American Red Cross Holiday Catalog Offers Meaningful Gifts
- Vaccinating an entire village
- Providing food and shelter to a disaster victim
- Purchasing phone cards and personal supplies for members of the U.S. Armed Forces:
- Bringing comfort items to platelet donors
Greeting cards are included with each tax-deductible catalog purchase to notify loved ones of the gifts you have made in their honor. You may also opt to send an e-card version. Each gift item provides support to the mission of the Red Cross and items are available to fit any budget.
According to a recent Red Cross poll, the majority of Americans plan to donate more or about the same to charity as they did last year, despite the sluggish economy. In fact, the poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe that because of the economy, it’s important to give something to charity, an increase of 10 percent over last year.
This Black Friday, Give Something That Means Something
The 2011 American Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog, now available online at www.redcross.org/gifts, contains over 25 meaningful “symbolic” gifts that can be given in honor of friends, family members and business associates. Gift-givers can provide a full day of emergency shelter for victims of disaster, purchase hospital comfort kits for wounded service members, or pay for critical vaccinations that will save children’s lives. With each gift purchased, the gift-giver receives a greeting card that can be presented to friends and family explaining the gift given in their honor.
“Selecting a gift from our Holiday Giving Catalog is a wonderful way to live-out the spirit of the season,” said Kim Baker, chief development officer in the Southeastern Michigan Region. “Holiday donations help save the day when fire destroys a neighbor’s house, when a patient needs blood, or when a member of the military has a family emergency back home.”
This year in Southeastern Michigan, 681 local Red Cross volunteers responded to 1,163 emergencies, helped 9,611 individuals in time of crisis, and served 8,314 active military, veterans, and family members. Nationally, the Red Cross responded to more than 68,000 disasters, including wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres, tornadoes that destroyed entire towns, and flooding that left communities under water from the Dakotas to the East Coast.
Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces workers provided assistance to more than 386,000 members of the military and their families, veterans and civilians. And Red Cross Blood Services distributed more than nine million blood products for patients in nearly 3,000 hospitals across the United States.
“History has proven that Americans respond generously when people are in need,” said, Baker. “Giving through the American Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog is an opportunity to help us be ready to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whenever the need arises.”
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
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Send Holiday Greetings Through Card Signing at Ford Field, Sunday, November 20
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, Friday, November 18, 2011—For a fifth year, the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. are teaming up to deliver holiday cheer and greetings to service members, their families and veterans throughout the holiday season.
The Holiday Mail for Heroes program provides Americans the opportunity to send holiday greetings to our men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, many of whom will be far from home over the holidays, our nation’s veterans and their families.
“All you need is a pen and piece of paper to share your appreciation of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make each day in their service to our country,” said Glen Hendricks, Regional Emergency Services Director. “The American Red Cross serves and supports members of the military, veterans, and their families by providing emergency communications, educational resources, comfort and assistance each day. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program continues in the Red Cross tradition of service to those who serve.”
As part of the Detroit Lions and NFL’s Salute to Service Day, the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes volunteers will be at Ford Field, on Sunday, November 20, 2011 to offer cards for people to send holiday greetings to members of the military.
Last year, with the help of Pitney Bowes, hundreds of volunteers screened, sorted and packaged cards that were delivered to military bases, veteran and military hospitals across the U.S. and around the world.
Visit redcross.org/holidaymail for a full list of recommended guidelines and best practices for the Holiday Mail for Heroes program as well as an address to send your holiday greetings
Additional ways to become involved with the campaign include connecting with fellow card senders through Facebook at www.facebook.com/redcross and Twitter at www.twitter.com/redcross using the hashtag #holidaymail.
Visit semredcross.org to learn more about the Service to the Armed Forces in Southeast Michigan.
About Pitney Bowes:
Delivering more than 90 years of innovation, Pitney Bowes provides software, hardware and services that integrate physical and digital communications channels. Long known for making its customers more productive, Pitney Bowes is increasingly helping other companies grow their business through advanced customer communications management. Pitney Bowes is a $5.4 billion company and employs more than 30,000 worldwide. Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a new opportunity™. www.pb.com
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.