[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9065-9066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5040]
[[Page 9063]]
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Part III
The President
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Proclamation 6973--American Red Cross Month, 1997
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 39 / Thursday, February 27, 1997 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 9065]]
Proclamation 6973 of February 24, 1997
American Red Cross Month, 1997
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Founded over a century ago by Clara Barton, the
American Red Cross has evolved from a branch of the
International Red Cross into a uniquely American
institution, serving our Nation in peace and in war,
and through countless natural disasters. Since the
Spanish-American War, when the first volunteers brought
emergency first-aid and news from home to wounded
soldiers, generations of Americans have followed in
this grand tradition of service.
Today, in communities across our Nation, a million and
a half volunteers stand ready to help their neighbors
at a moment's notice. Last year, Red Cross paid and
volunteer staff assisted disaster victims across the
country by opening more than 3,200 shelters and giving
comfort to 172,000 people. The Red Cross also reached
16 million Americans through health and safety courses,
including HIV and AIDS education and community outreach
programs; collected more than 6 million units of
lifesaving blood to keep our national blood supply
ready, strong, and safe; and provided immediate
counseling and support to the bereaved families of the
victims of TWA Flight 800 and ValuJet Flight 592.
Overseas, American Red Cross workers provided emergency
communications for our troops in Bosnia; worked with
foreign Red Cross societies to rebuild the lives of
civilian refugees in places such as the former
Yugoslavia and Rwanda; and provided personnel,
financial aid, and gifts of goods and services to the
victims of international disasters and armed conflicts
in every corner of the globe.
Since 1881, the size, scope, and complexity of major
disasters have placed an ever-greater demand on the
resources of the Red Cross. Yet, the generosity of our
citizens has enabled the American Red Cross to continue
to fulfill its humanitarian mission, providing
assistance to those in need and easing suffering around
the world. We must continue this tradition, and, in the
spirit of service, support this voluntary agency
because it truly belongs to all Americans. Each of us
can help keep the American Red Cross strong through our
donations of time, money, and blood.
[[Page 9066]]
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America and Honorary Chairman of the
American Red Cross, by virtue of the authority vested
in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim March 1997 as American Red
Cross Month. I urge all the people of the United States
to support the humanitarian work of their local Red
Cross chapters by volunteering and participating in Red
Cross blood drives.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-first.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 97-5040
Filed 2-26-97; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
