The Great LegacyGT.com Fundraiser 06!!

[TRS]

For all the "losers" in the raffle, here's just a few examples of why you're all really winners for donating to the American Red Cross:

Red Cross helps Florida residents recover from tornadoes

 

Friday, December 29, 2006 — Residents are beginning to clean up and recover possessions from homes damaged by a series of tornadoes that ripped through four Florida counties on Christmas day.

 

More than 200 mobile homes in and around DeLand as well as dozens of single-family homes, at least three apartment buildings and a local university and flight school in the area were damaged when four tornadoes blew through Columbia, Pasco, Lake and Volusia counties in Florida on Monday, Dec. 25, 2006. According to the National Weather Service, winds topped 120 mph – strong enough to flip over teaching planes at the flight school in Daytona Beach.

 

http://www.redcross.org/static/file_cont6019_lang0_2331.jpgAmerican Red Cross disaster relief team members perform damage assessments in a Florida community where one of four tornadoes struck on Christmas day.

The Red Cross Response

 

Florida’s Coast to Coast chapter of the American Red Cross responded immediately, setting up emergency shelters for those driven from their homes by the tornadoes.

 

“Our immediate need was to provide shelter and feeding to the people,” said the chapter’s Director of Public Affairs Pam Hamlin. “We helped open two shelters, one in Daytona Beach and the other in DeLand, Volusia Co., and are feeding people at the affected sites.”

 

Due to declining need, the temporary shelters are now closed. Utilities have or are in the process of being restored to most areas, and residents who cannot return home are now staying with friends and family or have found accommodations in hotels/motels. With the focus of the Red Cross response shifting from emergency relief to recovery services, the chapter has opened two service centers – one at the DeLand YMCA on International Speedway Boulevard and on at the Daytona Beach Lions Club on White Street – to continue offering assistance such as distributing comfort and clean-up kits.

 

http://www.redcross.org/static/file_cont6020_lang0_2332.jpgRed Cross volunteers use emergency response vehicles to deliver emergency water, meals and snacks to survivors of the recent tornadoes in Florida.

 

Dianna Van Horn, who is a Public Affairs Manager with the American Red Cross currently helping support Florida’s Coast to Coast chapter in this response, indicated that the first day that the centers were open, Thursday, was slow. She expects the volume to pick up as word spreads.

 

Red Cross feeding operations also continue in impacted areas with the chapter delivering meals in Daytona and DeLand, where the bulk of damage occurred, via Red Cross emergency response vehicles. Also, the Red Cross has begun conducting damage assessments that will help in determining what types of assistance residents may need in order to beginning getting their lives back to normal.

Making a Difference

 

http://www.redcross.org/static/file_cont6021_lang0_2333.jpgRed Cross workers and volunteers delivering food and conducting damage assessments spend time speaking with and comforting tornado survivors in a Florida community.

 

Van Horn expressed pride at seeing the Red Cross volunteers making a difference in the lives of residents in these Florida communities. “It’s interesting to me that we’re preparing to end one year and begin another doing what we do best – responding to people in crisis after a disaster,” said Van Horn. “Our own volunteers willingly stop their lives – putting everything on hold – to help those who have been forced to restart their lives in the coming year as a result of these tornadoes.”

 

Volunteers aren’t the only ones looking for opportunities to turn this tragedy around. Local organizations also have reached out to help those affected by these unexpected tornadoes in what has been dubbed by the chapter as “Operation Santa.” The corporate office of Toys “R” Us, Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church and New Smyrna Beach Police Department joined forces to provide the local chapter with toys and funds to purchase gifts for children who lost their Christmas presents to the tornadoes.

 

“I just think it’s a marvelous thing that they’ve done,” said Hamlin, speaking of the organizations getting involved in the effort. “Local partners are so important to us and this is a wonder example of their invaluable contributions.”

 

In times of disaster, the Red Cross provides emergency shelter, food, water and can help those affected obtain replacement medications as well as clothing, cleaning supplies and other essentials such as hygiene products, linens and blankets. As important as helping the body is, looking after the emotional and mental well-being of disaster survivors is another priority for the Red Cross. Over the years, the Red Cross has learned that toys such as stuffed animals can bring tremendous comfort to those enduring a disaster. It is one more small way to help get them on the road to recovery.

 

 

Red Cross helps connect, comfort two marine moms

 

Thursday, December 28, 2006 — Lance Corporals Eric Herzberg and Sebastian Ploszaj graduated from their respective high schools in 2005, and both joined the Marines with dreams of attending college one day.

