Working to Give: Philanthropies & Philanthropic Work

It’s remarkable to see what fundraising can do, when done correctly. The recent Mercy Health Foundation Fort Smith Charity Ball in Fort Smith, Arkansas raised over $538,000 to help with health care services in the River Valley area. This is an annual fundraiser that was held, this year, on December 13.

Featured entertainment included country singer Gabby Barrett an an after party with the Emerald City Band. The donations this year will go to help with the prenatal services for those in need at the McAuley Clinic to help pregnant women receive the prenatal care they might otherwise not get.

We all know that the American Red Cross (ARC) collects blood and helps during disasters. But what do they do?

Red Cross Preparedness Courses

The Red Cross teaches courses to prepare people for everyday medical emergencies. There are CPR, First Aid, water safety and caregiving courses. There is a course to become a nurse’s assistant and there are courses for treating adults and for treating children. Participants in these courses receive a certificate upon completion. Many of these courses can be taken online but may need practice sessions to be conducted with an instructor.

Red Cross Blood Collection

Did you know that 4.5 million Americans would die each year without lifesaving blood transfusions? In fact, every 3 seconds someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion: 32,000 pints of blood per day are given to patients. The ARC collects approximately 40% of the blood donated in America while the rest is donated at hospitals and other blood banks. The American Red Cross, with over 300,000 volunteers, can undertake the massive project of collecting and distributing this amount of blood. The ARC also collects blood platelets and plasma in order to save lives. It’s important to mention that 82% of the ARC members are volunteers. This cuts the costs of all ARC activities and enables the major programs to function within financial constraints.

American Red Cross Disaster Relief

Another of the Red Cross’s major functions is disaster relief. When disaster strikes, victims are happy to receive whatever help they can get.  Each year the American Red Cross (AMC) helps people in more than 60,000 disasters, such as apartment and home fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, hazardous material spills, and others.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst hurricanes to hit America during the last 50 years. It claimed over 1,800 lives, and over 81 billion dollars of damage, including 350,000 damaged or destroyed residences.

During the disaster, The Red Cross:

Enabled over 3.8 million overnight stays in shelters.

Served over 68 million meals and snacks.

Served a million meals in one day.

Provided emergency financial aid to 1.4 million families.

Opened a website for people to register and find their missing relatives.

The Red Cross is an organization that has done and will do a lot of good through its preparation for emergency courses, its blood collecting, and its disaster relief assistance.

It’s not every day that you see 20 women in hot pink shirts pulling a plane. But that’s what happened recently when these women, who usually direct planes, were busy pulling the plane 15 feet in 8.76 seconds. Why?

The Fly Girls (as they’ve called themselves) were one of 35 teams who competed in the Jet Pull contest that American Airlines puts on each year. The goal with the contest is to see which team can pull a jet 15 feet – and which can do it the fastest.

While the competition is certainly fun – it’s also quite meaningful. The contest is organized by the airline’s Abilities Employee Business Group and each team pays $200 to be registered in the competition. Proceeds benefit The Arc of Arizona, an organization that protects the human rights of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Sustainable architecture has a lot to offer in so many realms.   First, it can actually impact the way individuals and societies see the environment since architecture has, historically, been responsible for shifting the cultural norm.  For example, an architect can choose to make the building green or not but just be certain to make it as attractive as possible.  That way, people will be excited by it.

Tokyo-based architecture professor and well-respected architect Kengo Kuma is all about sustainability in his design of low-rise buildings.  Through his firm Kengo Kuma & Associates, he builds structures with locally-sourced and sustainable materials including bamboo and wood.  He also believes that architecture can “touch [our] hearts,” and that architects have the power to “inspire people.”

Retired architect Moshe Victor Keinig agrees:

“Throughout my career I sought to be more than just a cog in the wheel,” the retired architect explained.  “In every position I had I wanted to make sure I was working within the rules but with as much of a leaning toward sustainability as possible.  I’ve always admired the work that Kuma has and continues to do in this field, in particular with his focus on the use of local materials to provide a sense of ‘healing and ease,’ to those who ultimately use them.  it doesn’t hurt that his eye for design is incredibly aesthetically pleasing!”