Community Health 4

Sepideh Alvandi and Vahid Zolfagharimoheb are married physicians from Iran who arrived in July 2021 to make Canada their new home.
The couple wasted no time applying their professional skills and humanitarian drive to help others in need in their new country.

It’s one thing to plan and prepare teams to support children aged 5 to 11 years old for the COVID-19 vaccination, it is an entirely different experience to support your own children through this experience. Robyn Emde, mental health and psychosocial support lead at Canadian Red Cross shares her own experience with this.

When Cristina Austin asked for the Canadian Red Cross’ assistance in January 2020, she had just one question: “What happened to my grandfather?” A first generation Canadian, born to German immigrants who arrived in Montreal in the early 1960s, Cristina was inspired to look into her family history for many reasons.

Across Canada, winter can take many forms, ranging from wild storms to bone-chilling power outages. While many Canadians are familiar with how to prepare for winter emergencies, newcomers to our country may not be.

Baxter Canada has supported Canadian Red Cross programs for years, helping Canadians when they need it the most, and, despite a global pandemic, has continued to provide support to several programs, including the Mobile Food Bank. Baxter has maintained a steady roster of volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic when volunteer support was limited.

The Friendly Calls program was designed to offer a safe, routine place for those feeling isolated or lonely to seek connections. With so many finding themselves feeling lonely, the Friendly Calls program has seen an uptake in participation since the start of the pandemic, with the program itself expanding in many areas across the country.

Legacy givers are not necessarily wealthy or famous, which is a common misconception. Instead, they’re simply people who wish to share their kindness and make a difference in some way for future generations.
One such person is John Land, who shares why he and his late mother, Mary, both included donations to the Red Cross in their Wills.

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries are now experiencing devastating second, third, and fourth waves of the virus. While the quick development of vaccines is positive news, COVID-19 remains an ongoing crisis and its effects will still be seen for years to come. Here are some examples of how Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies continue to provide support.