14

It has been a year since the tragic train derailment impacted the community of Lac-Mégantic. Over the past year, the Red Cross has helped the community recover by providing emergency assistance and support through a number of projects. Here are two stories from people who lived through the disaster and went on to help their community recover with the help of Red Cross:

See pictures of Wa​lmart Canada's Supporting Families in Need Day on Saturday (June 28th) which took place in Walmart stores across Canada in celebration of 20 years in the country. Walmart Canada held the day to thank its customers for helping to raise money for its charities, including the Canadian Red Cross.

If you're planning a trip to Walmart in your near future, you may want to consider going tomorrow (June 28^th) when the company shows its gratitude for 20 years in Canada. Tomorrow (Saturday), Walmart Canada is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Canada by holding Supporting Families in Need Day in Walmart stores across the country. 

As the Alberta Flood anniversary approaches, we at Red Cross are naturally focused on the work still ahead of us. That’s because we know hundreds of families are still struggling to recover.  Even now, people arrive at our offices with heartbreaking stories. Often, their financial credit is maxed out and they don’t know where else to turn. In the midst of this need, it can be tough to take time to recognize everything that’s already been accomplished during the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Flood response. But of course, that’s equally important. So today, Red Cross says a special thank you to all the staff and volunteers who work so hard to help others.

Finding a child unresponsive in the water is a parent’s worst nightmare. It can happen very quickly and only takes a very small amount of water. Sadly, drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death for children ages 1-4 in Canada and it’s preventable.

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.

Debbie Smith, Donna Doak and Sharon McDougall are Red Cross disaster response volunteers from Brockville who have been volunteering their time to help those who have been evacuated from their homes in northern Ontario due to flooding.

When 17-year-old Janie Inishinapay was forced to evacuate from her northern Ontario home in Kashechewan earlier this week because of extensive flooding, her first priority was ensuring the safety of her infant son, Rysen, who has cerebral palsy.