Not all heroes wear capes, but some wear a Red Cross vest.

March is Red Cross Month, and the Red Cross of South Carolina is asking the community to be a hero for families by becoming a volunteer, learning lifesaving skills, giving blood or donating to #help1family on Red Cross Giving Day on March 25.  

“Every day, families rely on Red Cross volunteers for urgent relief and hope during crises,” said Louise Welch-Williams, the CEO of the Red Cross of SC. “These heroes are our neighbors who give blood, save lives with skills like first aid and CPR, or provide care and comfort to families devastated by crises like home fires. We honor their service during Red Cross Month and ask you to join them to make a difference.

March was first proclaimed Red Cross Month in 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Every U.S. president since Roosevelt has designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the American Red Cross helps people across the country and around the world through its workforce powered by more than 90 percent volunteers.

Home fires are the most common disasters that the Red Cross responds to each year. In the South Carolina, more than 7,000 people received disaster assistance last year. Volunteers drop everything – at any time of the day or night – to help people who have lost everything.

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.

HELP SAVE LIVES Every day in South Carolina, more than 220 blood donations are needed to support patients at 35 hospitals across the Palmetto State. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood. Last year, nearly 80,000 units of lifesaving blood were collected across the state. You can visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment to donate blood or platelets.

You can also visit redcross.org/sc to register for a class in lifesaving skills like CPR and First Aid, or become a volunteer for opportunities needed in the Eastern Chapter, 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 up 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.

Blood Donor Ambassador: Are you friendly and outgoing? Red Cross Blood Donor Ambassadors ensure that blood donors have a pleasant and fulfilling experience from the moment they arrive at a blood drive to the moment they leave.

Resiliency Facilitator: If you are a licensed behavioral healthcare practitioner, we invite you to join our team of outstanding mental health professionals. Resiliency Workshop Facilitators provide psycho-educational workshops that aim to build resilience, manage stress and ease symptoms related to trauma for members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families. As a volunteer, you will have a unique opportunity to make a difference in your military community.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.  The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org/SC or @RedCrossSC

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