Your Local Red Cross Chapter is Working Hard Around the Clock

The volunteers and staff of the Coastal Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross have been working hard around the clock.

Since Christmas we have responded to structure fires ultimately providing aid to eight families (22 clients). The Chapter has distributed $3,175.00 to these clients to pay for food, clothing and hotel bills. All fires were either in Carteret or Craven County.

In addition to the structure fires we sent the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) to Morehead City with a crew of three to the Port Terminal to assist in hydration and feeding the response team and volunteers working on a very dangerous chemical spill which shut down the Port for two days. They were on site two full days.

Since the horrific disaster struck Haiti, volunteers and staff have dedicated numerous hours to answer telephones and accept donations at the local Chapter.
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week two volunteers took time out of their busy lives to drive to Farmville to pickup 280 blankets, which most will go to Haiti to help the effort.













If you would like to volunteer, please contact us at 252-637-3405. We are also in the process of making preparations to move to our New Location in River Bend during the month of February.

American Red Cross - Helping Haiti Disaster Victims

With estimates that as many as three million people may be affected by the catastrophic earthquake which hit Haiti Tuesday, the American Red Cross is releasing an additional $9 million for earthquake relief, bringing its total commitment so far to $10 million to support relief efforts in Haiti.

Priority needs in Haiti are food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. Thousands of local Red Cross volunteers are aiding their fellow Haitians. American Red Cross Disaster management specialists are scheduled to arrive today from the United States, Peru and Mexico to join local Red Cross staff already on the ground in the disaster zone. As soon as airports begin accepting relief shipments, tarps, hygiene items and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families will come from the Red Cross warehouse in Panama.

The American Red Cross is also helping the injured who may need blood. More than 100 units of blood and blood products were shipped to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, and then on to Guantanamo Bay in support of medical evacuees from Haiti.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a plane full of mostly medical items on the way to Haiti from Geneva. ICRC staff, including engineers, a surgeon and family linking specialists are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince this morning. Other Red Cross partners have deployed a mobile hospital, medical teams, and 40 staff to help with sheltering, providing water, sanitation, and telecommunications.

ICRC is helping reconnect separated families in Haiti through a special web site which enables people in Haiti and outside the country to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake. In the first twenty-four hours, more than 6,000 people have been registered.

How to Help
• We are not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti. If you would like to volunteer for the American Red Cross, please contact the Coastal Carolina Chapter at 252-637-3405.
• For inquiries about relatives living and who have citizenship in Haiti, please be patient and call repeatedly until the lines clear or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster.
• People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or (202) 647-5225.

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 your local Coastal Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross.

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.

The Local Chapter; Coastal Carolina Chapter located at 1916 S. Glenburnie, New Bern will be open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 8:30 to 5:00 to accept donations for the International Relief Operation. Please make checks payable to American Red Cross with "Haiti Relief" written in the memo section of your check. You may also donate via credit card by calling the local Chapter at 252-637-3405.

Submitted by: The National Offices of the American Red Cross

How to donate to The American Red Cross for Haiti Disaster

The Coastal Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross will be open all weekend from 08:00am - 5:00pm to accept donations for Haiti Disaster Relief.

You can stop by their office located at 1916 S. Glenburnie Road, Suite 12 (across from Jiffy Lube/Harris Teeter) and donate by cash, check, credit card, or money order or you can pay by credit card over the phone.

Please make checks payable to the American Red Cross and write "Haiti Relief" in the memo section of your check.

You will receive a tax deductible receipt for your donation.

Thank you!

Become a Red Cross Hero

March is the Heroes Campaign Month for the Coastal Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross and we are in need of motivated people to become Heroes for disaster services, health and safety services, and services to the Armed Forces.

Our Chapter relies on donations to provide these critical services to Carteret, Craven, Jones, and Pamlico Counties. By becoming a Red Cross Hero, you will contribute to our success in meeting our community’s needs of today, tomorrow, and for years to come.

Red Cross Heroes are “Individuals recruited to raise a minimum of $1,000 through any legal means they choose. Usually, the “Heroes” who are recruited have the ability to involve their employer, church, school, or civic club to support their fund raising efforts.”

The following are a few examples of fundraising opportunities for you, your church, business, and/or civic organization to raise money for our local Chapter:

- Retailers/Banks can place a collection container at the counter

- High school students can host a talent or fashion show

- Civic organizations can sponsor a silent auction, banquet fundraiser, and/or fishing tournament

- Sports teams can hold a swim-a-ton, 5k run, or sports tournament

- Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Grocery Stores can sell Red Cross squares

- Bars/Nightclubs can hold special events like a raffle and/or pool tournament

- Churches can hold a bake sale, spaghetti dinner, book sale, and/or rummage sale

- News/Radio Stations can hold a telethon

- Fire Departments can hold a boot drive

- Employees can pass a hat around the office to collect money

- Individuals can ask their families and friends to donate

The opportunities are endless!

For all of your hard work, your picture will be posted on the Chapter’s and New Bern Now’s websites, your name will be included in an announcement in the New Bern Sun Journal, and you’ll receive a “Heroes Certificate of Appreciation”.

If you would like to make a difference in our community, become a Red Cross Hero! Please contact us via email to discuss ways you can contribute to a great cause.

Thank You!