Media Contact:
Ashley Henyan
843-571-8945
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Red Cross of the District of Columbia and Red Cross of Northern Virginia Chapters Formed
Newly named chapters to support communities previously served by the Red Cross of Loudoun and Prince William Counties and the Red Cross of the National Capital Area.
WASHINGTON, DC (July 5, 2023) — As of July 1, 2023 the American Red Cross of the District of Columbia Chapter and the American Red Cross of Northern Virginia Chapter will serve communities in the DMV previously served by the Red Cross of Loudoun and Prince William Counties and the Red Cross of the National Capital Area. The newly named District of Columbia and Northern Virginia chapters will engage staff members, financial supporters and volunteers to execute the Red Cross mission of alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies—with the District of Columbia Chapter serving the district and the Northern Virginia Chapter serving Arlington, Alexandria and Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties. Both chapters fall within the Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region, which covers the DC metro-area, most of Maryland, Delaware and the entire Delmarva Peninsula. Currently, 11 fixed blood donation centers are open within the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region’s footprint.
The transition, with Courtney Bulger as executive director of the newly named Northern Virginia Chapter and Erwin Stierle as executive director of the newly named District of Columbia Chapter, will come with no interruption to Red Cross service delivery – including disaster relief efforts and support of the U.S. military community and their families.
The National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Red Cross region — now comprised of the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, Montgomery, Howard & Frederick Counties, Central Maryland, Southern Maryland, and Delmarva chapters — is powered by volunteers, training nearly 4,000 new team members in 2022 alone. Dale Kunce will continue as the region’s CEO.
“This new direction excites me,” said Kunce. “It enables our team to be even more effective and efficient as humanitarians, as our resources can now be distributed with a laser-focus on communities that need help the most.”
In 2022, across the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Red Cross region, team members installed around 4,000 free smoke alarms, provided about 11,000 emergency messages between deployed service members and their families, held over 2,700 life-saving blood drives and trained nearly 126,000 people in skills that save lives - like first aid and CPR.
Regardless of where an individual or family resides, all Red Cross services are free and community members with disaster-caused need should call 1-800-RED CROSS for support. To learn more about getting involved as a staff member, volunteer or blood donor with the Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region, visit RedCross.org/ncgc.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
####
