Give Something That Means Something This Holiday Season

This holiday season, the American Red Cross is urging residents of Middle Tennessee to give something that means something and help people in need through a donation to the Red Cross.

People can visit www.redcross.org/gifts and browse through the online Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog, selecting from more than 20 symbolic gifts to purchase for, or in honor of, a loved one during the holiday season. The gifts represent all Red Cross lines of service, and include items such as blankets for disaster victims, comfort kits for wounded warriors, swimming lessons for those who want to learn to swim, and vaccinations against measles for children overseas.

Everyone is invited to make a donation in the name of the people on their gift list. Their donation will help ensure the Red Cross is able to help people when they need it – when a disaster victim needs food and shelter; when a patient needs blood; when a member of the military needs to get in touch with their family.

This has been a busy year for the Red Cross. Here in the Heart of Tennessee Chapter, we provided assistance to 323 individuals in 102 families.  This includes 96 different fire calls plus 2 significant disasters spread across 4 Counties in Middle Tennessee.  We spent $61,457.42 on direct disaster relief and we sent volunteers to the Chattanooga area to help in the Spring Storm relief efforts and to Pennsylvania for the floods resulting from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

Across the country, the Red Cross responded to wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres; tornadoes that destroyed entire towns; and flooding from the Dakotas to the East Coast. The Red Cross provided assistance to more than 386,000 members of the military and their families, distributed more than 9 million blood products, and taught life-saving courses to more than 8 million people..  .  .

The public’s support during this holiday season will allow the Red Cross to continue to help to those in need. Please give something that means something by giving to the American Red Cross.

Jan Beard
American Red Cross – Heart of Tennessee Chapter
Board Chair