American Red Cross is Relocating to 2916 E. Broadway
Monday, February 22, 2010
For Immediate Release
TUCSON, February 22, 2010 -- The American
Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter is moving to 2916 E. Broadway Boulevard
in Tucson, Arizona. Our first day of business at the new location
is Wednesday, February 24, 2010.
The American Red Cross Southern
Arizona purchased the 12,500 square foot building in July 2009. The organization has leased office space for a number of decades, including
their current location at 5301 E. Broadway Blvd.
Faced with increasing operating
costs, the softening of the commercial real estate market, and the good
fortune to be remembered by our cherished supporters, our Board of Directors
made the sound business decision to purchase the building. “The
opportunity to purchase a building could not have come at a better time,”
said Joe Gulotta, President of the Board of Directors of the local chapter.
Gulotta added that “Red Cross depends almost 100% on the generosity
of local families, foundations and businesses every year and receives
almost no government support.”
The building will become the
permanent headquarters of the Humanitarian Services Division of the
American Red Cross in Southern Arizona, serving Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise,
Graham and Greenlee Counties. In addition to centralizing daily
operations and critical emergency and life-saving services, the new
space offers the local Red Cross the ability to headquarter a disaster
command center during large disaster response operations; offer life-saving
CPR, First Aid and Water Safety classes for as many as 50 people at
a time; meet with clients in private meeting rooms; and provide a full
range of military family and veteran’s support services in one location.
From a financial perspective,
the purchase will enable our local Red Cross to save approximately $130,000
a year in rent and overhead expenses, enabling us to “shore up”
what has become a chronic operating budget shortfall. After move in,
the Red Cross plans to retrofit the building with solar energy to save
even more money on utilities, contribute to the health of our local
environment, and redirect as many resources as possible into direct
services that help children and families in need.
“For the first time in decades,
our local Red Cross will be properly outfitted to carry out our mission
to serve children and families in Southern Arizona, and be well-poised
to meet the changing needs of our communities,” said Richard White,
Executive Director of the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red
Cross.
The building was purchased
outright in July, 2009, entirely made possible by the generous bequests
from a few individuals who remembered the Red Cross in their final wishes. The local Red Cross embarked on an ambitious campaign this past fall
to raise the remaining $500,000 needed to renovate the building to best
suit our daily use. Since October, the organization has offered naming
rights for donations made in support of the Building the Future Campaign,
which has funded all renovations. The new building will be named
The Lohse Family Building in honor of the Lohse family’s longtime
service to Red Cross, beginning with Florence Lohse during World War
II, and their support of the campaign.
“The Lohse family is thrilled
to be supporting the local Red Cross especially since my in-laws, Florence
and Ashby, met in Europe during her service with the American Red Cross,”
said Linda Lohse.
Additionally, several companies
and individuals have made gifts to support the campaign, including:
- Sundt Companies,
to support our Health & Safety Training Center
- Freeport-McMoRan
Copper & Gold Foundation, to support our solar energy project
- Pima Medical Institute,
to support a CPR Training Room
The American Red Cross continues
raising funds through the Building the Future Renovation Campaign
as it makes the remainder of renovations. Naming opportunities ranging
from $1,000 - $50,000 still exist to support the campaign, including
the Military Family Center, Disaster Director’s Office and volunteer
stations.
For additional information
about the American Red Cross, our new building, or the Building the
Future Campaign, please visit our website at www.redcrossarizona.org or call 520-318-6740.
NOTE: All Blood Services
divisions in Southern Arizona will be located in other buildings, not
at this location. This new location will house all other services
of the American Red Cross in Southern Arizona.
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