American Red Cross Disaster Field Supply Center Dedication
11 a.m., 02/14/07
223 Mulberry Street

Good morning, and thank you for this opportunity to be among you on such a positive occasion, the dedication of this new American Red Cross Disaster Field Supply Center.

The purpose of this center is to deliver national supplies within 24 hours after a request or to provide for international deliveries within a specified time in the event of a disaster or emergency. This center that we are dedicating today is one of only 30 such disaster field supply centers in the nation and the only one in the State of Arkansas.

So, how did we Pine Bluffians achieve such a distinction? Why isn’t this dedication being held in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Hot Springs, Jonesboro or Northwest Arkansas?

It is because Pine Bluff has value too, not only among its own citizens, but also to people and organizations outside of Pine Bluff. This facility is a testament to that value and to the civic involvement of Mr. George Makris and MK Distributors and the hard work of the men and women of the Jefferson County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

It is through their efforts and their belief in Pine Bluff that we stand before this facility today better able to assist people in need throughout the country and throughout the world – in the same spirit with which Pine Bluffians have stepped forward in the past during the Katrina and Rita emergencies and beyond.

Today, I think we can all be proud of Pine Bluff and of its people.

Thank you.