From left to right: Pamela Stone, American Red Cross Senior Philanthropy Officer, Norma Aguilar, Mexican Consul, from Ria Americas: Adriana Garcia, Customer Life Cycle Manager, Abby Valenzuela, Customer Service Manager, and Menchi Orlina, Marketing VP, a member of the ARC and Virginia Vaughn, Buena Park Mayor.

Ria Money Transfer has been recognized by the American Red Cross and the city of Buena Park for its fundraising efforts throughout the years.

The gratifying and well-attended event took place in Ria’s Headquarters office in Buena Park, California, where we were honored with three special mentions.

First, we were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the American Red Cross – with whom we’ve been collaborating since 2015 – for the generous support Ria has provided to the disaster relief campaigns of 2017.

With this, the mayor of Buena Park, Virginia Vaughn granted us with a Certificate of Recognition for our community involvement and philanthropic contributions.

The ceremony was also attended by Norma Aguilar, Mexican Consul for Community, Educational & Cultural Affairs, who awarded Ria with a certificate of recognition for our involvement with the American and the Mexican Red Cross.

Last year, Ria Money Transfer in collaboration with the American Red Cross set-up different aid appeals as a response to the natural disasters that decimated homes in the Caribbean, Central and North America and earthquakes in Mexico. The relief efforts helped collect over $83,000 in donations from our customers to help those impacted – namely by the devastating earthquake in Mexico City.

“Ria’s customers have been so caring and generous in their giving, it’s very touching,” said Pamela Stone, senior philanthropy officer, American Red Cross Desert to the Sea region.

“We understand customers are often very far from their home or their extended family, and yet they’re digging deep – reaching out to help a stranger here in the United States or elsewhere around the globe.  As a company, Ria has shown so much compassion, it blows me away.

“They are consistently among the first to reach out after a disaster with ‘We want to help.’ The creative materials they develop for every disaster campaign are powerful.  It’s a pleasure to partner with a company that has such a global reach and is willing to quickly swing into action. From partnering with us here at the American Red Cross or with other Red Cross organizations around the world, Ria helps us assist those in need,” concluded Stone.

Ria took this opportunity to host its first in-house Blood Drive campaign. The rewarding initiative that contributes to the shortage that healthcare centers face, helped to collect 32 blood units, the equivalent to saving up to 96 lives and served to encourage our employees to be regular blood donors and to take part in civic responsibilities.

Ria’s Customer Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Adriana A. García explained, “As Winston Churchill once said, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give’ some of the simplest yet strongest words about giving back. Having coordinated this blood drive at Ria was a very strong passion of mine – we serve hundreds of thousands of customers around the world by helping them support their family in the home countries, so this time it was about contributing back in a different way, by giving life.

“Giving back to our communities, is part of the meanings of life, it is therefore, our duty as responsible citizens to help one another and mark a difference,” added García.