Red Cross Programs (Page 35)

Recently, Canadian Red Cross in Manitoba went on a road trip to train groups of volunteers as members of new Personal Disaster Assistance (PDA) teams in Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson. The PDA teams, made up entirely of local volunteers, will provide support and basic necessities including clothes and shelter to families that have been displaced by house fires and other small disasters. Here’s a travel journal of the 2,069 kilometre road trip. We hope you enjoy it.

Chile recently experienced two significant disasters, devastating fires and earthquake, that required more than simply providing for people's physical well-being. Red Cross volunteers on the ground also provided emotional support, as psychosocial aid is key to helping people recover from disasters. Two volunteers from the Chilean Red Cross share their stories.

Physical disability has not stopped Cherri Lynn Hocken from volunteering for the Canadian Red Cross. She has now dedicated more than 15 years with the organization.

Jane Belyk delicate fingers weave effortlessly between her needle and wool. Her scarf is nearly done – dancing colours of blue, green and a pale yellow fill her design. She is among a group of seven ladies sitting around a table at the Canadian Red Cross office in Calgary, like they do every Tuesday, knitting blankets and other material to local community groups, such as the Sheldon Kennedy Advocacy Centre and Raido Youth Transition House.

We always encourage people to know the risks, make a plan and get a kit so they can be ready for any emergency.

While much of Atlantic Canada is digging out from what has been described as a weather bomb, or spring blizzard, we thought we’d check in to see how residents of the Atlantic provinces prepared and got through the storm.

Eight months after the Alberta floods, the DeMan family home in Calgary still isn’t fully habitable, one son lives with an uncle, and their child care business is located elsewhere. The June 2013 floods may have faded from the headlines, but the DeMan family still lives with the consequences of the disaster, as do many others in southern Alberta. The Canadian Red Cross continues to provide assistance to families and communities as their needs emerge.