American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey Fairfield, NJ 07004 www.redcrossnnj.org Michelle Lemieux lemieuxm@redcrossnnj.org (Office) 973-797-3316 (Cell) 201-681-6589

American Red Cross of Central New Jersey Princeton, NJ 08540 www.njredcross.org Diane Concannon concannond@njredcross.org (Office) 609-951-2116 (Cell) 609-206-4043

American Red Cross Jersey Coast Chapter Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 www.jerseycoast-redcross.org Hillary Cummons hillaryc@jerseycoast-redcross.org (Cell) 732-496-4495

Red Cross Invites America to Join “National Day of Giving” December 13

PRINCETON, NJ December 1, 2008 – The Red Cross has designated December 13 “National Day of Giving for the American Red Cross” as part of its efforts to reach the $100 million fundraising goal for the Campaign for Disaster Relief, which the organization launched in September.

“We’ve made some incredible progress toward our goal in a short period of time,” said Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer of the Red Cross, “and we’re confident that the National Day of Giving for the American Red Cross will bring us that much closer.”

Red Cross volunteers and employees will reach out on December 13 to their friends and neighbors to help raise money for the Campaign for Disaster Relief, which aims to replenish the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The fund was depleted as a result of a very busy year for disasters, including a record number of tornadoes, severe flooding in the central United States and an active hurricane season. From January through October 2008, the Red Cross had already responded to more than 70 large-scale disasters.

“One thing we all have in common is that no one is immune from a disaster. Even if you don’t live in an area that gets hit by hurricanes or earthquakes, events like house fires and floods can happen anywhere. The Disaster Relief Fund is what we all rely on to help people when they need it,” said Kurt Weirich, Red Cross disaster officer for the state of New Jersey.

There are several ways the public can help the Red Cross meet its $100 million goal, which will go toward helping the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year:

• Look for Red Cross volunteers in your community on December 13. They will be available to take donations on the spot. Share what you can with your neighbors.
• Donate to the Red Cross by going to www.redcross.org or calling 1-800-REDCROSS (for Spanish-speakers, 1-800-257-7575).
• Send contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund to your local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
• Use your cell phone to donate $5 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by text messaging the keyword “GIVE” (4483) to “2HELP” (24357).

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.

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