By Special to the Town Crier
The American Red Cross offices saw an outpouring of support from local businesses and residents as they sought for ways to contribute and help the victims of the terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C., and New York.
“It was overwhelming,” said Pilar Furlong, interim executive director, American Red Cross, Palo Alto Area Chapter. The chapter covers the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Los Altos Hills, Stanford and Moffett Field.
“We had a Vietnam veteran walk in and sign over his $600 tax refund check towards disaster relief; we had students walking in to see if they could help; and we had people coming in for directions to the nearest blood bank,” Furlong said.
Local corporations donated funds toward disaster relief. Agilent Technologies pledged $10,000; Sun Microsystems and Intuit launched employee fund-raising drives with pledges to match the dollar amounts that are raised.
The Palo Alto Red Cross chapter, which does not have a blood bank on premises, directed people to the Stanford Blood Bank and Red Cross locations in San Jose. “Within hours, the blood bank locations and phone lines were swamped beyond capacity,” said Rita Hawkins, associate director of disaster services. “We are requesting people to be patient and hang on to their good intentions. The need for blood is not going to go away.”
The Palo Alto chapter is also hosting emergency disaster mental health training for local mental health professionals who would like to assist the Red Cross in debriefing and counseling people affected by the terrorist attacks.
The Red Cross also is taking inquiries from families seeking information regarding immediate family members in New York or Washington, D.C. For information, call the Family Well-being Inquiry line at 688-0445 or 688-0415. Inquiries will take some time to process.
American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by the voluntary donations of time and money by the American people. Those wishing to donate, call 688-0415, (800) HELP NOW or (800) 257-7575 (Spanish) or logon to www.redcross.org or www.paarc.org.
For blood donation information, call 800-GIVE LIFE.
