Annual Report to the Community - Washtenaw County

2008-2009 

American Red Cross Mission Statement

The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Disaster Relief and Community Disaster Education

• When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross is there. This year we responded to 63 local disasters, most of which were residential fires. We helped 128 affected households with emergency food, shelter and supplies.
• In addition, our volunteers and employees left behind the comfort of their own homes, deploying to fill 55 disaster relief assignments across the country.
• Because being prepared can make your family and community safer and sometimes minimize injury and destruction, we made disaster education presentations to over 8,000 members of the community, with an emphasis on teaching young students how to plan escape routes for their families in case of fire through our "Great Escape" program.

Health and Safety Services

• From first aid, CPR and AED training to swimming and lifeguarding, American Red Cross programs help people lead safer and healthier lives. This year, 62,292 individuals learned lifesaving skills through 2,978 classes offered by the chapter.
• We continue to lead other Red Cross units across the country in the number of people trained in life saving skills per capita. 

Service to Armed Forces

• The American Red Cross provides communication between those in the Armed Forces and their families. We have a worldwide network that reaches service members wherever they are to communicate a birth, death or illness. This year we provided emergency connections for 1702 military families.

Blood Services

• Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Thanks to generous blood donors, the Red Cross collects and distributes 98 percent of our region's blood supply. Over the last year, we helped run 730 blood drives, collecting 24,483 units of blood.

A Note About Volunteers

• We depend on volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to carry on our work. Volunteers constitute 97 percent of our total workforce, serving as members of the board, instructors teaching lifesaving skills, disaster action team members, office administrators, event organizers and more.
• This year, 1,545 volunteers make the work of the chapter possible, generously giving 36,000 hours, for a contribution estimated at $729,000. 

Statement of Financial Position for the Year Ending in June 30, 2009 

 Ending Net Assets $5,436,852

Statement of Activities

 Total Contributions, Revenues and Gains $1,600,121