March will be Red Cross month

When a water main break flooded buildings on 41st Avenue on February 17 last year, the Red Cross was there to lend a helping hand.
That day the Queens chapter assisted 62 people forced from their homes by the flooding, offered food and beverages to those affected, and provided 6 households of 20 adults and 3 children with shelter.
This was just one of the 735 fires and other emergencies in the Queens area that the Red Cross responded to last year. In addition, it assisted 2,869 adults and children with food, shelter and/or counseling following disasters.
To help celebrate its successes, this March the Red Cross invites Queens residents to participate in Red Cross Month.
“The American Red Cross in Greater New York responds to an average of eight to 10 fires, building collapses and other emergencies in Queens, the other boroughs and in the Hudson Valley every day,” said Theresa A. Bischoff, CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York.
“When it’s cold, we wrap blankets around people, forced from their homes, and get them into a nearby school or house of worship where we provide meals and begin to help them restore order to their lives. After a storm or a fire, we provide residents with clean-up kits to help them wipe away the dirt and mold that have soiled their homes. We also provide temporary housing when it is needed.”
Bischoff said that the best way to support the organization is through volunteering or donations.
“To accomplish all that we do, including training New Yorkers in first aid/CPR and teaching others how to swim and serve as lifeguards, we rely on committed and compassionate trained volunteers who are the heart and soul of the Red Cross,” said Ms. Bischoff in a statement.
“You can become one of the 10,000 volunteers on whom we rely by enrolling in our comprehensive one-day training program. Our Red Cross Reserve Institute prepares volunteers to “Be Red Cross Ready” to assist us during local disasters.”
“Enroll in our classes, support us with a financial contribution to help us provide preparedness programs and humanitarian care to New Yorkers, and consider donating your time to become trained as an instructor or an emergency responder.”