American Red Cross Honors Service to the Armed Forces Giving Program Members

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Red Cross is recognizing its partners The Home Depot®, the LAW Foundation, Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. and The USAA Foundation for supporting members of the U.S. military, veterans and their families through the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) Giving Program.

Members of the SAF Giving Program are among the most valued corporate and foundation partners of the Red Cross thanks to their annual commitment to support Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces. Their contributions ensure that military members, veterans and their families get the support they need at every stage of military life. Through SAF, the Red Cross has trained more than 7,100 family members in improving coping skills and resilience.

"Our SAF Giving Program members play a vital role in ensuring the Red Cross has the resources and staff to support service members and their families throughout their life in the military," said Koby Langley, senior vice president of Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces. "We're extremely grateful for their generosity because it allows us to provide a full spectrum of services, including helping families cope with deployment and supporting returning combat veterans as they reintegrate into the community."

Through employees and more than 12,000 volunteers, the Red Cross helps deliver services to the military and veterans at Red Cross offices across the country and on more than a hundred military installations around the world—including Djibouti and Kuwait. The organization serves two million military personnel, including active duty, National Guard and Reserve, as well as veterans.

Hero Care Network
The Red Cross also provides global emergency communications services and supports military and veterans health care facilities across the country and overseas. In 2015, the organization provided more than 367,000 case services to nearly 108,000 military families, thanks to the support from the SAF Giving Program members, and is positioned to leverage this existing system to do more. Through a new program called the Hero Care Network, the Red Cross will use technology and collaborative relationships to implement an integrated casework, referral and financial assistance system that will allow the organization to:

• Create a national registry of organizations that offer services to veterans. Currently there are approximately 40,000 different veteran service organizations posed to help, but there is no common platform that offers a coherent method of accessing the services.
• Create an integrated case management system that will connect service members, veterans and their families with Red Cross trained caseworkers who will be able to leverage the national registry to connect those in need to the appropriate agencies. The Red Cross will also create a standardized approach to document and evaluate service members' experience throughout the process to ensure that needs are being met effectively and efficiently.

For nearly 130 years, the Red Cross has provided comfort and support to members of the United States military. Last year alone, investment in SAF:

• Trained more than 300 dental and medical assistants on military installations
• Distributed more than 170,000 care, comfort and therapy items at military hospitals and medical facilities
• Served 26,000 individuals through rehabilitation and morale programs
• Reached 685,000 individuals through "Get to Know Us Before You Need Us" briefings

To support Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces, alongside the SAF Giving Program members, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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SOURCE American Red Cross

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