The local chapter of the American Red Cross has collected $4.2 million across the Tristate for disaster relief from churches, schools, civic groups, unions, companies and individuals since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

        It came in all sizes, from $75 collected by four girls in Symmes Township to $43,800 by Lakota students and nearly $1 million in the “Fill The Boot,” campaign by firefighters.

        About $1,250 of the Red Cross money came from an 8-year-old violin player, Alexandra Amend of Green Township.

        Alexandra is a third-grade student at Summit Country Day. She decided she could help out in the disaster relief by playing her violin at different places and getting people to donate.

        She started at the Prayer Service on Fountain Square Sept. 14.

        “The response she received gave her a lot of encouragement,” said her mother, Maureen Amend.

        Alexandra has played at Cinergy Field and turned up at the Aronoff Center for the Arts while The Phantom of the Opera was showing.

        As she stood on the sidewalk outside the theater and played “America The Beautiful,” “The Star Spangled Banner” and “My Country 'Tis of Thee,” violin players from the musical came out to congratulate her. People passing began to fill up her collection bucket. She continued to play at the theater two nights a week. The money she collected went to the Red Cross.

        Twins Erin and Laura Mclean, 9; and Alex Bidwell, 11, and Caitlin Bidwell, 10, stood on a street corner one weekend and passed out bookmarks. They asked for a donation of $1. They collected $75.

        It is this kind of caring spirit that has spread throughout the Tristate.

        When Jan McManus' second-graders at St. Vivian School heard that Worf, a Monroe search-and-rescue dog, was traumatized and forced to retire after working at the World Trade Center last month, they wanted to chase away the dog's blues.

        Thirty-four students at the Finneytown school wrote letters to Worf and contributed 50 cents each toward a gift certificate for the canine, owned by Mike Owens.

        “The whole World Trade Center thing was not something you can approach with the kids very easily. This was a perfect way to respond for the kids,” Ms. McManus said. “All kids could relate to having a dog or a pet.”

        Still, the children wanted to know how Worf would get their get-well messages. “I told them Worf's owner will read them to him,” Ms. McManus said.

        A Hiroshima-based distributor of the National Sorbents Inc. has expressed its concern for the World Trade Center disaster.

        Takato Sakai, president and chief executive officer of the Chugoku Kogyo Company in Japan wired $3,000 this week to National Sorbents in West Chester.

        “We were touched by this contribution,” said Donna Ester, executive assistant.

        Polymark Technographics of Woodlawn has agreed to donate 25 percent of sales from heat transfers of the U.S. flag to the Red Cross for disaster relief.

        “We decided on this after customers inquired about having an American flag heat transfer printed on their garments,” said Beth Henry, sales coordinator.

        The company has been manufacturing heat transfers for 27 years for the apparel industry.

        Heat transfers are a form of screen printing where ink is screen-printed onto paper and applied to a garment through heat press.

        The 8,500 Burger King restaurants across the country have been designated as Red Cross Donation Centers.

        Customers may purchase an American Flag for $1 and the money will go to the Red Cross Relief Fund.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column appears Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements or people who are committing acts of kindness that are uplifting to the Tristate, call him at (513) 768-8362; at ahoward@enquirer.com; or by fax at (513) 768-8340.
       

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