Written by George McCain, volunteer contributor
The holidays are filled with symbols from decorated trees, to religious emblems and characters on lawns, to stockings hung waiting to be filled. This is a great time of year to honor your loved ones and friends with symbolic gifts given through the American Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog.
Let those who are special to you receive a gift that connects them to helping people. Through your gift you, and the special people in your life, will know you contributed to assisting a family in crisis, saving a child’s life in a developing country, or supporting a military service member and their family.
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| Red Cross responders bring comfort to fire victims in the Dallas area around the clock, averaging between 3-5 fire repsonses a day. |
Red Cross volunteers reach out and help families after a disaster. Imagine a family after a house fire. Volunteers are there to comfort, assist, and assess the life changing damage. A Red Cross Disaster Action Team can provide resources and emotional support to victims of disasters. A child in these circumstances needs comfort and a sense of security. You and the special people in your life, through your gift, can provide a Red Cross blanket and a sense of comfort for that child. You’ll both know that it is delivered with a smile from a trained Red Cross volunteer.
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| Laura from Dallas knew the Red Cross would bring her son home when she discovered she had terminal cancer. Her former coworkers still hold a Red Cross blood drive in her honor every year. |
Imagine an injured military service member recovering in a hospital. You and the special people in your life, through your gift, help provide a comfort kit filled with hygiene items, reminding that service member they are not forgotten. Your gift also provides phone cards for those lonesome and homesick heroes wanting to call home and talk to family members. Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is knowing that on the other side of the world, someone is getting to share in those same loving conversations this holiday that we so enjoy.
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| Children are given life saving vaccinations through the Red Cross Measles Initiative. |
Giving in honor of those special people in your life impacts beyond the holidays and the borders of the USA. Your gift can help an impoverished family in a developing country reconnect with a missing loved one through the Red Cross International Services Program. Imagine the relief and joy of such a reunion, and you helped provided it. Think of the sad stories that will never occur because your gift, in honor of friend, provides vaccinations that saved children’s lives in a developing country.
Give this season through the American Red Cross 2012 Holiday Giving Catalog. You will know you are helping people. You can share that joy and good cheer by giving in honor of the special people in your life.
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