshal, over 2,224 people have been deployed to fight the Bootleg Fire including these firefighters from the Sisters area.
The National Interagency Fire Center reports 68 large fires have scorched more than a million acres in 12 states this fire season, including the Bootleg Fire seen above.
The Red Cross urges everyone in wildfire-prone areas to get ready now.
States reporting large wildfires include Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Minnesota.
Here’s the information from the American Red Cross about staying up to date as wildfire season progresses:
IF YOU NEED TO GO TO A SHELTER Follow any evacuation orders from officials. To find an open shelter, visit redcross.org or download the free Red Cross app “Emergency” and view open facilities. If you don’t have access to a computer or smartphone, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).
We encourage anyone coming to a Red Cross emergency shelter to bring personal items for each member of their family, including prescription and emergency medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other comfort items. It’s also important to bring special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, and other items for family members who have unique needs.
In addition to the free Red Cross app “Emergency”, the Red Cross First Aid app gives you instant access to information on handling common first aid scenarios, including heat emergencies. Download for free here or search for ‘American Red Cross’ in your app store.
HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help people affected by disasters like wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Call, click, or text to give: visit redcross.org, call 1-800 RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS Keep track of the weather, fires near you and listen to instructions from local authorities. Be ready to leave quickly with your emergency kit. You might not get an official notice to evacuate. Be ready to leave if local authorities tell you to evacuate, or if you feel you are in danger
Shut all windows and doors. Remove flammable window shades, curtains, and close metal shutters.
Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors.
Shut off gas at the meter; turn off pilot lights. Shut off the air conditioning.
Gather up flammable items from the exterior of the house and bring them inside (patio furniture, toys, trash cans).
Turn off propane tanks. Move propane BBQ appliances away from structures.
Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, they can affect critical water pressure.
Back your loaded car into the driveway and keep all doors and windows closed.
Ensure your emergency supplies kit is in your vehicle.
Locate your pets and take them with you.
RED CROSS WILL PROVIDE SAFE SHELTER The Red Cross will continue to make sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat, and resources to help them recover after a disaster, a critical part of the Red Cross mission, but how we support sheltering efforts may be different in each community, depending on local emergency plans and the scale of the disaster. In most cases this year, we will open group shelters. However, in some communities, hotels may still be more appropriate if the risk of COVID-19 is particularly high. The Red Cross will also keep many of the safety precautions implemented in 2020. These include masks, health screenings, enhanced cleaning procedures, and encouraging social distancing.
From the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS HELPThe generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur, and help families during the recovery process.
ADGP $1 Million members are: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; The Home Depot Foundation; Latter-day Saint Charities; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Truist Foundation; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and Wells Fargo.
ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; Aon; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; HCA Healthcare; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; LHC Group; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Lowe’s Companies, Inc.; Mastercard; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stanley Black & Decker; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda Pharmaceutical; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and The Wawa Foundation.
Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; Alliance Data; American Express; Ameriprise Financial, Inc.; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; Big 5 Sporting Goods; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Company; CSX; Darden Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Equitable; FirstEnergy Foundation; Grainger; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Humble Bundle; Kaiser Permanente; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Lenovo; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; Procter & Gamble; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Technologies; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southwest Airlines; U-Haul International; and U.S. Bank Foundation.
Portland, OR. The American Red Cross tests every blood donation for a variety of infections. All blood, platelet, and plasma donations are tested for COVID-19 antibodies. Will the antibody test become an incentive for people to give blood? The Red Cross hopes so. The organization needs donations, particularly convalescent plasma from COVID-19 Survivors.
The American Red Cross is currently urging eligible COVID-19 survivors to give convalescent plasma to help patients battling the virus and can have access to all potentially lifesaving treatments. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation, collected from individuals who recovered from COVID-19, that contains antibodies.
Communications Director, April Phillips, explains why convalescent plasma is needed. “We know right now we are seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases across the country and as the number of COVID-19 cases increases, so does the need for convalescent plasma. In fact, our distributions of convalescent plasma to hospitals had increased 250% in November compared to September, and that number continues to rise.”
