By Jarrett Barrios, CEO, Red Cross Los Angeles
Sleeves up. Hearts open. All in.
We’ve heard this refrain over and over. Each time it fills me with pride at the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and donors to the mission of this organization.
The “Hearts Open” message is one we regularly use at the American Red Cross. There is a reason we repeatedly return to the heart imagery, representing the dedication of our volunteers and the love they serve up to those affected by disaster, the giving spirit of our donors who enable us to do that important work, and on a literal level, the blood donated every day that saves countless lives.
Which is why we’re excited to announce that the headquarters of the Red Cross Los Angeles Region is moving to the heart of Los Angeles—Downtown LA.
The operations and senior leadership teams have done extensive research ahead of the move, using a representative sample of volunteers and staff, looking at where they live, and comparing those locations with the locations of the populations we serve.
The move to DTLA places us at the heart of both where most Red Crossers live and where we deliver services, collecting blood donations, installing smoke alarms, and responding to local disaster calls. It also reduces commute time for our dedicated staff and volunteers on average 20 minutes, which in LA traffic is no small feat.
Moving also gives us the opportunity to upgrade our headquarters to match the caliber of service we strive to provide to the populations we serve. The new facility will have a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center, real-time disaster monitoring tools, and a video studio to help us respond faster, with better data, and to get the word out about important initiatives.
We will be moving in just a few days and welcome you to visit us at the new location, where we will continue to do the work of preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
