20080311


*PROCLAMATION*


THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA
*PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING MARCH 2008 AS*
*American Red Cross Month*
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WHEREAS, Clara Harlowe Barton, founded the American Red Cross on May 21, 1881, in Washington, DC, and led the organization during its first 23 years of providing disaster relief domestically and abroad, plus assistance to the US military during the 1898 Spanish-American War; and

WHEREAS, after receiving two Congressional charters, first in 1900 and again in 1905, the number of local American Red Cross chapters jumped from 107 in 1914 to 3,864 in 1918, and membership exploded to more than 20 million adults; and

WHEREAS, in the aftermath of the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, the then-fledgling American Red Cross Bay Area, with no staff and few resources, struggled to shelter some 35,000 homeless and feed more than 200,000; and

WHEREAS, over the past century, the American Red Cross has helped countless millions through disasters and wars, through epidemics and storms, while training countless others in emergency preparedness, first-aid, water safety, CPR and HIV/AIDS education; and

WHEREAS, in 2007 alone, the American Red Cross Bay Area responded to approximately 500 local incidents, and assisted some 900 families with temporary housing, clothing, food and mental health counseling, plus supporting 31 Bay Area hospitals with more than 134,000 units of red cells, platelets and plasma.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County hereby designates March 2008 as American Red Cross Month and recognizes the American Red Cross Bay Area chapter for the significant role it plays in extending emergency assistance to individuals and families throughout the Peninsula.

*Dated: MARCH 11, 2008*

		*SUPERVISORS:*
			*ADRIENNE J. TISSIER, PRESIDENT*
			*MARK CHURCH*
			*JERRY HILL*
			*RICHARD S. GORDON*
			*ROSE JACOBS GIBSON*


*Attest:*	*__________________________________*
	*Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors*

PROCLAMATION