Hurricane Sandy continues to bear down on the East Coast of the United States and has now forced the cancellation of approximately 300 Red Cross blood drives resulting in a shortfall of nearly 9,000 units of blood and platelets. That number is expected to grow as Sandy is causing power outages and flooding in many areas along the East Coast.

The Red Cross shipped blood products into the affected areas ahead of the storm and now urges eligible donors in unaffected areas, like ours, to roll up their sleeves and give blood to replenish supplies. Just as Red Cross disaster workers from across the country have mobilized to help, blood donated through the Red Cross can help patients locally as well as patients in areas affected by Sandy.

Attached is a news release with more information about the need for blood and platelets as well as how people can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Please let me know if you have any questions, would like to schedule an interview, or need additional information.

Thank you,

Ben Corey
Communications Program Manager
American Red Cross

Mid-America Blood Services Division
405 W. John H. Gwynn Jr. Ave.
Peoria, IL 61605
o. 309-636-4284 | c. 309-634-1385

 

Upcoming Blood Drives

Carroll County
Oct. 31 from 8:30 am- 2:30 pm, West Carroll High School, 500 Cragmoor Drive in Savanna, Ill.

Nov. 15 from 1-6 p.m. at Milledgeville First Brethren Church, 521 N. Main Ave. in Milledgeville,
Ill.

Clinton County
Nov. 8 from 12-6 p.m. at Prince of Peace Catholic Academy, 312 S. Fourth St. in Clinton, Iowa

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

Henry County
Nov. 1 from 12-6 p.m. at First United Methodist Church South Campus Building, 302 N. State
St. in Geneseo, Ill.

Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Woodhull Alwood High School, 301 E. Fifth in Woodhull, Ill.

Nov. 8 from 2-6 p.m. at St. John's Vianney Church, 313 S. West St. in Cambridge, Ill.

Nov. 14 from 2-6 p.m. at First Christian Church, 105 Dwight St. in Kewanee, Ill.

Mercer County
Nov. 9 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Sherrard High School, 4701 176th in Sherrard, Ill.

Whiteside County
Oct. 30 from 10 am- 2 pm, Halo Branded Solutions, 1980 Industrial Drive in Sterling, Ill.

Oct. 31 from 2 pm- 6 pm, Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St.
in Rock Falls

Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fulton High School, 1207 12th St. in Fulton, Ill.

Nov. 3 from 6:30-11:30 a.m. at CGH Medical Center, 100 E. LeFevre Road in Sterling, Ill.

Nov. 6 from 8-11 a.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.

Nov. 7 from 2-6 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.

Nov. 8 from 3-8 p.m. at Tampico United Methodist Church, 202 Lincoln Ave. in Tampico, Ill.

Nov. 12 from 1-6 p.m. at Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD No. 3, 79 Grove St. in
Prophetstown, Ill.

Nov. 13 from 1-5:15 p.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.

Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock
Falls, Ill.

How to Help
The Red Cross has mobilized disaster volunteers and is providing safe shelter from Hurricane
Sandy to thousands of people in the storm's path. The Red Cross is working closely with federal,
state and local government officials, as well as community partners to coordinate response
efforts.

To help people affected by disasters like this, as well as countless crises at home and around the
world, make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the
Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in
response to disasters. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS
to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to a local American Red Cross
chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

Red Cross Apps

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

The free Red Cross Hurricane App for mobile devices provides real-time hurricane safety
information such as weather alerts and where Red Cross shelters are located. The app also
features a toolkit with a flashlight, strobe light and alarm, and the one-touch "I'm Safe" button
lets someone use social media outlets to tell family and friends they are okay. The Hurricane
App is available in Spanish. Users just need to make sure the language setting on their smart
phone is set to Spanish before downloading. The First Aid app puts expert advice for everyday
emergencies in someone's hand. The apps can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google
Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters;
supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides
international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red
Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the
American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join
our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

###

QUAD CITIES, USA: The Supplemental Emergency Assistance Program (SEAP) Trivia Night will be Friday, November 2, at the Knights of Columbus, 1111 W. 35th St., Davenport. Cost is $10 per person or $80 for a table of eight.

All-you-can-eat Chili Supper is $5. Doors open at 5:30 pm and food will be available beginning at 6 p.m.

Silent Auction Baskets and a 50/50 Raffle will be featured. Cash prizes for the winning table and runner-up table.

For more information, call Lindsay at 563-324-4808 or email her at Lindsay_Hines@usc.salvationarmy.org

The mission of the Supplemental Emergency Assistance Program (SEAP) is to provide assistance, through member agencies, to help meet the crisis or extraordinary needs of individuals and families of the Quad Cities who have exhausted all other means of available financial aid.

In 1989, a group of local people working in the field of direct social services met to discuss ways of providing additional money to help assist persons in crisis. Those involved recognized that there were a number of avenues of assistance already available and that these needed to be fully utilized. However, there was a general consensus that there are occasions when the full amount of help that is needed may not be available. For that reason, the group applied for a grant through the Doris and Victor Day Foundation to set up SEAP. The grant was approved and the program officially began in January 1990. The program assists individuals and families with crisis needs. The funds are used after other community resources have been exhausted, for any persons living in the Quad Cities Area, without discrimination. An agency must apply to and be approved by the SEAP membership. SEAP is a 501(c)(3) organization. All funds are received through grants, individual donations and fundraising events.

