american red Cross heart of the Valley Chapter turns Compassion into action

By Felicia Woolfolk, Chapter Executive Director

Since our founding by Clara Barton on May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross has been dedicated to serving people in need, and though it has been more than 140 years since, our mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering hasn’t changed. Today, people continue to come together in innovative ways to serve and give hope during life’s emergencies. This commitment has always been at the heart of what we do. The Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Down the street, across the country and around the world, the 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 Heart of the Valley Chapter, with a deep local presence in Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, serves people facing emergencies every day. Embracing the diversity of our staff, volunteers, and the people we serve is vital to this work. Powered by 543 dedicated volunteers and generous donors who work on behalf of the Red Cross exemplify the spirit and mission of this organization, over the last fiscal year we have:

-Helped 557 families through 543 disaster responses, the majority of these home fires.

-Collected 31,763 units of lifesaving blood from 1,350 local blood drives.

-Provided 1,357 critical community services to members of the military, veterans and their families.

-Trained 8,225 people in First Aid/CPR/AED and 1,110 people in aquatics and water safety.

Today, as throughout our long history, the Red Cross depends on generous contributions of time, blood, and money from the American public to support our lifesaving services and programs. We invite you to learn more and hope you will feel inspired to become involved with the Red Cross. Visit redcross.org/hov to learn more.

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