SACRAMENTO, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2013 – The American Red Cross today launched the Team Red Cross App, which allows people to sign up to help, get an overview on basic tasks and receive notifications about Red Cross disaster volunteer opportunities in their community.

“When people see an emergency happening in their community, they often want to help but may not know how,” said Kathleen Weis, Interim CEO for the Red Cross Capital Region Chapter. “The Team Red Cross App provides an easy and quick way for people to sign up to help the Red Cross and support their community.”

Once users download the app, they create an account. Then they learn about different jobs, such as working in a warehouse, handing out supplies or assisting with feeding. When the Red Cross has a need for volunteers, the Team Red Cross App will notify users based on their location. Potential volunteers can instantly accept or decline the volunteer opportunity.

The Red Cross is encouraging the public to download the app before a disaster strikes in or near the Capital Region so volunteers can help immediately.

The app is free and designed for iPhone and Android smart phones and tablets. Additional features include:

• A quick orientation right on the mobile device.
• Ability for people to share notifications for volunteers with their social network.

·         Earn digital “badges” by completing a job test, accepting a job, sharing the app, recruiting volunteers, etc. The “badges” can then be shared with their social network.

• Allows people to donate money to the Red Cross and sign up to donate blood.
• Offers emergency response information that people can share with their friends at the touch of a button.

The Team Red Cross App is the seventh in a series of highly successful Red Cross apps, which are now on more than 3 million mobile devices across the country. A recent Red Cross survey shows that apps are now tied with social media as the fourth most popular way to get information during emergencies—behind TV, radio and online news sites. Nearly one-fifth of Americans say they’ve received some kind of emergency information from an app they’ve downloaded, making the Red Cross apps an important way for the public to get ready for disasters.

The Team Red Cross App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store by searching for American Red Cross or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The Capital Region Chapter serves an eleven-county region including Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, eastern Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Yolo counties. For more information, visit www.redcross.org/capitalregion or follow us on Twitter @RedCrossCRC.

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