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eNewsletter

Date: 04/30/2022

• Special Event
  
• • IFRC & ICRC Humanitarian Law Discussion Panel
    

• ARCRA Updates
• • Discount for renewing Red Cross First Aid & CPR certificates
  • Member Update: Ed Fender - An Act of Kindness 
  • Member Update: Retiree Bill O’Callahan Is Still Helping Others
    
  • PerkSpot Discount of the Month

• Red Cross Updates
• • The Redoubtable Charitable Remainder Trust
  • Ukraine is the Largest SAF Response Since 911
  • ARC $12 Million donation to Ukraine
  • False Rumors about the Red Cross Work in Ukraine

• Other Information & Resources
• ARCOA Convention and Memorial Service July 26-29, 2022 in Washington DC
• Design Thinking Fundamentals for Social Change-Clara Barton
• Spring Cleaning
• Are you part of the Sandwich Generation?
• Getting Enough Sleep Can Reduce your Risk of Dementia

Special Event

International Law Discussion Panel

Climate Change, Heat, Best Practices and Youth

Thursday, May 19, 2022

2 – 3:30 p.m. PT | 5 - 6:30 p.m. ET

Join our discussion to learn more about community-based approaches to building resilience to climate change impacts, with the Red Cross and special guest speakers:

• Roop Singh, Climate Risk Advisor, IFRC Global Climate Centre, Geneva
• Dr. Jono Anzalone, Executive Director, The Climate Initiative
• Brett Melone, Chief Business Strategies Officer, California FarmLink
• Mary Ann LoBalbo, Zero Waste Program Coordinator and Educator, Department of Public Works
• Patrick Jurney, Program Manager, Community Climate Solutions

 Click here for general registration: https://tinyurl.com/May2022DiscussionPublic

 or contact Juliana Russell-Bustos at Juliana.russellbusto@redcross.org.

For Northern California Coastal Region Red Crossers, please click here to register:

https://tinyurl.com/May2022DiscussionNCCR

 The discussion is held virtually on Microsoft Teams.

About the Discussion

This monthly forum features discussions about important current events and IFRC and ICRC responses to conflicts, disasters and forced migration through the people directly involved at locations around the world. Hear about such topics as the state of Ebola, the Syrian crisis, Iran and Venezuela, as well as news from right here in the U.S. Red Cross. Volunteers and the general public are encouraged to attend, with a different featured speaker every month. For more information, contact Jill Hofmann at Jill.Hofmann@redcross.org or 831-566-8841

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ARCRA Updates

Do you Need to Renew your Red Cross CPR or First Aid certification? Use your Red Cross 10% Discount Offer
by Steve Rieve

Do you need to renew your Red Cross CPR or First Aid certification soon? Sign up now for a 10% discount using a special discount code for ARCRA members.

Training Services (formerly known as Health & Safety

Services) has extended a new benefit to all ARCRA members.  Beginning April 1, anytime you sign up for a class at www.redcross.org/take-a-class or purchase a product at www.redcross.org/store you will receive a 10% discount off your purchase.  To get the ten percent discount, at check-out, enter in the quarter’s unique ARCRA discount code ARCRETIREE0422 and ten percent will be deducted from you purchase.  Note that the  discount does not apply to any freight charges.  For the quarter beginning April 1 and ending June 30 the discount code is ARCRETIREE0422. 

Member Update: An Act of Kindness

by Ed Fender  Author at Fenderink.com  http://fenderink.com

I didn't know who to tell but had to share today's experience so you win.... or lose.

When I was in Vietnam during the war, I learned a little Vietnamese, mostly to protect myself if I was captured, by being able to explain that I was with the Red Cross and not an American soldier.

That was over 50 years ago and I have never had reason to use what little skill I have until today - Twice!

At a local drug store, an Asian woman was explaining to a customer where to find an item and her accent caused me to ask if she was Vietnamese. She said yes so we had a very brief discussion in Vietnamese.

Then I went out to my truck in the parking lot and was door to door with a different woman who told me to go first. Her accent was also distinctive so I asked, in Vietnamese, if she spoke Vietnamese. Her eyes teared up as she told me yes and thanked me for making her day. We chatted briefly and she thanked me for whatever I had done with the Red Cross.

Like I said, this was so unique that I had to tell someone.

Member Update: Retiree Bill O’Callahan Is Still Helping Others
by Michael Carroll

For the past five years, Bill O’Callahan has been a volunteer “Link” with ARCRA’s Retiree Connection program. Links help about 250 Red Cross retirees with benefit and other challenges each year. 

