American Red Cross Month, 1998

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Part V

The President

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Proclamation 7069--American Red Cross Month, 1998

Proclamation 7070--Irish-American Heritage Month, 1998

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7069 of February 27, 1998

American Red Cross Month, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Americans share a long tradition of compassion for
others and lending aid to those in need. Since our
earliest days as a Nation, we have been able to bear
the heartbreak of family tragedy, personal hardship, or
natural disaster because of the help of caring friends
and neighbors. For 117 years, the American Red Cross
has been the staunchest of friends and neighbors to
millions of people both here at home and around the
world, adding its own vital contributions to our
history of service.

The American Red Cross brings both comfort and
practical assistance to the victims of more than 65,000
disasters each year, from hurricanes and tornadoes
affecting thousands of people to a house fire involving
a single family. Members of the Red Cross also work on
the front lines of armed conflicts and disasters across
the globe to relieve suffering and restore human
dignity and self-sufficiency. At the same time, they
serve alongside our men and women in uniform wherever
they are deployed, relaying urgent family messages and
providing a precious link with home. And through its
Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information
Center, the Red Cross has helped thousands of families
in their search for information about the fate of loved
ones from whom they were separated during the
Holocaust.

Few of us have remained untouched by the work of the
Red Cross. The Red Cross collects, tests, and
distributes six million units of donated blood each
year, nearly half the Nation's supply. More than 1,300
Red Cross chapters in communities across America teach
health and safety courses to 12 million people each
year, providing them with knowledge regarding CPR,
first aid, water safety, and HIV/AIDS that can--and
does--save lives.

The Red Cross has become a simple yet powerful symbol
that transcends language and conveys a universally
understood message of hope. This symbol draws its
strength from the dedication of the more than 1.3
million volunteers who help disaster victims, assist at
blood drives, teach health classes, and respond to
urgent community needs. I commend the generous spirit
of all those who carry out the important work of the
American Red Cross, and I encourage all Americans to
support their efforts--whether by giving blood,
donating funds to help disaster victims, or becoming
Red Cross volunteers themselves. In doing so, we will
ensure that the American Red Cross will continue its
tradition of compassionate service in the 21st century
and beyond.

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 1998 as American Red
Cross Month. I urge all the people of the United States
to support Red Cross chapters nationwide, and I
challenge each of you to become active participants in
advancing the noble mission of the Red Cross.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.