Red Cross Commends FCC for Emergency Preparedness Response

WASHINGTON, Friday, September 08, 2006 — The American Red Cross has now been permanently assigned the telephone number 800-REDCROSS, or 800-733-2767, that has served as the central access point for people who wish to make a financial donation to the Red Cross over the telephone, to obtain disaster assistance relief, obtain blood donor information, as well as to obtain information about volunteering and training at the Red Cross. Consolidating these major functions with one easy-to-remember, toll-free number has simplified the process of contacting the Red Cross.

The Red Cross obtained the use of this phone number through the assistance of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

“We are very grateful for the support and decisive action of the FCC, led by Chairman Kevin Martin, that enables us to use 800-REDCROSS,” said Jack McGuire, Interim President and CEO of the American Red Cross. “This has been an important objective of the Red Cross for decades, since many people have incorrectly believed that 800-REDCROSS was our number. Thanks to the FCC, our supporters will now be correct when they dial it.”

Hurricane Katrina underscored the phone number’s importance to the Red Cross. The organization made emergency use of the number when tens of thousands of hurricane victims called the number to access financial assistance.

The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope. Through more than 800 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Almost 4 million people give blood—the gift of life—through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world’s most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

Contact Information

Kara Bunte

American Red Cross

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