If there’s one organization in the world that understands emergency preparedness and response, along with the importance of training and certifications, it’s the American Red Cross. For more than a century, the American Red Cross has provided lifesaving services and programs to hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and abroad. And every year since a presidential declaration in 1943, our nation has recognized March as American Red Cross Month. March 28th is Giving Day, but you don’t have to wait until then to support the organization’s incredible work in the following five service areas:

  • Disaster Relief – The American Red Cross responds to an emergency every eight minutes.
  • Lifesaving Blood – Your charitable contributions help save lives every day – 365 days per year.
  • Training and Certification – The American Red Cross has been the  “go-to” source of emergency and safety Training for more than 100 years.
  • Military Families – The Red Cross has served more than one million military families since 9/11.
  • International Services – Millions of volunteers across the globe work to help save lives in some of the world’s most at-risk communities.

As impressive as these numbers are, it’s just as interesting that 90 percent of the Red Cross workforce are volunteers—volunteers like John Taylor, Cassandra Wolff, and Cathleen Atchison with BOLDplannning, to name a few. And that the American Red Cross relies solely on donations from people and organizations like yours to support its mission to prevent and relieve suffering, here at home and around the world.

At BOLDplanning, we urge you to support the American Red Cross through a contribution of blood, time or money (or any combination thereof). Visit the organization online now or on Giving Day, March 28th. A little really can go a long way toward assisting someone in need.

Just ask Ed Wolff, CEM, MEP, PCP and Vice President of Global Solutions for BOLDplanning  (pictured here). Ed volunteers for the American Red Cross’ FAST team, which provides medical coverage for at-home football and basketball games, as well as other special events at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The group is scheduled to meet for orientation and training later this month.

If not the American Red Cross, other charitable organizations could use your support too. Check out Samaritan’s Purse and Team Rubicon, for example, to find out what you can do. Just do something. Your help is needed today and every day.