SENATE RESOLUTION 66

(By Senators Carmichael (Mr. President), Stollings, Cline, Jeffries, Lindsay, and Romano)

[Introduced March 4, 2020]

Recognizing the month of March as Red Cross Month.

Whereas, In the face of last year’s disasters, hundreds of thousands of people turned to the American Red Cross for food, shelter, and recovery support in West Virginia and across the country; and

Whereas, Over the past year, the American Red Cross in West Virginia assisted over 1,000 local families impacted by a disaster, 90 percent of those were home fires. American Red Cross volunteers helped more than 2,664 West Virginians impacted by disaster, addressing urgent needs such as food and lodging, and providing recovery support; and

Whereas, The American Red Cross West Virginia Region and local partners installed over 6,000 free smoke alarms and made more than 2,700 homes safer in 2019. This brought the total number of alarms installed in West Virginia in the last five years to over 28,000, ensuring nearly 11,000 homes were safer. These efforts have saved 699 lives nationwide including 29 people in West Virginia; and

Whereas, In the last year, the American Red Cross has educated nearly 4,000 West Virginia youth about preparedness and coping skills through the Pillowcase Project.  The American Red Cross supported over 1,000 military members, veterans, and their families through the Service to the Armed Forces Program. The American Red Cross collected almost 36,000 units of life-saving blood and trained almost 24,000 people in life-saving skills, such as first aid and CPR; and

Whereas, March is Red Cross Month, a special time to recognize and thank the Red Cross volunteers and donors who give of their time and resources to help members of the community. The American Red Cross depends on these local heroes to deliver help and hope. We applaud our Red Cross heroes here in West Virginia, who give of themselves to assist their neighbors when they need a helping hand; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby recognizes the month of March as Red Cross Month; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate extends its most sincere gratitude and appreciation to the American Red Cross, West Virginia Region, for its dedicated public service; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the representatives of the American Red Cross, West Virginia Region.