Red Cross supporter Francine Sears (second from left) and Richard Branigan, American Red Cross CEO in CT and RI Region, with Jane Sullivan (left) and Jacqueline Scheib (far right), Red Cross supporters.
There was the woman who lost everything in a blaze that devastated a Mandy Management apartment complex on Warner Street. The American Red Cross helped her find lodgings at a Clarion Inn.
There were the city officials and alders walking Dixwell and Newhallville with the American Red Cross in an effort to address vaccine hesitancy.
There was the shelter at Career High School set up by the Red Cross as Tropical Storm Henri bore down on the city
“We fill gaps where other help isn’t available,” said Richard V. Branigan, CEO of the American Red Cross for Connecticut and Rhode Island, at a fundraiser in Guilford to ensure those services can continue.
That fundraiser took place at a private home on Thursday. The event raised more than $5,000 for the Red Cross.
Already this year, Red Cross volunteers have responded to 44 local emergencies in New Haven, mostly home fires, providing assistance to 91 families, including 171 adults and 50 children, according to the organization.
Those include the two-alarm fire in July that broke out at a three-family home on Dixwell; another fire, at a multi-family residence on Quinnipiac Avenue, in April that displaced 10 people; as well as a third in Fair Haven last September that spread to a next-door home, causing significant damage.
Most of its efforts — among others this year, the installation of 90 smoke alarms in 24 homes; the 60 blood drives that collected more than 1,600 donations; and the training of over 1,400 residents in CPR, First Aid, and caregiving courses — go unreported.
And that is OK with Branigan.
“We provide the support and relief that no one talks about, that the press doesn’t cover,” he said, as two dozen guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers in the cool late-August evening air.
Francine Sears, who hosted the event, pointed out that the Red Cross relies on public generosity for its operations. (Some of its revenue also comes from the sale of blood and blood products to hospitals.) “That’s where we come in,” said Sears, a member of the Tiffany Circle, a network of women leaders formed to ensure “the Red Cross has the means to help people prepare for and respond to life’s emergencies,” as its website reads.
Sears highlighted the political neutrality of the Red Cross. “They show up in the middle of chaos with blankets, bandages, grace and kindness,” she said, invoking American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” for her work helping the wounded during the Civil War. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, what language you speak, they’re here for you.”
“We’re proud to stand with New Haven and remain committed to being ready, responsive, and compassionate — whenever and wherever we’re needed,” Branigan, the CEO, said.