In Case You Missed It - May 7

"Today is extra special to me because 8 years ago my mother and I lost our
home to a home fire right here in Mt. Vernon, NY." -Greg Itis on Instagram

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided services to 2098 adults and 597 children following 50 disasters/events. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (see below)

Last Week in Review 

• For a second week, our Sound the Alarm campaign was in full swing. This weekend, with help from community partners, Red Crossers canvassed homes in Mt. Vernon and Brooklyn, installing smoke alarms and providing fire safety education to residents. 
• For volunteers like Greg Itis, this is a deeply personal experience. 
• News 12 Westchester provided awesome coverage for Sound the Alarm in Mt. Vernon here. 
• On Thursday, volunteers were canvassing Mt. Vernon in preparation for the activity over the weekend. 
• News 12 Long Island and Brentwood Patch also reported on the Red Cross assisting 20 residents after a terrible fire in Brentwood.
• To help promote Sound the Alarm, we debuted a three new PSAs: one highlighting our partnership with the FDNY, a supercut of elected officials showing their support for the lifesaving campaign and lastly this more dramatic one.
• On Tuesday, we livestreamed a panel of impressive speakers to discuss the topic of “Humanitarian Crises Outside the Public Eye” on Facebook. Photos of the panel can be seen on Flickr. 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• If you’re a mission-focused undergraduate or graduate college student seeking a meaningful internship experience, then apply to our Red Cross program—a rare opportunity to explore and enrich your future career prospects while serving others. Apply here: http://bit.ly/2x9lnqV
• May 8, 11, 14: Red Cross blood drives will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Greater NY Red Cross building located at 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.
• May 11, 12: Major “Sound the Alarm” fire safety smoke alarm installation events are coming to Long Island and Brooklyn on May 11 and 12 and we need your help to install free smoke alarms in at-risk neighborhoods and to educate families on preparing for fires. Sign up by calling 877-733-2767 or by visiting soundthealarm.org/nyc for NYC and soundthealarm.org/li for Long Island. 
• May 10: We invite you to the "Women Who Lead" luncheon panel where you'll get to meet the staff and volunteers of the Red Cross and hear from influential women who are changemakers in their field. For more information on the panelists and to purchase tickets, click here. 
• May 17: The American Red Cross Young Patrons are hosting an “Evening Under the Stars,” a summer rooftop networking soiree. You can find out more and buy tickets here.