Blood Drives

Late yesterday President Barack Obama declared March as Red Cross Month.  In following the 91 year tradition, President Obama is furthering his call for more community volunteerism and activism. 

There are opportunities for everyone to support their community through the Red Cross.  Of course, the quickest is to make a donation to the Tri-County Red Cross, but there are many other opportunities.

• Host a blood drive at your high school, church, business or community organization.  Call Denise Neto at (908) 756-6414 to learn how;
• Take free disaster classes to be trained as a volunteer in the event of a major emergency.  Call Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 for more information;
• Schedule a free Be Red Cross Ready seminar for your PTA, scout parents, church or neighborhood to be sure everyone is prepared to respond in an emergency. Call Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 for more information;
• Take a first aid and CPR class to you can help others who are injured or ill;
  
• Volunteer to help families who lose their homes to fire, work in the office, organize fundraising events, serve as a leader on our board of directors, counsel blood donors at drives, recruit more volunteers at street fairs, teach first aid or CPR, drive seniors to doctors appointments, help a soldier come home for the birth of his daughter.

You can volunteer one hour a year, or eight hours a day.  There's something for everyone's schedule and abilities at the Red Cross.  Be there for your community, for your neighborhood, and for your family by getting involved today.

The full proclamation is below the fold.

Here are a few ways you can help out without spending a dime:

INSTALL A YAHOO! SEARCH BAR
Help raise money for local disaster relief in New Jersey by installing a search toolbar in your browser.  Just go to http://download.freecause.com/?toolid=59011 and every search will raise a few cents.  25 searches a day is about 75 cents, or about $200 a year with nothing out of your pocket.  Please install the toolbar and send it out to your friends.  There's also a Facebook app at http://apps.facebook.com/red_cross/home (you can friend me there, too!)

HELP WITH MARCH IS RED CROSS MONTH
We are asking businesses in our chapter (Warren, Watchung, Green Brook North Plainfield in Somerset, most of Union and Dunellen, South Plainfield and Edison in Middlesex) to help us out by selling Red Cross Squares for $1.  Customers pay a buck, write their name on the square and tack it on the wall.  If 100 businesses raise $250 each that's $25,000 for our efforts, get to demonstrate their support for the community, get a mention and link on our website, and get listed in our press release and newspaper advertisement.

We are also collecting coins throughout the area in front of businesses (Stop and Shop, Home Depots, Dunkin' Donuts, etc.) every Saturday in March.  In December we did a small run and raised $1500 in just three hours.  We're looking for people to help out between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to collect coins in Red Cross containers on March 7, March 14, March 21 and March 28.  It's a great way for groups, students and families to help raise money and awareness for the Red Cross.

HOST A FREE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS SEMINAR IN MARCH
This one won't raise any money, but it could save lives. The Red Cross will provide a free Be Red Cross Ready seminar (forty five minutes) to any group that asks us, and it's all free.  Your Lions Club, Elks, library, church, business, Rotary or whatever can host the seminar for your own members, or sponsor it for the community to help raise awareness for your group.  It costs you absolutely nothing, and helps prepare families to handle emergencies that may come up from house fires to major flooding.

Just send me an e-mail, or call at (908) 756-6414 if you are interested in any of these programs.  If you are outside of my chapter, don't worry about it.  You have a local Red Cross, too and I will be happy to help you get in touch with them!

Nathan Rudy

Executive Director, Tri-County Red Cross

http://www.tricountyredcross.org

rudyn@usa.redcross.org

(908) 756-6414

The Tri-County Red Cross is holding a series of blood drives in January 28th.  The winter months are the most difficult for collecting blood, largely because donors are not allowed to give blood if they have a cold -- and most of us get colds over the winter!

If you are eligible to give blood, please consider coming to one of our open blood drives for January.  Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543) to schedule an appointment.  You can also show up at any time, though that may create a delay as people with appointments are taken first.

• Monday, January 5, 2009 -- Lincoln Tech, 2299 Vauxhall Road, Union, NJ [map] -- 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Saturday, January 10, 1009 -- Plainfield Rescue Squad, 700 West Seventh Street, Plainfield, NJ [map] -- 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Thursday, January 15, 2009 -- American Red Cross, 16 Jefferson Avenue, Elizabeth NJ [map] -- 2:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

There will also be a series of blood drives at Elizabeth High School locations, but these are closed to the public.  Students and staff 17 years or older are eligible to donate at these drives on January 13th at the Thomas Edison House Gym, January 16th at the Thomas G. Dunn Sports Center, January 17th at the Thomas Jefferson House Gym, and on January 30th in the Upper Academy Gym.

July 11, 2008 (ELIZABETH, NJ) On Wednesday, July 9, 2008 the County of Union hosted a blood drive with the Tri-County Red Cross in support of Jarrett Alan LoAlbo-Junio.  LoAlbo-Junio is the son of Union County Corrections Officer Jason Junio and Elaina LoAlbo, and the grandson of Judi McCartney of the County of Union Finance Department.  Only three years old, he has been diagnosed with leukemia, complicated by a diagnosis of sepsis. 

The County of Union reached out to the Tri-County Red Cross to help this family and their child in need of blood for his long journey of treatment.  Sensitive to the urgency of this request, the Red Cross was able to accommodate the county's wishes and within four days, had the drive planned.

"We have 114 potential donors who have signed up for this drive," said Victor Webb, Director of Blood Services at the Tri-County Red Cross.  "Many of them are first time donors which is great to see people step out of their comfort zone to help a little boy."

Jarrett's mother, Elaina LoAlbo and grandmother, Judi McCartney were on site to personally thank the donors.

"I think it's beautiful," said LoAlbo.

A total of 82 pints were collected at the drive.

If you would like to donate blood with the Tri-County Red Cross please call or e-mail Victor Webb at 908-756-6414 to organize a drive or visit our site for more information.

All presenting donors for Saturday, July 12, 2008 will be entered into a drawing to win their choice of a camcorder, video iPod or XBox 360 Arcade System.