STATEMENT: Service to Armed Forces Bolstered by $20 Million Appropriation

The following message is from Mark W. Everson, President and CEO

WASHINGTON, Monday, November 19, 2007 — This week, President Bush signed into law the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill. I am very pleased that the bill includes $20 million for the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces program. This funding will help us to better meet the needs of American service members and their families. I especially want to thank Congressman John Murtha, whose leadership made this funding possible.

American Red Cross President and CEO Mark W. Everson

The reinvigoration of Service to the Armed Forces requires an aggressive plan to meet important needs in two specific areas. First, the steady deployments of Reserve and Guard units are creating hardships and challenges for military families. While these families may live quite a distance from a military installation, few live very far from an American Red Cross chapter. With 756 local chapters and a presence on or at 61 military installations worldwide, the Red Cross can reach out to military families where they live through our Service to Military Families program. Just this week, we engaged in a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Defense to roll out a family support program in 15 states. Using our chapter network, we serve military families in our communities by providing casework and counseling expertise to assist those families as they access social services, emotional support networks and financial assistance, or send emergency communications to a loved one serving overseas.

Second, this additional financial support will allow us to build upon our Service to Military Hospital efforts to support service members who are hospitalized and to assist their family members. More than 2,000 Red Cross volunteers, including youth volunteers, are currently located in 146 VA hospitals and clinics. We will grow this program in the coming months.

We are honored and humbled by these ongoing responsibilities. Now, Congress has called on the Red Cross to take on additional responsibilities during these challenging times. And the Department of Defense has called on us to partner with them to provide support services to military families across America. The Red Cross will answer these calls. The funding in this appropriation will be used to support the work of our chapters across the country and allow us to work closely with other community-based nongovernmental organizations to ensure that American service members and their families receive the support and assistance they deserve.

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.