"No one can predict when the next river will flood or the next storm will hit. No one can foresee the next threat to the Nation's health. What is predictable is that we will face such threats and emergencies, and that the American Red Cross will be there to offer help and hope." -- President Ronald Reagan

These words proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan twenty years ago, still hold true today. Although hurricanes and tsunamies make headlines, the day-to-day work of the Red Cross supports local communities by providing training, disaster relief, blood supplies and military communication services. The main vehicle for these efforts is volunteers, who constitute 96 percent of our total work force.

These volunteers -- and people like you who support the American Red Cross -- allow us to serve many people in the state of Indiana. In the last year, we:

• Educated 12,151 military families on Red Cross services to the Armed Forces
• Served 5,724 military families
• Assisted 21 people with international tracing and messaging services
• Educated 120,473 people about disaster preparedness
• Assisted 1,987 families affected by disaster
• Reached 157,464 people through CPR, First Aid and AED training
• Trained 73,883 people in Aquatics and Water Safety
• Educated 30,737 people about HIV/AIDS prevention
• Provided more than 190,000 blood products
• Helped patients in over 100 hospitals

Recognizing the humanitarian spirit of the American Red Cross, President Roosevelt declared March Red Cross Month in 1943. While much has changed since the first Red Cross Month, one thing remains constant -- the Red Cross will be there.