A message from Conrad Sauvé, CEO of the Canadian Red Cross
This past year was marked by an unprecedented number of disasters both at home and around the world. In Canada alone, we assisted more than 150,000 people who were affected by disasters such as
ice storms,
floods and
devastating wildfires.
Internationally, the Red Cross deployed 136 humanitarian workers to 32 countries over the course of the year to help those affected by disasters such as
Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, the
severe drought in East and Central Africa and the massive
population movement currently underway from Myanmar to Bangladesh.
The scale of this year’s disasters may explain why 63 percent of Canadians feel compelled to donate to charity or volunteer as the holidays approach, according to a recent Ipsos survey for the Canadian Red Cross.
This holiday season, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to our volunteers, staff and donors for their invaluable support throughout the year. Our thoughts also go out to our colleagues deployed overseas, who will be spending the holidays away from their loved ones. We are so inspired by your dedication to humanity!