Greenwood Observes March as American Red Cross Month

Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith, left, presents a proclamation declaring March as American Red Cross Month in Greenwood to Dave Lorenzatti, the Upstate Red Cross community volunteer leader for Greenwood and McCormick counties,
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March is American Red Cross Month and Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith has issued a proclamation honoring the organization and its mission “to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. He said people in the Greenwood community rely on the devotion of Red Cross staff and volunteers, the generosity of donors and its partnerships with community groups to provide support when their lives are disrupted by fires and other disasters.

The proclamation cites statistics showing that, as part of the Red Cross National Home Fire Campaign, the Upstate chapter, its volunteers and local partners installed 3,000 free smoke alarms, more than 500 in Greenwood county, making hundreds of households safer from the threat of home fires.

Last year, when fires or other emergencies struck, the chapter’s staff and volunteers, numbering more than 550 trained responders, provided relief and other assistance to 1,800 people who suffered devastating losses. Beth Marett, Red Cross Disaster Services Program Specialist, said in the last year, Disaster Action Teams have responded to 58 emergencies in Greenwood County, helping citizens who were displaced from their homes by fires, storms and flooding. Marett said there is a need for new volunteers, and she encouraged individuals who are interested in being trained for disaster response teams to contact her at (864) 449-7281.

The proclamation signed by Mayor Smith also congratulates the Upstate Red Cross Chapter for providing 3,000 case services to American servicewomen and servicemen, veterans and their families; collecting 1,900 units of lifesaving blood, and training hundreds of people in medical skills such as First Aid and CPR.
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The proclamation encourages residents to show their gratitude by “supporting the American Red Cross and its noble humanitarian mission.”