American Red Cross Receives $7.047 Million Gift for Blood Services and Disaster Relief, Plus $850,000 for Typhoon Response
WASHINGTON — The American Red Cross announced on Oct. 5 a $7.047 million contribution from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that will strengthen blood collection, expand work supporting people living with sickle cell disease and increase Red Cross disaster response capacity across the country, according to the organization's news release via PR Newswire. In addition, the Church is providing $850,000 to support the ongoing Red Cross disaster relief operation following Super Typhoon Sinlaku in April.
The largest portion of the gift supports Red Cross Blood Services through investments in medical equipment, including 50 new Power Red collection machines, which allow eligible donors to give two units of red blood cells during a single donation while their plasma and platelets are returned to them. The contribution also includes $2 million for the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative, which helps increase the availability of closely matched blood for people living with sickle cell disease. Since the initiative began in 2021, the Red Cross says it has worked with community partners to increase the number of annual donors who are Black or African American by more than 89%, while donations from those donors used to support people with sickle cell disease have risen 91%.
American Red Cross president and CEO Cliff Holtz said the Church has for more than a century led the way in helping the Red Cross deliver its mission, and expressed deep gratitude for the partnership. The American Red Cross is a congressionally chartered 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization; blood services and disaster relief are two of its core programs.
(Source: American Red Cross)
Source: American Red Cross
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国红十字会献血宣传活动，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons，摄影：Dannel Malloy）
