[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MARCH IS RED CROSS MONTH

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS-

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 2010

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge that March is 
Red Cross Month. This is a time for us to officially recognize the 
essential role that the American Red Cross plays in our communities 
helping to ensure our communities are more ready and resilient in the 
face of future disasters. March has been celebrated as ``Red Cross 
Month'' since 1943 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the 
wartime fundraising campaign the ``greatest single crusade of mercy in 
all of history.'' As we celebrate this American Red Cross Month, I 
encourage all individuals to commit themselves to strengthen their own 
communities through service and volunteer opportunities with the Red 
Cross. Volunteers help make our country stronger, and no where is this 
more evident than in communities coming together to support each other 
in times of need.
  From rebuilding former adversaries after World War II, to saving 
lives after the tragic earthquake in Haiti, the American people have an 
unmatched tradition of responding to challenges at home and abroad with 
compassion and generosity. In just over one month since the earthquake, 
the Red Cross has provided assistance to more than 1.3 million people 
and will continue to aid hundreds of thousands more in the months 
ahead. In Chile, the American Red Cross is prepared to mobilize 
support, including relief supplies and trained personnel. The American 
Red Cross is also assisting the Chilean Red Cross, through the 
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent appeal, to 
assist 75,000 people for six months in the areas of shelter, water and 
sanitation, health and telecommunications.
  At home and abroad, one in five Americans is touched by the Red Cross 
every single year. The American Red Cross in Greater New York responds 
to an average of 7 emergencies a day--fires, floods, building 
collapses--and provides immediate humanitarian aid to as many as 
100,000 people affected by these emergencies each year. In my district 
alone in 2009, the Greater New York Chapter responded to 264 disasters 
and registered 1,337 people for Red Cross assistance.
  Whether it is an earthquake or a single family home fire; a call for 
blood or a call for help, the American Red Cross is there. I ask that 
you and my distinguished colleagues join me in applauding the hard work 
of the American Red Cross volunteers and celebrating March as American 
Red Cross Month.

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