Valley Red Cross Tops $1 Million in Donations for Terrorist Victims
News Release: September 27, 2001
Contact: Janice Osborne, Manager-Media & Community Affairs
(610) 865-4400, ext. 262
In just 16 days, residents of the Lehigh Valley area have donated more than $1 million to the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross in support of relief efforts following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
"The events of Sept. 11 are unlike any disaster we have encountered in this country," said John Hughes, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Chapter. "Equally extraordinary is the magnitude of the response of Lehigh Valley residents who have taken it upon themselves to raise funds for the Red Cross. Nowhere in the history of this chapter has this amount of money been contributed in such a short timeframe.
"People feel the need to take action and be a part of the relief efforts. The local Red Cross is providing the means for these individuals to fulfill their desire to help. A constant stream of people -- of all ages and all walks of life -- have been coming to our office to drop off checks and cash," said Hughes.
Examples include:
· A young boy who set up a lemonade stand in his neighborhood and collected $50 "for the 300 good guys [emergency workers who are missing at the World Trade Center]"; his parents matched the proceeds.
· A woman walked into the Red Cross office with a large strawberry shortcake, a dozen pastries and a cookie assortment for the staff and volunteers, along with a $500 check. It was her birthday and she wanted to be a giver of gifts instead of a receiver.
· A youngster who donated $14.58 of his Christmas savings.
· A St. Augustine, Fla., resident stranded at the Lehigh Valley International Airport walked into the Red Cross office and donated $500.
· A Coopersburg resident sent in a check for $1,000 with a note stating, "My new washing machine can wait. This can't."
· A Bethlehem resident donated money with a note stating, "Our daughter was two blocks away. Praise God; she escaped safely."
· Some people donated their tax refund checks.
· A church youth group collected and donated funds.
· Employees of local companies who collected money at their place of work, many times being matched by the employer.
The chapter expanded its business hours during the past two weeks and brought in staff and volunteers on the weekends to meet the public's needs.
Money donated to the local chapter will be sent to the national American Red Cross. Working with its auditors, Campbell, Rappold & Yurasits, the local Red Cross developed an in-house plan for handling the increased volume of contributions.
"Donations are being closely scrutinized to be sure that donor wishes are followed and funds are being remitted to national headquarters on a weekly basis," Hughes said. "Staff and volunteers are working closely together to make sure the generous gifts from Lehigh Valley residents are readily available for immediate relief efforts."
Immediate financial gifts are being made available to families of people lost in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon including firefighters, emergency medical services and law enforcement personnel and investigative responders through a special $100 million gift program, the American Red Cross Liberty Disaster Response Fund. These tax-free grants help families of victims with near-term financial need such as mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, funeral and related expenses as well as for transportation, food, clothing and other time-sensitive and uncovered expenses. Requests for financial aid will be handled on a case-by-case basis and each family's resources will be considered.
Locally, Red Cross is working closely with companies and federal and local agencies that lost employees in the tragedies of Sept. 11. If you or someone you know has been affected by these tragedies, please call the Lehigh Valley Chapter at (610) 865-4400.
With the tireless dedication of almost 20,000 disaster relief workers, the Red Cross has also provided safe refuge for over 4,000 people in 76 shelters, served 1.6 million meals and snacks to survivors, emergency personnel and stranded travelers throughout the United States. Across the country, American Red Cross crisis, grieving and spiritual counselors have helped 30,000 people deal with the emotional trauma from the tragedies.
Also, to help the many thousands of people in New York City struggling to recover from the devastation caused by the terrorist attacks, the American Red Cross is setting up three warehouses in New York City stocked with needed supplies such as food, cleaning materials, batteries and more. Called "canteens," these facilities will help many people obtain needed supplies and whatever goods they need to aid their recovery.
All disaster assistance is free, made possible by the generous donations of time and money by the American people.
The Lehigh Valley Chapter Red Cross serves more than 660,000 residents in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties. Last year the Red Cross provided health and safety education training and emergency relief services to more than 15,500 Lehigh Valley residents.
For more information about the Lehigh Valley Chapter Red Cross, visit www.redcrosslv.org.
