March is National Red Cross Month

March is National Red Cross Month

In 1943, President Roosevelt, acting as the honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross, recognized that organization’s outstanding humanitarian services when he declared March “National Red Cross Month”. This declaration became the basis of support for annual fund raising and volunteer recruitment drives to support the critical activities of local Red Cross chapters. Supporting your local Red Cross chapter is particularly important this year as donor support has declined with the economic recession. I learned some interesting facts about my local Red Cross organization, which is the Greater New York Chapter of the Red Cross. First, the largest corporate sponsors of our local Red Cross chapter included Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, AIG and Merrill Lynch! Second, the New York chapter of the Red Cross responds to eight to ten disasters a day, ranging from people rendered homeless from the collapse of construction cranes to local fires. This is significant because many of us in New York are focused on 9-11-scale events when, in fact, it is the everyday disaster that we are, by definition, most likely to experience. With many small businesses struggling in the current economy, contributing funds may be difficult at this time. However, there are other ways you can support the Red Cross, from volunteer work to training. I urge you to contact your local Red Cross chapter to find out what you can do.