***

Heading Into the Final Week Before the Election, Iowans Can Make Sure Their Voice is Heard By Voting Early

 

DES MOINES?This week, early voting will continue across Iowa.  The Obama campaign is organizing voters for a record number of satellite voting locations between now and Election Day. Early voting is a simple and easy way to make sure people have their voice heard in this election.

 

Iowans have the clearest choice they have faced in a generation. The President has offered a real and achievable plan that will create jobs, expand opportunity and ensure our economy is built to last - one that's built from the middle out, not the top down. We can't say the same about Mitt Romney. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made - on jobs and the economy, taxes, deficits, energy, education, war and peace. These decisions will have a huge impact on our lives and on our children's lives for decades to come.  On every issue, this isn't just a choice between two candidates or two parties - it's a choice between two fundamentally different visions for our country's future.

SATELLITE VOTING INFORMATION

On Tuesday, October 30

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Westdale Mall located at 2500 Edgewood Rd., SW in Cedar Rapids

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Collins Road Theater located at 1462 Twixt Town Rd. in Marion

·         Johnson?11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Iowa City Public Library located at 123 South Linn Street in Iowa City

·         Scott?10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Davenport Public Library-Eastern Ave. Branch located at 6000 Eastern Ave. in Davenport

·         Woodbury?8:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Long Lines Family Center located at 401 Gordon Drive in Sioux City

 

On Wednesday, October 31

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Westdale Mall located at 2500 Edgewood Rd., SW in Cedar Rapids

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Collins Road Theater located at 1462 Twixt Town Rd. in Marion

·         Johnson?11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Iowa City Public Library located at  123 South Linn Street in Iowa City

·         Scott?12:30 PM - 6:30 PM at Davenport Public Library-Eastern Ave. Branch located at 6000 Eastern Ave. in Davenport

·         Woodbury?8:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Long Lines Family Center located at 401 Gordon Drive in Sioux City

 

On Thursday, November 1

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Westdale Mall located at 2500 Edgewood Rd., SW in Cedar Rapids

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Collins Road Theater located at 1462 Twixt Town Rd. in Marion

·         Johnson?11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Iowa City Public Library located at 123 South in Iowa City

·         Scott?10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Davenport Public Library-Eastern Ave. Branch located at 6000 Eastern Ave. in Davenport

·         Woodbury?8:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Long Lines Family Center located at 401 Gordon Drive in Sioux City

 

On Friday, November 2

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Westdale Mall located at 2500 Edgewood Rd., SW in Cedar Rapids

·         Linn?5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Collins Road Theater located at 1462 Twixt Town Rd. in Marion

·         Johnson?11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Iowa City Public Library located at 123 South in Iowa City

·         Scott?10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Davenport Public Library-Eastern Ave. Branch located at 6000 Eastern Ave. in Davenport

·         Woodbury?8:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Long Lines Family Center located at 401 Gordon Drive in Sioux City

(Moline, IL) Just in time for Halloween..... John Deere Middle School has created a "Zombie Survival Club". Zombie Survival Club is made available through a partnership between Lights ON for Learning 21st Century Community Learning Centers and the Moline Public Library.

The program was created by Jan Laroche, the teen services librarian who has an interest in Zombie movies and recognized the trends in teen literature about zombies. She says the club will focus on STEM lessons (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in a fun setting. "Zombie Survival Club is intended to be a lighthearted, activity based program that develops educational skills through a fun after school curriculum."

Some of the lessons being taught to zombie so they can survive include :

•  Come up with list of essential needs for zombie survival-- water, food, first aid, tools, safe locations, transportation, power/electricity. Create list for an emergency kit.

•  Discuss types of zombies and spread of infection.

•  Discuss safe drinking water and food supplies. Include how much water is needed, how to find it, and how to make it.

•  Use CDC guidelines to figure out how much water would be needed for a short-term stay.

•  Use math skills to figure out different sizes of bottles and groups of people.

•  Use survival books to discuss how to find safe water in different locations, and discuss purification methods.

•  Discuss food supplies. Include what food to keep on hand in your kit, where to find additional food in both urban and rural settings, and how to grow food.

•  Use calorie guidelines and nutrition information to figure out how long a supply would last. Discuss where food stores might be found and use survival books to identify edible wild plants. Plan a garden for future food supplies. (If necessary, discuss hunting and trapping skills.)

•  Discuss safe locations. Include being prepared to fortify for the short term, ideal locations for immediate retreat, and long-term plans for relocation. Also include discussion about transportation.

•  Discuss power/electricity issues. Include ways to survive without electricity and ways to generate power.

•  Have students research how long electricity would continue after an apocalypse. Make a potato battery and look at plans for a bicycle generator.

•  Discuss power/electricity issues. Include ways to survive without electricity and ways to generate power.

• Discuss long-term survival plans. Include ways to communicate with other survivors, finding information, and the pros and cons of joining with others.

The John Deere Zombie Survival Club meets every two weeks for one hour (4:15-5:15).

Who: John Deere Middle "Lights ON" Students

What: Zombie Survival Skills class

When: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 4:15 pm

Where: John Deere Middle School Moline-- Room 17 ground floor

2035 11th Street, Moline.

Why: It's ghouly fun...and the students learn science, technology,
engineering and math skills