AUSTIN (KXAN) — The American Red Cross Central Texas chapter is gearing up for a much-needed upgrade to its East Austin facility.
Crews are expected to break ground on a new building at the same location it’s called home for 50 years, located off Pershing Drive. The previous building was demolished in the Spring.
“For us, it’s more than just a building,” American Red Cross Central & South Texas Region CEO Javier Valdez said. “It’s a commitment to readiness, connection, and enhancing the strength of our communities.”
In addition to office space and conference rooms, the new facility will house the chapter’s first fixed site for blood collection, something Valdez said is much needed to boost efforts to better accommodate the millions of Texans the Red Cross serves.
“The prior building was not sufficient from a capacity perspective,” Valdez explained. “It gives us a greater capacity for disaster response, volunteer, and community engagement.”
Austin serves as the headquarters for several chapters within the Central and South Texas Region. Valdez said his team continues to see disasters increasing in both frequency and magnitude, and helping build stronger communities is essential to disaster relief.
“Having a state-of-the-art blood collection center, but also to be able to have training, because we offer a lot of trainings within the Red Cross, it’s just the epicenter in our community,” Valdez said.
The groundbreaking is set for Wednesday at 2 p.m. located at 2218 Pershing Drive.
Construction is slated to be complete in 2027.
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