Great Things Every Day... - American Red Cross of the Quad Cities ...

Dear Friends of the Red Cross,
The American Red Cross was founded on the generosity and capacity of the
human spirit – to act with humanity in our communities every day. During
the past year we have seen just that – the strength of our volunteers and
community partners working hard to alleviate suffering and provide
lifesaving programs and services. This Annual Report highlights the work of
our exceptional volunteers and partners and all of the great things we are
accomplishing every day.
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The American Red Cross of the Quad Cities Area had a tremendously busy
year serving more local clients and reaching out to more local community
members than in any previous year. We saw a number of local disasters this
year including house fires, winter ice storms, spring flooding, and a tornado that touched down in Muscatine and
Louisa counties. All of the disasters the Red Cross responds to, whether they make headlines or not, can have a
potentially devastating impact on the lives they touch. That is why our dedicated volunteers are on call 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Without these volunteers, our work would not be possible.
During the past year, we continued to actively work to develop new ways to strengthen our relationship with the
African American community. The American Red Cross Diversity Committee initiated a comprehensive and
aggressive marketing campaign to recruit additional volunteers and raise awareness about Red Cross programs and
services. Our chapter was also selected to participate in an International Services pilot program. It focuses on outreach
to diverse populations, youth and adult volunteer involvement, and increasing awareness about Family Tracing and
International Humanitarian Law programs and services.
We are also proud to report that our local chapter was named one of 80 highly-performing chapters in the United States
by the National American Red Cross. A total of 805 chapters were evaluated in 2006. To achieve this outstanding
designation, the chapter was scored on a comprehensive set of performance criteria through its Chapter Performance
Standards system. This is truly a remarkable accomplishment to celebrate.
We could not have accomplished any of this without the generosity of the Quad Cities area community. We thank the
countless individuals and organizations listed in this report who supported our efforts in the last year. We not only
appreciate your generosity, we depend on it.
Looking to the future, I think we can all agree that there will never be a day when natural disasters can be avoided. As
the need for preparedness becomes more evident, the role of the American Red Cross is more vital and significant than
ever. The Red Cross is an integral part of America today, and it will be tomorrow because of the outstanding support of
our communities. Thank you for supporting the American Red Cross.
Betsy Pratt
Chief Executive Officer
Brock Earnhardt
Chapter Chair