The Next Best Thing to Personally Handing You a Tissue

If you haven’t had the flu, chances are someone in your house or office has. We had a nasty case passing around the past few weeks here, and we know how miserable it can be.
While we can’t personally hand you a tissue as you sniffle and sneeze, make you a cup of chicken noodle soup, [...]

Great Stories from AmeriCorps, part 2

My favorite part about coming into work every morning is knowing what wonderful people will be there to greet me when I step into the office.  (Or what wonderful people I will pick up on my way; we kind of have a car-pooling system going on.)  This next great story coming from the AmeriCorps office [...]

Hey Workplaces! Cover that Sneeze!

Countries worldwide are reporting cases of H1N1 Influenza, which the WHO (World Health Organization) anticipates will persist into the upcoming influenza season. Unlike the seasonal flu, a flu pandemic affects large numbers of people throughout the world and spreads rapidly. Pandemic flu can suddenly, quickly incapacitate any organization, and smaller businesses may be at [...]

Rap + Flu Prevention = 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Winner!

What does rap and flu prevention have in common?
Perhaps not much that meets the eye — but thanks to Dr. Clarke, winner of the 2009 HHS Flu Prevention PSA contest, the two worlds of hip hop tunes and flu safety and prevention have collided…and the result is spectacular.

For more information on [...]

This Labor Day, Beware Bear Attacks and Get Trained

During your manly (or womanly), flannel-covered, outdoorsy adventures this Labor Day weekend, it never hurts to be extra-cautious. These smart lads knew that getting Red Cross training was important, and in the case of being chased by a bear (and other, more common, situations), life-saving. (Looks like Stephen Colbert has been [...]

National Preparedness Month — and GO!

QUICK QUIZ!
Today is September 1st. This signifies what?
a) The day that the Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross Station (at exactly 11 o’clock, mind you), carrying Harry, Ron, and Hermione off to Hogwarts (it’s leaving in 19 minutes…hurry up!)
b) The first day of National Preparedness Month!
c) Birthday of Barry Gibb, one of the BeeGees (“Ah, [...]

Help Us With Our “Preparing Our Community” Disaster Kit Drive!

Items as simple as toothpase, bottled water, and a first aid kit can be an enormous help to a family whose home is damaged or destroyed by disaster, such as a fire or flood. Help us help others as your local Red Cross is collecting items for disaster kits that will then be distributed at [...]

Get Your “Red” On and Get Red Cross Ready!

Have you taken this FREE online module yet? It’s fun, snappy, and informative! (It will also get a revamp in the next few weeks with a game and video from Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet member Jamie Lee Curtis — stay tuned, we’ll let you know.)

In the meantime, what are you waiting for?
Get Red Cross Ready [...]

BOOM! Power Outages Galore!

With the bone-shaking thunderstorms that have rocked the Greater Grand Rapids area this weekend, it’s no surprise that an estimated 100,000 people are without power. We thought we’d pop in and help out!
Try using these safety tips for when your power goes out.

Also, DID YOU KNOW: Our awesome volunteers stepped in and assisted 23 people [...]

Steamy Temps Call for A Cold Drink of Heat Safety Knowledge!

After the weirdly cool summer we’ve had, the upper-80s and 90s temps ahead for the weekend could be a shock to the system. Well, Greater Grand Rapids, here is Red Cross to the rescue, as per usual, with some cold sips of knowledge from our cooler of heat safety tips!

Difference between warnings/watches for heat:

Excessive Heat [...]