March is Red Cross Month
How We Started. Where We’re Going.
The tradition of March being declared Red Cross Month began in 1943 with a proclamation from President Franklin D. Roosevelt and for more than 75 years, all U.S. presidents have designated this month.
For generations, Americans have answered the call to help—standing together through war, disaster, and uncertainty. Red Cross Month honors this shared history of service and hope.
That same spirit lives on today, right here in the Northwest. Every day, people in our community roll up their sleeves to help neighbors recover, prepare, and thrive.
Together, we’ve made an impact—and together, we will continue to make a difference.
Our Impact, Right Here in Your Community
Responded to 1,016 home fire operations
Installed 4,574 free smoke alarms
Delivered services to 1,858 military members, veterans, and their families
Trained 78,498 people in lifesaving skills like CPR, First Aid and AED
Stories from Your Local Red Cross
When Wesley D. Clarillos first encountered the Red Cross, it wasn’t as a volunteer—it was as someone in need.
After his family’s home was destroyed in a fire, Red Cross volunteers showed up with more than just supplies. “They didn’t just offer us help—they offered us humanity,” Wesley recalls. “That moment stuck with me.
Years later, after the passing of his mother, that memory fueled a desire to serve others. “The kind of support we got during that fire—that’s what I wanted to give back. I didn’t want to just watch from the sidelines—I wanted to be part of the response.”
“When I woke up and realized my house was full of smoke, I’ve never been more afraid in my life,” said Kristin Myers of Kennewick, Washington. "It was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever gone through."
In the early hours of Oct. 21, Myers woke around 3 a.m. after falling asleep watching TV on her couch.
“I kept hearing a bleep, bleep, bleep,” she said. “It smelled like smoke.”
At 70 years old, Myers said it was disorienting. It was only when her 11-year-old poodle schnauzer, Shasta, began pawing at her head that she realized something was very wrong.
Full Circle: Jamie Ohl Turner Shares How Blood Donations Saved Her Life
Compassionate Teen Helps Red Cross Families
“It’s my mission to embrace my strength and share it with others.”
A Mother’s Relief: Finding Safety and Specialized Care at the Red Cross Shelter
Inspired to Help?
Your donation brings hope to our community—shelter, food, and support for families in need. Donate today.
Volunteering brings purpose, connection, and hope—to others and to you. Take the first step today.
Every two seconds, a life depends on blood. Your donation can bring hope to a child, a mom, a family.
From First Aid to CPR, Red Cross training prepares you to protect your loved ones and your community.
Local Events
What Your Gift Can Provide
In a disaster, children and families often lose their home and are left exposed to the elements. $25 can provide 5 warm blankets to protect them from the cold and help them sleep comfortably in emergency shelters.
Give a gift to make sure no family goes hungry after a disaster strikes by supporting our shelter kitchens and mobile feeding. $55 can provide a hot meal and snacks to 5 people after a disaster.
Give a gift to show our heroes and veterans you care. Help volunteers warmly welcome service members and veterans at medical facilities. Your gift of $145 can provide 20 kits filled with toiletries and other essentials to make them feel at home.
When disaster strikes, parents can lose everything — including essentials they need to keep their babies healthy while staying at an emergency shelter. $150 can provide a crib for a family in need.
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood — a mother giving birth, a child with cancer, a neighbor in an accident and countless others. $200 can help ensure that the life-saving gift of blood will be available whenever and wherever it is needed.
Emergencies can force families to leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. $200 can provide a full day of emergency shelter for a family of 4 impacted by disaster, including 3 meals, 2 blankets, 1 cot, snacks and personal hygiene supplies.
Help families affected by disasters around the world. A gift of $625 can provide four families of five with a complete emergency kit, including hygiene supplies, blankets, tarps, water containers, a kitchen set and a crank-powered lamp, radio and charger.
