President Bush Intends to Reappoint Red Cross Chairman

President Bush intends to reappoint Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the American Red Cross Board of Governors, for a second three-year term, it was announced yesterday. The Red Cross Board of Governors unanimously recommended Ms. McElveen-Hunter’s reappointment last month.

“I am enormously grateful to President Bush for his confidence in me and his support of the noble work of the Red Cross,” said McElveen-Hunter. “I am also deeply appreciative of the encouragement of our Board of Governors and the faith they have placed in me to continue the Red Cross’s vital role and mission both in the United States and around the world. Last year, we welcomed the Israeli National Society, Magen David Adom, and the Palestine Red Crescent Society into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. We have a new Congressional Charter after 60 years which modernizes our governance structure. And most recently we tapped Mark Everson, a strong and compassionate leader, as our new President and CEO. We are focused on the future of the American Red Cross and we pledge our energy and resources as we work to make a critical, life-saving difference in our next century of service.”

Ms. McElveen-Hunter is the Founder and CEO of Pace Communications, the largest private custom publishing company in the country. She has served as U.S. Ambassador to Finland from 2001 to 2003. As a long-time philanthropist and charitable-cause activist, Ms. McElveen-Hunter serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and has also served as a member of the International Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity and the United Way of America Board as a member of its National Leadership Council.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue to work alongside Bonnie as we bring the Red Cross into a new era of readiness and response,” said Mark Everson. “Bonnie’s leadership has served the Red Cross well. We are now poised to maximize the strength of a revitalized Board-Management relationship to create a stronger, more nimble volunteer organization.”

“I congratulate Ms. McElveen-Hunter on her re-appointment,” said Senator Charles Grassley, (R-Iowa). “She’s been very open to improving the Red Cross and taking action so it can continue its mission of serving people in need. Her re-appointment offers her the chance to help implement the reforms she worked with Congress to enact.”

“Bonnie’s warmth, integrity and compassion inform every activity of the American Red Cross and has allowed it to become a truly caring community,” said June Walker, National President of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. “I’d like to personally thank her for the important role she played in helping Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services organization, to become a member of the Red Cross family. Bonnie’s willingness to redress a wrong that has existed since Israel’s founding and erase the last vestiges of Israel’s exclusion from the world health community was indispensable to this effort.”

The American Red Cross helps to mobilize neighbors to help one another every day. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, mostly fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope.

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. 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.