Grainger Donates $1 Million for Launch of Premier Corporate Volunteer Training Program

WASHINGTON, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross and Grainger, , North America's leading distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, have teamed up to recruit and train corporate employees as disaster volunteers to help support the 70,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to each year. Grainger is the national founding sponsor of the program, Ready When the Time Comes, which will roll out in 16 Red Cross chapters over the next two years. The initial eight metropolitan communities include: Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; New York; Orange County, Cal.; San Francisco; and St. Louis. The program will help facilitate the recruitment and training of corporate employees to become Red Cross volunteers, supporting the organization's strategic goal to increase volunteer capacity.

Richard L. Keyser, Chairman and CEO of Grainger, presented the American Red Cross with a $1 million donation at a celebration hosted at Grainger's headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill. In attendance were Jack McGuire, CEO of the American Red Cross; Kate Forbes, Chair of the Office of National Volunteers of the American Red Cross; Fran Maher, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, prominent members of the Chicago business community and hundreds of active volunteers.

"We are extremely grateful for Grainger's generous contribution to launch this innovative program in 16 select chapters. We're also grateful to their employees for helping the Red Cross build our network of compassionate volunteers," said Jack McGuire, CEO of the American Red Cross. "Ready When the Time Comes will help the Red Cross accomplish its lifesaving mission by enabling us to reach out to corporations and tap into one of their most valuable resources, their employees."

Ready When the Time Comes is a unique program designed to help communities prepare for disaster response. Through this program, local Red Cross chapters collaborate with businesses in their area to recruit and train corporate employees as volunteers. When a disaster strikes, the Red Cross can quickly mobilize this network of well-trained corporate volunteers. The program, pioneered by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, has support in Chicago from 17 corporations and a force of 1,100 volunteers. Grainger and the Red Cross have trained over 180 new Grainger volunteers in Chicago and Denver. The program is also underway in Florida. Grainger's donation will enable the Red Cross to expand the program in 16 metropolitan markets across the U.S. Funds from the $1 million donation will be distributed to these chapters in the form of grants, giving them the financial resources to implement the program.

"I believe the business community with its vast resources feels a responsibility to contribute to disaster relief, not only with money and products but with its greatest resource, hard working, dedicated people," said Richard L. Keyser, CEO of Grainger. "Disasters affect all of us; businesses aren't immune. We must use our resources to become active participants in creating the solution."

During last hurricane season's response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Grainger volunteers quickly mobilized to support response efforts in the Gulf Coast region and provided relief to thousands of survivors needing food, shelter and comfort. Grainger employees also helped staff call centers for more than 450 hours. They also contributed their time during other emergencies such as fires, floods and tornadoes. Through this program the American Red Cross will be able to build its volunteer base across the country to be better equipped to respond in times of emergency.

"There is nothing that can compare to the feeling I have after I've just helped someone who has experienced a tragic event or helped to prevent something tragic from happening," said Patti Rowles, a Grainger employee and experienced volunteer. "Being a part of the Ready When the Time Comes program gives me the opportunity to represent my company and give back to the community simultaneously."

Grainger has a strong tradition of helping communities respond to disasters that dates back to the company's inception more than 78 years ago. In addition to their $1 million gift for the Ready When the Time Comes program, Grainger sponsored the Red Cross Volunteer Administration Institute and gave more than $1 million in supplies and cash to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Grainger also received the American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarian Award in 2005 and 2006 for its disaster relief efforts throughout the United States. This year, Mr. Keyser was honored with American Red Cross of Chicago's Heritage Award for his commitment to disaster preparedness and relief.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope. Through more than 800 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Almost 4 million people give blood -- the gift of life -- through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every Dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

About Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. , with 2005 sales of $5.5 billion, is the leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions throughout North America. Through a highly integrated network including nearly 600 branches, 18 distribution centers and multiple Web sites, Grainger's employees help customers get the job done, saving them time and money by having the right products to keep their facilities running.