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Summer can bring warm, sunny weather and, after our Canadian winters, some welcome heat. When our summers heat up, it’s always important to keep your cool.
So to help beat the heat, and stay hydrated, indulge in tasty, refreshing beverages to keep cool - here are some recipes for your enjoyment:

Fort McMurray people are resilient. When wildfires, which scorched an area 100 times the size of Manhattan, destroyed some 2,500 town buildings and resulted in a month-long evacuation, even the strongest residents were tested. Meet one person the Canadian Red Cross had the privilege to support, Eva Janvier. 

Aileen Park, an Alberta fires evacuee, is an artist. Over the last five years, she has made thousands of tiny blown-glass hearts that she gives to strangers in the hopes that they will bring a smile to someone’s face. These small Pocket Hearts are a symbol of human connection and are meant to be shared and passed along. More recently the hearts have been given to people facing hardships or as a thank you for the generosity from others around her. Her little tokens of hope and solidarity are now spread across every continent.

Red Cross teams have witnessed thousands of acts of kindness as Canadians come together to help those affected by the massive wildfires in Fort McMurray and surrounding communities.
Last week, Jenn McManus, VP of Alberta operations for the Red Cross, visited the Acklands-Grainger employees in Fort McMurray to recognize one such act of kindness.

In times of disaster and emergencies, the work done by humanitarians at home and abroad is essential. Over the last two years, Canadian Red Cross aid workers have assisted with earthquakes in Nepal and Ecuador, at Syrian refugee camps and with Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, among many others. Disasters, both natural and manmade, are increasingly common. This is why the work of the Canadian Red Cross focuses not only on sending aid workers to emergencies, but also training and educating the next generation.

We want to see how you live to explore our lakes, rivers and shores while wearing your lifejacket. Snap a pic and send it to us for a chance to win one of 10 family packs of Mustang lifejackets.
Share your photo on social media using #LifeJacketLiving or #LaVieEnGilet to enter the contest or submit your photo online here.

On May 3^rd, Anita Blanchette made a promise to her husband as they drove away from home in Fort McMurray, with massive flames chewing up the countryside just 200 metres away: “I told my husband ‘I don’t think we will have a home to come back to. If we do have a home when we return, I will be giving back’,” she said, tearing up.
After returning to her miraculously intact house, Anita kept her promise: she is now giving back as a Red Cross volunteer on Hardin St. 

For a Fort McMurray resident who watched the forest fire quickly invade his neighbourhood before he fled to Winnipeg, the assistance of the Canadian Red Cross has been both helpful and reaffirming.
“This whole experience beyond confirmed my faith in the Red Cross. It just reassured me that not only is the Red Cross real, but it is a completely valuable resource to people in need and the support has been just overwhelming,” said Jared Sabovitch, whose home was destroyed by the fire.