Category: Fundraising

“All In 1 Day” Fundraising Campaign on June 2

american-red-cross-site-logo1428089261.1929It’s only days away from June 2 when the American Red Cross will host its first nationwide Giving Day. This 24-hour period calls for people across the country to ensure the Red Cross can deliver help and hope to people in need. Even when you don’t see disasters in the news, Red Cross volunteers are working every day to help people during great times of need. In moments of despair, there can be hope.

For example, right now the Red Cross is providing shelter, disaster relief, and emotional support in Texas and Oklahoma where severe weather has pounded areas of both states since early May. The response in Texas alone is expected to cost more than $3 million. This past April in Minnesota, the Red Cross responded to 61 disasters, helping 348 adults and children following devastating home fires. This is the highest number of families helped in any one-month period since the Minneapolis Tornado in 2011.

Public support allows the Red Cross to care for people during crisis. Public support allows the Red Cross to help people stand up again and to know they’re not alone. Public supports allows the Red Cross to be All in 1 Day every day.

We need your help. Become a Giving Day social ambassador and help celebrate all of the good that the Red Cross does every day. Become a Giving Day donor and support Red Cross work in communities across our nation.

Gathering to honor everyday heroes

HeroesASPOT_514x260On June 18, hundreds of people will come together in recognition of ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of courage. The event they’ll attend is the American Red Cross Minnesota Region’s 7th Annual Heroes Breakfast. This breakfast honors people who took an extra step, or two or three, when others needed help. This willingness to help others directly connects to the Red Cross mission to alleviate human suffering. This work is the essence of what the Red Cross and its volunteers do around the globe every day.

During the breakfast we will honor the 2015 Heroes Award recipients, who are:

Youth Good Samaritan Hero A.J. Spaulding of Spring Lake Park a volunteer, who has helped numerous children and teens through their grieving process after losing his own father to suicide;

Good Samaritan Heroes Aaron Briggs of White Bear Lake and Grant Dawson of St. Paul who used CPR to help save the life of a man who collapsed on the ice at Hazelnut Park in Arden Hills;

Give Life Hero Lavonne Kroells of Norwood-Young America, a dedicated blood drive coordinator who over the past 40 years has helped collect more than 160,000 units of lifesaving blood;

First Responder Hero Russ Vandenheuvel of Bertha, who brought ambulance service to his hometown and recruits and trains volunteers to respond to their neighbors in need;

Military Hero Shane Hudella of Hastings, a retired member of the armed forces and founder of Defending the Blue Line, a non-profit that helps ensure children of military members can participate in hockey by providing free equipment, camps and tickets; and

Community Hero Tom Campion of St. Paul, who created “Safe Summer Nights,” which brings together the community and police officers to create lasting bonds of cooperation, improved trust and understanding.

We invite you to join us for this inspiring event, which will be held at the Radisson Blu, Mall of America in Bloomington. Tickets and information about table sponsorship opportunities are available online at redcross.org/mnheroes2015 or by calling (612) 872-3207.

Thank you to our 2015 Heroes Breakfast sponsors including, presenting sponsor Land O’Lakes, US Bancorp, CenterPoint Energy, CHS, Medica, St. Jude Foundation, Anime Twin Cities, UnitedHealth, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins and GS Productions.

Support the Red Cross at U.S. Bank ATMs during March

usbanklogoThroughout March 2015, U. S. Bank is making it easy for its customers to support the important work of the American Red Cross. All month long, customers can make a financial donation to support Red Cross Disaster Relief at more than 5,000 designated U.S. Bank ATMs nationwide.

We are grateful to U.S. Bank for its generous support and partnership that helps ensure that the Red Cross has reliable funding for disaster relief services. It’s support helps us immediately respond to disasters in Minnesota and across the country. The sooner our volunteers get to an emergency site, open shelters, serve hot meals and provide comfort to victims of disaster, the more quickly people and communities can begin to recover.

