American Red Cross

American Red Cross with its headquarters located at Washington, D.C has been the symbol of humanitarian care for many decades. The Board of Governors has the power to govern, direct and oversee the management of this organization. The American Red Cross organization is headed by the Board's Chairman, CEO and the President. Apart from aiding the victims of various natural disasters, the organization reaches out to the needy people through its compassionate services.

One of the most important features of this organization is its supply of blood and blood products even at the time of devastation. The organization is involved in various social welfare programs such as international relief, education and community services. The organization has about half a million volunteers and 35,000 employees who are there to help the needy during natural disasters. It has the largest chain of blood collection centers across the United States.

American Red Cross through its well planned and organized programs spends almost 91 cents out of each dollar on humanitarian services. Even though the organization is not funded by the Government, it runs the humanitarian efforts with heavy donations from across the world. The month of March is celebrated as the "Red Cross Month."

The organization is known for upholding highest levels of ethics that are backed with prompt compliance. The American Red Cross is responsible for educating the citizens about natural disasters and equipping them to handle them with minimum fuss. The organization is also very popularly known for its lifesaving training skills that help people to be aware of the dangers involved at the time of emergency.

American Red Cross is the single and largest non-government agency in the world which voluntarily collects, processes and distributes blood to the needy on a large scale. Apart from being responsible for supplying blood to almost half of the total population in United States, the organization helps victims of about 60,000 disaster relief operations every year.

Purpose

The core mission of the American Red Cross organization is to help the people who are in need of blood, shelter, first aid and to train citizens with knowledge about facing disasters and emergencies. The organization has thousands of volunteers and employees across United States who collect and donate blood. They also work towards restoring normal life to the victims of natural disasters.

The mission of the Organization is not just to help the victims at the time of disasters but also to empower them in leading a normal life from there onwards. At the time of a disaster, the Organization provides the disaster stricken victims much needed shelter, financial assistance, comfort and clean-up kits. After this, the organization helps in rebuilding their lives with proper guidance and counseling.

Although the government does its best to provide shelter and food at the time of disasters, the American Red Cross organization acts as a major helping hand with its volunteers and employees joining the rescue acts when it is needed the most. With its ability to supply blood to more than half of the nation, the organization fulfills its mission of helping the needy in almost every disaster.

One of the most essential things required at the time of a disaster is to let your loved ones know that you are safe. The American Red Cross helps the victims by providing an exclusive service through which a person can convey a message that he / she is safe and well. Through this organization it is very easy to find shelter at the time of a disaster. With the help of the numerous local Red Cross chapters, one can easily find shelter and relief at the time of disasters without any panic.

The other important mission of the Red Cross is to enable emergency communications to the members of armed services who will be working 24 X 7 at the time of disasters. The organization links the members of armed forces with their families at times of emergencies.

History

American Red Cross organization is United States' premier emergency response organization and has a rich history attached to it. This non government organization was founded on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton and her circle of acquaintances. The concept and idea of starting this organization came in the mind of Clara Barton when she visited Europe. She took inspiration from the international Red Cross Network and started campaigning for American Red Cross society.

Initially, during the American - Spanish war, the American Red Cross Society started its disaster relief efforts by serving the US military. Clara Barton retired in the year 1906 after serving the organization for 23 long years. However, the organization had already received its first 2 charters by then. The organization was only limited to providing first aid and nursing programs until the outbreak of the First World War.

This war ensured that the organization grew substantially and between the year 1914 and 1918, the Red Cross chapters grew from a mere 107 to 3,864. It was the period during which the organization's membership increased rapidly and grew to over 31 million members. The funds gradually started flooding in as people understood the role and importance of this organization at time of disasters.

After the First World War, the American Red Cross started its main service of collecting and supplying the blood and blood products. This has helped the organization to become the nation's largest blood bank as it supplies blood to almost half of the United States population. Apart from the collection and supply of blood, the organization also started major initiatives to serve the citizens such as accident prevention and safety training.

The Second World War saw the organization's major oversees disaster relief services that included shipping of supplies worth 300,000 tons. Apart from this, the organization also collected 13.3 million pints of blood for the armed forces.

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