American Red Cross

Hope you are enjoying a rejuvenating spring! Our Chapter has been bustling with activity in the past couple of months. Recently, we held our annual fundraising Gala and thanks to the leadership of Co-Chairs Virginia Chang Kiraly and Terilyn Monroe, the event netted over $180,000 for Chapter programs and services. We were pleased to honor Intuit, Inc. and their President and CEO, Brad Smith, at the Gala for their partnership in developing a mobile app for the Red Cross. Stay tuned, we'll let you know when it is ready for downloading! We also honored Elisabeth Röhm, Hollywood actress, with the American Red Cross Humanitarian Award for her support of military and disaster services.

The Silicon Valley Chapter also celebrated National Volunteer Week last month. Volunteers are people in action – whether providing comfort to a family displaced by a home fire or teaching first aid, CPR and other lifesaving skills or getting an emergency message to a member of the military whose father is critically ill. Our dedicated volunteers power our Chapter, and we are so appreciative of your time and hard work.

On a related note, please save the date for our 2012 Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition Dinner which will be on Tuesday, June 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the San Jose office – it will be a fantastic opportunity to hear about the latest updates at our Chapter and honor our amazing volunteers. More details to come on this red carpet event!

With summer just around the corner in the Silicon Valley, let us be reminded of lifesaving summer water safety tips. Preparedness is the key to saving lives and getting us through the next emergency. I continue to encourage you to make preparedness a priority and learn how to prepare yourself and your family for any emergency big or small. As always, our website is a great resource on how to become Red Cross Ready – Build a Kit. Make A Plan. Be Informed.

Barb Larson Larkin, Chief Executive Officer