Red Cross Talks (Page 101)

Love was in the air last week at the Canadian Red Cross office in Fort McMurray. Red Cross caseworker Tiffany Whitford thought her boyfriend Adam Nicholson and their two children Lola and Maddix were stopping by the office to drop off her lunch.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently dealing with three epidemics at once: cholera, measles and yellow fever. The Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross has been a key partner of their government in the fight against these recurrent epidemics, with hundreds of volunteers raising community-level awareness about preventative measures.

After graduating from the nursing program at Queens University, Nicole Edwards made some surprising discoveries about community health. Nicole had just returned to her hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was seeking ways to occupy her free time while she looked for a job.  She applied to volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross, and was assigned the role of Community Health Transportation volunteer with the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living program.

On Monday, Red Cross rescued 350 people from unsafe boats crossing the Mediterranean to seek safety in Europe. Favourable weather this week has seen an increase in the number of people risking the treacherous journey in search of refuge due to the calmer seas.

Mohammed Sunba shares his experiences of volunteering with the Red Cross: he started nearly two years ago to support people who have been impacted by personal disasters, such as house fires and floods. The Alberta fire response is the largest disaster Mohammed has been a part of as a Red Cross volunteer.

Earlier this summer in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, I participated in Exploring Humanitarian Law educator training, a program. This free session is sponsored by the Canadian Red Cross with support from Global Affairs Canada, and introduced us to an education program that’s designed to help students aged 13 to 18 learn about humanitarian action, international law and justice. 

Swim instructors Kaitlin Perry and Breena Rusnell always knew their work went far beyond teaching children how to do the front crawl or how to tread water.  Read how the swim instructors are helping their students and community recover from the devastating Alberta wildfires. 

With summer still providing hot weather throughout many parts of Canada, it's important for everyone enjoying the outdoors to know how to prevent heat emergencies. Let Hudson show you how to deal with the dog days of summer.