People tend to feel one of two ways about Valentine’s Day: You either revel in the romance, inhale the aromas of chocolate and roses, and look forward to being spoiled by loved ones…or you resent the confines of forced expression, wrinkle your nose at the cloying smell of a corporate holiday, and perhaps even plan anti-Valentine’s Day celebrations for your single friends.
No matter which way you typically trend, we’re thrilled to have a reason for you to love Valentine’s Day for all the right reasons!
This year, we’ve enlisted a handful of people to share their love stories. The folks who are opening up and sharing their stories might be familiar to you: some are leaders in their community, others are well-known business people, and some are our own Red Crossers.They’re people we most often see engaged in the work of doing good and changing the world…serious stuff involving business suits and big decisions where people talk about everything but themselves.
We’re offering you a glance at the softer side of these awesome individuals – a peek into their personal lives as they open up and share their unique love stories. And who doesn’t like a love story? Some of the stories are traditional romances, the others describe their love for a parent, child or close friend.
Most important of all, they’re telling their tales to you for a good cause. You see, each person took time to think of someone they love dearly – someone they would want to know was receiving comfort and care if an emergency ever were to happen – and they took the #RedCrossMyHeart pledge to donate to the Red Cross in honor of that loved one for Valentine’s Day. Their gifts aim to help ensure that the Red Cross can be there for all the husbands and wives, daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, partners and friends that are loved by someone out there.
Each person is sharing their love story in hopes of spreading the love, and spreading the support for the Red Cross so that we can deliver on our mission 365 days a year, whether in response to home fires or heart attacks, wildfires or floods.
Here’s our very first one, courtesy of local businessman, motivational speaker and former Denver Bronco Reggie Rivers – check back at this blog for more stories to come!
If you want to participate, and express your love in a meaningful way this Valentine’s Day, we would love to hear your story (and of course we welcome your donation!). Visit redcross.org/redcrossmyheart to share your story or make a gift. You can also take to social media to let your friends know, share the stories, and share your own #RedCrossMyHeart pledge.