“When someone provides a hot meal to a disaster victim, gives blood, takes a first aid class, or helps someone in the military, they join the Red Cross,” said Leisle Mims, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter. “We want to say ‘thank you’ to all who support us. That support enables us to provide help and hope to those who need our assistance.”

For nearly 100 years, Presidents have called on people to support the American Red Cross and its humanitarian mission. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to proclaim March as Red Cross Month in 1943. Since that time, President Obama and every president since have issued proclamations designating March as Red Cross Month.

The Red Cross has been helping people for 130 years, responding to disasters, assisting members of the military, teaching lifesaving skills, and serving as one of the largest blood suppliers in the United States. Nationally, the Red Cross responds to an average of nearly 200 disasters every day. The organization provides a round-the-clock link between those in the military and their families, and supplies blood and blood products to approximately 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country.

In 2010*, the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter, responded and provided assistance for 146 local disasters. The chapter processed 4,701 emergency military calls, and trained more than 6,275 people in CPR, first aid, and AED training. The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

“We work very diligently to help those in need,” Mims said. “Whether out on a disaster, alongside our troops, at a blood drive or in a first aid class, Red Cross workers touch the lives of millions of people every year. When people join the Red Cross by volunteering, donating blood, taking a course or making a contribution, they enable us to continue our work, both here at home, and around the world,” Mims said.

The Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter has a number of activities planned for Red Cross Month in March, including the 3^rd Annual Gumbo Cook-off set for March 19th in Bienville Square.  More information about the Gumbo Cook-off can be found by clicking here. The chapter is also holding free hands-only CPR training on March 19th as part of Save a Life Saturday. CPR, First Aid, and other lifesaving courses are also offered throughout the month at our office on Sage Avenue.

People can help those affected by home fires and other emergencies by making a financial donation to the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter by calling (251) 544-6100 or mailing to P.O. Box 1764, Mobile, AL 36633. For more information about your local American Red Cross, log on to www.redcrossalcoast.org.

*Fiscal year 2010 (July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010)

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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.

About the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter:

Since 1917, the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter has been upholding the American Red Cross mission of providing relief to victims of disaster and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies in Mobile, Baldwin, Clarke, Monroe, and West Escambia Counties. The American Red Cross is a volunteer organization supported by the donations of the people in our community. The American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter is a United Way Partner Agency. Verizon Wireless is the official wireless provider for the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter.