Red Cross Announces Regional Heroes Campaign

July 10, 2009

Grassroots fundraising efforts will help support local Red Cross mission

COLUMBIA, SC – July 8, 2009 – The local Red Cross has announced that Deepal Eliatamby has been named chairman of the American Red Cross Regional Heroes Campaign. Eliatamby is the President of Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc., a 42-person professional engineering firm located in Columbia.  With Eliatamby at the helm, six Red Cross chapters have set their sight on raising $594,000 in fiscal year 2010 to support Red Cross services within their local communities.

The campaign will cover the following Red Cross Chapters: Aiken County, Central South Carolina, Coastal South Carolina, Greater Edisto, Pee Dee and Upper Palmetto. Those chapters provide services to 28 counties including Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Sumter, Williamsburg and York.

As Regional campaign chair, Eliatamby is committed to expanding the Heroes Campaign by naming Chairs in counties that have not had chairs while also assisting chapters with committee recruitment where needed. County chairs pledge to recruit others from their community to share Red Cross stories and raise funds to support American Red Cross services within their local community.

The Red Cross does so much and touches so many lives, Eliatamby said. I remember being in social studies class as a child and seeing photos of a neighborhood that was flooded with people on top of their homes and the Red Cross was there providing disaster relief to these neighbors. I’m a strong believer in giving back to your local community, and this is a great way to get involved to support our neighbors.

Heroes for the American Red Cross is a grassroots campaign where local business people, school groups, church groups, civic clubs, and individuals pledge to donate or raise $1,000 for their local Red Cross chapter. Funds raised during this campaign will support Red Cross services including disaster relief, assistance for fire victims, emergency military communications, first aid and CPR training and disaster preparedness information. All money raised will remain in the local community to support backdoor neighbors.

To learn more about the Heroes Campaign or to make a monetary donation call 803-540-1225, donate online at centralscredcross.org, mail your check to American Red Cross P.O. Box 91, Columbia, SC 29201, or e-mail [email protected].

ABOUT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS: The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Ninety cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.