FAIRFAX, VA – March 1, 2018 — It’s Red Cross Month and the National Capital Region is asking people across our community to become a hero by giving blood, becoming a volunteer or making a donation to #help1family on Giving Day – March 28.
“The Red Cross is powered by our volunteers who give their time, talents and compassion to fulfill our humanitarian mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering,” said Linda Mathes, CEO, National Capital Region. “They are people from our community, our neighborhoods who donate blood, who teach preparedness, who support those in need at what may be the worst time in their lives. We honor our volunteers during Red Cross Month and ask you to follow their lead and join us too. Our volunteers make an amazing difference in the lives of people in our community.”
March was first proclaimed Red Cross Month in 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to raise awareness of the organization and its humanitarian mission. President Roosevelt’s last radio talk to the nation on March 20, 1945 was in support of the Red Cross War Fund. He died 23 days later, on April 12, 1945.
This year, the Red Cross salutes all the heroes who make a difference in their communities by:
* Donating blood or platelets
* Volunteering to help people impacted by a disaster
* Taking a first aid or CPR class to help in an emergency
* Providing comfort to a member of the military, a veteran or their family
Home fires are the most common disasters that the Red Cross responds to each year. Here in the National Capital Region, we responded to about 550 disasters last year, the majority of which were home fires. Volunteers drop everything – at any time of the day or night – to help people who have lost everything. “These are the moments when I can witness strangers helping other strangers in their greatest moments of need,” said Red Cross volunteer Cindy Huge. Read more about why Cindy leaves her home in the middle of the night to help others: https://redcrosschat.org/2017/12/05/compassion-after-a-home-fire/.
WHAT WE DO: The Red Cross has been helping people in need for more than 130 years. And much of our work is accomplished through the work of our volunteers. The Red Cross:
* Responds to nearly 64,000 disasters across the country, providing hope and comfort to people in need
* Trains and provides information to nearly 5.9 million people in first aid, water safety and other skills that help save lives
* Collects nearly 4.9 million units of blood from more than 2.8 million volunteer donors to meet the needs of patients at hospitals and transfusion centers across the country
* Provides nearly 391,000 support services to military members, veterans and their families
* Helps more than 181 million people outside the U.S. through disaster management and disease prevention efforts
GIVING DAY: The Red Cross is asking everyone to support people impacted by disasters and #help1family on Giving Day – Wednesday, March 28. Your donation can help provide hope and urgent relief such as food, blankets and other essentials to people who need it most. Giving Day is a 24-hour fundraising campaign supporting the work of the Red Cross, helping people across the country in need of emergency assistance. Donate now by visiting redcross.org/givingday, or by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10.
During March, be a hero and join the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross. More information is available on how you can help at redcross.org/dc.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.