American Red Cross

Verdugo Hills Hospital has joined forces with the Southern Californian branch of the American Red Cross in an effort to boost emergency blood supplies by hosting a pre-holiday drive on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Verdugo Hills Hospital and the American Red Cross collected 57 units of blood the last time a blood drive was held in June and organizers hope to top this amount. "We had a great turnout for our blood drive earlier this year and our goal is to collect even more units this time," said Norma Martin, director of the hospital's Laboratory Services.

In response to the ongoing need for blood, Verdugo Hills Hospital and the American Red Cross will hold a blood drive on June 14 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the main (4th) floor of the hospital. The American Red Cross has an inventory of less than one-day supplies of both B-negative and O-negative blood types. "As a partner in saving lives, Verdugo Hills Hospital answered the Red Cross' call to action," said Len LaBella, Verdugo Hills Hospital CEO. "I feel confident that our local community members will roll up their sleeves to help others."

The Glendale Chapter of National Charity League will hold a blood drive to supply much needed blood to the American Red Cross this summer. The "From the Heart" blood drive will be held at Verdugo Hills Hospital on Sunday, July 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. "We are hoping to make a difference in the lives of many LA residents by donating a lot of blood on July 8," according to Debbie Morrow, the grade level advisor for the class of 2010 which is heading...

Alecia Foster SOUTHWEST GLENDALE -- With help from the community, volunteers from the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross plan to send care packages to military personnel stationed oversees. The collection is part of "Operation: Care Package" and is part of an effort to show support for military in Bosnia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. "When they're oversees, they don't have a lot of the conveniences," said Carvel Gay, Red Cross Volunteer.

As the holiday season fast approaches we are again asking for your support for our service members at various operations and exercises around the world. This morale lifting request is supported fully by the American Red Cross. Their very presence helps provide a touch of home when visiting with service members in the various campsites. They distribute the quality-of-life items collected and sent by American Red Cross units around the world. Quality-of-life items are needed by Red Cross staff assigned in Kosovo, Bosnia, Prince Sultan Air Base (Saudi Arabia)

Judy Seckler ADAMS HILL -- The American Red Cross offers the gift of safety this holiday season for elementary- and middle-school-age children. Five sessions offer safety training, fun & crafts, and lunch and a snack from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Dec. 29 at the Glendale-Crescenta Valley American Red Cross, 1501 S. Brand Blvd. Each session is $15. The class schedule is: Wednesday -- Basic Aid Training Thursday -- Baby sitter's Training Dec. 27 -- Disaster Preparedness Dec. 28 -- Pet CPR & First Aid Dec. 29 -- Community Water Safety (session runs from 9 a.m. to noon)

Marshall Allen LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- In honor of Emergency Preparednessmonth -- which is April -- the American Red Cross is teaching people Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation at the Rose Bowl. The "Revive and Survive" CPR classes, which include sessions in Spanish, will be from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at the Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena. Registration for the event is available online at www.acrossla.org, or by calling (800)

Alecia Foster GLENDALE -- Two local schools have made donations to aid those affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Clark Magnet High School has presented a $2,300 check to the American Red Cross for its Disaster Relief Fund. Senior class President John Nahas said students raised the funds over a two-day period. Students at the school have made a giant card that they will send to New York. The student government has also designated Tuesdays as red, white and blue day, where students have been encouraged to wear the colors to school, Nahas said.

aid The Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross will host its annual Save-A-Life event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at its local headquarters, 1501 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. People who attend the event can learn how to identify and care for injuries, bleeding, shock, hot and cold temperatures, diabetic emergencies, burns, seizures and poisoning. A first-aid certificate will be issued to people who successfully complete the course.

Volunteers needed for blood services GLENDALE -- The Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross seeks volunteers to staff various Bloodmobile events throughout the community. Volunteers would register donors, prepare blood packs, serve refreshments and give donor support. Volunteers can work a flexible schedule, but many events require daytime participation. For more information or to apply, call 243-3121, visit www.arcglendale.

The Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is presenting a fundraising Wine Tasting and Art event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. June 23 at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale. A selection of carefully selected wines will be featured. The Forest Lawn Museum, which offers a panoramic evening view of the city of Glendale, will feature “The Art of Artis Lane,” an exhibit by an award-winning sculptor and painter. There will be an array of fine chocolate and delectable cheeses.

Damon’s Steak House officials presented two $3,500 checks to Glendale/La Crescenta Chapter - American Red Cross and the Glendale Kiwanis Club on Tuesday at the Glendale restaurant. The $7,000 was proceeds from lunches and dinners served on April 4 at Damon’s for Japanese earthquake relief. Each organization has pledged to apply the money toward relief efforts in Japan, especially those for children, following the earthquake and tsunami. Those attending Tuesday’s check presentation were Ron Farina of the American Red Cross, Glendale/La Crescenta Chapter; Glendale Kiwanis Club President Bruce Hinckley and members Susan Dell and Irshad UL-Haque.

SOUTH GLENDALE — American Red Cross medical employees on Wednesday announced plans to strike over a proposed contract they said would affect their health benefits and minimize staffing at blood collection drives. More than 300 nurses, blood collectors and other medical professionals have been in contract negotiations with Red Cross administrators since March, but have come to loggerheads regarding donor safety measures and restrictions to their health benefit options, said Therese Mendoza, a registered nurse with the organization.

GCC gets technical education grant Glendale Community College received a $25,000 scholarship from the Sempra Energy Foundation to provide financial aid for students enrolling in career and technical education programs. The scholarship money will go toward the college?s Power Academy, a daily 16-week course, that takes unemployed workers and retrains them as utility workers, for future jobs potentially with any of the energy companies under the Sempra umbrella, Tony Tartaglia, a college trustee and manager with the Southern California Gas Co., a Sempra Energy Utility.

NORTH GLENDALE — Nearly three weeks after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed up to 200,000 Haitians and left roughly a million more homeless, a 15-year-old Glendale boy staged his own Haiti Relief Concert. Multicolored flashing lights, backup dancers and a sound system promised to bring each of his neighbors into the courtyard of the gated apartment complex in the 1100 block of Thompson Avenue. Harut Kazaryan, a freshman at Hoover High School, had fashioned a white banner over the swimming pool railing to reflect the strobe light and trained a rag-tag troupe of younger dancers to perform his signature brand of choreography.

It’s that time of year again. The time when those who are more fortunate start thinking about ways in which they can give back to the community. Of course, I’m speaking of property tax time. That biannual festival when the lucky home owners of America pay a small percentage of our hard-earned money back to the government so that things like schools, roads and social services can function for the good of everyone. For the record, I’m one of those liberals who neither resented nor felt the extra tax was unfair.

Rockhaven Sanitarium traces its history back to the end of World War I, when a registered nurse named Agnes Richards made her way to California after serving with the American Red Cross in Europe. Richards began working in local hospitals, caring for patients with mild mental illnesses. Disturbed by the lack of sensitivity in the treatment of women in state-run facilities, she vowed to open her own place, a haven, she later wrote in a sanitarium pamphlet, ?for the sick and weary where the air was clear and pure and the sun shone warm, high enough to be above the fogs of the lowlands.

If you don’t want to be rendered the center of attention at a stand-up comedy performance, don’t sit ringside, and don’t admit you’ve been married 50 years. One septuagenarian couple amiably found themselves setting the tone for the evening of sharp, PG-13-rated humor Sunday at Fritz Coleman’s 18th annual Comedy Night at the Glendale Centre Theatre. The event benefited the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. Ron Farina, executive director of the Red Cross chapter, opened the performance, reminding the audience that the Red Cross had some not-so-funny responsibilities in August and September, maintaining shelters and evacuation centers during the Station fire.

TODAY The Maple Park Costume Contest will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the center, 820 E. Maple St., Glendale. Prizes will be awarded. All participants will receive goody bags and refreshments. Admission is free. For more information, call (818) 548-3785. ? SATURDAY Parents and children are invited to come to the First Baptist Church of Glendale parking lot on Halloween to enjoy decorated cars with their cargo trunks full of Halloween candy and prizes beginning at 6 p.m. at the church, 209 N. Louise St., in front of the gym. For more information, call (818)