CSC ceritifies VISTA Members in CPR/FA

On December 16th and 17th LA CSC members, John Vidaurrazaga and Charles Allen taught and certified the Los Angeles Chapter’s 9 AmeriCorps VISTA members (Taryn Alper, Hilary Anderson, Raymond Jimenez, Amir Mehriary, Bridget Mercier, Lauren Vail, Jessica Stanford, Lisa Klink and Marnie Suss) Adult, Child and Infant CPR and First Aid.

CSC Members attend lecture about Haiti

Steve McAndrew, the Chief of Emergency Operations for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Haiti spoke at the Los Angeles Region office about his work on 12/21/10. He arrived in Haiti in January 2010, just days after the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the town of Leogane, near the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

CSC members and the chapter staff all sat captivated as we listened to his stories and watched his films about how the various Red Crosses from around the world have responded. Everyday clean water needs to be distributed to thousands of Haitians all over Port au Prince. And the task of rebuilding is formidable to put it mildly. Yet according to Mr. McAndrew, despite all of the logistical and political obstacles, the Haitians people maintain an inspiring amount of optimism and resolve.

Humboldt ARC Youth Group Member Featured in Tri City Weekly

Please follow the link below to read the article from the Tri City Weekly about the work of CSC member Phil Anderson and his work with one of the Humboldt Chapters youth groups members.

http://www.times-standard.com/tcw/ci_17007458

Humboldt Chapter Utilizes Youth Volunteers

The month of December was an excellent month for working with youth volunteers at the Humboldt County Chapter. The Humboldt County Chapter’s Disaster Supply Room was in alarming disarray to the point where it would be extremely difficult to set-up not only the functional components of an emergency shelter, but the shelter itself. Through the hard work of the Humboldt youth volunteers, under the supervision of CSC members Wayne and Phil, the Humboldt County Chapter was able to get its Disaster Supply Room up to speed and emergency ready.

The 11-12 year old youth volunteers put in 16 ½ hours to assist with organizing the Disaster Supply Room. The chapter now has the capacity to not only set-up shelters in the more densely populated areas of Humboldt County but also the outlining rural communities such as Miranda and Willow Creek.

Phil and Wayne also worked with the youth volunteers to construct a shake table to demonstrate the projectile hazards in a room during an earthquake (see picture).

Rose Parade First Aid Stations

The Rose Parade is America’s New Year’s celebration, watched by over 50 million people on TV each year, and seen by over five hundred thousand people in person. The San Gabriel Pomona Valley chapter of the Red Cross helps to support those watching and marching in the parade by providing first aid to people along the parade route. Safe Corps member Jennifer Lazo worked with the various stations providing aid. She assisted six band members during the course of the parade treating wounds and checking vitals. Any severe cases are referred to Pasadena Fire Department paramedic units. In the picture, a band member is comforted and checked out after dropping out of the parade. This service frees up the fire department to respond to emergency calls, and brings further visibility of the Red Cross in the community. The emergency needs of all those participating in the parade and watching it are met by over 150 Red Cross volunteers on parade day.