ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Hundreds of people gathered Friday night at the Albany Capital Center for the American Red Cross Fire and Ice Gala. NEWS10’s Lydia Kulbida was emcee for the event, which raises funds for multiple missions of the Red Cross of Eastern New York for the next year.

The music from Soul Session called people to the dance floor, but the hope by organizers is that people are called to support the work of the Red Cross all year long. 

Kevin Coffey, CEO American Red Cross of Eastern NY, outlined some of the ways the Red Cross helps people here and across the country. “Every eight minutes, the Red Cross is responding to a disaster. That can be a home fire in their community or what’s happening in the Midwest with severe weather events. We have 16 volunteers from our own region that are deployed right now, so fundraisers like the Fire and Ice event make sure that the Red Cross can be strong in our community each and every day.” 

Seeing how the Red Cross touches lives in so many ways is what drew Rob Daggett to the organization, but his eyes were opened to how vast the mission is and how critical the services are when he became a board member. 

He recalled asking a volunteer how they’d spent their day helping a single mom after a home fire. “They lost everything, and they had food, shelter, a place to stay lined up for them and a recharge for insulin for one of their children all before their head hit the pillow that night. I thought ‘I’m in the right place; probably one of the most powerful places I can be.'”

Rob was honored with this year’s Humanitarian Spirit Award. 

Coffey said it’s all about neighbors helping neighbors. “Every two seconds, someone needs blood, and that can be patients at any of our area hospitals battling cancer, needing treatments, or a newborn baby needs blood. The need is constant, and everyone needs to roll up their sleeves when they can to make a donation.” 

Board Chair Rose Miller is already prepping for the next event, Sound the Alarm, to install free smoke alarms in Capital Region communities. “It’s been proven time and time again that having an alarm saves lives.”

They’ll need volunteers for that and other campaigns. And if you’re not sure about helping, Rob added, “I encourage everyone to jump in and have some fun.”

This year, through ticket sales, silent auction bids, and “Raise for Relief” pledges, organizers gathered $355,000 to help fund multiple missions of the Red Cross.

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