 

Corporal Herzberg from Severna Park in Maryland and Corporal Ploszaj from Brooklyn, New York, met in boot camp and became best friends. Their mothers, Mrs. Gina Barnhurst, and Mrs. Gabriella Ploszaj, met through telephone conversations, and the two marine moms also became fast friends.

 

Before deploying to Iraq, the young soldiers visited each others’ families. When Corporal Herzberg visited the Ploszajs’ home, it was his first time in New York City. “Sebastian took Eric everywhere sightseeing,” recalled Mrs. Ploszaj, a Polish immigrant. “We went to a Polish show – both men in their uniforms. They were treated so well with respect, and Eric was dancing and having so much fun. He was a quiet boy and a pleasure to have as a guest – always thanking me,” she added. Her son Sebastian visited with Herzberg’s family in Maryland and had an equally good time.

 

Then, on July 14, 2006, the best friends who talked about going into management together in some way, deployed to Iraq with their unit. “They had big plans for the future. I sent them books on management they had ordered,” said Mrs. Ploszaj.

 

After their sons had left for Iraq, the two mothers kept in touch. Their phone calls were a way to share the feelings and concerns that mothers have when their children go off to war, and they formed a strong friendship even though they’d never met face-to-face. “Gabriella, she was wonderful – it was amazing the bond we had even though we never met,” said Mrs. Barnhurst.

 

In late October, young Corporal Herzberg was killed in Iraq. Not long after the military had notified his family of the corporal’s death, his friend Corporal Ploszaj called his own mother. So sad over the loss of his close friend, relayed Mrs. Ploszaj, he pled with her to find a way to attend the funeral. “He had lost a brother,” she said. “There was a very big pain for me – like a death in my own family.”

 

Almost at the same time, Kevin Burr, the Emergency Services Director for the Central Maryland chapter of the American Red Cross, read Corporal Herzberg’s death notice in the local newspaper. Burr and fellow Red Cross worker Marcos Costillo, both retired military, knew firsthand what it was like to lose a comrade in arms. As members of the chapter’s Armed Forces Emergency Services staff, they have made it a practice to reach out to the next of kin of local fallen service members to offer condolences and provide information about any Red Cross services available to them.

 

Burr learned through the series of calls that the family wanted another marine’s mom to attend Corporal Herzberg’s funeral, but she lacked the financial means. At the time, Mrs. Ploszaj was unemployed and could not afford the trip. Although there is not a Red Cross program or service that covers such a request from a non-family member, Burr felt strongly that there had to be a way to help these two families connect. The chapter worked to locate funds to help Mrs. Ploszaj travel to Maryland and attend the funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Burr made all the arrangements himself and notified the Herzbergs that their close family friend would be able to attend. Mrs. Ploszaj was so appreciative of the Red Cross and Burr, who she said “prepared everything.”

 

Having made all the arrangements, Burr double checked to make sure Mrs. Ploszaj’s trip to Maryland went smoothly. He also decided to personally deliver official Red Cross condolences to the families, attending the visitation. “I felt like I needed to go and see Corporal Herzberg’s mother,” he said. “As I went through the funeral home doors, I was immediately grabbed by family and friends and thanked over and over for our Red Cross help – it was a very emotional and humbling experience.”

 

Burr believes that the services the Red Cross provides to families and members of the U.S. Armed Forces are an important component of the organization. “The two mothers were sitting together – we had been able to bring them together,” Burr said. “The Red Cross helps people, and it is rewarding to know we can do something valuable.”

 

The two moms remain close and talk on the phone all the time; they grieve for one son and worry about the other. Mrs. Ploszaj and her younger son joined Mrs. Barnhurst and her family for Thanksgiving. The families set a place at the table for Corporal Herzberg with an American flag and candle.

“My son, he was a beautiful person. People picture a Marine as a tough rugged person; that was totally not what Eric was like. He was sensitive, caring, generous and a team player,” said Mrs. Barnhurst, who found “great comfort” in the outreach of the Central Maryland chapter of the Red Cross.

“The Red Cross, it was so kind of them to even call,” she said. “They handled everything so professionally and [with such] caring…I can’t say enough good things.”

 

 

Red Cross lends a helping hand to stranded travelers

 

Friday, December 22, 2006 — A severe snowstorm blew through Colorado earlier this week, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places and stranding thousands of holiday travelers. After pummeling the Denver metropolitan area with a reported total of 25 inches of snow, the storm moved east affecting Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.

 

The storm shut down Denver International Airport creating delays in airports across the country. Stranded passengers in the nation’s fifth busiest airport were forced to bed down in the terminal or struggle to find a hotel room. The storm also shut down several major routes through the west, including a 250-mile stretch of I-70 westbound in Kansas to the Colorado border.

Disaster volunteers from the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter have been weathering the storm while providing assistance to those in need. The chapter opened a total of seven shelters since Wednesday afternoon and welcomed more than 330 shelter guests.

 

“We also worked around the clock to support the material needs of the thousands of people stranded at Denver International Airport after it was forced to suspend operations due to the blizzard,” said Robert Thomas, Director of Communications for the Mile High Chapter. “We distributed more than 1,100 meals and about 8,000 snacks to may frustrated travelers.”

Chapter volunteers even supplied the Greyhound bus station with extra cots to help make stranded families a bit more comfortable as they waited out the storm. Many volunteers simply offered emotional support during a trying time.

 

The Pikes Peak chapter in Colorado Springs, Colo., along with the Centennial chapter in Ft. Collins also had multiple shelters open throughout the storm. While Pikes Peak welcomed 214 guests, Centennial welcomed approximately 30. As the storm blew eastward, Red Cross chapters in Kansas and Nebraska also opened a few shelters after local motels were fully booked by stranded travelers. The Mid-Rio Grande chapter in New Mexico also set up a shelter for those affected by the closure of I-25.

 

Although conditions are beginning to improve, Red Cross chapters throughout the region will continue to monitor conditions and remain ready to offer further assistance.

[PGT]

I still have money to send....what Red Cross program do you guys want to put it to? Military support again?

[bosco]

^ military support would be my pick. thanks to all who helped for the effort put in this to make it happen. bosco

[hadvw]

lets see what we both end up with you or i might need a sticker more than a t-shirt or vice versa, we could trade. bosco

 

btw i need XL

 

Sounds good. I'm XL too, so that wouldn't be a problem.

 

HV

[firedawgs]

I see that Tide won something; now I know it is rigged.

 

 

But, on a more serious note. Thanks PatagonianGT for spear heading this; especially for donatating to the serviceman.

[lando]

i agree with fundraising and helping those less fortunate, but i dont agree with sending money to the red cross. Over the past 7 years the red cross has took in hundreds of millions of dollars for disaster relief. Unfortunately very little of those funds went to those specific causes. Dateline, 20 20 and other news broadcasts further investigated that concern and found alarming facts. I suggest a small non profit organization that you can specifically send money to in a set up account thats verified knowing your contributions will go exactly to the cause at need.

[SubiGT]

i agree with fundraising and helping those less fortunate, but i dont agree with sending money to the red cross. Over the past 7 years the red cross has took in hundreds of millions of dollars for disaster relief. Unfortunately very little of those funds went to those specific causes. Dateline, 20 20 and other news broadcasts further investigated that concern and found alarming facts. I suggest a small non profit organization that you can specifically send money to in a set up account thats verified knowing your contributions will go exactly to the cause at need.

Holy late to the party, Batman!.......

monies already distributed, most went to helping military members/families.

Worthiest cause I know

[TRS]

The American Red Cross is rated A+ by the American Institute of Philanthropy (CharityWatch.org) and four stars, the top rating, by Charity Navigator (CharityNavigator.org).

[Vimy101]

I still have money to send....what Red Cross program do you guys want to put it to? Military support again?

 

If the Red Cross has a general fund, give it to that and let them figure how best to use our donation.

[PGT]

they do, but I just sent the balance yesterday to the military assistance campaign

[Jerboa113]

I missed the deadline but I donated anyway.. I'm kinda broke so it was the $20 deal, use the money on some extra bandwidth the site is SO SLOW right now!!

[bosco]

I missed the deadline but I donated anyway.. I'm kinda broke so it was the $20 deal, use the money on some extra bandwidth the site is SO SLOW right now!!

 

no kidding i thought it was my computer never seen it this slow. bosco

[Vimy101]

Hey, I just found out that my email was acting up for a while! Was I a winner???????

[hadvw]

I missed the deadline but I donated anyway.. I'm kinda broke so it was the $20 deal, use the money on some extra bandwidth the site is SO SLOW right now!!

 

Could be bandwidth, could also be the server itself..

 

HV

[Tide]

its not bandwidth

[leggtnut]

Tide, I absolutly LOVE your new avitar.

[subedup07]

Is there any other way to donate vs through paypal? I used to have an account until they kept asking me to verify/update then my bank account info- too risky. Direct credit payment preferred.

[PGT]

sorry, this fundraiser closed in January. We'll do another next year!