Washington DC Chapter, established in 1905 and given its charter when the American Red Cross was reorganized, has often been at the forefront of initiatives that uphold the mission statement of this esteemed, humanitarian organization. What is now commonplace in many chapters across the country, classes in first aid instruction, were first held in DC in 1908. Those classes are still vital today. Red Cross-trained first aiders not only provide essential aid to those victims of disaster but have been responsible for ensuring workplace safety for many.

Give auto donation a thought – we live in a highly populated area and rather than dumping your old car and spoiling our beautiful environment – go green and donate your used car instead of accepting a pretty insulting trade-in. The Red Cross can organize collection of any vehicle donation made to us and we’re on the phone 24/7 for you to call us any day of the year.

Whether you refer to us as the DC Chapter, the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, Washington DC Metropolitan Area Red Cross Chapter or WMAC we’d be happy to receive your help, your support and your vehicle donations. We’re altogether in our work but we thrive on a little rivalry and want to make our Chapter as effective and efficient as we possibly can. The better we are the better we can serve the community that needs us whether that is at home or overseas. The Red Cross knows no boundaries in its provision of care except in prioritizing the urgency of cases in times of emergency and disaster and we’ll always be there wherever we are needed.

Your efforts in supporting your local chapter are still required. For so long the public has accepted and applauded the work of the Red Cross but many are ignorant of the fact that it is an organization entirely dependent on donations. If you could donate your time, blood or money it would certainly be appreciated. Hey, that sounds like a mighty call and perhaps you can’t afford to give those things for whatever reason but something you might not know is that you could donate your car as a means of providing much needed funds.

Its symbol is iconic, instantly recognizable and represents help and safety internationally; the red cross on a white background is shared by all the nations that are part of the International Red Cross. The ‘sister’ symbol, the red crescent, is equally iconic in those countries that are not predominantly Christian. Wherever you are in the world, whether it is the red cross or the red crescent, you know help is at hand whoever you are and whatever your politics.

Feeling good is okay but doing good is something tangible that lasts forever and can be achieved in the simplest of ways and the smallest of actions. Looking out for a neighbor is one small way we can help improve our world. Joining your local Chapter and volunteering your time or expertise is immense. We can’t all sponsor huge projects but every little bit helps.

Here’s an idea…what about making a vehicle donation? What? A vehicle donation is easy to do. If you have a car you no longer have a need for it could help add to the funds needed by the organization to operate both here and overseas. Your auto donation would go to auction to get the best price and 91% of the money it realizes goes directly to the work of the ARC. Imagine how good that could make you feel?

What’s really great about this deal is that should you decide to make a car donation it will cost you nothing to do. No phone charge, no freight charge and no collection charge – everything is free for you to be able to make your auto donation effortlessly.

The American Red Cross is part of this noble tradition and the DC Chapter is an honorable associate of this larger organization. Doesn’t that make you feel good to be part of such a fine and decent ideal? We all need a little spiritual uplift and by contributing in this way you know that your actions will impact directly on those in need and that really does give you the tingling warm and fuzzies. Ooh, feels sooo good!

High profile, celebrity-backed charities are all well and good; I’m an advocate for any charity that can provide succour and assistance to those who need it. However, let’s not forget our humble, homegrown, hard-working American Red Cross. There are no whistles and bells with this show; whenever there is a major disaster you will always find in the background of the news footage Red Cross workers going about their duties in a professional, caring manner, impartial and without prejudice.

If you choose to donate a car to charity, especially through your local Chapter the money raised from the vehicle donation will go to help the humanitarian causes the Red Cross is committed to help. 91% of each dollar goes directly to these noble causes whether at home or abroad and if you prefer to allocate the money from your auto donation to a specific disaster area or fund they will make sure your donation reaches your preferred destination. You might have a car that you are thinking of getting rid of and if you were to donate your car to charity you would be helping to provide a healthy financial contribution, which you could find is tax deductible in many cases. Do the right thing and feel good about what you have done today.

Local Chapters, like Washington DC are part of the bigger picture making sure that the local community has plans and preparations in place for disasters, is able to provide disaster relief locally if it is required, continues to run classes for first aid and CPR training and holds workshops and educational programs to inform people about disease prevention and containment. It’s good to know they are there to fall back on and you won’t have any problem trying to remember a catchy acronym or celebrity name when you need to call on their help. The American Red Cross is so often taken for granted but in order to continue its work domestically or internationally it has to appeal to your better nature and ask that you donate your car, time, services, goods, money and even your blood.

My friend, Stacey, was visiting London recently and she didn’t realize that the Red Cross was an international organization or that the Red Crescent was the same organization under a different symbol. This all came out when she had attended a local rugby match in Richmond and there was a St John’s Ambulance Brigade team at pitchside, waiting close by in case there was any injury inflicted on players in this violent, contact sport. Her interest was piqued because back home she is a volunteer and not only administers first aid but trains people in CPR technique. She of course introduced herself to the team (the St John’s people, not the rugby guys!) and quizzed them about their work. Stacey wondered what this organization was all about and talk soon turned to relief agencies and in particular the work of the Red Cross.

She has been active in the DC Chapter of the American Red Cross but was so involved in the minutiae of training first-aiders she had no concept of the history. On her return she determined to educate herself on the history of the organization and in particular the role of her beloved DC Chapter so that she could converse knowledgeably in the future and avoid embarrassment –I’m sure it was only in her mind, the team sounded very friendly from what she told me. Medics – a common cause and a common heart. Anyway, off to her PC and search engines running to find out what she could about the Washington DC Chapter.

Stacey was delighted to find out how much the Chapter has contributed to the work of the American Red Cross over the years and that recently it has become involved in vehicle donation. She pinged her London friends to let them share the idea and they couldn’t believe it, it really isn’t a big thing in the UK in fact it’s more of a nothing. So, fans and supporters of the DC Chapter we’re ahead of London! Car donation, vehicle donation, auto donation, call it what you will but it’s a brilliant idea and more people need to know about it.

DC get with it! If you’re reading this you must have access to a computer and if you can use a computer you can access social networking sites like ‘Facebook’, you might even be able to ‘twitter’ or catch up on things with ‘YouTube’ or ‘Linkedin’ if you are a business. (Apologies to any readers who find that condescending but believe it or not – not everyone is savvy.)

I mention these to you because the Internet could be a wonderful communication tool for us to inform and recruit volunteers about what we’re doing. Anyone with a social conscience can make a difference in awareness and funds could be raised if issues we are concerned with go viral. One of the ways we can keep funds coming in to keep our work going is through vehicle donation. Don’t try to sell your car online through the different auction sites like Ebay; make a difference and donate the car to a charity. If you wish to donate a car you can fill out a form online or talk to an operator on the phone, which has lines open 24 hours a day.

All sorts of subjects are topics of discussion over the web and at last the American Red Cross has embraced the technology that drives much of today’s youth to their decisions. Young people are much more socially and politically aware and possibly cynical of the way world governments respond to international crises. The Red Cross is an independent organization and though often recognized as the authorized official institution in many countries permitted to respond to disasters, its mission statement upholds impartiality.

It’s been fifteen years since the National Capital Chapter successfully completed requirements and met all standards of excellence necessary for a Red Cross Chapter; with your help we can continue to maintain these standards and provide the assistance required at home or abroad when help is required. Many people have made their contribution by an auto donation that costs you nothing as the charity collects the vehicle, enters it into a car auction and realizes the capital to supplement their funds. Vehicle donation is as important to fundraising as blood donation is to saving lives.

There are over 600 out of the 700 or so Red Cross Chapters in the US that have websites you can link to but with HQ being in Washington DC it’s probably the chapter that receives most hits from browsing individuals. It’s coming up to three years, on the 11th of May, since the American Red Cross Capitol Hill Day when the 125th anniversary of the organization was celebrated.

Running an organization that coordinates the work of over half a million volunteers and 35,000 paid employees is no easy task, particularly when the amount of money required to fund operations is so considerable. Monies raised, 91 cents out of every dollar, go toward community projects and programs, our supply of blood as well as the more highly profiled emergency and disaster responses that we are called to…and who can predict when they might happen or how disastrous they might be. One of the most effective ways to raise money has been through an auto donation kindly made to us. When you donate your car to us we can turn it into cash by selling it at auction. Even if your vehicle donation is just a relief for you to have had an old auto taken off your hands you can still feel proud that you have made a contribution – it might be useful for spare parts if it’s not worthy of auction. Thank you.

Just as you may not have any further need for your old auto there are many people who need a replacement vehicle and can’t afford to buy one new off the forecourt. Not only will you be helping us through your car donation but you will be giving someone else the chance to purchase a vehicle that might otherwise be beyond their reach. Get in touch with your local Chapter to find out just how easy it is to make a vehicle donation and make sure you tell your friends about this initiative so that they too can help us to help those in need.

Keep up the good work DC; you’ve set the standard for others to follow.