The American Red Cross Arcadia Chapter joined Red Cross Chapters throughout Los Angeles on December 9th at a breakfast meeting with American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern. Ms. McGovern reiterated her commitment to cost saving measures at a national level and outlined the organization’s priorities for the coming year, which include: “Achieving financial stability, Delivering high-quality blood products and services, Increasing financial donations, Revitalizing the Red Cross brand, Updating information technology, and Coordinating the nearly 700 Red Cross chapters around the country.”
Ms. McGovern has been with the Red Cross since June 2008. Under her tenure the National American Red Cross has cut their deficit by 75% and reached a successful fundraising goal of $100 million in response to the record number of disasters around the country last year. Ms. McGovern has personally visited disaster stricken areas of the United States and China, and has seen first hand the impact of services delivered by the Red Cross. Her visit serves as a reminder to all that despite the challenging economic times, the American Red Cross will continue to fulfill its mission statement of helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters.