Partnering for disaster relief.

A ftcr the tragedies of September 11, the Public Relat ions Society of America (PRSA) asked its 20 ,000 members how public relations professionals could best help the country. Thousands responded, and their top recommendation was to help the Red Cross help Americans. "Recause the Red (joss is always at the center of disaster-relief efforts and public relations professionals often play essential roles in communications during a crisis, we realized that we could have a significant impact by working together," said Kathleen Lcwton, past president of PRSA and a well-known expert in health care communicate ins. As a result, in October 2001, PRSA and the American Red Cross announced a joint partnership: "The Power of T w o . " This p rogram recruits ^nd trains public relations and public affairs professionals to support Red Cross communications and public information initiatives during local and national disasters.