Riverside County Chapter

Contact:

Pamela Anderson                                                                     

1-888-831-0031, ext. 3006

pama@riversidecounty.redcross.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RIVERSIDE COUNTY CHAPTER AMERICAN RED CROSS RECEIVES

MUCH NEEDED FUNDING FROM

THE H.N. AND FRANCES C. BERGER FOUNDATION

Funds Received Boost Disaster Program Resources at Critical Time of Need  

Riverside, California (September 22, 2009) – The American Red Cross, Riverside County Chapter, is pleased to announce receipt of a generous grant from the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, which will enable the agency to purchase much needed disaster program equipment, and boost funding for client assistance during disasters.

“Like many other charities, we are experiencing declines in giving, yet the need for our services increases with each passing day,” says Pamela Anderson, American Red Cross, Riverside County Chapter CEO . “The generous donation from The Berger Foundation comes at a critical time and will help us continue our emergency services for those in need when unfortunate disasters occur.” 

Funds received will be dedicated to the Disaster Program, including:

·          replacement of an outdated phone system;

·          support systems for satellite phones;

·          three computers for tracking client services information;

·          a vehicle for disaster response use;

·          replacements of cots and blankets;

·          funds for direct client assistance in the wake of disasters.

“We recognize the important and valuable work done everyday by our American Red Cross,” says Christopher McGuire, Vice President of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “We hope our funds will bridge the current gap of need for the Riverside County Chapter, and also encourage others who can, to come forward with their support.”

The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation has generously donated to the Riverside County Chapter of the American Red Cross in the past.

About the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation:

The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation is a private foundation founded in 1961 to “help others help themselves.”  In maintaining the high integrity and goals first established by Mr. and Mrs. Berger, the Foundation generously supports established organizations, particularly ones promoting healthcare and education, in a valiant effort to help people better themselves. The Berger Foundation is a catalyst to help others achieve their goals and demonstrate that success can be achieved by mutual cooperation, clear goals and steadfast determination. Since 1988, the Berger Foundation has contributed over $300 million to charities throughout Southern California and the United States. 

About the Riverside County Chapter, American Red Cross:

Last year Riverside County Chapter responded to more than 300 disasters in Riverside County.  The Red Cross depends on the generous support of Riverside County residents to respond to our neighbors who are affected by home fires.  You can help the Red Cross continue to be ready to respond and help fire victims by making a financial contribution to Riverside county chapter today.  To make a financial donation please visit  www.riversidecounty.redcross.org, or call 1-888-831-0031.

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.