American Red Cross Northern Minnesota Region - Annual Report FY13 | Page 3

A Message from Regional Leadership

The past year has been tremendous for the Northern Minnesota Region. When we come to the
end of a year with so much activity, we step back, take a breath and ask ourselves these questions.
Did we respond to every disaster in our community where we were needed? Did we train tens of
thousands of people in lifesaving skills? Did we connect military members and their families in times
of crisis and reunite refugees and their loved ones? Did we reach out to our community in multiple
languages with the message of preparedness? Did we help our neighbors, our businesses and our
communities as a whole become more resilient? Did we raise enough resources not only for our
regional, but for others around the country?
While the answer to each of these questions is a resounding YES, the true question at the end of
the day goes straight back to our mission statement – did we alleviate human suffering? We can
confidently say, that every day, our staff and our more than 1,700 volunteers fulfilled our mission and
promise to the 4.3 million residents of northern Minnesota and western Wisconsin community in
FY2013.
We have so much to be grateful for this year, it’s hard to know where to start. From the tens
of thousands of hours given by volunteers to the millions of dollars given by donors. From the
countless hugs given to families coping with disasters to the hundreds of thousands of blood
products collected to save lives. From the thousands of heartwarming messages sent to military
members and veterans to the tens of thousands trained in lifesaving skills. From the tens of
thousands reached in our communities with vital preparedness information to the more than one
million connected to our region through digital outreach. For every hour, every hug, every dollar,
every story shared to fulfill our mission of alleviating suffering – thank you. Sleeves up, hearts open,
all in – it’s not just mantra – it’s the essence of every Red Crosser.
We end our year proud of our accomplishments and ready for the challenges ahead.
Enclosed are highlights from the last year - enjoy!

Sincerely,

Rick and Karen Campion send a smile back home
as they use our local disaster relief vehicle to
provide emergency supplies after Hurricane Isaac.

Note, since the end of FY13, Judy Hanne Gonzalez
accepted a position as Planned Giving Officer for the
American Red Cross Northern Minnesota Region.
In addition, we welcomed Dan Williams as Executive
Director for our Northland and North Star Chapters.

Northern Minnesota Region