Mission Statement

The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its congressional charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

Welcome

Welcome to the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross.  We hope you find this blog informative and useful.  This is a moderated Blog, so don’t be surprised if your comments don’t show up right away.  For information about the chapter and how to contact us be sure to check out our About page.

Haiti

Thank you for your kind offer to help in Haiti as an American Red Cross volunteer. The response we received has been overwhelming, and we are touched by your generosity.

 Unfortunately, we are not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti. If support is requested by a Red Cross or Red Crescent society in another country, we tap into a cadre of emergency response workers who are specially trained to manage and participate in international emergency operations. However, we encourage you to continue to seek out possible volunteer opportunities announced by your professional association.

 Right now, Haitians need necessities that cost money such as food, clean water and shelter. The American Red Cross has pledged $10 million to help provide disaster relief and has already given thousands of hygiene kits, buckets, mosquito nets and kitchen sets.

Countless requests have come from people wanting to help.  The best way to do that is to make a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at redcross.org or through your local Red Cross chapter www.LowcountryRedCross.org.  You can make donations over the phone by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or calling your local Red Cross chapter at 843-764-2323. You can also mail a donation to the local chapter at American Red Cross, 8085 Rivers Ave, Suite F, North Charleston, SC 29406.  Donations to the International Response Fund allow the American Red Cross to respond to global emergencies and disasters.

 In addition, several hundred thousand people have chosen to make a mobile donation.  Donors can text “Haiti” to 90999 on their cell phone to send a $10 donation to support Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.  The mobile giving effort raised more than $3 million by Thursday morning, and all money raised goes to support Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

 We’ve heard your call for guidance on helping those who are suffering loud and clear. Our hope is that we can provide opportunities for you to build a lasting relationship with our mission.

 Volunteers are always needed and appreciated at the local level. There are many ways you can channel your energy and compassion through volunteering. If you would like to volunteer for the American Red Cross in your community, please contact your local Red Cross. You can become trained in disaster response, safety and preparedness. Become part of a global cause to help alleviate human suffering in whatever form it may take.

Information on American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti

 

 For current  information on the American Red Cross efforts in Haiti, please go to www.redcross.org and type Haiti into the search field.

Finding loved ones that were in the Haiti earthquake!

 

 

 

Families can register the names of people unaccounted for in Haiti on the ICRC family links site, www.icrc.org/familylinks

 For US citizens please direct inquiries for US citizens to the State Dept. 1-888-407-4747

 

I love my job…

FIRST BLOG FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES! YEAH!

Some days in emergency services are more exciting than others and some days I feel like I’ve helped more people today than I did yesterday. And being able to help a person in need is why I work for the American Red Cross.

Last week a client reminded me why I started out volunteering for the Red Cross and ultimately why I took this job. It started with her neighbor having a fire and her neighbor being sent to the Charleston office for assistance. We have such a great relationship with our community fire departments that this doesn’t happen much; but when it does you have to instantly decide what would be easiest and fastest for the client. In this case, I chose to run out to the scene and assess the damage and come back to the office to do the casework.

When I got to the scene of the fire, I found the neighbor sitting in her car. I introduced myself and spoke with her for a few minutes and got some information about the fire. Thankfully, the fire hadn’t come into her apartment but the fire department pulled the power to her unit, kicked in her backdoor to make sure her home wasn’t on fire and caused some other damage to the home. I asked her if she needed any assistance from the Red Cross and she just asked for some water. It was definitely a hot day and she was just waiting patiently in her car for the landlord to come back out. I gave her my card and told her if the power couldn’t be turned back on today, to give me a call and I would see what I could do and that I would send some water back with her neighbor once I finished the casework.

That afternoon she shows up in the lobby of our office to tell me that the power company has to inspect the wiring before they will turn her power back on and she doesn’t have anywhere to go and she has medicine that she needs to keep refrigerated. She really just wanted to see if we could provide something to keep her medications cool and she would figure out the rest. I explained to her that we couldn’t provide a refrigerator but I could provide her a place to stay for the night. I set her up with a place to stay, got her 2 comfort kits and a few bottles of water.