Bill began his Red Cross career in Chicago in 1976 as a “night worker” handling emergency communications for military families. He returned to San Francisco and became a fulltime staff member in SAF, Disaster, Management, and Volunteer 

Coordination for over fifteen years. He credits many caring volunteers with teaching him the importance of helping people in crisis. During this stretch, he met his wife Julie, who was returning from an ICRC famine relief assignment in Chad.  In 2012, Bill moved over to the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services and later joined the Pacific Gas and Electric Company as an Emergency Manager. 

While at PG&E, Bill became a volunteer Link and still enjoys the opportunity to problem-solve with retirees. “Just like my son occasionally helps me with a computer problem, the Retiree Connection helps retirees with issues when they get stuck. It’s a privilege and extremely gratifying to help those who spent their working lives helping others. ” Bill believes it’s important to provides a “human touch” when retirees are frustrated with the complexity of their benefits.

Bill continues to serve as a Red Cross disaster volunteer focusing on Government Relations and Mass Care and has recently pitched in on hurricane and California wildfire relief operations.  When not helping others, he indulges his love of the “great outdoors” with hiking, nature watching and fly-fishing.

Perkspot-Explore all the Deals

Check out your American Red Cross Discount Program.  There are hundreds of deals waiting-travel, computers, car rentals, weekly food delivery programs, phone plans…

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Red Cross Updates

Imagine: increasing your income by diversifying your investments, avoiding capital gains tax and reducing your income taxes, making a generous gift to the American Red Cross – and, doing it all at the same time. Impossible you say? It’s all in a day’s work for a charitable remainder trust.

The charitable remainder trust (CRT) is a charitable gift plan that combines a lifetime income for you with a charitable contribution. You select a payout, usually between five and six percent, and then the CRT pays income to one or more beneficiaries for life, after which it distributes what is left to the Red Cross.

Any time you sell an investment asset – real estate or securities for example – that has appreciated in value, you will owe capital gains tax on your profit. Capital gains are taxed at 15% for most taxpayers, and as high as 23.8% for those with higher incomes. If instead of selling that asset, you transfer it to a CRT, you will pay no capital gains tax. Then, because the CRT is tax-exempt, it too can sell the appreciated property without paying capital gains tax so that the entire net proceeds from the sale are available to be reinvested to produce income.

Key benefits of a charitable remainder trust:

• Lifetime stream of income – payments can be fixed or variable, depending on the type of trust you choose
• Income beneficiaries – lifetime income can be paid to you, your spouse, and/or others you choose
• Tax free reinvestment – you avoid capital gains tax when you contribute appreciated assets to your CRT
• Income tax charitable deduction – you receive a deduction for the value of the charitable portion of your contribution to the CRT

All this and you will make a generous contribution to ensure the American Red Cross is there to help in times of need. The Red Cross Gift Planning Office would be happy to work with you and your advisors to explore how a charitable remainder trust could advantageously complement your financial and charitable goals.

Ukraine is the Largest SAF Response Since 9/11

Excerpted from the Interview with Koby Langley, Senior Vice President SAF and International Services by Susan Malandrino

The response to the crisis in Ukraine is the largest Service to the Armed Services response since the attacks on 9/11. As the Ukraine crisis continues, the Red Cross provides unwavering support for military families and service members in need.

Q.  Can you tell us how the Red Cross is helping during this crisis overall?

A.  As you may know, the American Red Cross rapidly deployed SAF mobile staff to support the Ukraine crisis.  The Department of Defense has increased its deployments of service members into Europe at various locations in response to the Ukraine crisis, and in support of their NATO Allies.  For the Red Cross, we go where they go as we have for 140 years.  The Red Cross role is to maintain the continuity of our Emergency Communications network for military 

families and to honor our long-standing morale and welfare missions.  In addition, Red Cross has contributed tens of millions to the Ukraine crisis relief efforts for refugees and other civilians impacted by this war - that mission is being supported by the International Services Department (ISD) Team.  In addition to money raised, we’ve sent our ISD staff to help those in need – those staff members are supporting the Red Cross Societies in their humanitarian response in places like Poland, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania.

Q.  Can you tell us more about the role and scale of SAF support during this crisis?

A.  Nearly a third of our SAF workforce is required to maintain a special readiness status in case they need to deploy in support of our military members and their families.   They must maintain special security clearances and a level of physical fitness.  While many of our staff that are not deployable do engage with mobile staff regularly, they may not know that the person sitting to their left or their right is also consistently standing at the ready to deploy anywhere around the world at a moment’s notice.  The training they receive prepares them for their morale and welfare support activities and managing emergency communications cases in forward-deployed locations.

Q.  How are these deployments different for SAF staff?

A.  Because it is such a large response and it occurred on short notice, many of our teammates deployed without the normal lead times.  It is inspiring to see the staff willing to step up and answer this call so quickly.  In addition, because the military deployed so rapidly, many of the locations where our teams are located are austere and modest in their accommodations.  Many of our SAF team who deployed to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict will remember sleeping in tents, and on cots and not having a hot meal to eat.   Some faced the dangers of hostile fire.  This level or resiliency and toughness is a hallmark of our Deployed Red Crossers, and it is fitting of the legacy of all of those who have came before to serve in Armed Conflicts dating back to the Civil War.

