Community Profile of the Month

Capitol Broadcasting Company believes one of our greatest responsibilities is supporting our community. CBC’s Community Profile is a new monthly feature on the Web – a way to inform our employees and the public about the work of area non-profits, and their volunteer opportunities and needs.

We are now in the midst of Hurricane Season, and the American Red Cross is always at the forefront of providing disaster relief to victims. For July 2006, take a closer look at the American Red Cross.

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American Red Cross - Triangle Area Chapter
www.trianglearc.org

Location:
100 N. Peartree Lane
Raleigh, NC 27610

Phone: (919) 231-1602

American Red Cross logo

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope.

Through more than 800 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world.

Almost 4 million people give blood—the gift of life—through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected.

As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

The Mission of the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

How To Help the American Red Cross:
GIVE:
Hurricane season is upon us, and several have already caused damage and forced people out of their homes. Currently the Triangle Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping more than 130 flood victims and have now exceeded $25,000 in emergency assistance. That number will most likely double as they begin to relocate families to permanent housing.

You can help the victims of Hurricane Alberto flooding and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Contributions may be sent to the Triangle Area Chapter, 100 N. Peartree Lane, Raleigh, NC 27610.

VOLUNTEER:
The American Red Cross is able to provide many of its services because of volunteers. The ARC needs trained volunteers. During the middle of a crisis, the ARC doesn’t have time to provide training, and even untrained help with the best of intentions can be more of a hindrance than a help. So look into learning how best to be of service now, before disaster strikes.

Volunteer opportunities are available in a variety of areas from blood services, to health & safety, to disaster relief, and much more. In order to determine which area may appeal most to you, attend a new volunteer orientation session. New volunteer orientation lasts one hour and will give you an overview of the many different areas in which you can volunteer and what type of training is required for each. Some areas require as little as a few minutes training while other areas like types of disaster relief may require 30-40 hours of training.

Red Cross For more information about the Volunteer Orientation session, including times and locations, click here.

For a list of the types of volunteer opportunities available, click here.

For questions and other information, contact Sherry Mitchell, Public Support Director of the Triangle Area Chapter of the American Red Cross at (919) 231-1602, ext 437, or via email at: mitchells@trianglearc.org.

POSTED: July 1, 2006