American Red Cross of Northern New England

“I don't know who gave the blood to save my daughter’s life and will never know, but I am eternally grateful for whom that person may be. For anyone thinking of donating and are on the fence, just think of the possible life you are saving and the families you have helped." A Portsmouth, New Hampshire couple shares their story after crediting blood donation with saving their newborn daughter's life earlier this month. Did you know these tiny patients need a very specific kind of blood and only a rare subset of donors are able to give blood to babies? We are all so grateful blood from the American Red Cross was there when Baby Roisin needed it most. Read her story ⬇️

BLOOD DONORS CRITICALLY NEEDED. In the past month, the Red Cross has collected about 20,000 fewer lifesaving blood donations than needed to maintain the blood supply. Help build the blood supply – book your appointment to give now: rcblood.org/appt For Granite Staters, WMUR has an exciting opportunity to join them on June 7th for a statewide blood drive. There are 7 convenient locations. To sign-up, visit: https://rdcrss.org/43wiVXo.

“We’ve seen lots of great teamwork. There are still areas that are inaccessible due to river flooding, but the Red Cross is working to reach more and more communities each day to provide much needed relief to Texans.” Linda Shelley, of Laconia, New Hampshire, is among seven Red Cross volunteers from the Northern New England Region assisting with ongoing efforts across Texas to help people affected by the recent storms and floods. The veteran disaster responder has spent the last two weeks surveying damage in the Livingston, Texas area. Volunteer Raybo Frank, of Chelsea, Maine, is also on his way to Texas, though he'll be supporting another yet another disaster operation in the state. Over Memorial Day weekend, several tornados ripped across Northern Texas, claiming lives and upending communities. For Frank, who has family impacted by nearby tornadoes in Arkansas, this trip is personal. This is his 31st deployment in eight years with the Red Cross. "If the need is there, Red Cross is there and Raybo is there," he said. "My mission is to get out there and help people in need." Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. You can help people affected by disasters by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

"If the need is there, Red Cross is there and Raybo is there. My mission is to get out there and help people in need." Please join us in wishing Maine volunteer Raybo Frank a safe deployment as he heads to Texas to help those displaced by the deadly Memorial Day Weekend tornadoes. Raybo will serve as a shelter supervisor. This is his 31st deployment during his eight years with the Red Cross.

As devastating severe weather continues to upend neighborhoods and communities across the Midwest, we know the toll goes beyond physical damage. This May, as we talk about Mental Health Awareness Month, we continue our series on disaster mental health with American Red Cross volunteer Bob Jolley. Bob is a disaster mental health supervisor with the American Red Cross of Northern New England. In his role, he provides psychological first aid to those in the wake of a home fire or other disaster. Experiencing a natural disaster or other emergency can be intensely stressful. Even when the immediate danger has passed, the impact can still be felt. People may feel grief or anger over the damage or loss, fear or hopelessness when thinking about rebuilding their lives, or they may simply feel overwhelmed and not know how to begin. Taking those first steps toward recovery can be easier with a little support. Red Cross Disaster Mental Health volunteers provide that support. These 3,000 compassionate professionals volunteer their considerable skills and training to respond when disaster strikes. Whether fostering a positive culture in disaster shelters, being a patient listener for someone who needs to talk about what they’ve gone through, or even spotting early signs of traumatic stress that can be referred for specialist care, Disaster Mental Health volunteers help create conditions where people, families and communities can rebuild after devastating events. #mentalhealth

“It has been said that a military oath of enlistment never expires. I am still committed to serving my community, state, and nation in any way I can and am called to do. I am a member of the Red Cross because I believe in our dedication and mission.” Lou Marin, a dedicated volunteer at the American Red Cross, sees volunteering as a seamless continuation of his military oath of enlistment, which he believes never truly expires. For him, it's a means of upholding his commitment to excellence and service to others. Lou encourages those who share his desire to contribute to the greater good beyond military service to consider joining the Red Cross—an excellent outlet to be part of something truly remarkable. In honor of Military Appreciation Month, the American Red Cross is encouraging you to turn your appreciation into action. For those with a military background or just a heart for military and veteran communities, opportunities to volunteer and support are available. Learn more at redcross.org/volunteer.

