“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Richard White, executive director of the Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter. “We have businesses calling in every day telling us they’re collecting funds.”

One of the first local businessmen to offer support was Jim Click, who pulled all of his paid advertising for three days in order to run special radio, television and full-page newspaper spots urging the community to donate finances and blood to the American Red Cross. He also offered his personal plane and pilot for the transportation of blood and volunteer workers.

“Jim demonstrated what you would expect from a real community leader,” said White. “These were wonderful gestures on his part.”

Local broadcasters played a major role in helping the Red Cross. KGUN-9 Television ran on-screen messages and made announcements through reporters for citizens to make donations, and arranged for financial contributions to be dropped off at its studios. The television station raised over $60,000 over a four-day period.

Clear Channel Broadcasting offered its immediate assistance on Sept. 11 with all of its radio disc jockeys encouraging listeners to make donations. Citadel Broadcasting also immediately went on the air on all of its stations to encourage contributions. Citadel and Clear Channel each hosted live remotes to collect funds, which together raised more than $110,000.

Clear Channel also worked with the Arizona Daily Star and thousands of local volunteers to create a human flag at Tucson Electric Park on Sept. 15 in order to promote contributions to the Red Cross.

Lapel Pins and More is arranging a major contribution campaign. The company has designed a memorial pin, depicting the World Trade Center’s two towers with an American flag in front of them and a black ribbon surrounding them. Orders for the pin already exceed 25,000, with large quantities ordered by Wal-Mart, Walgreens and the New York Port Authority. All the proceeds are going to the Red Cross.

Proceeds are also being contributed from local concerts, including one by the Tucson Pops Orchestra and another by Kenny Rogers at Old Tucson Studios. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 933 and the Southern Arizona Central Labor Council are selling T-shirts. Over the weekend, CD City and KZPT held a fund-raiser, selling used CDs at a silent auction.

The Arizona Builders Alliance raised about $5,000 during its Sept. 18 membership dinner, through an auction and raffle sponsored by Tucson Electric Power of various donated items. At over $1,000, the highest bid went for an American flag, which was then also donated to the Red Cross.

Several other businesses have been collecting contributions at various locations, including Applebee’s, Bank One, Cosco, Eegee’s, Long Realty, Pizza Hut, and Wells Fargo. DoTucson.com even created a page on its Web site to accept online donations, and the Green Valley Fire Department already has collected more than $40,000.

Other companies making contributions include AG Edwards and Sons, Ashton Co., Caliber Communications, Eller Media, Golden Eagle Distributors, Michael Bolchalk Marketing, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and many more.

By the middle of last week, American Red Cross officials estimated that the southern Arizona community had already raised over $250,000 for relief funds, and the counting continued. Due to the overwhelming number of contributions made locally, Bank One sent several staff members to Red Cross’s offices to help process checks and deposits.

“If we stopped today, it would probably take me a month to sort it all out,” said Teresa Welborn, local director of financial development for the Red Cross.

Blood donations also rose sharply on Sept. 11, with record turn-outs at the Red Cross facility at Broadway and Swan. The location ran out of room indoors for waiting donors, then ran out of chairs. Needing additional accommodations for donors to wait outside, the organization called Parties Plus, which donated the use of a tent and chairs.

With nearly 50 people waiting outside for up to four hours, eegee’s and Papa John’s Pizza both provided free food. Oasis, Sparkletts, Water Street Station and Sierra Springs Water each donated water, while the Kalil Bottling Co. donated a variety of other liquid refreshments.

“The ‘Good Guys at Kalil’ turned out to be really good guys,” said White.

Due to the high volume of citizens who wished to donate blood, the Red Cross moved its collection site to a much larger facility, the Tucson Convention Center’s meeting hall. Not only did TCC waive the fee, but its contracted caterer, Fine Host Catering, fed thousands for three days.

Roses and More donated roses for people giving blood at TCC, and Arizona Cine Equipment brought a big screen television to the convention center so the blood donors could watch the news while they were waiting.

Pima Medical Center and University Medical Center held their own blood drives for Red Cross last week, as did IBM employees, who gave 150 pints of blood last Tuesday. Stepping forward at a critical time, Bombardier offered to fly blood samples from Tucson to San Bernardino, where the samples are tested before they can be shipped out.

While businesses have made such huge contributions, Red Cross officials are also overwhelmed by the response of individuals.

“The kids who empty their pockets of change at the front desk reception are just as important,” said Welborn. One 12-year-old girl actually donated $63 dollars in pennies.

Taunya Villicana, a Red Cross board member who works for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, volunteered at the Broadway center from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 11.

“When she heard Tuesday that so many Morgan Stanley employees were on the top floors of the towers, she came over and felt she had to do something to help,” said White.

The American Red Cross is doing all it can to thank the general public for its support. In fact, Graphic Impact is providing Red Cross with a 36 foot “Thank You” banner, which Echo Construction offered to hang for free.

“Red Cross will display it on its Broadway facility to thank the public for its unprecedented and warm response,” said White. “The American Red Cross and Southern Arizona chapter are extremely grateful for the outpouring of contributions to help families of individuals who lost their lives in New York.”

Though so many contributions have flooded in, the American Red Cross is asking people to continue in their generosity, as the organization is now preparing for upcoming events, whether those be additional terrorist attacks or a prolonged military campaign.

For more information on making financial donations, call 1-800-341-6943. For more information on making blood donations, call 1 800-GIVELIFE.