Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy Proclaims March 2020 as American Red Cross Month

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, February 28, 2020 — Not all heroes wear capes, but some wear a Red Cross vest.

For more than 75 years, the president of the U.S. has proclaimed March as American Red Cross Month and this year, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has done the same.

During this important month, the American Red Cross of Alaska celebrates its volunteer heroes and asks people across Alaska to be a hero too by donating on Red Cross Giving Day (March 25), becoming a volunteer or learning skills that save lives.

“Every day, families rely on Red Cross volunteers for urgent relief and hope during crises,” said Tanguy Libbrecht, CEO of the Red Cross of Alaska. “We honor their service during Red Cross Month and ask you to join them to make a difference.”

Volunteers represent more than 90 percent of the Red Cross workforce and help people every day — often after home fires, which represent most of the disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes in the U.S. Over the past fiscal year (July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019) volunteers helped 1,096 people affected by home fires and other local disasters in Alaska.

I VOLUNTEER TO ‘GIVE BACK TO MY COMMUNITY’ Red Cross volunteer Renee Bossart, who helps local families after home fires and teaches Red Cross preparedness education courses to Alaskan youth, is among the more than 700 Red Cross volunteer heroes across the state.  

“Red Cross is compassion,” Bossart said. “We are volunteers that love our community and want to love on our community. We will wake up at two in the morning if your home is on fire and make sure you have a place to stay, shoes on your feet and a hug if you need it. You don't have to go through it alone. We want to be there for each other, and Red Cross enables us to do that.”

HOW YOU CAN BE A HERO On March 25, Red Cross Giving Day, donate at redcross.org/givingday to #help1family who has lost nearly everything to a disaster. Your gift can provide hope and urgent relief like food, shelter and other essentials. Donations are key to saving lives because they fund nearly 100 percent of Red Cross disaster relief activities.

You can also visit redcross.org/Alaska to register for a class in lifesaving skills like CPR and First Aid, or become a volunteer for opportunities available across Alaska, including:

• Disaster Action Team Member: When a disaster like a home fire displaces a family from their home, trained volunteers respond to ensure that they don’t face it alone. As part of a team, help local families by wrapping a blanket around their shoulders, addressing urgent their needs like food and a safe place to stay, and connecting them with recovery assistance.

• Home Fire Campaign Volunteer: Want to spend a rewarding day teaming with fellow volunteers to help local families in need? Install free smoke alarms and help residents create home fire escape plans through the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has saved hundreds of lives across the nation.

About the American Red Cross of Alaska:

In Fiscal Year 2019, the American Red Cross of Alaska responded to 435 disasters by offering food, shelter, relief supplies, comfort, hope and recovery services to 1,096 Alaskans in 50 communities statewide. Our preparedness teams installed 2,171 free smoke alarms and educated 1,409 youth through The Pillowcase Project. Our Training Services department enrolled 19,665 students in first aid/CPR/AED, aquatics and caregiving classes. Our Service to the Armed Forces staff exchanged 1,299 emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. In Fiscal Year 2019, our statewide workforce of 729 volunteers logged 40,735 hours in service to our mission and their fellow Alaskans. For more information, please visit redcross.org/Alaska or visit us on Twitter at @redcrossak.

###