American Red Cross

Robert Foster (Bob) Reinicker, 82 of Roanoke passed away surrounded by his loving family on May 15, 2007. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the only surviving son of the late Harvey E. & Lynn I. Reinicker. He served in WWII in the 194th. Glider Infantry , 17th. Airborne Division. His glider was shot down and the German Army captured him on March 24, 1945. As a POW, he was marched across France to Germany and held prisoner until the Allied Victory. He was subsequently awarded the Bronze Star for his service and valor.

1917: Red Cross auxiliary in Bel Air On April 13, 1917 - days after America's entry into World War I - 41 "patriotic women" met in the Bel Air Armory to organize the Bel Air Auxiliary of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Red Cross. In 1864 the Geneva Conventions were ratified and the International Red Cross was formed. In 1905 a charter was granted, providing the basis for today's American Red Cross. After World War I began in Europe, several community organizations in Harford County were formed and dedicated to civilian and military relief.

The American Red Cross' response to Hurricane Katrina was poorly planned, relied too heavily on inexperienced managers and often failed to meet the needs of victims, say reports by international Red Cross officials who were dispatched to assist their U.S. counterparts. The unusually harsh reports, prepared in late summer and the fall, detailed mismatches between the needs of victims and the supplies the Red Cross had arranged, the absence of a plan to guide the distribution of supplies and a lack of record-keeping, which allowed inventory to go astray.

Ralph E. Brown, a retired U.S. Postal Service and American Red Cross official, died of pneumonia Thursday at Peninsula General Hospital in Salisbury. He was 83. Born in Allen, Wicomico County, and raised in Salisbury, Mr. Brown was a 1942 graduate of Wicomico High School. He enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served as a gunner in the Atlantic aboard two tankers and later the Liberty ship SS Thomas Nelson Page. He later was assigned to an air squadron at Pearl Harbor and was discharged in 1946.

WASHINGTON -- Marsha J. Evans, who led the American Red Cross through an uneven and much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina, resigned as its president yesterday in another sign of continuing troubles in the organization that bears prime responsibility for delivering relief to victims of disasters, including storms and terrorist attacks. Red Cross officials attributed Evans' departure to conflicts between her and the organization's board of directors rather than to her post-Katrina performance.

Suddenly on September 7, 2005, MARY M. ROUDETTE (nee Krajewski). Memorial service private. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the American Red Cross.

The Baltimore Ravens will match every dollar collected from fans attending Sunday night's game against the Colts to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Originally, the Ravens were going to match the first $25,000 donated by the fans. "We are seeing every day that the devastation in the Gulf Coast states is far more extensive than originally portrayed, and we've also been inspired by the generosity of our players," Ravens president Dick Cass said. After pleas from teammates Ed Reed, Alan Ricard, Jamal Lewis and Deion Sanders last week, Ravens players donated $165,000 to the hurricane relief fund (through the Red Cross)

Stunned by gripping images of the many thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina who have been left homeless, hungry and emotionally exhausted, Americans are reaching into their wallets and donating millions of dollars to relief efforts. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported yesterday that total aid for Katrina victims had reached $219 million, including $197 million in gifts and pledges made to the American Red Cross. Americans donated $239 million in the 10 days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and $30 million in the three days after the tsunami in Asia in December, the publication noted.

Even while grappling with the logistics of sending relief to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, charitable organizations have scrambled to mobilize fundraising operations. Some of the organizations are concerned because their efforts follow so closely the extensive fundraising in response to the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster in Asia. Charity officials always worry about donations when one disaster follows another, said Shelley Borysiewicz, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities USA. Some people might be more reluctant to give, having donated so recently to tsunami relief, she said, but her agency has seen no signs of that.

Hours before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, Joe Sparks, who is usually busy repairing power lines in Baltimore, made his way south in expectation of widespread outages. Since then, Sparks, a 47-year- old contractor for Baltimore Gas & Electric, has worked his way through Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana. Yesterday, he was putting up utility poles in St. Charles Parish, 30 miles west of New Orleans. "It's pretty messed up down here," said Sparks, who described eerily empty streets, trees torn from the ground and structural damage.