What the American Red Cross Does
March is National American Red Cross Month. Let’s celebrate with a history of the great organization and what the organization does. The American Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881, by a woman named Clara Barton. While she was visiting Europe after the American Civil War, she first heard about the International Red Cross. After helping people go through terrible struggles, she knew there was a bigger need for our society to help the wounded soldiers at battle.
The first real need came about at the time of the Crimean War of 1854. Florence Nightingale, an English nurse, noticed the horrible conditions the wounded soldiers had to live in and the extremely unsanitary practices that the physicians used. Soon after this, her efforts to help would develop into the International Red Cross.
Clara Barton fully believed that the European model of the Red Cross would be very beneficial in The United States. She fought to create what we have today – the American Red Cross. When the American Red Cross initially began, it was designed to help soldiers who were wounded from the war, but today, the American Red Cross has developed into a helping organization with many different capacities for humanitarian aid and care.
After numerous heated debates on the necessity and viability of the need for the American Red Cross, in 1882 Congress made Barton’s dream come true, and thus the American Red Cross was born. For 23 years following, Clara Barton headed the organization. She helped it grow and made its importance recognizable in society.
The American Red Cross has been involved in comforting and assisting wounded soldiers during all the wars the United States has been involved in, and it will continue to bring aid to the soldiers in all our future wars and conflicts.
Today, the American Red Cross has over 97 million volunteers and has many roles. They are capable of giving aid to anyone involved in any type of disaster. The American Red Cross offers first aid training, classes in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, disaster relief and prevention, medical services and humanitarian aid to anyone who needs it.
The volunteers for the American Red Cross come from all types of ethnic backgrounds and different walks of life. They are individuals truly dedicated to helping others in need.
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