President and CEO of American Red Cross Touts Chapter, Lehigh Valley Community
News Release: March 23, 2005
Contact: Janice Osborne, Director-Communications and Marketing
(610) 865-4400, ext. 262
Marsha J. Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross National Headquarters, visited the Lehigh Valley to express her thanks to the local Red Cross and the community for its support. More than 125 nonprofit executives, business and community leaders and local Red Cross employees and volunteers attended a community breakfast in her honor at the Holiday Inn in Bethlehem today (3/23).
“In so many ways, the Lehigh Valley has always been at the center of all those things that define America. People here have always known how to roll up their sleeves and join together to get something done,” Evans said. “In my time at the Red Cross, I have observed that there is a direct correlation between the strength of a community and the strength of its Red Cross. The residents of the Lehigh Valley have a right to be very proud of this strong Red Cross chapter.”
Evans complimented the chapter’s 400 volunteers for their tremendous number of donated hours. Volunteers carry out a variety of responsibilities – from providing assistance to
disaster victims and teaching first aid and CPR to answering phones, processing mail and maintaining files.
Evans encouraged the community to give as enthusiastically to its local chapter as it does when it supports high-profile disaster efforts. “Most people think of the Red Cross when extraordinary disasters strike,” she said. “But to a family with no home to go to because of a fire or flood, there is no such thing as a small disaster. Their immediate human needs are just the same as those who are victims of a major disaster. Fire victims in the Lehigh Valley are offered help with those immediate needs … a place to stay, clothing and food.” The assistance Red Cross provides is not cookie-cutter help, she noted. It’s customized and caring, and it’s specific to the needs of that family.
Evans classified the compassion of the Lehigh Valley community to the victims of the tsunamis as “extraordinarily generous.” More than $900,000 has been donated to the tsunami effort and the International Response Fund. Much of this has come from corporate donors, corporate employee matches, local businesses and places of worship, and some special events. An impressive amount has come from school children.
Evans recently returned from a brief visit to see the American Red Cross relief efforts in Sri Lanka. “You’ve seen the pictures on TV, but trust me, there isn’t a TV screen in the world wide enough to capture the scope of the devastation,” she said. “Recovery in the region will take many years, but the help is already getting through.”
Evans stated that she was most proud to have had the opportunity to personally deliver boxes of family supplies, pots and pans and other items clearly labeled “The American Red Cross.”
Evans challenged the community to redouble its efforts to support the local Red Cross chapter. She asked financial supporters to continue their financial support but also to consider other ways to support the chapter such as volunteering their time. She encouraged volunteers to see if it was possible to dig into their wallets to make a financial contribution.
“In these uncertain times, we have the power to devise the strongest chain of survival ever imaged. All we have to do is roll up our sleeves and let the Red Cross link us all together.”
Evans became president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross on
Aug. 5, 2002. She served in the U.S. Navy for 29 years, retiring in 1998 as a two-star Rear Admiral, one of only a few women to reach this rank in the U.S. Navy’s history.
She assumed the top staff position at the Girl Scouts of the USA in January 1998.
Throughout her career, Evans has received various honors, awards, and accolades. Most recently, Evans was presented the 2003 American Women Award from the Women’s Research and Education Institute, as well as named a 2003 Woman of Distinction, adding her name to a roster of distinguished past recipients, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Phyllis George. A 1979-80 White House Fellow, Evans was also awarded the prestigious 2002 John W. Gardner Legacy of Leadership Award by the White House Fellows Association.
The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley serves more than 660,000 residents of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties. Last year the Red Cross provided health and safety education training; Lifeline, a personal response service for seniors; and emergency relief to more than 20,000 Greater Lehigh Valley residents. For more information about the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley or volunteer opportunities, call (610) 865-4400 or visit www.redcrosslv.org.
