WHO:  Senator Tom Carper, meeting with local Red Cross disaster volunteers and Red Cross staffers

WHAT:  Meeting the volunteers, sharing experiences (Sen. Carper recently visited the devastation in Louisiana) and touring the new American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula facility serving Kent and Sussex in Delaware, and Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne’s and Talbot in Maryland.

WHY:  The 2006 hurricane season starts in just over 2 weeks’ time and runs June 1st through November 30th. Sen. Carper and the Red Cross staff and volunteers will have informal discussions on the lessons learned from Katrina and joint initiatives for the upcoming season.

WHEN:  Friday May 12th, 2006 – 1:15pm

WHERE:  American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula Southern Delmarva Office 523 North Market St. Ext. Ross Business Park Seaford, DE 19973 800-777-6620 ext 6260 (directions attached)

American Red Cross of Delmarva Peninsula to Meet with Congressional Members in Washington, D.C. on May 11

May 10, 2006 – WILMINGTON, DE —On Thursday, May 11, the Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula, Margi Prueitt, will travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in Capitol Hill Day, in order to further understanding of the role of the Red Cross on the Delmarva Peninsula and around the country. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the American Red Cross and in addition to scheduled visits to the offices of elected officials, the Red Cross will host an event from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the west side of the United States Capitol (3rd Street, SW at the Reflecting Pool) that will focus on educating, training, and recruiting volunteers and blood donors among Members of Congress, their spouses and employees. There will also be interactive displays that reflect Red Cross service to the American public through times of war and piece, including disaster assistance, blood collection, CPR and first aid training, water safety training and countless other community assistance services. “We are pleased to be meeting with Members of Congress in our nation’s capital and look forward to building an even stronger understanding of what the Red Cross does in our jurisdiction, covering nine counties in Delaware and Maryland, and around the nation,” said Chief Executive Officer, Margi Prueitt. Additionally, the Red Cross will highlight various disaster services that the organization provided during last year’s hurricanes, including family tracing, mental health counseling and mobile feeding. The American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula sent more than 300 volunteers to the disaster affected region this past hurricane season and ran a national call center to assist hurricane survivors which took more than 17,500 calls in 10 weeks. The Chapter worked in close collaboration with state and community agencies to take care of the emergency needs of 536 hurricane survivors who self-evacuated to the Delmarva Peninsula.