Corporations and organizations from across our state have partnered with the American Red Cross to help build stronger and more resilient communities.

Red Cross annual giving partners, including Disaster Responder and Ready 365, provide ways for organizations to partner with the Red Cross to support our humanitarian mission, and stand with us as we provide lifesaving services to our community and our military families.

“Each year, support from our annual giving program members allows the American Red Cross to serve our mission in our local communities,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region. “Because of the generous support of our partners, the Red Cross is able to work proactively to help families in our community be better prepared for disasters, provide support to military members and their families, train people for emergencies and supply lifesaving blood. We are very thankful for their generous gifts as we work to help people impacted by disasters each day.”

This year, partners in these annual giving programs helped to make sure the Red Cross was ready to respond to another devastating hurricane and wildfire season. Starting in September the American Red Cross launched a wide-ranging relief effort to help people in North and South Carolina devastated by Hurricane Florence. In October, Hurricane Michael severely impacted the Florida Panhandle, followed in November by the Woolsey and Camp Fires in California. With the Camp Fire becoming the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in California history. Our partners also help us make homes safer through our Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, help us to respond to disasters by supporting the purchase of Red Cross vehicles, help military families through our Service to the Armed Forces Programs and help us support our generous volunteer blood donors. 

Red Cross volunteers are also in their local communities every day, teaching preparedness and helping people cope with disasters big and small across the United States. Annual giving from our partner corporations and organizations enable the Red Cross to improve community resilience in areas at higher risk for disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods and, most commonly, house fires.

In Fiscal Year 2018, your local Red Cross was hard at work providing comfort and hope right here at home. The American Red Cross in Connecticut:

• Responded to 750 local incidents, including fires, power outages, hazardous materials releases, transportation accidents and storms in Connecticut and provided immediate disaster assistance to nearly 1,500 families in the form of emergency shelter; food; clothing; children’s items; and other household needs.
• Installed more than 5,300 smoke alarms as part of the Home Fire Campaign.
• Taught nearly 67,000 Connecticut residents how to protect themselves and their families or to help others in an emergency through classes in First Aid, CPR, Lifeguard training, Babysitter training, Community Disaster Education programs and more.
• Provided emergency communications, support services and access to emergency financial assistance to more than 788 military families.
• Reached an additional 5,000 plus military members, veterans and families with information about our services available through the Hero Care Network.
• Serviced 30 international social service cases for local clients, including family tracing and reunification
• services.
• Collected more than 109,000 units of blood at more than 3,800 blood drives to provide lifesaving blood components, plasma derivatives and transfusion services to hospitals and acute care facilities in Connecticut

The current members of the Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region Annual Giving Programs are: Disaster Responder: Avangrid Foundation, United Technologies Corporation, Ready 365: Amica Insurance, Cartus, Cigna, ConnectiCare, Deep River Snacks, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, National Grid, O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc., Spectrum, The Connecticut Apartment Association, and Wells Fargo. Organizations interested in helping the Red Cross stand ready in the face of disasters, please visit: https://www.redcross.org/local/connecticut/about-us/community-partners.html for annual giving program opportunities.

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.