- “In the face of a worsening climate crisis, the Red Cross will need to invest at least $1 billion in disaster response measures over the next several years,” said American Red Cross of Illinois CEO Kellie O’Connell, ’98.
Disaster response is central to the Red Cross’ mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. O’Connell oversees its efforts across 88 counties combined in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, serving nearly 12 million people.
“A lot of my job is making sure we have the dollars to fuel the mission,” she said. “We quite literally could not do it without our donors and volunteers.”
As extreme weather events grow more frequent and intense — from tornadoes to floods — O’Connell is committed to equitably meeting the growing and unique needs of disaster-affected families and communities. However, scaling up to meet these challenges requires additional support.
“The Red Cross is enhancing our large-scale disaster response and recovery services, expanding financial assistance, strengthening local partner networks and growing our disaster workforce,” she said. “We are responding to nearly twice as many large disasters as we did a decade ago, but it requires a collective effort.”
O’Connell encourages everyone to find ways to take action.
“Think about ways to get involved in your community to make it a safer place to live,” she said. “At the Red Cross, we strive to be the best part of someone’s worst day.”
Huskies step up when help is needed. Discover how you can lend a hand at NIUForward.com or RedCross.org.