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Generous Donation to American Red Cross to Help Disaster Relief Efforts in Central, Western New York

Welch Allyn and The American Red Cross

A Skaneateles-based global manufacturer of medical equipment has raised money for the American Red Crossof Western and Central New York in a unique way.  Welch-Allyn donated $10,000 to the region’s disaster relief fund through employee bids on old office furniture left behind after they consolidated their facilities.  

The Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Great Grandson of the founder of the company, David Allyn, says this was a great opportunity to give back to the organization that supported their own. 

"We had many employees helped by the American Red Cross over the years. The Lowry family is one that comes to mind, a family in Marcellus, New York. They had an unfortunate fire and sure enough, the first folks that were on their doorstep the next day were the American Red Cross. We were thrilled to have that kind of support and that give back."

The donation from Welch Allyn employees helped the same fund that supported the response efforts to the recent Western New York Snowstorm in Buffalo. Red Cross CEO Rosie Taravella says they provided more than six-hundred overnight stays at shelters.

"We did some disaster assessment and there's actually  over one hundred families who have either lost the use of their homes entirely or they've seen some damage from roof cave-ins and that sort of thing which is just unimaginable. There's a formula we figure out where we can get some folks some immediate cash relief just to get to their basic needs and maybe some long-term support, so, yes, this sort of money really helps with that."

Credit The American Red Cross
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The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross provided relief efforts to those in Western New York after the unexpected snowstorm.

Taravella adds that winter is considered the most dangerous time for fires to spike. There have been over eighteen fires in the region recently. The Red Cross has tips and apps aimed at keeping people safe during the winter both at home and on the road.  Their website is redcross.org/CNY.