Red crossed up

Naturally, in a time of a disaster, there only logical thing to do is criticize the charities. And, so, recently, the Red Cross has been criticized for giving away Bobby Abreu figurines at the Phillies game the other night.

Via Michelle Malkin, who hopped in on the anti-Red Cross bandwagon, I read one such criticism:

Now, I must note that I do not know for sure if the Red Cross actually paid for the bobbleheads, but I can only assume they did. When any other company sponsors a ballpark give-away, they pay for the items as advertising. I cannot fathom why the Red Cross needs to buy bobbleheads to advertise. Who doesn’t know about the Red Cross? Isn’t the organization receiving enough advertising through bloggers and the media?

And you wonder why Wal-Mart and McDonald’s advertise. Don’t they already get enough publicity though the media? Anyway, they of course were figurines, not bobbleheads. No big deal.

But the criticism is misguided. I just got off the phone with Dennis Brown at the promotions department of the Phillies, who shared with me a few details:

• The Red Cross and the Phillies set this partnership into motion in July.
• The blood division of the Red Cross was responsible for this marketing. It’s totally separate from the disaster relief part — they’re not even in the same building.
• The figurines are about raising awareness for blood donations (in the time when the supply is at its lowest, August and September) and even have the 1-800-GIVE-LIFE number on them.
• People learn information easier when presented to them in a charticle format.

OK, he didn’t say the last one. Additionally, a blood drive at Citizens Bank Park last month — where figurines were also given away — collected 551 viable pints of blood. A silent auction before Monday’s game raised $18,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims, and the Phillies are collecting money at the gates for the Red Cross during the entire 10-game homestand. With 36,144 fans there Monday and 30,600 last night, well, that could be a lot of money.

Look, I know the Red Cross had its problems distributing aid after 9/11. Even if you’d rather donate to a different charity, or think the Red Cross shouldn’t be giving out figurines, there’s no reason to get offended and aggravated without fully knowing the story. And it’s also nice to hear something positive about the Phillies for a change after four straight losses.

Red Cross Sponsors Bobblehead Dolls [PolitaKid via Michelle Malkin]
Please Give Blood [ARC]