WHAT: Annual "Red Tie Affair" fundraising event to benefit the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter- a black-tie event offering a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, live entertainment, a silent auction, a special diamond raffle sponsored by CASA D’ORO Diamonds and Fine Jewelry and more.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 26, 2008

WHERE: Westin Convention Center Hotel, Main Ballroom. 1000 Penn Ave., Downtown Pittsburgh

WHY: Proceeds benefit the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter and help enable the Red Cross to help local families in times of emergencies. The Red Cross will present its third annual Distinguished Leadership Award to the Honorable Ralph. J. Cappy, a Pittsburgh native and retiring Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice. The award was established to honor a community leader whose ongoing effort, commitment, courage and positive nature has made a difference in the perception and image of our entire Pittsburgh region. Sally Wiggin, news anchor at WTAE-TV, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

COST: Tickets are $325 for individuals or $550 per couple. Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are available.

Through a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, the Red Cross Aquatic School has been offered for more than 10 years and has assisted in training lifeguards that are protecting area swimmers throughout Allegheny County and surrounding areas.

• You must be at least 15 years of age.
• Able to swim 300 yards continuously using the following strokes: front crawl (100 yards); breaststroke (100 yards); and 100 yards of either the front crawl or breaststroke or a combination of the two.
• Able to surface dive 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object and return to starting position within 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Registration is strongly preferred; however, walk-ins will be accepted. Candidates must attend all four days for certification. Thurs 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., Fri 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

$215 non-refundable fee is due upon registration. For current lifeguards interested in a Lifeguarding Review, attendance is mandatory for only Friday-Sunday and the cost is $175.

PITTSBURGH - Imagine receiving a free Jr. Frosty every time you visit Wendy’s for an entire year. For a small charitable donation, you can have this sweet holiday gift that keeps giving.

Customers can purchase a Frosty Key Tag at participating area Wendy’s for $1, then simply show the tag when ordering at Wendy’s any time through Dec. 31, 2008 and receive a free Jr. Frosty. Proceeds from the purchase of each Frosty Key Tag will benefit the American Red Cross Southwest Pennsylvania Region and The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division.

"For just $1, you can help support two charitable organizations and receive a free Jr. Frosty every time you visit Wendy’s for an entire year," said Tim Tassone, the CEO of the local Red Cross. "This deal comes just in time for the holidays. Frosty Key Tags make great stocking stuffers."

The offer is available only at participating Pittsburgh-area Wendy’s restaurants. The promotion is not valid with any other offer.

The Red Cross plays an instrumental role in validating the messages with the most current information available. AFES volunteers are taught the regulations and protocol for communicating between the military and families.

For more than a century, the Red Cross has provided these services to members of the U.S. military and their families---a tradition started by Clara Barton, the organization’s founder during the Civil War.

"The military looks to the Red Cross to verify family emergency situations. We report to the national communications center and then the military makes the final call on the situation, said Dick Ritchie, an AFES volunteer for the past three years from Upper St. Clair.

"Sometimes I can go through an evening and only get one call; sometimes I’ll have five calls in five hours. AFES is a great volunteer opportunity with the Red Cross because you can do it from home and yet you’re helping people thousands of miles away."

Volunteers for AFES answer calls regarding important news from military families such as the death of a loved one, serious illness or the birth of a child. AFES volunteers are the key to verifying and processing this important information for the families’ loved ones currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces using a worldwide network of Red Cross staff and volunteers. The volunteers may call such places as hospitals, funeral homes or doctor’s offices to obtain the proper verification. The approval for leave is granted by the serviceperson’s command and not by the Red Cross.

All trainings are free and open to the public. Volunteers will be asked to provide references and complete a background check. Registration is required; call your local branch office or toll-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 888-217-9599.

Pittsburgh, Pa. -During disasters such as fires, floods, hurricanes and wildfires, those who are directly affected by the disaster can have extremely varying reactions to the traumatic situations---especially children.

A partnership in existence between the national American Red Cross and the Church of the Brethren during national disasters is enacted when Red Cross volunteers are working with parents who have suffered a loss due to disaster; the Children’s Disaster Services volunteers through the Church of the Brethren provide a safe and therapeutic environment for the children. The American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter has brought the partnership close to home by offering training for its volunteers to respond to children’s needs affected by local disasters.

The local Red Cross chapter and Children’s Disaster Services will offer an overnight training for current Red Cross volunteers and Red Cross-supported community shelter teams from nearby municipalities to learn the needs of children following a disaster; learn skills for effective interaction with children; and experience a simulated disaster aftermath. This will better prepare our local volunteers and community shelter teams to respond to children’s needs following disasters that happen in the southwestern Pennsylvania region.

Nov. 9-10 from 5 p.m. Friday through 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the volunteers will operate a shelter following a simulated disaster in which children are affected, though no children will be on location for the training. Unique to other Red Cross shelter trainings, the participants in the workshop will stay in the simulated shelter overnight.

Homestead Park United Methodist Church has generously donated its location at 4231 Shady Ave. in Munhall for this workshop.

Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is a national organization that trains volunteers throughout the United States to set up special child care centers in disaster locations to provide crisis intervention for young children who have experienced disaster while their parents are applying for assistance and putting their lives back together.

Potential child care volunteers are trained to recognize and understand fears and other emotions young children experience during and following a traumatic event. Since children don't always have the necessary verbal skills to express their feelings, volunteers are taught to provide play activities which gives them an outlet to express these feelings which might otherwise remain internalized for many years.