According to Phillips, if someone is positive for COVID-19 antibodies, this means that they’ve had been exposed to the virus at some point and their body has built up antibodies to help them fight the virus. This doesn’t confirm any sort of immunity, but the plasma from their blood could potentially be helpful to patients who are currently fighting the virus.
On May 29, 2020, in Rockville, Maryland, a Red Cross phlebotomist April Hall works with a donor of convalescent plasma Alisha Wolf. Wolf discovered she was Covid-19 positive while in the hospital to deliver her baby (everyone is now healthy). Photo by Dennis Drenner/American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is testing all blood donations for COVID-19 antibodies and is collecting convalescent plasma at more than 170 locations throughout the country. COVID-19 survivors who donate their plasma have the ability to help up to four patients recover from the virus.
Currently, the American Red Cross is experiencing a shortage of type AB and B convalescent plasma and is asking people who know that they have COVID-19 antibodies to sign up, to donate convalescent plasma, or donate whole blood. Type AB plasma is the only universal plasma type and can be given to patients of any blood type. Individuals interested in donating convalescent plasma can do so by clicking this link.
There are also new safety precautions in place when donating blood. People are required to wear a fabric covering (mask), a temperature check is required and there will be hand sanitizing stations set up throughout the whole time at a blood drive.
Eligible convalescent plasma donors can give with the Red Cross every seven days for up to three months. To be eligible to give convalescent plasma an individual must be:
In good health and generally feel well.
Have a prior, verified diagnosis of COVID-19, but are now symptom-free and fully recovered from COVID-19 and at least 14 days from the last date of symptoms.
On April 24, 2020, in Baltimore, Maryland, a Red Cross phlebotomist collects lifesaving blood products during the COVID-19 outbreak while working a shift at the Mount Hope Blood Donation Center. Photo by Dennis Drenner/American Red Cross
Individuals must meet all regular blood donation requirements plus some additional criteria. Individuals who have fully recovered from COVID-19 and would like to help should first complete a Donor Request form online. If they are eligible to give, an American Red Cross representative will contact them to schedule a donation appointment at a Red Cross or another blood collection organization facility.
Donating convalescent plasma is different from a whole blood donation; the plasma is donated using an apheresis process where blood is drawn from one arm and sent through a high-tech machine that collects the plasma and then safely and comfortably returns red cells and platelets back to the person. This process is longer than donating whole blood and does take more time.
Phillips’ aunt this past summer received convalescent plasma while hospitalized for COVID-19 and encourages others to donate plasma. “You just don’t know, what your donation could mean to the family and to the person who’s been battling coronavirus, it’s a little bit of time, but it could make a world of difference for a patient.”
On April 22, 2020, in Rockville, Maryland, a Red Cross blood donor rolls up a sleeve to give blood during the COVID-19 outbreak at the Rockville Donation Center in Maryland. Photo by Dennis Drenner/American Red Cross
Thousands of American Red Cross drives have been canceled as community organizations and businesses are restricting access to many locations. The need for blood is constant; individuals who don’t have COVID-19 but would like to still help can do so by donating their blood or host a drive to help ensure a stable blood supply during the pandemic.
More research is needed before definite conclusions can be drawn; however, the American Red Cross is aware of several studies and articles that found a correlation between blood type and susceptibility to COVID-19. There is some evidence that shows lower COVID-19 infection rates for those with blood type O.
From the American Red Cross website: The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
Seattle, OR. Boeing announced $700,000 in grants from the Boeing Charitable Trust to help local communities with the ongoing humanitarian and environmental crisis caused by wildfires burning along the West Coast. Boeing is providing $500,000 to the American Red Cross to support its fire relief efforts in Washington, Oregon and California. Above, American Red Cross volunteer Kalen Pippins, helps to get meals ready to deliver to evacuees from the Oregon wildfires who are staying in hotel shelters in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross)
“On behalf of Boeing employees across the globe, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to all those impacted by the West Coast wildfires,” said Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun. “As these wildfires have ravaged the Western United States, the American Red Cross has stepped up to answer the call at this critical moment of need, and we are happy to support them in their critical work. Through our partnership with the Red Cross, we will help bring recovery and relief efforts to those who have been displaced – and whose lives have been impacted – by these destructive fires.”
