[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8628 of February 28, 2011

American Red Cross Month, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For over a century, the American Red Cross has harnessed the generosity
of the American people, mobilizing us to offer assistance in the wake of
disaster. Whether aiding towns fighting rising floodwaters or nations
struggling with starvation and disease, the American Red Cross and its
international partners have served during crises across the United
States and around the world. During American Red Cross Month, we
celebrate our Nation's humanitarian spirit, and we recommit to providing
relief and hope in times of crisis.
The American Red Cross has a long history of partnering with Presidents
of the United States to confront the world's most pressing challenges.
During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson called on our citizens to
help the American Red Cross ``respond effectively and universally to the
needs of humanity under stress of war.'' This relationship continued in
1943, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed March as Red Cross
Month, urging the public to support the efforts of the American Red
Cross to provide resources and medical care to troops, allies, and
peoples around the world.
Emergency response organizations like the American Red Cross play a
vital role in relief operations by deploying scores of volunteers to
rebuild communities hit by disaster and by providing critical support
and resources at home and abroad. When a devastating earthquake struck
Haiti last year, the American people responded with an outpouring of
compassion, prompting an unprecedented international response and relief
effort by the American Red Cross. These efforts reflect our country's
noblest ideals, and they contribute to a climate of international trust
and cooperation.
Volunteers play an essential part in every American Red Cross effort,
from traveling to disaster zones around the world to donating blood at
local community centers. Through their service, ordinary citizens have
done extraordinary things, upholding the humanitarian mission of service
and relief organizations and keeping our Nation strong and resilient.
Though we can never fully know the challenges we will face, American Red
Cross Month reminds us that Americans will always pull together in times
of need and will always look to the future with hope and determination.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America and Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross, by virtue of
the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim March 2011 as American Red Cross
Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this month with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities, and by supporting the work of
service and relief organizations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day
of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven,

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and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred
and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA