All aboard!

Whoo-woo! Hear that? That's the swag train rolling in, courtesy of the Willamette Week Give!Guide (giveguide.oaktree.com/Donate.aspx). Donate $25 to the Oregon Red Cross via the Give!Guide, before December 31st, and receive a free large pizza, courtesy of Papa Murphy's. Donate $50 or more and also be entered into our drawing for a four-person emergency kit, worth $165!

And keep your eyes peeled for special incentive giveaway days, when your donation could make you the lucky winner of goodies from A to Z winery, Rogue Distillery, Kiehl's skin care, and more! We'll keep you posted.

Stumped On A Gift?

Do you have an "impossible-to-read" family member or friend on your holiday shopping list? Instead of just forking out some cash, take the advice of Miss Oregon Caroline McGowan, who is inspiring people around the state with her platform of community resilience and preparedness through the Red Cross.

Pictured above, Caroline spent yesterday grabbing emergency kit materials and safety gear from our store as gifts for her sorority sisters (who I hope aren't reading this).

EVERYONE benefits from the gift of disaster supplies. The unthinkable could happen at any time, and you show your friends and family you care by adding to their home, car and "go" kits - gifts that keep on giving the whole year round!

So when you're making a list and checking it twice, be sure to borrow from our lists as well!

A little Blog-Love for an Incomparable Three

On Monday in Lake Oswego, a fair at a retirement community represented an extraordinary collaboration between three parties I greatly respect.

Party #1: The American Red Cross
Now I’m a bit biased to the Red Cross, but what’s making me so proud today is the wonderful work of a dynamite volunteer named Vicky Leslie. Her commitment to helping the community is evident as she has worked to bring Red Cross services to a wider audience. This is the third event at this location that she has planned and lead. She is awesome!

Party #2: Carman Oaks Senior Living Community
Disaster Preparedness is important for every segment of the population, but so few communities actually take steps towards empowerment. The management at Carman Oaks has graciously hosted us in several well attended activities for their residents, including discussions on how to prepare for disasters. Few groups are as open to the ongoing conversation that is disaster preparedness. Clearly, Carman Oaks really cares about the health of its residents.

Party #3: Back T Pack
This is a company doing something new. Marilyn Miller von Foerster is a physical therapist, dedicated to her field. Through her work, which focuses on prevention rather than treatment, she is an innovator in health and has now entered the arena of disaster preparedness. At Monday’s fair at Carman Oaks she offered one of her ergonomic packs as a door prize and we filled it with some Red Cross disaster supplies. The wonderful lady who won now has a disaster kit she can manage in an emergency. Thank you Back T Pack for making disaster prep a lot easier.




left to right: Marilyn Miller von Foerster, the lucky winner, and Vicky Leslie




To learn more please click any of the following:
Oregon Red Cross
Carmen Oaks
Back T Pack

Help Oregon Red Cross Help Our Community Through the

Willamette Week Give!Guide

Oregon Red Cross is proud to be featured in the 2011 Willamette Week Give!Guide, which raised more than $1 million for local nonprofits last year. Like most Americans over the last few years, we have had to tighten our belts and work smarter while responding to a seemingly ever increasing number of disasters right here in Oregon.

We now have only 47 full time staff in humanitarian services to cover almost 100,000 square miles in the state of Oregon. But when disaster strikes, our organization wants to be ready to respond to floods, winter storms and the 2:00 A.M. call to assist a family affected by a home fire. When you click on Oregon Red Cross in the 'Community' section of the Give!Guide, you'll be glad to know that 100% of your donation goes directly to help victims of disasters.

People affected by disaster need to know that they have a place to stay, food to eat and emotional support from someone who cares as they take the first steps to recovery. This is our commitment to the people of Oregon and with your help and support we will always honor that commitment.

The American Red Cross is not a government agency. We rely solely on tax deductible financial donations to support our disaster response and humanitarian relief efforts. And because it's nice to do well when you do good, you'll be even more delighted to know that you can receive wonderful thank you gifts from Oregon Red Cross, Papa Murphy's and Willamette Week:

Our partner Papa Murphy will give you a free pizza with your $25 gift.

Oregon Red Cross is offering our own incentive for those who make a gift through the Give!Guide. Donate $50 or more to us by midnight on December 31 and be entered into our drawing for a four-person emergency kit worth $165!

Finally, Willamette Week offers:

• $10-$499 You get coupons good for discounts and freebies all over town. There is one level for donors between $10 and $99, another for $100 to $499. Larger gifts result in better deals. See the Give!Guide website for details.
  
• $500-$999 You get home delivery of a bottle of wine from A to Z Wineworks, a nice bag of Stumptown Coffee, Widmer Beer, a Chinook Book app, and more.
  
• $1,000-$2,499 You get home delivery of pinot noir from Rex Hill Vineyards, the Chinook Book app, a package of Bob’s Red Mill Honey Oats Granola, Stumptown Coffee, Widmer Beer, and more.
  
• $2,500 You get home delivery from one of Willamette Week’s owners of a bottle of sparkling wine, Rex Hill pinot noir wine, Moonstruck Chocolates, Stam dog treats, Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats, and more, including the Chinook Book app.