KERRVILLE, TX. November 22, 2011. The Hill Country Chapter of the American Red Cross held an successful “Evacuation Party” on November 3rd to raise funds for disaster assistance. At the party, 20% of the food receipts were donated to the Red Cross by Grape Juice.
The party was held at Grape Juice from 5pm-9pm. Red Cross identified volunteers and friends were well identified by disaster vests and shirts.
100% of the proceeds from the silent auction, raffle and sales of shirts and FA kits benefitted local services. Thanks so much to the following sponsors for their in-kind donations:
- Adventure Boot CampBella Vita Restaurant
- Bonzai Restaurant
- Broken Arrow Ranch
- Buzzie’s BBQ
- Chili’s Restaurant
- Consolidated Office Systems
- Cowboy Cottage
- Donna Schloss
- Ed Jackson
- Especially Yours Flowers
- Grape Juice
- Inn of the Hills
- Isabella’s Expressions
- James Avery Craftsman
- Janet & Kent McKinney
- Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Kerrville Framing
- Kerrville Main Street
- Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course
- Lemon Tree Cleaners
- Marysue Douville
- MG Building Materials
- Mo Ranch Conference Center
- Pecan Street Brewery
- Penny Alberthal Massage
- Ranches Saddlery
- Ricks Furniture
- Rio Cinema 10 – Kerrville
- San Saba Cap
- Schreiner University
- Schreiner Baseball Team
- The Home Depot
- The Yoga Space
- WNS Shooting Range
- YO Hotel & Conference Ctr.
The Grape Juice Evacuation Party highlighted the services provided to local families that lose their homes and all possessions to a fire. There was information for everyone on creating their own personal disaster plan, as it is extremely important that families plan, in advance, for the possibility of evacuation here in this community due to an approaching storm or wildfire.
The local Red Cross chapter, chartered in 1917, serves over 104,000 people in eight hill country counties. Best known for large scale Disaster Response, the chapter also responds to single family fires and provides meals and drinks for emergency personnel fighting brush fires or handling search & rescue. This past year, thousands of residents also received lifesaving training in First Aid, CPR, Lifeguarding, Babysitting and Aquatics through the local chapter.
The American Red Cross Mission: “The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
The local chapter’s day-to-day operations are not supported financially by the government nor the national organization. Therefore local support is critical. 99% of the workers at the local chapter are volunteers who respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All disaster assistance and disaster training is free to clients and participants.
Did you know?
The Hill Country Chapter responded to 43 single family fires this past year, helping 109 family members, adults and children, with shelter, food, clothing, medication and other critical assistance.
Disaster volunteers provided food and drinks for emergency personnel fighting large brush fires and working search & rescue operations. For example, in April/May of 2011, 22 volunteers gave over 500 hours of service over an 8 day period during the Oasis Pipeline Wildfire in Junction, TX.
Health and Safety training in First Aid, CPR, AED, Babysitting, Lifeguarding and Learn-To-Swim was provided to 4,961 individuals.
An 8 year old girl who attended a FA/CPR class with her mother was able to give her father directions on how to save her mother’s life when she started choking!
The chapter received an average of 2 requests per week to transmit emergency messages from families to their active duty service members. Red Cross verification of the need for emergency leave allowed service members to get home to their families.
The chapter provided weekly shaves and monthly haircuts for over 600 veterans at the Kerrville VA Hospital.
The chapter operates with a paid staff of 3 and approx. 325 volunteers. During this past year, volunteers contributed 12,750 hours for a contribution estimated at $272,340.
The Hill Country Chapter serves over 104,000 people in eight counties across the Texas Hill Country: Blanco, Crockett, Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, Mason, Menard & Sutton.
Nationally and locally, 91% of donations given to the Red Cross are used to provide service.
For additional information regarding American Red Cross, please contact Kristy Vandenberg at 830-257-4677 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also check out the Hill Country Chapter’s website at www.hccredcross.org.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
