The McGregor Fund recently awarded a $100,000 grant to the American Red Cross, Southeastern Michigan Chapter in support of its local disaster relief efforts. The grant money will help the Red Cross provide emergency aid for residents in the tri-county area following a home or apartment fire, or other disaster.

The Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross has one of the busiest disaster relief operations in the country, providing humanitarian aid to an average of five families a day in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties who have suffered a fire in their home. The local chapter provides families with emergency food, clothing and shelter, as well as much-needed emotional support to help them to recover from their losses.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous grant from The McGregor Fund,” said James Laverty, CEO of the Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross. “Contributions like this allow us to continue providing a vital safety net for families experiencing devastating fires in their home or apartment.”

Eighty percent of the grant money will go directly towards emergency aid for families. The other 20 percent will go towards equipment and materials used by the chapter’s Disaster Services to provide emergency aid. The grant will be administered from September 2009 to September 2010.

“The McGregor Fund has a long history of helping area residents through relieving their misfortunes and promoting their well-being - and this grant is a wonderful expression of that,” Laverty said.

American Red Cross, Southeastern Michigan Chapter

The American Red Cross, Southeastern Michigan chapter is a non-profit humanitarian organization that turns caring into action by providing three core services for residents in the tri-county area. These services are providing relief to disaster victims, giving support to military personnel (both active and veteran) and their families, and supplying the knowledge and skills to the community to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. We are volunteer-driven and reflect the diversity of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. As part of the international Red Cross network, we are dedicated to protecting human life and dignity locally, nationally and worldwide. To learn more or make a donation, log on to www.semredcross.org or call 1-877-788-0014.

The McGregor Fund

The McGregor Fund is a private foundation established in 1925 by gifts from Katherine and Tracy McGregor “to relieve the misfortunes and promote the well-being of mankind.” The foundation awards grants to organizations in the following areas: human services, education, health care, arts and culture, and public benefit. The area of principal interest of the foundation is the City of Detroit and Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. The McGregor Fund has granted over $190 million since its founding and had assets of $141 million as of June 30, 2009. Visit www.mcgregorfund.org for more information.

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