TheAmerican Red Cross is urging everyone to remember people in need and support Red Cross services through a donation to the Red Cross Holiday Campaign. People can support the Red Cross mission by browsing through the 2011 Holiday Giving Catalog and choosing from a variety of symbolic gifts.
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| U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kelvin Carter at Camp Mike Spann, Afghanistan, calls his family in Houston in August 2010 using a donated Red Cross phone card. |
Catalog shoppers can purchase gifts in honor of the people on their holiday list. Greeting cards let the person know they’ve been remembered with a gift to the Red Cross. Each gift item purchase is a tax-deductible donation that helps support the Red Cross mission to provide relief to those in need and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
One of the groups assisted by the Red Cross is the United States Armed Forces. Red Cross SAF workers provide important support to members of the United States military - help that includes financial assistance, counseling and a commitment to support our veterans. Holiday Giving Catalog items include military comfort kits, phone cards for deployed service members and hygiene kits for homeless veterans.
Perhaps the most important support SAF provides is emergency communications to keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, the birth of a service member's child or grandchild or other emergency.
Another facet of the Red Cross SAF mission is to care for ill and wounded service members and veterans. SAF volunteers are present at most military medical facilities, offering the patients DVDs, snacks, interactive game systems, clothes, personal items and books.
Red Cross volunteers also offer hospital therapy programs, such as pet therapy, gardening, art and even radio-controlled aircraft therapy. Recently, two new training vehicles were unveiled at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. to help injured troops get back on the road.
Hundreds of Chromebooks donated by Google are helping wounded members of the military stay in touch with loved ones.
Gifts purchased through the Red Cross 2011 Holiday Giving Catalog are tax-deductible contributions to the overall Red Cross mission. Items are symbolic of the work of the Red Cross, not a donation to a specific project or item.
Free Red Cross vintage water bottles will go to anyone giving a minimum of $100. Those giving a minimum of $200 will receive a vintage messenger bag, and for a minimum of $300, people will receive a Red Cross family first aid kit.
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. |
