The Red Cross is powered by our volunteer heroes who give of their time, talents and compassion.
It’s Red Cross Month and the American Red Cross Connecticut is asking people across Connecticut 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 volunteer heroes who give of their time, talents and compassion to fulfill our vital humanitarian mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering,” said Mario Bruno. “They are people from your neighborhood who donate blood, who teach First Aid and CPR classes, who support those in need at what may be the worst time in their lives. We honor them during Red Cross Month and ask you to consider joining us and making a difference.”
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 Connecticut, we responded to 700 home fires in the last year. More than 2,250 volunteers supported the activities and logged a total of over 265,000 hours of service resulting in a contribution valued at over $7.6 million. 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 Huge leaves her home in the middle of the night to her 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.
Locally, American Red Cross Connecticut responded to more than 700 local incidents, including fires, power outages, hazardous materials releases, transportation accidents and storms. We provided immediate disaster assistance to more than 1,300 families in the form of emergency shelter; food; clothing; children’s items; and other household needs. In addition, more than 6,000 smoke alarms were installed as part of the Home Fire Campaign.
The Connecticut Red Cross has some exciting ways to get involved during Red Cross Month! Our 13th Annual Red Cross Heroes Ball will take place on Saturday, March 3 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, for more information visit: redcross.org/redcrossball. We will be hosting a Ready Rating Workshop in New Haven on March 15. The event is free and will help educate business owners how to prepare for disasters, click here for more information. On March 17, we will be hosting a smoke alarm installation day in Danbury, to make an appointment for a free home fire safety visit, visit soundthealarm.org/Connecticut or call 877-287-3327 and choose option 1 We are also looking for volunteers for our Sound the Alarm. Save a Life. event on April 28 in New Haven. Visit soundthealarm.org/Connecticut to learn more and to sign up to volunteer. Red Cross blood drives happen each day in Connecticut, visit Redcrossblood.org to find a drive near you. On March 28, you can #help1family during Red Cross Giving Day:
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 www.redcross.org/ct.
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.
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