2024 is currently the most active year for tornadoes since 2017. In April and May alone, there were reports of more than 500 tornadoes in the U.S., and April saw the second highest count on record. The holiday weekend brought the busiest severe weather day of the year so far, with 26 reported tornadoes across 10 states and more than 60 reports of strong wind or hail across some 20 states. In response to hundreds of calls from people seeking aid, the Red Cross and our partners have emergency shelters open in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas for people impacted by these deadly storms. Today New Hampshire Red Crosser Dan Lochmandy, of Nashua, boarded a plane bound to Iowa where he'll spend the next two weeks supporting the disaster relief operation on the ground. This is Dan's 16th deployment with the Red Cross. Since these storms began, more than 1,650 Red Crossers and our partners have provided: 🛏️ Nearly 5,000 overnight stays in 71 Red Cross and community shelters 🍞 More than 143,000 meals and snacks ⛑️ Over 100,00 relief supplies ❤️ 3,000 people with recovery support, including financial assistance and help replacing eyeglasses and prescriptions 🌪️ Since April 1, the free Red Cross Emergency app sent out as many as 64,000 weather alerts and nearly 70 million notifications to warn people in the path of severe weather. Download the Emergency app for real-time weather alerts and critical information, including open Red Cross shelters, in both English or Spanish. https://rdcrss.org/2OsfTNq

Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the endless string of devastating storms plaguing a large part of the country ripping apart homes and upending lives. These storms have destroyed entire communities, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in the dark, struggling to pick up the pieces after losing everything. Hundreds of American Red Cross disaster volunteers and our partners are working around the clock across multiple states to make sure people affected by this severe weather have a safe place to stay, food, relief supplies as well as emotional and spiritual support. Linda Shelley, of Laconia, New Hampshire, just returned home after a 2-week deployment to Livingston, Texas. The veteran disaster responder served on the disaster assessment team surveying storm damage. “We’ve seen lots of great teamwork. There are still areas that are inaccessible due to river flooding, but the Red Cross is working to reach more and more communities each day to provide much needed relief to Texans,” said Shelley. Just as Shelley was returning home, Chris and Linda Luck, of Moultonborough, NH, travelled to Texas to step-in as the next wave of disaster responders. The husband-and-wife duo will continue the work Shelley started, conducting door-to-door residential damage assessments. These surveys help determine how many homes have been affected, the extent of the storm damage and the overall impact to the community. That information is used to plan what support families may need in the weeks and months ahead. “We kept seeing Houston on the news – and waiting for the call. That call came, and we are ready to help,” said Linda Luck, who joined the Red Cross two years ago. In the face of the climate crisis, the need for Red Cross volunteers has never been greater. Put on a red vest and join us as a volunteer today to provide relief and hope when it matters most. Visit https://lnkd.in/d4CmhAr to sign up for opportunities with your local chapter.

Support for military mental health is crucial. At the American Red Cross, mental health professional volunteers lead free resiliency workshops for military families in need. Through the Hero Care Network, the American Red Cross connects service members, veterans and their families to free and confidential assistance any day, anytime. The American Red Cross Service to Armed Forces division offers Resiliency programs that aim to build resilience, manage stress and ease symptoms related to trauma for members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families. Each of the three distinct programs available use a similar format, which offer one-time, short and supportive sessions to teach coping skills through easy-to-use exercises. Learn more at redcross.org/SAF.

False alarms may be annoying, but the most dangerous reaction is to remove the batteries and disconnect the alarm. No one enjoys the loud noises, but when they operate properly, they cut your risk of dying in a fire by half when a true emergency comes! #EndHomeFires For more information on home fire escape planning or to request a free smoke alarm, visit https://lnkd.in/e3cA6gt