RBC and Red Cross launch new Disaster Response Training
Program
Saint John, New Brunswick, January 6, 2006 —
RBC has become the first corporate partner for a new Disaster
Response Program being piloted by the Canadian Red Cross,
Atlantic Region.
"Ready When the Time Comes" is a new partnership
program developed to ensure the Red Cross has extra trained
personnel available during the first few hours of a major
disaster. This increased capacity is vital to successfully
and quickly meeting the needs of those affected.
"It is key for our organization to have a pool of trained
people that we can call on when we have a large operation,"
says John Byrne, General Manager for the Canadian Red Cross,
Atlantic Region. "Partnerships with companies like RBC
Financial Group will provide us with an extensive network
of well-trained volunteers that can quickly mobilize in the
event of a local, large-scale disaster. These volunteers will
compliment our established volunteer teams and serve as "reserves"
who can be called up when a disaster response requires more
than the local Disaster Services team's capacity."
"Red Cross has been an important local and national
partner of RBC for many years now and we feel privileged to
be chosen as the first corporate partner in this exciting
Canadian pilot," says Greg Grice, Regional President,
RBC, Atlantic Canada. "Our staff already possess highly
developed organizational skills, are accustomed to dealing
with people in difficult situations and are passionate about
their communities, so getting over 60 of them to sign up for
this project was not a difficult sell. We are proud to assist
the Red Cross in being even more ready for when the next disaster
strikes."
The Canadian Red Cross responds to disasters of all sizes
at home and around the world. To learn more about the Canadian
Red Cross, visit www.redcross.ca.
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