American Red Cross Announces Disaster Relief Fund Cabinet Leadership; Members to Help Replenish Fund as Hurricane Threatens East Coast.

News Editors/Lifestyle Editors/Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 2003

In response to the critical need for financial support in advance of Hurricane Isabel, the American Red Cross is launching a Disaster Relief Fund Campaign Cabinet of 14 entrepreneurial and innovative leaders. Cabinet members from organizations including the American Express Foundation, BearingPoint, Dell Corporation, Federal Express, NBC's Today Show and State Farm are helping raise money and awareness to ensure the Red Cross is there for disaster victims nationwide.

"I am very pleased to have this caliber of leadership to assist the organization with the Disaster Relief Fund," said Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. "Now more than ever, it is necessary for the Red Cross to be prepared to respond whenever and wherever tragedy strikes. The assistance of these devoted individuals will help ensure that the Red Cross can immediately respond to the needs of those affected by Hurricane Isabel and other disasters across the country."

Currently, the American Red Cross has supplied and pre-staged 100 emergency response vehicles in Columbus, Ohio, and Nashville, Tenn., to bring relief supplies to the affected areas. More than 700 trained Red Cross volunteers are already assisting with pre-landfall activities with thousands of additional volunteers available if needed to provide aid to the hardest-hit communities.

Due to a decrease in charitable donations and an increase in "silent" disasters, the Disaster Relief Fund is empty. In the last fiscal year, (July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003) the Red Cross spent $114.3 million from the Disaster Relief Fund responding to victims of more than 3,300 disasters. Donations to the Fund, however, totaled just $39.5 million. This Fund is used to allow the Red Cross to meet the immediate basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, essential medication, emergency first aid and mental health counseling to thousands of disaster victims every year.

The dedicated individuals recruited for the Disaster Relief Fund Cabinet represent an exceptional combination of well-respected national corporations and foundations in addition to American Red Cross Board of Governors and National Celebrity Cabinet members. These experienced leaders understand the Red Cross mission and are committed to reaching out to Americans to share their concerns regarding the dire need to support the Disaster Relief Fund.

"State Farm is proud to help ensure that the Red Cross can be there immediately when disasters strike, providing an American safety net for all our neighbors, friends and family members," said Edward B. Rust, Jr., Chairman and CEO, State Farm. "We've been a supporter of Red Cross disaster services for years, and I'm pleased to become part of the Disaster Relief Fund Campaign Cabinet."

"Time and time again, I have seen the devastating effects that storms like Hurricane Isabel can have on communities and families," said Al Roker, NBC's Today Show Weatherman and Feature Reporter. "I'm thrilled to help the American Red Cross get the message out to the public about the dire need for Disaster Relief Fund donations. So many times the Red Cross has to respond to people affected by weather related disasters, and I have always been impressed in how they meet the needs of those people."

To help the organization regain a healthy balance and ensure immediate relief is available to disaster victims, members of the Disaster Relief Fund Campaign Cabinet have taken on the charge of raising money for the Fund. In response to the Red Cross need, Cabinet members have given the organization a strong start for the Campaign by soliciting peers and making personal and corporate gifts. In addition, State Farm, American Express and Federal Express, represented by members on the cabinet, are among a group of twenty-five corporations that have made significant, multi-year commitments to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. In spite of this generous support, much more is needed to allow the Red Cross to provide essential relief to disaster victims.

All Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make secure online credit card donations by visiting http://www.redcross.org.

2003 Disaster Relief Fund Campaign Cabinet Members

-- Gina F. Adams, American Red Cross Board of Governors,

Corporate Vice President / Government Affairs, FedEx

Corporation

-- Randolph C. Blazer, Chairman and CEO, BearingPoint, Inc.

-- Steven E. Carr, American Red Cross Board of Governors,

Partner, Fuller & Carr Law Offices

-- Douglas H. Dittrick, American Red Cross Board of Governors,

President and CEO, Douglas Communications Corp. II

-- Timothy Doke, Vice President - Communications, Dell, Inc.

-- Kathryn A. Forbes, American Red Cross Board of Governors,

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, eTec

-- Michael W. Hawkins, American Red Cross Board of Governors,

Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP 

-- R. Bruce LaBoon, American Red Cross Board of Governors,

Partner, Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP

-- Dr. William V. Lewis, Jr., American Red Cross Board of

Governors, Vice President, Merrill Lynch 

-- Ross Ogden, American Red Cross Board of Governors, President,

Tamarix, Inc.

-- Al Roker, American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, NBC's

Today Show Weatherman and Feature Reporter

-- Edward B. Rust, Jr., Chairman and CEO, State Farm

-- Mary Beth Salerno, President, American Express Foundation

-- Frederick W. Smith, Chairman and CEO, FedEx Corporation

Editor's Note: Additional Cabinet member quotes can be obtained from the Press Room of the http://www.redcross.org Web site.