[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E708-E709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATING MARCH AS RED CROSS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER T. KING

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 2009

  Mr. KING of New York. Madam Speaker, the American Red Cross has been 
on the

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front lines of disaster prevention and response for more than a 
century. This elite humanitarian society is among the most effective 
and recognized disaster relief organizations in the world. We have an 
opportunity this month to recognize the essential role the Red Cross 
plays in our communities. Since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
served in office, every President of the United States has proclaimed 
March to be ``Red Cross Month.''
  The Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 natural and manmade 
disasters each year, caring for victims of fires, floods, hurricanes, 
hazardous materials spills, explosions, and many other kinds of 
incidents. Volunteers provide food, shelter, and health services to 
meet the most basic human needs of victims and first responders. The 
Red Cross also provides critical blood supplies to hospitals, first aid 
classes to the public, and disaster aid to the international community.
  In responding to disasters small or large, the Red Cross has proven 
its incomparable worth time and again for over 127 years. Just this 
month in my district in New York, fire destroyed a North Massapequa 
home, and Nassau County's Red Cross arrived on the scene to offer 
assistance. Timely response to such daily but devastating small-scale 
disasters is one of the Red Cross' most important humanitarian 
services.
  Large-scale disasters also demonstrate major successes. Immediately 
following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, relief workers 
rushed to the World Trade Center, to the Pentagon, and to the fields of 
Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The Red Cross played an invaluable role in 
assisting over 59,000 individuals and families affected by those 
horrific acts of terror.
  No matter the response, volunteers are the key to Red Cross efforts, 
representing 96 percent of the organization's workforce. They cannot do 
what they do without the support of donated manpower, finding, and 
supplies. The Red Cross, the dedicated individuals who serve in the 
organization, and the thousands of citizens who fund relief efforts 
epitomize the humanitarian spirit of the American people.
  I join with my colleagues today to recognize the Red Cross, and thank 
the organization's staff and volunteers for all of their continued 
assistance to American communities.

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