We also know that behind each person who deploys there are family, friends, pets, and other loved ones who miss and support them at home.  We offer thanks to them as our team couldn’t fulfill the Red Cross mission if they didn’t have people back home supporting them.

Q.  Can you tell us how this has impacted regions back home?

A.  These deployments are hard on the entire team.  I’m so inspired to see how teammates, paid staff, and volunteers have stepped up to cover the gaps in the work of our regions back home. We simply cannot do a response of this size without the full commitment of everyone and our teams at home have been vital.  Simply put – the contribution of the team members at home ensures success in the field. I‘m tremendously proud and impressed with this group effort.

Q.  What do you see going forward?

A.  I don’t see this crisis ending soon.  I do believe that this response mission will go on for a while.  As long as the U.S. military has service members deployed to respond, we’ll be there with them.  I’m so proud that our SAF teammates stand ready to answer the call.  While I know it hasn’t been easy, we are working to lighten the load.  Our team is working hard to recruit and onboard SAF reserve personnel to augment our mobile staff.  A first group of new reservists will soon be deployed alongside staff.

In many instances, these Red Crossers are the tip of the spear in delivering emergency communication messages to remote and difficult-to-reach troops anywhere in the world.  So, flexibility and dynamism in the workforce are critical.  We need all of our mobile staff to maintain their readiness, and our Regional Executives to know and understand what it takes to maintain the health and wellness and morale of their mobile staff.  For the Ukraine Operations, we deployed and assigned 24 staff. The Ukraine operation will require anywhere from 20 to 30 Mobile Red Crossers for the duration of the operation and will ensure that tens of thousands of troops receive morale and welfare items.

Q.  Do you have any additional thoughts to share?

A.  I’ll close with this – we are in this together.  From the teams overseas to our regional staff across the country and those at NHQ, we are all working to continue the legacy of support to service members in the field.  The same legacy that Clara Barton started for us. 

There is a Memorial in Red Cross square dedicated to this mission – to recognize, thank, and memorialize all of the Red Crossers who made this difficult but fulfilling choice.  This new generation of Red Cross Mobile staff and deployers will hold the long red line, and we will meet the challenge as we have always done.  Today is our day. Now is our time.  I could not be more proud to be serving with you.

Watch this recorded thank you message from Koby Langley from Warsaw Poland

ARC $12 Million donation to Ukraine

As conflict in Ukraine continues, the American Red Cross has contributed $12 million dollars toward relief efforts. This support allows the Red Cross network to provide lifesaving aid to those in need — both in the country and in neighboring areas. Currently, an estimated 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The contribution includes $10 million dollars to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help alleviate the suffering caused by this devastating crisis as well as $2 million dollars to the Danish Red Cross to provide emergency supplies to people displaced within Ukraine. This includes non-perishable food items, first aid kits, blankets and hygiene kits to people fleeing their homes inside the country as well as families sheltering in place and unable to access life-saving supplies.

Of the approximately 11 million people who have been displaced by this conflict, an estimated 7.1 million are still inside the country and in need of urgent life-saving assistance.

“With every day that passes, we know vulnerabilities increase. Access to medical supplies, food, water, utilities, and other vital goods and services deteriorates,” says IFRC Regional Director for Europe, Birgitte Bischoff. “We know there are so many uncertainties for people right now, but one thing that’s clear is the needs are immense, and they will be for a long time.”

Click here to read more about Red Cross Work in Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjwKylgqTM0&list=PLeC8i7LdqNeoFMLWjmsuN3tTX9_bmnPE6&index=1

False Rumors about the Red Cross Work in Ukraine:  What You Should Know
posted by the American Red Cross

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, each day brings more death, destruction and suffering to people across eastern Europe. For more than a month, the Red Cross has worked tirelessly to support the more than 10 million people displaced during this conflict and has reached more than 750,000 people with life-saving aid, both within Ukraine and in neighboring countries.

Recently there has been a great deal of misinformation circulating online about the role of Red Cross partners regarding our work in and around Ukraine. Specifically, false narratives about the International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC) neutrality and role on the ground have the potential to cause real harm to all of our teams, partners and the many people who need urgent help. As needs increase by the hour, the ability for Red Cross teams to deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance is being jeopardized by the surge of misinformation about the role the organization plays to alleviate suffering in armed conflict.

These rumors also impact the American Red Cross as many are unclear about the distinctions among ICRC, IFRC and national societies.

