Red Cross Chapter Aids Rwanda Relief
After a slow start, the Ventura County chapter of the American Red Cross has raised more than $4,000 since July 20 in relief funds for Rwandan refugees.
Brian E. Bolton, chapter executive director, said that donations have stepped up since world attention began to focus last month in the flight of more than 1 million Rwandans into Zaire.
“We only received one donation of $40 until July 20,” Bolton said. The chapter made its first Rwandan aid request May 1.
Bolton said people did not originally contribute because they thought “whatever they could do would not be enough to have an impact.”
But that is not true, he said.
“Somebody making a donation of $7 is going to provide enough food to feed one person for a month,” he said. “For $70 we can treat 35 cholera patients to save their lives.”
Contributions should be sent to: “Rwanda Relief” c/o American Red Cross, P.O. Box 5850, Ventura 93005-5850. Or call 1-800-842-2200 to charge to Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
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