A RESOLUTION

 

1Designating March 2013 as "American Red Cross Month" in
2Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American
4Association of the Red Cross; and

5WHEREAS, In 1900 the Congress of the United States granted
6the American Red Cross a charter, making the volunteer
7organization responsible for providing services to members of
8the armed forces of the United States and relief to disaster
9victims at home and abroad; and

10WHEREAS, Today's American Red Cross is a humanitarian
11organization led by volunteers that provides relief to victims
12of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond
13to emergencies; and

14WHEREAS, For more than a century, the American Red Cross has
15been at the forefront of helping Americans prevent, prepare for
16and respond to large and small disasters, and just as families
17and communities depend on the Red Cross in times of need, the

1Red Cross depends on the support of the American people to help
2sustain the foundation; and

3WHEREAS, The American Red Cross strives to prevent and
4alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found, to protect
5life and health and to ensure respect for each human being; and

6WHEREAS, The American Red Cross makes no discrimination as to
7nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political
8opinions; and

9WHEREAS, Services provided by the American Red Cross promote
10mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace
11among all peoples; and

12WHEREAS, As demonstrated by their response to Hurricane Irene
13and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the
1444 American Red Cross chapters in Pennsylvania meet the needs of
15hundreds of thousands of individuals and families throughout the
16State by: responding to hundreds of disasters, providing
17emergency communications to United States Armed Forces
18servicemen and servicewomen and their families, training
19thousands of people in providing disaster relief services and
20training and certifying thousands more people in vital,
21lifesaving skills including CPR, AED, first aid, water safety
22and HIV/AIDS prevention; and

23WHEREAS, The American Red Cross sheltered more than 6,000,
24and fed more than 250,000 Pennsylvanians during Hurricane Irene
25and Tropical Storm Lee during August and September 2011. Red
26Cross relief efforts provided more than $3.4 million in
27assistance to State residents; and

28WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2011, the volunteers and staff of the
29American Red Cross responded to 2,971 disasters throughout this
30Commonwealth, caring for more than 4,000 families in addition to

1massive relief efforts during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm
2Lee; and

3WHEREAS, As Superstorm Sandy bore down upon the East Coast in
4late October 2012, the Red Cross worked cooperatively with the
5Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to identify shelters,
6ready supplies and mobilize emergency response vehicles and
7relief workers; and

8WHEREAS, In the wake of Superstorm Sandy's high winds and
9torrential rainfall, the Red Cross opened 140 shelters,
10providing more than 3,000 overnight stays for Pennsylvanians
11displaced by the storm, served more than 18,000 meals and
12ministered to more than 5,000 Pennsylvanians with health
13concerns; and

14WHEREAS, Three and two tenths per cent of the residents of
15this Commonwealth learned lifesaving, aquatics and disaster
16preparedness programs through the American Red Cross during
172011; and

18WHEREAS, More than 35,000 Pennsylvanians serve as volunteers
19for the American Red Cross and stand prepared to prevent and
20respond to disasters within our Commonwealth; and

21WHEREAS, Residents of Pennsylvania donated hundreds of
22thousands of units of blood to help save the lives of their
23neighbors in need; and

24WHEREAS, The American Red Cross will continue to play a
25valuable role in catastrophic relief, humanitarianism and
26volunteerism during the 21st century; therefore be it

27RESOLVED, That the Senate designate March 2013 as "American
28Red Cross Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it further

29RESOLVED, That the Senate commend the American Red Cross, all
30of its employees and all of its volunteers for their service and

1dedication to the communities and residents of this
2Commonwealth.