American Red Cross Month, 2014

Proclamation 9083 of February 28, 2014

American Red Cross Month, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On the bloodied battlefields of the Civil War, Clara
Barton risked her life to aid the wounded, raise
spirits, and deliver dearly needed medical supplies.
She went on to found the American Red Cross in 1881,
which would carry forward her legacy of compassion.
Since then, service and relief organizations have
demonstrated time and time again that amid the greatest
hardship, all of us can unite in shared commitment to
helping our fellow human beings. During American Red
Cross Month, we honor those who devote themselves to
bringing relief where there is suffering, inspiring
hope where there is despair, and healing the wounds of
disaster and war.

Today, American Red Cross workers, alongside countless
humanitarian organizations and caring volunteers,
deliver life-saving assistance in every corner of our
Nation and all across the globe. They help us donate
blood to the ill and injured, fortify towns against
rising flood waters, teach us first aid, and rebuild
communities in the wake of terrible disasters. Last
year, we saw this compassion once again when a tornado
tore through Oklahoma, leaving homes destroyed and
schools in rubble. Americans came together as one
people and one family, determined to stand with those
affected every step of the way and to emerge from this
tragedy stronger than ever before.

During the darkness of storm, we see what is brightest
in America--the drive to shield our neighbors from
danger, to roll up our sleeves in times of crisis, to
respond as one Nation and leave no one behind. This
month, as we honor our incredible relief and service
organizations, let us also celebrate that uniquely
American spirit that calls us, across all lines of
background and belief, to set aside smaller differences
in service of a greater purpose.

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 2014 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-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord
two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.