American Red Cross Of Georgia Recognizes North Point Ministries

ALPHARETTA, GA — The American Red Cross of Georgia honored metro Atlanta volunteers and partners with others from across the state during a virtual recognition event on Aug. 5.

The annual event was held virtually for the first time in 2020, and was streamed online again this year due to COVID-19.

The event recognized the 3,531 registered Red Cross volunteers in Georgia, 926 from greater Atlanta, and the 324,274 hours they served in fiscal year 2021. Their donated time, valued at $26 per hour, equates to $8.7 million in donated services.

In addition to volunteers, the American Red Cross recognized several metro Atlanta-based organizations for their contributions to helping the Red Cross, including companies like Orkin. The company was honored with the Good Neighbor Award, a recognition earned by organizations that partner with the American Red Cross to raise awareness on its mission and help expand the scope of communities the Red Cross serves.

Over the past two years, Orkin has worked with the American Red Cross to help ensure patients across the U.S. have access to blood needed through campaigns like SleevesUp and Donating Blood Should Be Voluntary. Both campaigns highlighted the importance of blood donation across the country and included blood drives held by Orkin. As part of the 2020 Donating Blood Should Be Voluntary campaign, the Atlanta-based company donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the American Red Cross as this year’s Good Neighbor Award recipient,” President of Orkin Freeman Elliott said in a news release. “Orkin is committed to helping protect public health, and blood donors are essential to the well-being of our nation. As such, it’s been an honor to partner with the Red Cross to help them, and we look forward to continuing to work together.”

Other metro organizations honored for their work with the Red Cross include LexisNexis Risk Solutions, recognized as Blood Sponsor Group of the Year (Corporate). In 2020, LexisNexis Risk Solutions held seven blood drives in conjunction with the American Red Cross, and collected 264 units of blood, despite the pandemic and most employees working from home.

Locally, North Point Ministries also earned Blood Sponsor Group of the Year (Faith-based). Since March 2020, the ministry group has hosted 155 blood drives and collected 8,276 donations throughout its various churches across metro Atlanta.

The Blood Sponsor of the Year Award is presented to sponsor groups that have run at least three blood drives and collected 50-100 pints per drive.

“We are incredibly thankful to our partners and steadfast volunteers across Greater Atlanta for their contributions, hours of dedication, and support for the American Red Cross,” said Terri Badour, executive director of greater Atlanta for the American Red Cross of Georgia. “It gives us a great deal of pleasure to honor them for their impressive work and especially for their ability to adapt and continue to help us deliver our mission, even through a pandemic.”

An additional 16 volunteers and partners from greater Atlanta, nominated by their peers, were honored for their contributions to Georgia’s Red Cross during the virtual event, including:

Disaster Recovery Award - Suzanne Wood (Alpharetta)

• Presented to a two-plus year volunteer who shows exceptional initiative in identifying and/or meeting the Disaster Cycle Service Recovery mission. Recipient demonstrates skills for recruiting, motivating and coordinating others in support of Red Cross casework and displays cultural awareness, sensitivity and creativity in reaching diverse groups.

Youth Award - Sujay Rao (Alpharetta)

• Presented to a volunteer between the ages of 14-24 who has volunteered with the Red Cross for at least two years and has a strong track record of leading and inspiring fellow volunteers, creating a positive impact on the community, and exemplifying dedication to the Red Cross mission.

More volunteers are always needed to carry out the Red Cross mission. Anyone interested in becoming a Red Cross Volunteer can visit the website to learn more about volunteer opportunities and how to submit a volunteer application.