Red Cross Helps Allegheny County Libraries Prepare Patrons for Flu Season
PITTSBURGH – With extensive reference materials, computers and class offerings, Allegheny County libraries provide a wealth of information to the community. Amid flu season, however, the America
PITTSBURGH – The holidays are a time for excitement, celebration and laughter. With this holiday season quickly approaching, people throughout the region are decorating homes; while the American
Red Cross Urges Local Residents to Use Fire Alarms
PITTSBURGH - The American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter wants you to be safe and ready in the case of a fire. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) release
April 24, 2006 American Red Cross Annual Benefit---A Red Tie Affair All proceeds will remain local to help area families
Pittsburgh, PA--- This Saturday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the main ballroom of the Westin Convention Center Hotel, the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter will host some of the region’s top business executives and community leaders at its annual fundraising benefit-a "Red Tie Affair."
Kevin McClatchy, CEO and Managing General Partner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will be awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Red Cross.
Guests are asked to wear an element of red in their ensemble to show support for the tireless and vital work of the Red Cross. The cost is $325/person. The evening begins with a cocktail reception, followed by a five-course dinner, and live performances by Jeff Jimerson and Airborne. Tony Mowod of WDUQ radio will be the Master of Ceremonies. Tickets and sponsorships are still available, contact Jessika Strauss at 412-263-3112 or go to www.swpa.redcross.org.
Unique auction items include a Super Bowl XL official football held in reserve (but unused) for the Steelers’ World Championship victory; an overnight stay for two and 18 holes of golf at Nemacolin Woodlands; three women’s fur apparel items from Canadian Fur Company; three cases of fine wines donated by Wine Cellars of Annapolis; a golf foursome with Kevin McClatchy at the prestigious Laurel Valley Country Club in Ligonier; and three designer dresses from Emporio Armani. Also included is a raffle for a $5,000 Louis Anthony Jewelers gift certificate which was donated by the jeweler.
All proceeds from the Red Tie Affair will stay in the area to help local families. The American Red Cross is not a government agency and the chapter does not receive local funding from the national organization, except during large-scale disasters.
"We must rely on the generosity of our neighbors each year to continue our vital work in this region," said Red Cross CEO Tim Tassone. "Our annual benefit is one of the ways we raise these much-needed funds."
Organizations can participate in the Red Tie Affair with sponsorships at the Silver $2,500, Gold $5,000 and Platinum $10,000 levels. Supporting the benefit at the Platinum level are Giant Eagle and U.S. Steel Corp.; at the gold level, Fazio Mechanical Services Inc., PNC, and UPMC/Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic; and at the silver level, A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc., Blattner Brunner and Gateway Bank, Deloitte, Duquesne University, Ernst & Young, Grane Healthcare, H.B. Maynard & Co, Inc., The Hillman Company, H.J. Heinz Corp., Howard Hanna, IBACOS, JP Phillips, Inc., LaSalle Bank, Mellon Financial, Metz Lewis, MBM Contracting, Inc., MSA, McGuire Woods, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Oxford Development Company, Pittsburgh Pirates, Reed Smith LLP, Respironics, Rizza Group, and UPMC Healthcare.
April 20, 2006 Local Red Cross Trains GAI Consultants Inc. Employees to Respond to Disasters
Pittsburgh, PA--- In an effort to prepare volunteers to respond to large-scale emergencies and to help local businesses give back to the community during disasters, the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter and GAI Consultants Inc. (GAI) out of Homestead are partnering to be able to respond when disasters occur.
Executives from GAI and the Red Cross will sign a disaster preparedness training agreement and then the Red Cross will train 14 GAI employees at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 25, at GAI Consultants’ Pittsburgh Office, 385 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120.
Disasters such as flooding, apartment building fires, chemical spills, explosions or other emergencies that cause human suffering can strike quickly and without warning. Volunteers trained through the Red Cross "Ready When the Time Comes" program are called upon for disasters that affect a large amount of people and when help is need immediately, by many people at once. Partnering with such organizations as GAI to train employees how to be prepared for the unexpected disasters that can occur in our region, allows the Red Cross to have in place additional, trained volunteers to act on a moment’s notice--to be ready when the time comes to respond.
Established in 1958, GAI Consultants, Inc.(GAI) is a multi-disciplined professional engineering, planning, environmental, and construction services firm dedicated to "transforming ideas into reality" from offices throughout the Eastern United States and Midwest.
The American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter helps more than 1.6 million people in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties. Locally, the Red Cross provides relief to the victims of more than 350 disasters each year, facilitates more than 2,600 emergency messages between our deployed men and women in uniform and their loved ones here at home, as well as trains more than 45,000 individuals in vital lifesaving skills. The American Red Cross, a United Way Partner Agency, is honored to support two senior volunteer programs, The Foster Grandparent Program and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, as well as the Homeless Prevention Services of Washington County. The American Red Cross is not a government agency, nor does it receive funding from its national headquarters except during times of large-scale disasters. It is only through the generosity of the people of southwestern Pennsylvania that the local Red Cross is able fulfill its mission to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and other lifesaving emergencies. To donate or volunteer, call 1-888-217-9599, or visit online at swpa.redcross.org.
April 14, 2006 Letter to the editor from CEO Tim Tassone for National Volunteer Week
Letter to Editor for National Volunteer Week: April 23-29, 2006
Any organization worth its weight depends upon the tremendous value, tireless work, endless effort, and incredible spirit of its people. How many times have we heard the adage regarding the measurement of business success: “We’re in the People business-it all starts with our People”?
The American Red Cross celebrates 125 years this year of being in the People business. The organization is and always has been led by volunteers people and guided by a Congressional Charter to provide relief to victims of disasters and to help all people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies whether natural or man-made in nature. American Red Crossers fulfill this pledge, each and every day without prejudice, pre-condition or pre-requisite.
Whether such humanitarian and noble volunteer effort is needed right here in southwestern Pennsylvania or in the southern Gulf Coast states-the American Red Cross will be there. For example, we all witnessed heroic and selfless actions by Red Cross individuals and chapters as we pulled together to face the most demanding disasters in our history-Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
Red Cross workers numbering more than 233,000 and operating as many as 1,200 shelters acted as life-saving blessings to hundreds of thousands of hurricane victims. More than 34 million hot meals were served in and around those shelters alone, plus hundreds of thousands of human services to give people comfort, dignity and most of all---hope.
Our Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter, serving Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties is honored and privileged to have hundreds of volunteers who fulfill the mission of the Red Cross insofar as disaster relief, emergency services, health and safety services, and Armed Forces communications efforts. Hundreds more got involved during last fall’s unprecedented hurricane season, when our chapter was challenged with recruiting and training new volunteers who could help nationally.
We set out upon a coordinated and intense public awareness campaign to create an interest and a desire among the willing and caring people of southwestern Pennsylvania. We set up a series of ‘Boot Camps’ whereby interested and qualified candidates could receive the mandatory disaster response training to be a registered, responsible-and proud--- Red Cross volunteer.
In addition to the work the volunteers helped our chapter with locally, we deployed 89 trained and registered disaster volunteers to work in response to the hurricanes. So this year’s recognition of National Volunteer Week holds a bit more significance to us than before. We are extremely proud of not only those newly trained and registered disaster volunteers but all of our volunteers here in the southwestern Pennsylvania region who provide help, caring, education and hope.
Our 125th anniversary is the time to reinforce our commitment to the spirit and the efforts of our volunteers, ensuring that the Red Cross remains a vital force in our neighborhoods, our nation and the world.
Thank you, American Red Cross volunteers!
T.L. (Tim) Tassone Churchill Tim Tassone is the CEO of the American Red Cross Southwestern PA Chapter
