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12.01.2009 Red Cross Launches New Holiday Campaign
When Sheila Parnell’s son, Brian, went into the service in the Navy, the American Red Cross gave her family a packet with information on how to get help should a family emergency arise.
Sheila’s husband, Darrell, was involved in a severe automobile accident. Disabled and out of work, Darrell suffered another heart attack while Brian was away from home with the Navy.
“I was totally on my own besides one young son, and I was overwhelmed,” said Sheila, who lives in Grover, N.C. She contacted the Red Cross to bring Brian home early, which allowed her to continue working while Brian cared for Darrell.
The Red Cross volunteer Sheila worked with followed up with her to ensure everything was going well.
“She stayed with me every step of the way,” Sheila said. “You may think that you’ll never need that help – but you don’t know. At the snap of a finger, your whole life can be turned upside down.”
Programs like this one - the Red Cross’ Services to the Armed Forces - help the most vulnerable people in our community.
This holiday season, when economic conditions are tough and people really want their gifts to matter, the Carolina Piedmont Region of the American Red Cross is kicking off a new holiday campaign that offers a way to give a gift that has real impact.
Gifts that Save the Day is a new holiday giving campaign that inspires people to make a gift that can save the day for those in need. Through the online catalog at www.redcross.org/gifts, people can make a donation that could provide food and shelter for a disaster victim for a day; a military comfort kit with a robe, phone card and other supplies for a wounded warrior; or a month of basic necessities for a family in another country who lost everything in a disaster.
“We know that these are difficult times for many families and businesses in our area, but the Red Cross has seen that when Americans are in need, America always responds,” said Pamela Jefsen, regional executive officer of the Carolina Piedmont Region. “The holiday season is traditionally a time of hope and generosity, and this campaign gives us all a chance to make a difference in someone’s life.”
The local chapter of the Red Cross suffered a 40 percent cut in funding from the United Way of the Central Carolinas this year, which led to budget cuts and a reduction in staff. In addition to these changes, there has been an increase in need for Red Cross services.
The holiday giving campaign is being launched at a time when a new national survey for the American Red Cross finds that support for charitable giving remains strong even as many people are tightening their belts on gift-buying and other activities. The Red Cross survey found that 29 percent are cutting back on money spent on holiday gifts, 31 percent are planning to spend less for parties this year, 40 percent are cutting back on spending for holiday decorations, and 44 percent are reducing their travel costs. However, only 20 percent planned cuts in their donations to charity, with 17 percent planning to spend more and 62 percent planning to spend the same.
The survey, conducted November 5-8, shows that nearly one in four (23%) had their salary or hours reduced this year, with 14 percent saying they had been laid off from their job and 41 percent losing money in the stock market. However, 67 percent say that because of the economy, it is more important this year to give something to charity.
Although retail sales are projected to remain flat this holiday season, online holiday gift-giving is expected to grow by 4 percent. Following this trend, people buying gifts online this holiday season can make an online donation to the Red Cross in the name of someone special.
Gifts made through the catalog are contributions towards a Red Cross program area, not a donation to a specific project or item. The donations will be used to provide assistance where it is needed most within the program area; remaining money is put to use where it is needed most.
A key part of the Red Cross holiday campaign will be national advertising, including cable television, in-flight magazines and online advertising urging people to make a donation to the Red Cross. The ads feature photos and images of people being offered comfort and help by the Red Cross after a disaster, when they need life-saving blood or following a local home fire. The ads seek to capture the “Red Cross moment” when people go from despair to hope, and urge people to give the gift that saves the day.
The telephone survey of 1,001 U.S. adults 18 years and older was conducted November 5-8, 2009 by CARAVAN® Opinion Research Corporation. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.