The City Employees of Anaheim did whatever it cost even to the point of doing it with their own blood to win over 36 other cities in Southern California for the honor of donating the most of the life-saving blood to win the 2014 Red Cross City Blood Drive Challenge.
The employees bleeding for a cause donated a total of 154 pints of precious blood to beat equally determined Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange and others to win the award which in reality redound to the benefit of future recipients who are the actual winners.
The City Blood Challenge Campaign is so timed strategically during the critical summer season so as not to interfere with donors summer schedules where activities fill their calendars that leave them less time to donate. Patients in need of blood could not afford to take summer breaks.
The city’s moment achievement will be at the scheduled awards ceremony in Pomona.
Preserving Precious Memories: Observance of Grandparents Day comes on the heels of the busy Labor Day where grandparents bask in a day’s moment of recognition for their commitment and dedication to their familial ministry. The Cornerstone Christian Fellowship of Orange County, a Filipino-American community church in Fullerton, joined the rest of the country in observing the day originated by Marian Mc Quade in West Virginia to honor the elderly under a Presidential Proclamation.
Generous volunteer blood donors sustain the Red Cross’s needs to provide blood recipients like children with leukemia and senior members of the society who require operations as well as accident and trauma victims. An average supply 1,200 pints of the life sustaining fluid are needed across Southern California.
Meanwhile, the amount of blood in the human body depends on size with an average man of 150 lbs or 70 kilograms needing around 8 pints or 5.2 liters of blood. Women on the other hand, weighing around 110 lbs. or 50 kgs. will have about 5 pints of blood or 3.3 liters. The average man will have eights pints of blood in his body and the average woman will have 6-7 lbs.
The Red Cross is the nation’s largest blood collection organization which supplies approximately 40 percent of the blood and blood products in the country.
The Red Cross office serving Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties is one of Southern California’s leading non-profit agencies staffed by volunteer workers dedicated to disaster preparedness and response; health, safety and aquatics classes; the Lifeline program for independent seniors; youth service programs as well as educational and informational presentations to thousands of residents and business each year.
The local chapter serves some 7.3 million people and responds to local emergency calls every 22 hours. Nearly 1,000 adults and 2,000 youth volunteers donate their time to the organization. It trains more than 49,000 people in first aid and CPR annually and teaches nearly 60,000 residents in water safety and lifeguard skills. There are 600 local chapters in the local network.
Priests Sing for a Cause: The singing priests take brief time out with Monsignor Jeffrey Malanog (fourth from right) and fundraiser hosts, Dr. Corazon Medina and her husband Realtor Cesar Medina, (third from left and fourth from right, respectively) at the fundraising event to rebuild earth-quake damaged churches of the Archdiocese of Tagbilaran, in Bohol, Philippines. The singing priests captivated their audience with their songs and acts. The Medinas have for years supported medical and charitable missions especially in their native Bohol where the Fullerton-based couple maintains a regular outreach program helping in the building and reconstruction of their home-town. (an FB photo)
September being a National Disaster Preparedness Month, the American Red Cross is urging “everyone to get ready for emergencies” and encourages citizens to join America’s PrepareAthon by creating a disaster plan for the household “that can keeps everyone safe in an emergency”.
Having an emergency plan, according to Maxine Margaritis, Regional CEO of the American Red Cross, “is an important step so everyone in the household knows what they should do if something happens” and should mark National Preparedness Month by creating or updating their plans”
The Red Cross serving Orange County will be providing the public various opportunities to learn how to get prepared by participating at the following scheduled events: Huntington Beach Disaster Preparedness Expo 2014, Sept. 13 at Sea Breeze Church, 36th Annual Fiestas Patrias, Main Street in Historic Downtown Santa Ana onSept. 14; Prepare SoCal Day at the Angels, Angels Stadium, Anaheim, Ca on Sept. 14; Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Presentations at Pacifica Institute in Orange County on Sept. 23 and at the American Red Cross in Santa Ana on Sept. 30.