Wednesday night, FOX 44 and ABC 22 dedicated the hours of 5pm - 11pm to the Vermont & the New Hamsphire Valley American Red Cross. The goal of the evening was to increase awareness of the disaster relief operation that remains ongoing in response to flooding and to raise funds to support those efforts. The night was a success on both fronts.Through public service announcements, live interviews and extensive coverage during their news broadcasts, FOX 44 and ABC 22 put a spotlight on the incredible upheaval endured by those affected by flood waters. The result was a tremendous $46,000 raised to support the American Red Cross. That total was reached, in large part, through the support of generous sponsors such as Casella Waste Systems who contributed $12,500 and New England Federal Credit Union who kicked in $10,000.
With the cost of the ongoing flood relief operation expected to exceed $200,000, Wednesday night provided a real boost and added to other funds already raised to meet this incredible need. However, we still have a lot of ground to cover. The Red Cross is continuing its efforts to raise the funds needed through additional efforts such as a Red Cross day supported by many of the Church Street Marketplace merchants this Saturday, June 11th; an invitation by the Flynn Theatre to raise funds at Friday and Saturday's Jazz Fest concerts; a June 16th benefit concert sponsored by WOKO at Higher Ground; the ongoing efforts of Price Chopper who is donating $1 for each fresh pizza sold; the generosity of People's United Bank who is making a donation to the Red Cross for each pledge made during Vermont Public Television's fund drive; and more.
We are so thankful for all of this support. The devastation is widespread and the need is great. All donations provide much needed support for our neighbors during their time of need. To make a donation or to find out how you can volunteer, go to our website http://www.redcrossvtnhuv.org.