Our partnership with U.S. Bank extends our reach so that we can help more people before emergencies happen. Richard Davis, Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Bank and a member of the American Red Cross Board of Governors, makes preparedness a priority within U.S. Bank. His effort helps employees to be prepared at work and at home for anything, anytime. By working together, we deliver preparedness information and First Aid, CPR and AED training.

Also, U.S. Bank employees roll up their sleeves and help save lives at Red Cross blood drives. In 2014, U.S. Bank hosted 86 blood drives across the country. In Minnesota, the Red Cross collected an impressive 1,006 units of blood at 26 drives hosted by U.S. Bank and its employees.

Through our combined efforts, U.S. Bank and the Red Cross  are strengthening the ability of the communities we serve to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies and help rebuild lives after a disaster strikes.

Find the U.S. Bank ATM nearest to you.

Will You Be Mine?

valentinedayblogphotoI want to stand on the roof top and shout it: We love you, donors! Because of you, disaster assistance is free. Because of you, families divided are reunited. Because of you, trauma patients don’t need to wait, or wonder if there will be enough blood—there will be, because you gave it.

You give from your hearts, from your belief in our mission, and from your trust in the Red Cross to be ready and to be there—in a moment’s notice—whenever and wherever disaster strikes. Thank you!

We love you because, with your generosity, you are there beside us: giving back what fire takes, reconnecting military families after deployment, making sure the nation’s blood supply never falls short. Together with you, we help the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the entire world every day.

Thank you for your compassion. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for helping us to always be ready. We do—we love you!

And if you ever have questions about your giving experience, or if I may be of service, please call or email me anytime—I am here and happy to help.

Amanda Hedlund, Stewardship Officer, American Red Cross Minnesota Region
Reach me at 612-872-3246 or amanda.hedlund@redcross.org

When a fire takes a home, it takes everything in it.

GWFT_FacebookPostShoesFire takes. Fire takes security. Fire takes a lifetime of cherished moments. Fire takes without regard to race, income, or social stature. When a home fire happens, it can take everything.

While we can’t begin to replace all the intangible things that make a house a home, we can begin to provide some useful items that offer immediate care and comfort to those in need.

We need your help! Become a fundraiser for the Red Cross and help us provide care and comfort to people in your community and around the country.   The dollars you raise could help us install smoke detectors, provide blankets, clothes and shoes or financial assistance for families. Your symbolic gift will help those affected by disasters like home fires.

Sign up to raise funds as an individual or a team with our Give What Fire Takes Campaign on CrowdRise today.

 

Give Something That Means Something

Emergencies can cause people to leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. That’s why a Red Cross disaster relief response always begins with a safe place to sleep, hot food and a hug.

Photo credit: Lynette Nyman/American Red Cross
Photo credit: Lynette Nyman/American Red Cross

This holiday season, as you think of giving holiday gifts to your friends and loved ones, you can give something that means something.

Choose a symbolic gift from the Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog for someone on your list, and your tax-deductible donation will support a Red Cross program. For example, you can:

  • Provide 10 warm, cozy blankets to protect disaster survivors from the cold and help them sleep comfortably in our shelters with your gift of $50
  • Deliver urgent messages for 2 military families to help ensure they get the support they need to reach a loved one when a family emergency occurs with your gift of $160
  • Provide 500 Measles vaccinations, enough for the children of an entire village, and prevent needless deaths with a vaccination that offers a lifetime of protection with your gift of $500
  • Help where it’s needed most, for any amount

There is so much you can do. You can help the nearly 70,000 people who turn to the Red Cross every year for help during a disaster. You can help the members of the military, veterans and civilians who receive about 400,000 Red Cross services every year. You can help the patients in hospitals and transfusion centers across the country who depend on Red Cross blood donors to help them regain their health.

Every eight minutes, the American Red Cross brings help and hope to someone in need. We could not do it without you. so this holiday season, please give something that means something.

Convert Clunkers into Compassion and Care

VDP Web Banner 514x260The American Red Cross recently launched a vehicle donation program that converts unneeded vehicles into Red Cross donations to help those in need.

