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After relocating in May, we officially celebrated the new Red Cross office in Grande Prairie on December 5.

'Tis the season to stuff stockings and wrap carefully selected gifts for our friends and loved ones. But did you know that you could also give the gift of preparedness this holiday? Some Red Crossers have put together  their favourite gift ideas:

Many Red Cross branches in Ontario have received their annual order of poinsettias. The poinsettias are delivered to local businesses and residents in exchange for donations. Volunteers from Kingston like Bob Willis assisted in sorting and delivering over 650 poinsettias. The holiday poinsettia campaign raises money to support local programs like disaster management and first aid.

The holidays have a way of sneaking up on us sometimes. Next thing you know, there are a lot of cookie swaps going on, fruit cakes in stores and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate... everywhere!

I checked in with some Red Crossers to find out what’s on their plates for the holidays. Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Unit delegate, Lynn Henderson, is sharing the recipe for her family tradition – homemade bagels.

Marcel McIntyre is often the first to arrive at the Red Cross field hospital in the city of Ormoc, in the Philippines early in the morning and the last to leave at night. The field hospital was set up in in front of the local district hospital, which was damaged by the typhoon. 

For the past two weeks, a number of Canadian Red Cross staff and three Canadian Red Cross delegates joined 54 participants from over 30 National Societies at the Americas Field School training in Pedro Santana, Dominican Republic. This field school training brings together regional responders in a mission like setting where participants interact with real people, assess community needs, and deliver services to communities.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

Dr. Danielle Perreault is a Canadian Red Cross delegate working at the field hospital in Ormoc, Philippines as a member of the medical team. In this short video, she explains how she is also doing outreach in communities impacted by Typhoon Haiyan last month to ensure their health care needs are being met.