American Red Cross volunteers deliver meals to evacuees at a hotel that is being used by the American Red Cross as a shelter in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross)
Sifters are loaded into a truck that will deliver them to families affected by the wildfires in Silverton, Oregon. Sifters will be used to salvage items remaining at burned homes. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross)
Additionally, Boeing is donating $200,000 to provide food assistance in these states where significant numbers of the company’s employees live and work. $100,000 is being given to Northwest Harvest in Washington, and $50,000 apiece to the Oregon Food Bank and Redwood Empire Food Bank in California.
“Thousands of our families, friends and neighbors have been displaced around the west,” said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and the company’s senior executive in the region. “We are committed to helping them through this exceptionally challenging time.”
Boeing’s grant to the Red Cross will provide shelter, food and essentials for those who have been displaced from their homes due to the wildfires. These funds will also assist in the ongoing evacuation and aid delivery response in impacted communities.
“The Red Cross is working around the clock to help hundreds of thousands of people forced to evacuate from their homes due to the California, Oregon and Washington wildfires. We have taken extra safety precautions due to the pandemic to ensure people feel safe as we support the communities impacted by the wildfires,” said Don Herring, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. “We are extremely grateful for Boeing’s support, which allows us to provide shelter, food and comfort to help people in need.”
Consistent with Boeing employee gift match programs, the company will also match qualifying employee contributions made to eligible nonprofits for wildfire relief efforts.
Game-changing innovation will always be at the heart of Boeing. And just as our business has evolved to meet the challenges of a global marketplace, so has our approach to community engagement.
Through purposeful investments, employee engagement and thoughtful advocacy efforts, Boeing and its employees support innovative partnerships and programs that align with our strategic objectives, create value and help build better communities worldwide. This includes improving access to globally competitive learning as well as workforce and skills development and supporting our military and veteran communities.
See how Boeing and its employees give their time, talent and resources in communities around the world.
Portland, OR. The local Red Cross has deployed 15 people from Oregon and SW Washington to assist with the California wildfires response. Disaster responders from Bend, Grants Pass, Gresham, Gold Beach, Junction City, Medford, Newberg, Portland, Salem, Summerville, and Wolf Creek, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, are either already on the ground or making their way to California.
Woolsey Fire shelter
The American Red Cross is on the ground throughout the State of California, providing shelter, food and comfort for thousands of people forced to leave their homes due to the deadly wildfires burning in both the northern and southern parts of the state.
Red Cross volunteers are providing help and support at evacuation centers to offer safe refuge for people impacted by these devastating fires. Overnight, more than 2,100 people sought refuge from the wildfires in 18 Red Cross and community evacuation centers across the state. People are welcome to come to shelters for help even if they don’t stay overnight.
The Red Cross has deployed enough supplies to shelter as many as 7,000 people, including special equipment to support people with access and functional needs. The Red Cross is also mobilizing relief supplies to serve as many as 15,000 households. Supplies include sifters, personal protective equipment, respiratory masks, rakes, shovels, work gloves, tarps, and other resources.
FINDING LOVED ONESPeople continue to search for missing loved ones and Red Cross reunification services are helping reconnect them as quickly as possible. These services include helping people communicate through the Red Cross Safe and Well website, as well as helping with urgent requests involving unaccompanied minors and separated children, reestablishing contact with family members who have been separated within the disaster area and working with partners to resolve reunification-related inquiries. As of Sunday, nearly 3,900 people have registered on Safe and Well, with more than 41,000 total searches and 539 actual matches.
If someone is looking for loved ones they can visit the Red Cross Safe and Well website at http://www.redcross.org/safeandwell. The site allows individuals and organizations to register and post messages to indicate that they are safe, or to search for loved ones. The site is always available, open to the public and available in Spanish. Registrations and searches can be done directly on the website.
