March is Red Cross Month

Although major disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires capture national media headlines, the day-to-day work of the Red Cross often takes place in local communities. In the past year, the St. Louis Area Chapter responded to more than 1,100 local emergencies, assisted more than 6,000 military families and trained more than 86,000 people in lifesaving skills.  And, people from this area donated more than 109,000 units of blood. Recently, individuals from the St. Louis area donated more than $2 million in support of the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. And this weekend, the American Red Cross immediately made $50,000 available from the International Response Fund for disaster relief in Chile, following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first Red Cross Month proclamation in 1943, recognizing the American Red Cross as a true reflection of the humanitarian and volunteer spirit and calling on Americans to “rededicate themselves to the splendid aims and activities of the Red Cross.”  Every president since that time has recognized the work of the Red Cross with a Red Cross Month.