Docomo president Kriegel to chair Guam’s 2017 Red Ball

Jonathan Kriegel, president and chief executive officer of Docomo Pacific, seventh from left, is joined by American Red Cross Guam Chapter members and officials. (Contributed Photo)

HAGATNA, Guam—The American Red Cross Guam Chapter announced Wednesday that Jonathan Kriegel, president and chief executive officer of Docomo Pacific, will serve as the event chair of the 2017 Red Ball on Sept. 23 at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort.

Chita Blaise, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Guam Chapter, said the 17th Red Ball continues to bring hope to the island community.

“I am filled with gratitude for the remarkable support of our volunteers and donors and we send our heartfelt thanks to Jonathan Kriegel for taking on the challenge as chair of this year’s Red Ball,” said Blaise.

This year, the American Red Cross in Guam celebrates its 101st anniversary.

“With our island’s close connection to this organization, we are reminded that in times of need, the courageous volunteers of Red Cross have given more than a hundred percent of their efforts to help rebuild lives and restore hope to our island. For this year’s Red Ball, we celebrate ‘101 Reasons’ why we support the American Red Cross,” said Kriegel.

Every year, the American Red Cross on average responds to 16 single family home fires and flash floods.

At the end of the last year, the Guam Chapter trained 1,335 individuals in First Aid/CPR/AED courses and 124 individuals were trained in water safety or lifeguard courses.

The Guam Chapter delivered 1,224 messages to men and women in the military through the Service to Armed Forces program.

They also installed smoke alarms in at-risk homes in all 19 villages, a total of 297 smoke alarms. The Guam Chapter continues to train children from grade three to five in disaster preparedness. 

For the past 16 years, the Red Ball has been the signature fundraiser for the Guam chapter of the American Red Cross.

“Funds raised from this event directly fund disaster relief, life-saving training, and other mission-critical activities for our island. This is your chance to help those who need it most,” said Marcos Fong, chairman of the American Red Cross Guam Chapter. 

One of the highlights of the Red Ball will be a chance to win a 2017 Buick Encore Mini-SUV valued at $30,000, courtesy of Guam AutoSpot.

AutoSpot will also hold the “Auto-Spot Drive for the Red Cross Event” on June 17. The public is invited to test drive any new Buick, GMC, or Mitsubishi, and AutoSpot will donate up to $10,000 to the Guam chapter.