People can also use the “I’m Safe” feature of the Red Cross Emergency App to let loved ones know their status. The Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.
HOW YOU CAN HELPEntire communities and families have been left reeling from these deadly wildfires. Help people affected by the California wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a $10 donation.Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.
Actress Sandra Bullock, a long-time supporter of the Red Cross, has donated $400,000 to help with the California wildfires relief effort. “The untold destruction from these fires is heartbreaking, especially following the tragedy at Borderline in Thousand Oaks,” Bullock said. “I’m glad to be able to help. We’re all family in this, whether it be human, furry or feathered.
CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.
From American Red Cross:
ADGP $1 Million members are: Adelson Family Foundation; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Brown & Brown Insurance; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe’s Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; State Farm; Verizon; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Walt Disney Company.
ADGP $500,000 members are: 21st Century Fox; Altria Group; AmazonSmile; American Express; Aon; BMW of North America; Capital One; CBS Corporation; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; General Motors; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; LabCorp; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Nissan; Procter & Gamble Company; PwC Charitable Foundation; Southwest Airlines; Target; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; and Wells Fargo.
Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; AdvoCare International L.P.; Alliance Data; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; AXA Equitable Life; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; Boise Paper; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cox Automotive; DICK’S Sporting Goods; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Farmers Insurance; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; HSBC Bank; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land O’Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Company; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder; SC Johnson; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; The Starbucks Foundation; Stearns Bank; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; U.S. Bank; and Visa
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
Portland, September 10th, 2015. If you couldn’t join the thousands who flocked to Pioneer Courthouse Square for The Standard’s Annual Volunteer Expo, you’re in luck. We’ve got all the information and website links to explore over 125 local nonprofits that could use your time.
A full list of links of nonprofits is at the bottom of our story.
R. Richard Crockett, (left) is the Program Operations Director & Volunteer Coordinator at Chess for Success.
Classroom Law Project is a non-profit organization of individuals, educators, lawyers, and civic leaders building strong communities by teaching students to become active citizens.
The Standard’s Volunteer Expo has repeat participants year after year, here’s a look at some nonprofits which continue to recruit volunteers:
Jenny Bedell-Stiles and Andy Meeks from Friends of Trees
talks with Casey Rhodes and Clark Hays.
Jenny Chu from Literary Arts
New Avenues For Youth volunteers are a hit every year because they dish out the free Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream!
Rachel Randles from Oregon Historical Society
The Volunteers of America recruited some new volunteers!
Special Olympics Oregon has room for coaches and event volunteers.
Newspace Center for Photography promoted its multidimensional photography resource center and community hub for students, working artists, professional photographers, educators, and photo-enthusiasts of all types.
Latino Network’s Edgar Ortega
Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro Area had a colorful display.
The Work for Art’s Community Fund and Arts Education Fund support more than 80 arts and culture organizations every year—encompassing dance, visual arts, music, literary arts, media arts, theater, cultural arts, and arts education.
IMPACT NW drew prospective volunteers who learned that each year over 60,000 low-income children, youth, families, seniors, and adults with disabilities participate in Impact NW’s comprehensive anti-poverty programs.
The YMCA was handing out information about programs.
People who stopped by The Q Center booth were met with a friendly smile.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Oregon Chapter staffers promoted their many volunteer options.
Reps from the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon explained their work on behalf of local cats and kittens.
American Red Cross volunteer recruiters had the trademark red vests!
The mission of the Make-A-Wish Oreogn Foundation® is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Northwest Pilot Project began in 1969 as an all volunteer agency to provide basic supports for seniors at risk of losing their ability to live independently.
Miracle Theatre Group is The Northwest’s premiere Latino arts and culture organization.
Camp Fire offers opportunities for volunteers who like to work with kids.
Bridge Meadows is a multi-generation housing community serving Oregon’s vulnerable populations; foster youth, adoptive parents and elders (55+).
Here’s a list of links to charities at the The Standard’s Volunteer Expo. Please consider donating your time, and tell them PortlandSocietyPage.com sent you!
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