$100,000 Grant to Help Red Cross Provide Emergency Aid to Michigan Military Personnel

April 15, 2009) - In response to the increasing need of programs to support our local U.S. military personnel and their families, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan recently awarded $100,000 to the American Red Cross, Southeastern Michigan Chapter to assist in efforts to expand its Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program, which provides emergency aid and assistance to U.S. military personnel, their families and veterans statewide.

The Red Cross is the area’s leading agency in providing emergency aid and assistance to military service members and their families through several programs and services, and the Southeastern Michigan Chapter has seen a 150 percent increase in their military services since 2002.

“This grant will go a long way in helping implement new SAF services focused on helping our local service members and their families in coping with the stresses of military duty,” said James Laverty, CEO of the Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross. “We are extremely grateful to the Foundation for their generosity and continued commitment to addressing the needs of Southeast Michigan.”

In addition to its mainstay programs of emergency communication, financial assistance and counseling referral services, the American Red Cross will now offer new courses designed to provide critical psychological and post-service support to service members and their families.

Besides providing these services to those service members from southeast Michigan, the local Red Cross chapter recently became the lead chapter for the entire SAF program in coordinating the military services statewide for other Red Cross chapters.

“The need for our SAF program has dramatically increased,” said Eleanor Ivey, ARC-SEM SAF manager. “Support like that from the Foundation is necessary to address this increased demand, while helping us to fulfill our commitment to supporting our troops and their families.”

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the region’s quality of life by connecting those who care with causes that matter. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $333 million through more than 32,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org.

The American Red Cross, Southeastern Michigan Chapter is a non-profit humanitarian organization that turns caring into action by providing three core services for residents in southeast Michigan. These services are providing relief to disaster victims, giving support to military personnel (both active and veteran) and their families, and supplying the knowledge and skills to the community to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. We are volunteer-driven and reflect the diversity of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. As part of the international Red Cross network, we are dedicated to protecting human life and dignity locally, nationally and worldwide. To learn more or make a donation, log on to www.semredcross.org or call 1-877-788-0014.

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Andrea Tomaszewski

Marketing and Communications

American Red Cross

Southeastern Michigan Chapter

100 Mack Ave., P.O. Box 44110

Detroit, Michigan 48244-0110

W 313-494-2740

C 313-350-1434