Making a Difference
If you had
your druthers, wouldn’t you want to make as much of a difference for as many of
your neighbors as you could, at the least possible cost? There aren’t many ways
that we can do that individually, but there’s one organization that does it all
the time – the American Red Cross.
In
a tradition that began with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943, each year the
president of the United States proclaims March to be “Red Cross Month.” This year, President Barack Obama’s
proclamation read, in part, “During American Red Cross Month, we honor those
who devote themselves to bringing relief where there is suffering, inspiring
hope where there is despair, and healing the wounds of disaster and war. Today,
American Red Cross workers, alongside countless humanitarian organizations and
caring volunteers, deliver life-saving assistance in every corner of our Nation
and all across the globe.”
The Red Cross
provides emergency assistance, lifesaving training, disaster relief, services
to military families, blood collection, and many other supportive and
preparatory care services to anyone who needs them. Most of the services are provided by unpaid
volunteers, while a small professional staff coordinates the services and
provides direction and continuity.
The Red Cross
is there when local, regional and international disasters strike. The Red Cross is there when training is needed in first aid and CPR, lifesaving
and emergency response. The Red Cross is
there when military personnel need connections with their families and
communities. The Red Cross is
there to ensure a safe blood supply for emergency and medical needs. The Red Cross is there when planning is
needed to prepare for inevitable disasters, both natural and man-made.
For
major disaster responses, the Red Cross is there in a big way. Imagine the logistics involved in assembling
an organizational structure, lining up and coordinating hundreds of trained
volunteers, acquiring purchased and donated resources, and establishing a
presence, all within hours of the occurrence of a disaster. During Hurricane Sandy, for example, huge
empty warehouses were transformed almost overnight into well-stocked, fully
staffed, busy distribution centers.
These hives of activity were surrounded by a swarm of Red Cross and
rented vehicles, each picking up and delivering much-needed supplies to people
in need.
With over 500 chapters nationwide, the American Red Cross is
virtually everywhere, even though it’s one unified organization. While chartered by the federal government, it
doesn’t receive funding from the government, except in certain limited
circumstances. Much of its financial
support and virtually all of its trained volunteers come from local communities. Here in the heart of the Garden State, the American
Red Cross of Central New Jersey (redcross.org/princeton) serves
1.8 million residents in Mercer, Middlesex, Hunterdon, and Somerset Counties. The chapter also serves as the headquarters
of the North Jersey Region.
Although the Red
Cross spends about 91% of every dollar raised on direct services to those in
need, its tremendous volunteer base magnifies that investment exponentially. For
every paid staff member, there are about sixteen volunteers. This translates into a huge return on the
investment in paid staff. Talk about leverage!
In addition, many non-cash donations are made by businesses, so the overall
return is even greater.
What all this
means is that we depend on the support of Red Cross staff and volunteers more
than they depend on ours. Nevertheless,
they do depend on our financial and volunteer support in order to provide vital
ongoing services to us and our neighbors.
More importantly, they need our
support in advance of major disasters; after a disaster strikes, it’s too late
to prepare, so the financial investments need to be made and trained volunteers
need to be in place beforehand.
After almost every major
disaster, the outpouring of financial support from individuals is incredible.
But the Red Cross is responding to local disasters nearly every day. Last year
alone, the American Red Cross North Jersey Region responded to 485 local home fires, providing 1,269 families with
emotional support and emergency assistance with food, clothing, and temporary
lodging. Just recently, the Red Cross responded to the gas explosion in Ewing,
establishing a reception center at the West Trenton Fire House and providing
emergency assistance to families as needed. The Red Cross continues to coordinate
with Ewing Township and other organizations to help provide comfort and
assistance to the families affected by this disaster. So it’s important to recognize that
fundraising is not just episodic, but rather that a steady flow of financial
support is needed to keep the Red Cross ready and able to respond.
If you are
not already engaged with the Red Cross, now that you realize how valuable it is
to your community and how great an investment it is, please consider making a
financial commitment to the organization and/or adding your name and skills to
the long list of selfless volunteers who provide services or donate blood. You can find what you’re looking for on the
web at redcross.org/Princeton. Once
you’ve done that, you’ll know this: it’s great to know that we’ve got neighbors
like us!
