Programs and Services
Testimonials: One week before Christmas, a family was watching a movie in the family room of their DeKalb home when they smelled smoke. A lamp in the basement of their home had shorted out, and before they realized what was happening, their entire house was filled with thick smoke and flames. Just seconds after the family escaped the first floor of their home collapsed, destroying everything they owned.
Standing out in front of her house in her nightgown, Kathy* felt someone wrapping a blanket around her. "She said she was from the Red Cross, and she helped me find my husband and helped look for my dogs. She gave me a cup of hot coffee, and found us a place to stay that would take the dogs," said Kathy. In the weeks following the fire, the Red Cross assisted Kathy's family with food, clothing and shelter, and helped the family get in touch with members of their community and family who were trying to reach them. "The Red Cross was there for us, but we didn't realize how much they had done until it was all over," said Kathy. "They are like guardian angels - they swoop in and do good and you never really see them."
The Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) stands ready to respond to emergencies within DeKalb County 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whether it is a fire that affects a single family or a flood that displaces multiple families, DAT volunteers provide comfort, financial assistance, and guidance to those who need help in the hours and days following an emergency. All assistance is a free gift from the DeKalb County American Red Cross.
Testimonial: When Patti Anderson was first trained as a Health and Safety instructor for the American Red Cross in 1982, she wanted to practice her new skills as soon as possible. “I was so excited about teaching first aid and CPR that I recruited my family to be my first students,” said Patti. She taught lifesaving CPR skills to her mother and her sister, but never imagined how soon they would need to use them. Two weeks later, her father John was playing racquetball when he suddenly dropped to the ground. Patti’s mother and sister saw that he wasn’t breathing, then called for help and performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. Although John had suffered a heart attack and was “technically dead” for eleven minutes, the 48-year old survived because of Patti’s Red Cross training and enthusiasm for teaching those lifesaving skills to her family. “I have always been thankful to have the training and share it with others because it helped save my dad’s life,” said Patti. “Everyone should be trained.” Patti currently lives in Sycamore with her family, and continues to teach Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED classes.
Helping people prepare for emergencies and save lives are the cornerstones of the Red Cross mission. In the past year, more than 1,200 people in DeKalb County learned how to prevent injuries and respond calmly and effectively when emergencies strike. The Red Cross chapter teaches adult, child & infant CPR, Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training, First Aid and water safety to individuals, groups and corporations. The Red Cross also offers a variety of community outreach programs, including special presentations that teach school children, employees and community members how to prepare for unexpected emergencies.
Testimonial: When Gabriella Szilagyi found that she had to have a serious spinal operation, it was important to her that her son be at her side, since she had no other family to help her through the ordeal. Because he was stationed abroad with the Army, she had no way to reach him directly, and she turned to the Red Cross for help. Red Cross case workers confirmed her condition with her doctor and tracked down her son in Korea.
Within hours of her call to the Red Cross, her son contacted her and soon rushed home to be by her side for the surgery. He stayed with her for 20 days during her recovery. The surgery was a success. "Without the unselfish coordination and effective assistance of the American Red Cross," says Gabriella, "I would have had to face a major emergency surgery totally alone."
With thousands of military personnel still stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and other posts around the world, the American Red Cross continues to be the vital communications link between service men and women and their families at home. We send messages about important news - such as a child's birth, a serious illness or the death of a loved one – anywhere in the world, including ships at sea, embassies and isolated military units.
The DeKalb County American Red Cross also provides medical assistance (including eyeglasses, medications and medically necessary devices) for local WWII veterans.
Testimonial: My daughter, Elise, was born with a life-threatening heart defect that she almost didn't survive. Because of the severity of her illness, her kidneys and liver failed. As a result of her liver failure, her blood clotting was compromised greatly. She was bleeding to death. Without the 22 transfusions she received of both clotting factors and whole blood, she would never have survived her eight-hour heart surgery. She had the best doctors, nurses, technology and equipment available to her, but without the people who donated the blood that she received, all the resources in the world wouldn't have saved her.
When you donate blood to the American Red Cross, you help patients like Elise to have a second chance at life. Find a Red Cross blood drive in your area.
