Lilly Endowment Gives $10 Million to American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund 

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Lilly Endowment Inc. has donated $10 million to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The Disaster Relief Fund provides food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and thousands of other disasters each year.

   "For decades, the Lilly Endowment has been the premier supporter of American Red Cross disaster relief efforts. Their contribution today, as America faces its worst natural disaster ever, is another example of their great commitment to helping us help others. We thank them for their continuing leadership, and hope that their example inspires others to join us," said Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross.

   Lilly Endowment is the largest donor in American Red Cross history donating more than $50 million dollars to programs and services since World War II. The Endowment made two grants of $5 million during last year's hurricane season and also provided the initial funding for the Coordinated Assistance Network (http://www.can.org/) in the summer of 2004. That gift enabled the six CAN partner agencies to build an online victim case management system that is now being deployed nationally in response to Hurricane Katrina.

   "For more than 60 years, Lilly Endowment has been pleased to support Red Cross efforts to minister to people suffering from forces beyond their control -- and Katrina is certainly an unprecedented situation for this country. We are continually impressed with the way the Red Cross prepares for and responds