March is National Red Cross month.

Theo Boots, executive director of the Southern Indiana Region of the American Red Cross says there are many opportunities for you to help the not-for-profit group. While donations are always appreciated, they are also looking for volunteers willing to donate their time.

She said there are several areas where volunteers are needed. The first and main area is in local disaster relief efforts. She said the goal is to make Bartholomew County able to help its own residents when disaster strikes.

The Red Cross also needs volunteer with its Pillowcase project, an effort to make schoolchildren better prepared should disaster strike.

One of the more popular programs is the home fire campaign, which gives out and installs free smoke alarms, Boots says.

The Red Cross also needs volunteers who are ready to deploy to disaster areas. For example, many local Red Cross volunteers are helping families hit hard by the flooding last week in northern Indiana.

Boots says that 96 percent of the Red Cross work is performed by volunteers, which means that most of the groups funding can go directly to critical needs, rather than salaries of staff. 91 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to programs, she said.

To volunteer in this area or others, or to make a donation, you can contact the Red Cross office in Bartholomew County at 812-379-9551.