One claim that has no basis in truth is a false allegation regarding the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in forced evacuations. The ICRC has not been involved with any forced evacuation or forced transfer of civilians into Russia from Mariupol or any other Ukrainian city. To be absolutely clear, the Red Cross would never support any operation that would go against people's will.

Read more on the ARCRA website

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Other Information and Resources

ARCOA Convention and Memorial Service July 26-29, 2022 in Washington DC

The 2022 American Red Cross Overseas Association Convention and Memorial Service will be held June 26-29 at the American Red Cross in Washington DC, with special recognition for Korea service. Manuel Roig-Franzia will be the speaker at the Memorial Service. He is the author of The Washington Post articles “Two mystery photos and a 50 -year search for the ‘Donut Dollies’ of the Vietnam War” (Nov 11, 2021) and “After 50 years, the mystery of these Vietnam War photos of ‘Donut Dollies’ is solved” (Nov 27, 2021).

The ARCOA Convention hotel is State Plaza (2117 E Street, N.W., Washington D.C.), 0.5 mile/10 walking minutes from ARC Headquarters. Rooms are reserved from Monday, July 25th, through Friday, July 29th. The room rate is good three days before and three days after, subject to availability. Plan to by Tuesday, July 26th.

The convention will end with a luncheon on Friday, July 29. Look for updates on the ARCOA website https://www.arcoa.org. Look under “News” then “Events” for the 2022 Convention page. The Convention Registration Form is there – you can register online – as well as find information for room reservations at State Plaza..

Design Thinking Fundamentals for Social Change-Clara Barton

Check out this online course segment from DCDesign which analyzes the management process of Clara Barton.  The 12 minute video examines the way Clara applies her problem solving approach, beginning with the illness of her brother to the creation of the American Red Cross. Click here to watch Clara Barton's Design Thinking Work

Spring Cleaning Tips

Yes, we are well into Spring, but it is not too late to do your Spring Cleaning. For two years now, during the Pandemic, we have been hoarding stuff. We have buying more and more stuff online. What happened to that New Year’s resolution from 2019-if something new comes into the house something old must be donated or thrown out. Unfortunately, most of us forgot the 

second part of that commitment and never got rid of anything. Now it is time to clean it up and out.

1. Clean out your closet. If it doesn’t fit, it must go. Keep only those items that are classics, still in style, or hold sentimental value. Donate or resell everything else to make room for new additions this season.
2. Clean out your digital space. Clean up email inboxes by filing or discarding. Get rid of unused apps and all the bad photos on your phone. Clean out downloads, clutter, trash bins and useless screenshots on laptops and computer desktops. Reorganize your digital space.
3. Pick up healthy habits. Follow your old exercise plan or implement a new one. Get out walking.
4. Volunteer. Identify things you want to get involved in and join up. Get yourself involved and make a difference in our community, bring sunshine and help someone in need.
5. Organize your important documents. Get them all together, and make sure they are updated and accurate, and secure and store them in a safe place in case you need to find them quickly. 

Are you part of the Sandwich Generation?

A quarter of U.S. adults are part of the “sandwich generation” according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021.   The so-called sandwich generation are adults who have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising at least one child younger than 18 or providing financial support to an adult child.  

Research shows people are living longer and many young adults are struggling to gain financial independence, creating situations in which the generation in the middle is providing support to both their parents and their children.

More than half of Americans in their 40s are sandwiched between their children and an aging parent.. By comparison, 36% of those in their 50s, 27% of those in their 30s, and fewer than one-in-ten of those younger than 30 (6%) or 60 and older (7%) are in this situation.

Other findings:

• Men and women are about equally likely to be in the sandwich generation
• Adults across racial and ethnic groups are about equally likely to be in the sandwich generation
• Married adults are more likely to be in a sandwich situation
• Half of sandwiched adults in this age group (49%) say they are very satisfied with their family life

Read the whole Pew Research study

Getting Enough Sleep Can Reduce your Risk of Dementia

A recent article in the Harvard Health Blog states that sleep is good for your memory and can actually reduce your risk of dementia and death.  The article sites two new studies that suggest not getting enough sleep can increase your risk for dementia.

The first study from researchers at Harvard Medical School found that “ individuals who slept fewer than five hours a night were twice as likely to develop dementia, and twice as likely to die, compared to those who slept six to eight hours per night.”

The second study from researchers in Europe found that “consistently sleeping six hours or less at age 50,60, and 70 was associated with a 30% increase in dementia risk compared to a normal sleep duration of seven hours. “

Sleep, like diet and exercise, are essential for good brain health.  The good news is you can reduce your risk of dementia by getting six to eight hours of sleep each night.  If you are having trouble sleeping try to avoid sleeping pills and consider nonpharmacological approaches.

Read the Harvard Health Blog Here

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