“People may think their old vehicle is worthless but the donation could be priceless to someone in need of Red Cross services,” says Phil Hansen, CEO of the American Red Cross Minnesota Region. “Your vehicle has value. Turn it into compassion and care.”

The Vehicle Donation Program offers an easy donation process with convenient, free pick-up and towing, and a tax-deductible way to dispose of unwanted vehicles.

Our partners at Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) will pick up your vehicle at a time that’s convenient for you, and at no cost to you. IAA will provide a tax receipt on behalf of the Red Cross and sell the vehicle, sending the proceeds to the Red Cross.

When you donate a vehicle it has the same impact as donating cash—it can help rebuild lives. For example, a car worth $1,000 at auction provides food and shelter to five families for one day in a shelter, including everything they need to be safe and secure after losing everything in an apartment fire.

In Minnesota, financial donations help the Red Cross shelter, feed and provide emotional support to victims of more than 600 disasters each year; supply more than 70 percent of local blood need; teach lifesaving skills to thousands; fund international humanitarian aid; and support American military members and their families during emergencies.

The vehicle donation program accepts cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, boats, snowmobiles, jet skis, tractors, farm equipment and other types of vehicles, in almost any condition—even salvaged. And, the process is quick with an average turnaround time of less than 30 days.

To donate a vehicle, visit the Red Cross online at redcross.org/cardonation or call 1-855-927-2227 to make arrangements. Contact your tax professional for details about tax deductions for vehicle donations.

2015 Heroes Call for Nominations

Heroes_GraphicEach year, the American Red Cross Minnesota Region honors individuals and groups for acts of great bravery, dedication and service to the community. The Red Cross is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Heroes Awards. The recipients will receive their awards  at the annual Heroes Breakfast, which will be held June 18, 2015, at the Radisson Blu – Mall of America.

We will honor community heroes in six categories:

Community Hero: Presented to an individual who displays leadership and commitment to his or her community by making a positive and significant impact.

Give Life Hero: Presented to an individual whose commitment to blood and platelet donation plays a significant role in ensuring the health of patients in our local communities and throughout the country.

Good Samaritan Hero: Presented to an individual who displays courage and compassion upon encountering an unusual, significant or unexpected incident.

First Responder Hero: Presented to an individual or group of the public service community, such as EMS, firefighter or law enforcement) who went above and beyond the call of duty.

Military Hero: Presented to an active, reserve or retired member of the U.S. Armed Forces of ROTC or civilian that has made a significant impact on the military community.

Youth Good Samaritan Hero (under 21): Presented to an outstanding young person who displays courage and compassion upon encountering an unusual, significant or unexpected incident.

Nominate a hero now.

Watch videos sharing 2014 Heroes stories.

Nominees must be Minnesota residents and the heroic event must have occurred between July 1, 2013 to present. The deadline for nominations is January 31, 2015.

Thank you to all of the sponsors and guests who supported the 2014 Heroes Breakfast. To learn about how you can sponsor the 2015 Heroes Breakfast, please contact Danika Trosen at 612-872-3207.

Give to the Max Day — November 13, 2014

Photo credit: Lynette Nyman/American Red Cross
Photo credit: Lynette Nyman/American Red Cross

On November 13, GiveMN.Org will host its annual 24-hour give-a-thon to ignite generosity in Minnesota. This amazing day supports the work that hundreds of non-profit organizations are doing across our state every day. This includes the American Red Cross.

For a family who loses everything, there is no such thing as a small disaster. From home fires to tornadoes, winter storms to health emergencies, the Red Cross is there for all Minnesotans with help, hope and a warm hug. And we are there for them with you beside us.

Last year, local giving to the Minnesota Region of the American Red Cross enabled us to respond to more than 600 emergencies, assist more than 850 families, teach CPR and other lifesaving skills to nearly 80,000 individuals, and provide other valuable services that helped change lives and make our communities safer.

On Give to the Max Day, November 13, 2014, show your support for the Red Cross and its important work in Minnesota. Help us be there, for you and for your neighbors, in times of need. Schedule your gift now.

Thank you.