Holiday Mail for Heroes

On this Veteran’s Day we would like to express our deepest appreciation to the 1.4 million men and woman serve in the U.S. armed forces, and to the 24 million + veterans who have served in the past. One of the primary missions of the Red Cross is Service to the Armed Forces, and in honor of that tradition we are happy to announce the Greater Manchester Chapter’s participation in this year’s Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

Through a partnership with the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, this program provides Americans with the opportunity to extend holiday greeting and thanks to service members and veterans, many of whom will be far from home this holiday season. In order to assure service members and veterans receive these cards in time for the holidays, we ask that all cards be received at the Washington PO Box no later than December 7^th. For reasons of processing and safety, we also ask participants to refrain from sending care packages, monetary gifts, using glitter or including any inserts with the cards.

We invite everyone in the community to participate by sending your holiday greetings to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

For more information about the Holiday Mail for Heroes program, please visit www.redcross.org/holidaymail.

The Gift that Saves the Day

This past year has illustrated the Greater Manchester community’s loyal support of the Red Cross. In 2008 our chapter responded to nearly 50 fires in 10 different towns, a tornado, and the ice storm that devastated many across the state. During each of these events individuals turned to the Red Cross for help, and it was only through your generosity that we were able to assist those whose homes and belongings were damaged or destroyed and provide support to the emergency workers who responded.

Like the Greater Manchester Chapter, Red Cross chapters from across the United States and around the world respond to events large and small and affect a positive change. 200 times a day, American Red Cross volunteers help a family who lost everything in a house fire or other disaster; 19,000 times a day, someone outside the US receives urgent care following a disaster from the Red Cross and our partners; 21,000 times a day, someone receives a blood transfusion from a Red Cross donor; and every 60 seconds, the life saving mission of the American Red Cross has benefited 250 people.

In order to sustain our ability to respond in times of emergencies, we are asking you to consider joining with your colleagues, family, or friends, to give the give that saves the day. We are encouraging people to continue to be generous this holiday season in their support of the American Red Cross. Your gift will support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross in your community, across the country and around the world.

Learn How to Become a Red Cross Instructor!

On November 19, the Greater Manchester Red Cross Health and Safety Department will be hosting an Instructor Meet and Greet. This will be a great opportunity for any community member who is interested in becoming involved with the Greater Manchester Red Cross Health & Safety Department. Learn how to become a First Aid, CPR, Babysitter's Training, or Pet First Aid instructor!

New and old instructors are invited to attend and share thoughts and concerns about our programs. We will be signing instructors up to teach classes at the chapter and in the community.

Refreshments will be provided and there will be a Red Cross trivia competition!

We hope to see you there!

Halloween Family Festival

Come celebrate Halloween with the GMC's Youth Board

Come to the Manchester Business Fair & Support the Red Cross

Drop by the Manchester Business Fair and check out what some of the local businesses in the community are up to. On Saturday, September 26th, representatives from local businesses will line the street from 1850 Elm Street to the corner of North and Elm with information about their companies from 10 -3. With over 50 businesses participating in this year's event, you'll be able to learn a little bit about the companies active in Manchester and the surrounding areas while helping out the Red Cross. How's that possible? Each business that you'll see at the fair has donated goods and services to be raffled off with 100% of the proceeds from the raffle to benefit the Red Cross. For an updated list of the businesses attending & raffle items please visit the website for the event: http://www.manchesterbusinessfair.com/

Protect Yourself During the Heat Wave by Taking Precautions & Recognizing the Signs of Heat Related Emergencies

We want everyone in the community to stay safe during the heat wave. Follow these tips to protect yourself from the heat.

Interested in Becoming a Health & Safety Instructor?

The Greater Manchester American Red Cross is currently looking for CPR/AED, First Aid, Babysitting, and many other volunteer instructors! As a leader of health & safety trainings, we offer classes during the morning and afternoon, as well as at night and on weekends.

Come to our Instructor “Meet and Greet” on August 20, 2009 from 4-7pm at our location on 1800 Elm St. in Manchester to learn how to become more involved in your community.

For more information, please contact:
Rachel Torman
TormanR@usa.redcross.org


“Support the Red Cross and Change a Life, starting with your own”

Is Your Company Up to OSHA Standards?

Join us on August 20th and find out.

The Wonderful World of Blogging

Welcome to the American Red Cross-Greater Manchester Chapter blog! We are the local Red Cross Chapter serving Manchester and 16 surrounding towns.

Our chapter provides disaster relief services to those affected by fires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, educates community member about health and safety issues, trains others to administer lifesaving skills, gives emergency aid to military personnel, veterans, and their families, and facilitates the Greater Manchester Community COAD. Our chapter is linked to American Red Cross International Services, which supports humanitarian relief around the world, and is a part of the National American Red Cross, which provides half the nation's blood supply.

How do we do all this? Do we have a great staff? You bet, but 96% our workforce is made up of volunteers! Volunteers serve as Disaster Action Team members, CPR/First Aid Instructors, student interns, Senior Connect Ambassadors, and grant writers, and they all help us out here at the the office.

In the coming blogs we'll be updating you about some of the programs we're offering, how we're staying active in the community, and how you can get involved. Feedback is always welcome. Please let us know what you think of our new blog, and if there is anything we should include to make it easier for you to use.