Gov. Rowland declares March

‘Red Cross Month’

FARMINGTON — To help raise awareness of the lifesaving community and volunteer based services provided by the American Red Cross in the Nutmeg State, Gov John G. Rowland has designated March, as “Red Cross Month” in the State of Connecticut.

The Red Cross has 16 chapters and one blood services region in Connecticut, providing community outreach, training, and services in four categories: health and safety, disaster relief, service to military families, and blood services. Red Cross community efforts are built around volunteers who give their time to help their neighbors learn CPR and First Aid, lifeguarding and water safety; or in times of disaster; or when “the gift of life,” blood, is needed at a local American Red Cross blood drive.

In 2001, look for local, regional, and national Red Cross initiatives to be launched during the month of March, including the national debut of The Humanitarian, the magazine of the American Red Cross; a new look for the American Red Cross Web site, www.redcross.org; a new collaboration between the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Crowne Plaza Downtown Hartford, designed to streamline emergency response services to fires and other disasters in Greater Hartford; and a Heroes Breakfast in Bridgeport, honoring the many volunteers who make Red Cross services happen in and around Bridgeport.

With the help of its force of volunteer blood donors, health and safety instructors, and disaster relief workers, the American Red Cross will be there in the event of a fire, flood, or other natural or man-made disaster; to teach you and your children how to save lives in the event of an emergency; and to collect, process, and distribute blood and blood products for hospital patients across Connecticut.

To find out more about the American Red Cross in Connecticut, or to become a Red Cross volunteer, call 877-HELP ARC (877-243-5727). Or visit the statewide chapter Web site at www.ctredcross.org.

To become a volunteer blood donor in Connecticut, call 800-GIVE LIFE (800-448-3543) or visit the blood services Web site at www.bloodct.org. Most healthy people who are 17 years old and who weight 110 pounds or more are eligible to give blood.