Wednesday Charity Events to Benefit Filipino Typhoon Victims

By City News Service

The Los Angeles chapter of the American Red Cross plans will hold a pair of relief events Wednesday to raise money for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

"We only collect monetary donations because it allows us to move quicker. We don't worry about shipping, they get exactly what they need, and it helps the country's economy," said Monica Diaz, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region.

The group is partnering with ABC7 Wednesday to collect cash, checks and credit card donations at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and the Honda Center in Anaheim, from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Diaz said.

It is also working with CBS2/KCAL9 and CBS radio to operate a phone bank from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"That will be credit card only, by phone," she said.

The donation phone number will be (818) 821-1080.

So far, no relief teams from the Los Angeles Region have been sent to the Philippines, Diaz said.

The fundraising effort got a big boost from The Walt Disney Co., which announced it was donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross and Save the Children to assist relief efforts in the Philippines. The company also announced that it will match any donations made by its employees.

"Our hearts go out to the millions of people in the Philippines affected by this tragedy," said Robert A. Iger, Disney chairman and CEO. "We hope this donation and our employee matching gift contributions will help families begin to rebuild their lives in the wake of this devastation."