ST. LOUIS (AP) - The family of the founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car is donating $5 million to the American Red Cross of Eastern Missouri.
The gift from Jack Taylor and his family will be used to upgrade Red Cross equipment for blood storage and screening, a new Bloodmobile collection vehicle, and seven new emergency food-distribution trucks.
Some of the money also will be used to buy 9,000 smoke detectors that Red Cross volunteers will install in at-risk, fire-prone neighborhoods.
Taylor's daughter, Enterprise Holdings Foundation President Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, calls the Red Cross "vital to the strength of our community."
The regional Red Cross' CEO, Cindy Erickson, says the generosity allows the agency to "better prepare the region for disaster, respond more efficiently to emergencies and help maintain a safe and uninterrupted blood supply."