Unitil, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, and the American Red Cross of NH, Maine and North Central Massachusetts have renewed their partnership for the third year. Unitil and the Red Cross will work together to enhance their respective commitments to emergency response and community safety.
“We are incredibly proud to support the American Red Cross and its work to provide essential emergency and safety services,” said Carol Valianti, Unitil’s vice president of communications and public affairs. “As our partnership enters its third year, we look forward to expanding our efforts to increase safety awareness and provide meaningful assistance to those in our community who need our support.”
“The long-term partnership between the Red Cross and Unitil involves close collaboration on numerous educational, community development and volunteer opportunities—all intended to positively impact Unitil and Red Cross employees, as well as volunteers and to promote community resiliency for members of the communities they serve”, said Maria White, CEO Red Cross, NH.
Unitil is committed to supporting the Red Cross in its efforts to provide lifesaving blood products to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients, children with blood disorders and others. In response to the constant need for blood donations, Unitil held three Red Cross blood drives in 2012 at which Unitil employees in Massachusetts and New Hampshire donated a total of 65 pints of blood.
Key areas of collaboration for 2013 will include:
Community Outreach:
- Unitil and the Red Cross will continue to prepare joint public service announcements (PSAs) about power outage preparedness, downed wire safety and emergency readiness.
- Its partnership with Unitil allows the Red Cross to determine whether shelters are needed in an emergency and where and when they should open.
- Unitil and the Red Cross will use social media to share relevant PSAs and safety tips.
Training:
- Unitil will continue to provide on-site power restoration and downed wire safety training to Red Cross volunteers to ensure their safety as first responders in an emergency.
- Unitil employees receive additional disaster preparedness training, including Adult CPR/AED and First Aid training.
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Unitil employees are continually encouraged to support various volunteer efforts and projects at the Red Cross’s New Hampshire, Maine and North Central Massachusetts offices and in local communities.
Heroes Events:
- Unitil will continue to serve as a prominent sponsor of these signature events, at which the Red Cross honors local heroes who have shown courage, kindness and unselfish character through their acts of heroism in the communities served by their local chapter.
Blood Drives:
- Unitil will offer employees ongoing blood donation opportunities to help the Red Cross provide life-saving blood to accident victims, trauma patients, transplant recipients and those receiving treatment for life-threatening illnesses.
American Red Cross Campaign Support:
- Unitil customers will have a chance to make a difference, too. Unitil will continue to support all Red Cross outreach efforts throughout the year, from blood drives to volunteer opportunities, to the Red Cross’s annual holiday campaign. Unitil supports the Red Cross’s biggest annual campaign by including informational “buck slips” in correspondence to its 175,000 regional gas and electriccustomers.
For more information on the Unitil and American Red Cross partnership, please click here.
