The Coosa Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross has announced that it is receiving a $36,500 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, to strengthen the chapter’s disaster services department through obtaining equipment and expanding its volunteer base. 

The Coosa Valley Chapter is one of 128 Red Cross chapters awarded funds as part of the Wal-Mart Foundation’s initiative to support disaster response and capacity building projects nationwide. 

The Wal-Mart Foundation partnered with the American Red Cross to create a $5 million Disaster Readiness and Capacity Building Grant Program. This grant will benefit communities across the country that reside near Red Cross chapters located in remote areas that often become isolated during times of disaster and whose chartered jurisdictions serve less than one million people – like the Coosa Valley Chapter.  

The grant will be used to purchase necessary disaster equipment that will aid in the Red Cross mission of meeting disaster-caused needs of the community, as well as provide training for existing and new volunteers in disaster response.