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Red Cross Takes Breather in Baltimore
Convention ends Red Cross Month on a celebratory note
Friday, March 28, 2008 — Even as dozens of its disaster workers continue to assist victims of recent storms and floods in the South and Midwest, more than 1,200 American Red Cross employees and volunteers from across the country are meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, to celebrate the organization's past achievements and chart a course for the future.
The Parade of Volunteers opens the 82nd Red Cross annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo: American Red Cross.
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The 82nd Red Cross National Convention, which began yesterday and concludes tomorrow, marks the culmination of Red Cross Month, which has been celebrated every March since 1943. During Red Cross Month, chapters and blood regions hold special events, trainings, and fundraisers to engage communities in supporting the organization through donations of time, money, and blood.
"Our national convention is an opportunity to bring together the volunteers and employees of the American Red Cross to learn how we can better serve people in crisis," said Mary S. Elcano, acting president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross. "This year's theme, Navigating the Future, reminds us that we must chart the right path forward so we can continue to perform the vital mission entrusted to the Red Cross by the American people—be it responding to a hurricane or a heart attack, a call for blood or a call for help.”
Throughout the three-day convention, attendees will share best practices in the areas of building community partnerships, meeting the needs of diverse audiences, and improving disaster preparedness and response. Keynote speakers include Gen. Russel Honoré, who led the U.S. Army's response efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and former Washington Redskin and NFL Hall of Fame inductee Darrell Green, who will speak about his commitment to strengthening communities and promoting public service.
Roy Spence, president and founder of GSD&M Idea City, will present the new Red Cross advertising campaign, Change a Life, which demonstrates how lives are connected through the Red Cross. The campaign can be viewed at www.redcross.org/advertising.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; 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 humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.
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