NFL Donates More Than $2 Million for Red Cross Disaster Response in Haiti

National PSA to run in all playoff games this Weekend on Fox and CBS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) are donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross to aid victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The NFL and its network partners will run pregame and in-game messages during the weekend's playoff games valued at $1.5 million to promote donations. In addition, NFL owners and players are making their own personal donations.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO )

A national PSA will air during each playoff game this weekend promoting donations to the Red Cross via www.redcross.org. The PSA will feature New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and San Diego Chargers defensive end Jacques Cesaire, two players with Haitian-born parents.

There will be in-stadium video board and PA messages, in all four stadiums hosting games this weekend, promoting the Red Cross text-to-give program. The Minnesota Vikings will have a collection drive at their stadium gates for this weekend's game and they will run an in-game PSA featuring running back Adrian Peterson.  

"The generous contribution of the NFL and the NFLPA is critical to the ability of the American Red Cross to provide help and hope for the people of Haiti during their time of need," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. "We are rushing supplies and disaster management staff to Haiti in the aftermath of this earthquake, and are very grateful the support of the NFL and the NFLPA for our humanitarian mission."

The American Red Cross is on the ground in Port-au-Prince, along with Red Cross teams from around the world. Among these Red Cross representatives are engineers, surgeons and family linking specialists. These teams will establish field hospitals, restore water and sanitation systems, distribute supplies and restore family links facilities. In addition, the Red Cross is performing triage, first aid, addressing urgent needs and mobilizing a massive response operation in Haiti. A base camp has been secured near the airport with warehousing facilities for relief supply staging.

The Red Cross continues to see an outpouring of support and concern from the public. People who want to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake can make a donation via RedCross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third party mobile fundraising effort sponsored by Mobile Accord. Mobile donors can text "Haiti" to 90999 to send a ten dollar donation to the Red Cross. The funds will go to support the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

At this time, what the Red Cross needs most are financial contributions – whether by check, online or by phone. Things like clothes are not helpful right now because there is nowhere to store them, no one to sort them, and it would be difficult to transport the items to Haiti. One good way to turn clothes into cash is to have a garage sale and then donate the money to the relief efforts.

About the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund

Created in 2001 to assist organizations directly and indirectly affected by the events of September 11, the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund is a collaborative endeavor of the National Football League and the NFL Players Association.  Its goal is to improve the quality of life and help rebuild communities affected by large-scale tragedies. Since its inception, the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund has provided aid to those affected by the events of September 11, 2001, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Hurricane Katrina and the 2007 San Diego Wildfires.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE American Red Cross