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A Celebration of Inspiration and Hope

    WASHINGTON, May 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross
will honor Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies with its
prestigious Dr. Charles Drew Award at the organization's Heritage of
Service Dinner this evening. The Heritage of Service Dinner is a
celebration to recognize the outstanding dedication and commitment from
individuals, organizations, partners and corporations who enable the Red
Cross to achieve its noble mission each year. The Phillies are being
recognized for the organization's support of Red Cross blood drives in the
Philadelphia area. This national, donor recognition event will bring
together members of Congress, military leaders, Washington dignitaries,
corporate representatives and Red Cross partners and volunteers. Accepting
the award for the Phillies will be Bonnie Clark, Vice President of
Communications.

    "The Philadelphia Phillies have certainly hit a homerun for the
American Red Cross and most importantly those who are in need of
life-saving blood in the greater Philadelphia area," said Bonnie
McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the Red Cross. "We are very proud to celebrate
and honor some of our most dedicated partners, supporters and friends of
the Red Cross as the Phillies not only provide a positive example of
community engagement in Philadelphia, but for the entire nation as well."

    "We are extremely honored to be a recipient of this prestigious award,"
said David Montgomery, President of the Phillies. "Our fans recognize the
need to support the Red Cross, and we are so appreciative of their
enthusiasm to step up to the plate and donate blood to save lives. We look
forward to continuing to work with the American Red Cross."

    When the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, the U.S. military asked the
American Red Cross to create and operate a national blood program to
support the troops. Dr. Charles Drew, a hematologist, surgeon, educator and
scientist, turned his skills to the development of dried plasma. He
supervised the pilot Red Cross blood banking program which was established
in 1941. His groundbreaking research made it possible to store plasma for
later use, revolutionizing modern medicine. Americans donated millions of
pints of blood for the war effort and his innovation enabled those
donations to save the lives of countless casualties of war.



    In 2005, Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies approached the
American Red Cross Blood Services, Penn-Jersey Region about the possibility
of hosting a large blood drive in Citizens Bank Park. This noble thought
has led to one of the most successful partnerships in region history. Over
the last three years, the Phillies have become champions of the need for
blood in the Philadelphia area by hosting multiple blood drives, donating
employee time and resources, and generating valuable media attention for
the cause. Over the last three years, the Phillies have directly helped the
Penn-Jersey Region collect 3,015 whole blood units, 28 platelet units, and
have introduced 644 new donors to the Red Cross blood program.

    President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush will serve as Honorary
Co-Chairs for the Dinner. General Richard B. Myers, USAF (RET), will serve
as the Dinner Chair. General Myers and his wife, Mary Jo Myers, will be the
emcees for the event. Preceding the dinner in the American Red Cross Hall
of Service, there will be a reception from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. in the
American Red Cross Board of Governors Hall in Washington, D.C.

    The American Red Cross

    The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of
disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches
lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The
American Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, and depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its
humanitarian mission.

    Philadelphia Phillies

    The 2007 National League East Champion Phillies play baseball at the
award-winning Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. For more info go to
http://www.phillies.com.