WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross saw record numbers of people in this country participating in volunteer events on Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Two of the most popular Red Cross events were giving blood and taking the online education program, "Be Red Cross Ready."
Advertisement
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO )
Called to action by President Barack Obama, more than 2,600 people chose to "Be Red Cross Ready" over the four-day holiday weekend. This unique online education module offered an alternative for folks who couldn't go out in their communities to participate in other activities.
Advertisement
Giving blood was also a great way for volunteers to serve their community. Red Cross collected more than 21,000 blood donations on Monday, and exceeded 57,000 blood donations over the four-day weekend. This was the highest number of blood donations on the King Day of Service in the last five years. Many of those who gave blood did so for the first time.
This year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service was a resounding success, the largest King Day of Service ever, according to the www.USAService.org web site. People came out to volunteer at more than 13,000 service projects across the country. This was more than double the number of events held last year.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; 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 humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.
SOURCE American Red Cross