Village Green Board member Marge Gold joins Sean Inoue of the Red Cross on the Village Green.
Each year, the President of the United States proclaims March as “Red Cross Month” and March 22 as the national Red Cross Giving Day. On February 28, President Joe Biden kept the 80-year tradition intact with a proclamation.
“In the aftermath of the Civil War, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. Its national headquarters, just a few blocks from the White House, was built as a memorial to the women of the Civil War,” Biden said. “For nearly 142 years, the employees, volunteers, and supporters of the American Red Cross have met loss and disaster with compassion and care. They remind us that we must leave no one behind. This month, we celebrate the ordinary citizens who perform extraordinary acts of service, and we honor the Red Cross for its commitment to making our country and world a better place.”
The Pacific Palisades Village Green, located in the triangular park between Swarthmore, Sunset and Antioch, will once again celebrate the Red Cross by turning the light shining on the dolphin fountain red and security lights will also be red. Volunteers have lined the park with Red Cross lawn signs.
“It is an opportunity for our community to come together to help the families who have been impacted by a home fire or other disaster and who urgently need Red Cross services to get back on their feet,” said members of the Village Green Board, a nonprofit.
Josie Tong
Photo: Anais Benoudiz
Sotheby’s realtor Josie Tong is on the executive board of the American Red Cross LA Region and said that last week’s powerful storm was the twelfth atmospheric river this year which brought heavy precipitation and flooding to the Golden State.
Another storm system is expected to strike the region on Tuesday. The Red Cross has 138 shelters opened in the state and 90 percent of the people staffing these shelters are trained Red Cross volunteers.
The number of shelters opened is more than any hurricane alone. The duration of the response operations is expected to last for at least another 45 days. The need is critical to support these shelters.
Tong said, that during this Red Cross Month, and especially on Wednesday, March 22, residents are asked to help support the Red Cross efforts in California.
One way would be to make a financial donation online (visit: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html ) or by writing a check to the American Red Cross, writing “California storms and floods” in memo line, and mail to: American Red Cross, 1450 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, 90021.
Or one could become a Red Cross volunteer, by taking a five-hour intensive training class (visit: https://tinyurl.com/yc3v82es ).
Tong told residents and Village Green members, “Thank you so much for all your support!”