The American Red Cross is recognizing the country’s everyday heroes during Red Cross Month. 

“March is Red Cross Month, the perfect time to honor our Red Cross volunteers, blood donors and financial contributors who bring hope to people facing life’s emergencies,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region. “During Red Cross Month, we thank them for their tremendous support.”

March has been recognized as Red Cross Month for more than 70 years. All of our presidents have designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the American Red Cross helps people across the country and around the world.

The Red Cross depends on local heroes to fulfill its mission. Every eight minutes, Red Cross disaster workers respond to a community disaster, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. It provides 24-hour support to members of the military, veterans and their families at home and around the world. It must collect nearly 14,000 donations of blood every day to meet patient needs. It trains millions of people in first aid, water safety and other lifesaving skills. And it supports the vaccination of children around the globe against measles and rubella.

In fiscal year 2016, the Connecticut Chapter responded 661 local emergencies, assisted more than 600 military families and trained nearly 70,000 people in lifesaving skills. And, people from this area donated more than 112,000 units of blood.

“It’s easy to become a Red Cross community hero,” said Bruno. “Be ready for an emergency by creating a preparedness plan for your home. Test your smoke alarms and tell your neighbors to do the same. Or sign up to be a Red Cross volunteer or make a financial donation.” 

More information about how people can support the organization is available on redcross.org. The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs.

The Connecticut Chapter has a number of activities planned for Red Cross Month, including:

The Red Cross Install-A-Thon will take place from March 6 -10 in the following cities, Torrington, Norwalk, New Britain and New London. We will be installing free smoke alarms and providing free fire safety education and information. To learn more visit: http://www.redcross.org/news/event/local/connecticut/Red-Cross-Install-A-Thon. 

Our 12th Annual Red Cross Ball will take place on Saturday, March 25 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. This year the Red Cross will celebrate the work of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign and this year’s Community Impact Award recipient is The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Swift and the Junior Fire Marshal Program®. For more information visit: redcross.org/redcrossball. 

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.