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Chaque année, la Croix-Rouge reçoit une foule de demandes d’aide en tous genres. En mai, elle a reçu une requête quelque peu inusitée de Kim Matchem, une résidente de Fort McMurray qui avait dû fuir son domicile en raison des feux de forêt alors qu’elle était enceinte de huit mois. Sa demande était simple : elle voulait un ourson en peluche de la Croix-Rouge pour la petite Tenley.

Last spring the Canadian Red Cross welcomed three communications delegates from other Red Cross societies. Degsew Amanu from Ethiopia Red Cross, Marial Mayom Riak from South Sudan Red Cross, and Carlos Romero from Honduras Red Cross, joined staff and volunteers from across Canada to participate in an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) training and learn valuable skills that they could take home with them.

Okay, so I am that person. The one who really can’t handle the gross stuff, the one who covers their eyes during movies until people tell me it’s okay to look again. So naturally the world of first aid is one that gets me a little nervous because it might be icky. And then I had a moment that I realized just how important first aid is.

There’s no doubt 2016 was a challenging year for many people who experienced disasters such as the Alberta fires and Hurricane Matthew, or who fled their home as a result of armed conflict.

​We want to cap off the year by sharing some of the most inspiring and heartwarming Red Cross stories from 2016 to show humanity at its best. What inspired you this year?

For the past week, more than 100 personnel from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the ICRC have been facilitating the evacuation of people from Eastern Aleppo. As of yesterday, tens of thousands of civilians had been successfully evacuated in this complex operation.

Pretty much all of us have found ourselves scrambling last minute to buy a gift. In fact, a recent Ipsos poll found that three out of 10 gifts purchased by Canadians are done within a day of giving the gift. We’ve all been there! Plus, after buying last minute, a lot of us worry that the recipient will be disappointed with what we got them. The same poll found that 64% of those asked agreed that they would prefer to receive a charitable gift that would help someone else.

Since the tragic attack in Novye Atagi in 1996, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has dedicated December 17 as a day to remember colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty, and reflect on their sacrifices. This year, to mark the 20^th anniversary, family members of deceased Red Cross workers will be travelling to Geneva to take part in a series of in memoriam events. The families of Canadian aid workers Nancy Malloy and Vatche Arslanian, will be among those in attendance.  

The work of the Canadian Red Cross is made possible through the tireless work of our dedicated volunteers. Today we want to celebrate the work of all our amazing volunteers, and take a moment to introduce you to Erina.