MARCH 9, 2005

Whether it's blood donations or emergency services, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross want residents to know that help is available.

To celebrate March as "American Red Cross Month," Red Cross volunteers will be at Secretary of State offices in mid-Michigan on March 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to meet with customers and distribute information.

According to Land and John H. Cauley Jr., chief executive officer of the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross, this is a unique opportunity for residents to learn about the Red Cross and the difference they can make in their communities and in the world by becoming involved.

"It's important that we recognize the critical work of the American Red Cross in providing relief to disaster victims and helping people learn to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies," Land said. "As one of the most widely known relief organizations, the Red Cross has served this country nobly for more than 100 years. The Department of State is proud to help get the word out about the wonderful work that it does."

"This event is a perfect opportunity for citizens to meet Red Cross volunteers and find out about the services in their local community," Cauley said.

Red Cross volunteers will be at the following Secretary of State offices:

• 221 N. State St., Alma
• 400 Albert Ave. Suite C, East Lansing
• Lansing Area PLUS Office, 5827 W. Saginaw, Delta Center, Lansing
• 221 W. Washtenaw, Downtown Lansing
• 409 N. Cedar, Suite C, Mason
• 1395 E. Main St., Owosso
• 1041 US 27, Unit B-23, St. Johns

This is not the first time the Department of State and the Red Cross have worked together. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the department began issuing a fund-raising license plate to benefit the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. A Red Cross representative also sits on Land's Organ and Tissue Donor Advisory Committee.

The Mid-Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross serves residents in Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham and Shiawassee counties. Some of the services provided include distributing emergency messages for armed forces members, coordinating blood drives and transportation of blood products to hospitals, health and safety training, disaster relief, food distribution and international relief.

The American Red Cross is composed of a nationwide network of nearly 900 chapters and blood-services regions. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost

12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts worldwide.

Information about the services and programs of the Department of State can be found at www.Michigan.gov/sos.