Clarissa “Clara” Barton with her acquaintances founded the American Red Cross in Washington D.C. on May 21, 1881. She was a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington D.C., when the Civil war broke out in 1861. When poorly trained soldiers began pouring into the capital, Clara organized food, clothing and bedding donations to support the soldiers. She was soon transporting provisions to the front lines as well.
Barton traveled to Europe in 1869. There she learned about the Red Cross, and saw its impact first hand during the Franca Prussian War. That caused her to create the American Red Cross. It received its first congressional charter in 1900, and its mission remains basically the same today to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and generosity of donors.
Soon after its founding, the American Red Cross participated in a number of disaster relief efforts, and introduced water safety, and public nursing programs. It also originally aided U.S. military during the Spanish-American War. The organization came into its own during World War I. For example, in 1918 the membership jumped from 17,00 to now more than 20 million adult and 11 million junior members. In addition to providing ambulance drivers and millions of surgical dressings, other medical supplies and relief items, the Red Cross made a significant contribution to the war effort through nursing. It recruited and trained over 20,000 nurses to serve the military both at home and abroad.
During World War II, the military asked the Red Cross to organize a Blood Donor Service with a goal of processing blood into dried plasma. The organization collected about 13.4 million pints of blood from 6.6 million donors over the course of the war. The military took over its own blood program at the end of the Korean War, according to the Armed Forces Blood Program. Today, the Red Cross still provides about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply, and the two organizations work together in times of great need.
Throughout its history, the Red Cross has aided hospitalized service members and veterans, offering everything from free first phone calls home to writing letters to running errands to providing personal care items to holding recreational activities.
The organization also remains committed to helping military members and veterans by offering financial, job, legal and mental health counseling. In addition, Red Cross workers assist veterans in filing benefits claims and appeals. For assistance, call the Red Cross at 877-272-7337.