Nashville, TN — For the second time in less than two weeks, the Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is responding to a fire at The Parthenon Towers, the metro government-run apartment housing complex for seniors and disabled citizens. The Red Cross is working with management at the housing facility and preparing to shelter up to 300 residents who are currently displaced and without power.
“This is one of those disasters that may not make National headlines,” said David Kitchen, Chief Emergency Services Officer, “But it doesn’t change the fact that it turns people’s lives upside down in a matter of minutes. The role of the Red Cross is to erase the fear and uncertainty that is caused by disasters and replace it with safety and security.”
The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on the generosity of the American public to support their humanitarian efforts.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
This online event, Writers For The Red Cross celebrates Red Cross Month (March 1-31). It is intended to raise funds and awareness for the Red Cross and its work in communities across the country.
The event will auction off publishing-related items and services donated by local and national authors, publicists, agents, and editors. There are also daily guest posts from authors about “What the Red Cross Means to Me.” All donors who give over $25 will also be able to select one free book from a range of books donated and shipped by publishers for the event.
Writers share a commitment to community by bringing people together through their stories. And these communities continue to be strengthened as readers come together with writers in their local bookstores, in book clubs, online through social media…and through partnerships with national organizations with a similar mission of community: national organizations like the American Red Cross.
If there were one word to d escribe the Red Cross, it would be “community.” The Nashville Area Chapter responded to 22 house fires in the month of February and helped 80 displaced adults and children find shelter, food and clothing. Just last Thursday during the severe storms, 22 people were not able to return to their homes and needed immediate emergency assistance of shelter and food. The Red Cross is about helping the Nashville community in times of disaster to prevent, prepare and respond in emergency situations.
During the month of March the auction will be raising awareness and money for the Nashville Area Chapter and American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by highlighting over 170 writers, agents, editors, book bloggers, and independent bookstores. The event already has a grassroots following and has created quite a buzz in the social networking writing and book community. Please log on, bid, tweet (#writers4red) and be a friend!
Nashville Area Chapter volunteer and Vanderbilt Professor, Holly Tucker is the brainchild and manpower behind Writers For The Red Cross. She has donated countless hours of her time in volunteer resources and staffing and is currently promoting her new book, Blood Work on a nationwide book tour. She will be downtown at the Nashville Library tomorrow from 12:00-1:00 pm. promoting her book and donating her time to educate others about the power of community, the power o f the American Red Cross.
The Nashville Chapter of the American Red Cross has partnered with training experts at Nashville K-9 to offer a Pet First Aid Class for dog owners. The class will be held at the Nashville Area Red Cross on Tuesday, February 22 from 6:00 pm-9:00 pm.
The Pet First Aid Class will equip pet owners with the basic skills necessary to identify and care for an animal experiencing a first aid emergency. Topics covered will include the proper methods for approaching an animal in distress, basic wound care and tips for maintaining a dog’s health and well being. Participants will also learn how to create a pet first aid kit and identify the normal physical conditions, behaviors and habits of a dog.
“Pets encounter first aid emergencies just like people do, “ said Matt Moody, Health and Safety Director for the Nashville Red Cross. “This class was specifically designed to prepare dog owners with essential skills and knowledge that can help save their pets’ lives.”
To participate in the class, please contact Nashville K-9 at (615)438-2602. The cost is $50 per person.
About the Nashville Area Red Cross: The Nashville Area Regional Chapter oversees 36 counties and six Red Cross community chapters in Middle Tennessee. The 17 counties served directly by the Chapter include: Cheatham, Clay, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, White and Wilson counties. The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disas ter and helps people prevent, prepare and respond to emergencies. The American Red Cross is not a government agency. All disaster assistance is free, and is funded solely by local donations. To give a gift, call (615) 250-4300 or go to www. nashvilleredcross.org
