American Red Cross Honors Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

Volunteers allow the Red Cross to assist people who need help

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Apr 13, 2015, 10:19 ET

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's National Volunteer Week and the American Red Cross honors the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who help the organization assist people in need.

More than 340,000 volunteers serve the organization, helping staff blood drives, volunteering at Veteran's Hospitals, teaching people lifesaving skills like First Aid and CPR, responding to house fires in the middle of the night and so much more.

"Our Red Cross volunteers are an essential part of our team," said Maxine Margaritis, vice president of volunteer services for the Red Cross. "Their efforts help save lives every day and offer hope to people in their darkest hours. We are grateful for their support and partnership and recognize their extraordinary service during National Volunteer Week."

Volunteers enable the Red Cross to respond to nearly 70,000 disasters every year. They help train more than 5.6 million people in Red Cross lifesaving skills; help provide nearly 370,000 services to military members, veterans and their families; and to reconnect nearly 1,000 families separated by war or disaster around the world. In addition, roughly 3.1 volunteer donors give blood every year.

The Red Cross invites the public to be a part of the lifesaving work it does and to sign up to volunteer and to donate blood. People can go to redcross.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities and how to submit a volunteer application. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, people should visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

The Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign offers another way to volunteer and help reduce the number of home fire injuries and deaths in the area. Volunteers are going door-to-door in neighborhoods at high risk for fires to install smoke alarms and teach people about home fire safety.

People who might want to volunteer during a disaster should download the Team Red Cross app. This free app allows people to sign up to help, get an overview on basic tasks and receive notifications about local Red Cross volunteer opportunities.

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