Before she walked out the door, she turned to me and said “Thank you. You didn’t have to help me but you did and it means so much.” She gave me a big hug and thanked me again and went about her day.

That client reminded me why my job is so important to the community we serve. And at the end of the day, I’m here to help the community I live in. The little things don’t matter, the stress from the overflowing pile of things in my inbox isn’t important at that moment, and that return phone call can wait. I take any chance I can to go the scene of a fire because it’s how I started how my volunteer career with the Red Cross and I don’t think I shouldn’t go to fires because now I get paid to come to the office everyday. Sometimes I need that contact with the community to remind me that this job isn’t all about getting the paperwork done it’s about being there to help your community and show that you care!

I work with some wonderful volunteers who devote numerous hours every week to answering calls, calling volunteers, and responding to fires. Each time the go out they show me how much they care for the people who live here and the Red Cross mission. I am truly thankful for those volunteers!

It’s not every day that I get the “warm fuzzy” from helping a person in need but when I do, it makes all the difference in my day.

This is why I LOVE MY JOB!

Swimming and Water Safety training saves lives.

Drownings are big news in the Lowcountry right now, with 8 drownings occurring just in the past few weeks. The American Red Cross is the leader in Swimming and Water Safety training nationwide, so we are often sought out by news media to provide an expert viewpoint.

 If you have Comcast, keep an eye out for the Newsmakers segment on Cable Channel 2 this week. Libby Lynskey, Health and Safety Director at the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter, sat down with news anchor Carolyn Murray to talk about water safety and the importance of learning to swim.

 Did you know that most of the major aquatics facilities in our region offer Red Cross swimming lessons? From babies to adults, everyone can learn to be safe in the water and it doesn’t cost as much as you might think. Check the Aquatics page on our website for a list of facilities that provide Red Cross swimming lessons.  Visit HTTP://lowcountryredcross.org to sign up under health and safety

A fire at Martin Creek Apartments affected 13 families early one cold February morning.

   The Red Cross got a call from the fire department dispatch one cold February morning that an apartment was on fire in Summerville.  We immediately dispatched our ERV for canteening the fire fighters and emergency personel that were on scene to fight the fire.  We then dispatched a crew of caseworkers who set up in the apartment office building in preparation for serving the displaced families.   We were able to provide health and mental health services, and emergency assistance for food, clothing, and shelter as needed. 

A fire is never a good thing.  Between the management of the apartments, the Red Cross and numerous businesses and groups, all 13 families were relocated to new apartments, complete with furniture and  kitchen items.   The community came out to support their own.  While not a complete list, some of the supporters were:  Lowe’s, Fruit of the Loom, Bilo, local coffee shops, neightbors, furniture rental companies, Pizza Hut, Chick Filet  and  the Realitor Association.  Other organization donated items directly to the apartment complex for the fire victims.

As a Red Cross volunteer, I am proud to be involved in an organization so willing to help, and also proud of the Summerville community.  Together we can make a difference.

Eileen Hadbavney gets a reward from President Bush

Local Red Cross Volunteer gets an award from President Bush

President Bush presents the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Eileen Hadbavny at Charleston Air Force Base in North Charleston on Oct. 10, 2008.

Q: What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had as a volunteer?

A: There’s several.

When I was at Blacksburg, Va., I got a Red Cross message for a Virginia Tech student that had originated in a refugee camp from his brother. And he had lost contact, and he had not heard from his brother in four years.

We got the Red Cross message through our national headquarters; it had come through international services. And I called him up and said, “Do you have a relative by the name of so-and-so in the Ivory Coast?” He said, “Well, yes,” and I said, “We have a Red Cross message, and I would like to schedule a time for me to deliver this to you,” and he said, “How about right now?” It was 9:30 at night. When we met him, he was in a parking lot waving us down, and he was so excited because he had not heard news in four years and had no idea the Red Cross even did this type of service.

Eileen has been a volunteer with the American Red Cross Carolina Lowcountry Chapter for over 18 years.  She has been the lead volunteer for Health Services,  Service to Armed forces and International services.  We congraduate Eileen for her many accomplishments and thank her for her dedication to the Red Cross.