American Red Cross Month, 2016

Proclamation 9399 of February 29, 2016

American Red Cross Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Over a century and a half ago, as gunfire echoed
through America's skies and division flared between
North and South, a trailblazing woman, Clara Barton,
braved bullets and cannon fire to deliver much-needed
care, comfort, and supplies to wounded soldiers of the
Civil War. Undaunted by expectations of women at the
time, Clara Barton persevered, as she had her whole
life, and strived to aid those who sacrificed to save
our Union. Determined that humanitarianism could thrive
in peace as well as in conflict, she carried her
resolve overseas upon the war's end and was introduced
to a relief organization in Europe that inspired her to
come home to the United States and establish the
American Red Cross.

Today, supporters, volunteers, and employees of the
American Red Cross reflect the best of our Nation's
spirit--responding to tens of thousands of tragedies
here at home each year and bringing relief and
assistance to suffering individuals across the globe.
In the last year, countless people from the American
Red Cross and many other service organizations have
served on the front lines of disaster and done the hard
work of improving our country and our world, never
asking for credit or glory, fame or fortune. From
floods that ravaged the plains of the Midwest and the
coastlines of South Carolina, to wildfires that
scorched California, and an earthquake that devastated
Nepal, the American Red Cross has distributed almost
one million relief items and provided tens of millions
of dollars in assistance to victims. And when an influx
of migrants from Syria stretched the capacities of
countries around the world, the American Red Cross
deployed tens of thousands of volunteers across the
Atlantic to provide medical care and essential
resources. These selfless heroes inspire hope and offer
help to those in need, and as stalwarts in our
communities, they build individual resilience and
safeguard our blood supply.

The spirit of resilience and service that drives our
people in the wake of tragedy is what makes us an
anchor of global strength and stability. When hardship
strikes, countries around the world look to our Nation
for help, and the American Red Cross and similar
organizations demonstrate what is possible when
compassionate people come together to uphold the basic
values that define America--that we are each other's
keepers and that we all must accept our obligations to
one another. This month, let us be guided by the truth
that we all share a similar destiny, and let us support
organizations that work to lift up the lives of our
planet's most vulnerable people. Together, we can give
everyone a place to turn in times of crisis and
uncertainty.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 the laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim March 2016 as American Red
Cross Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this
month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities, and by supporting the work of service and
relief organizations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.