Disaster Services

The American Red Cross has been providing assistance to victims of disasters throughout the United States since Clara Barton founded the organization in 1881.

Over the years, Red Cross volunteers have responded to hundreds of thousands of disasters across the nation. All 1,325 American Red Cross chapters respond to disasters, regardless of their size.

The Red Cross has fed hundreds of thousands of people, including emergency workers. Other Red Cross assistance, such as health and mental health services and referrals to other available resources, is also given to thousands of people.

Residential fires are the most frequently occurring disasters in the United States.

The Red Cross also handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, and provides blood and blood services to those in need.

HIV/AIDS Education

In June 1988, the Red Cross entered into a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase its HIV/AIDS education efforts to the general public.

The Red Cross developed the first nationally standardized, certified HIV/AIDS instructor course in the United States.

The Red Cross is currently developing culturally specific Prevention Skills materials to reach African Americans and Hispanics.

Armed Forces Services

Red Cross nurses and ambulance drivers served during the Spanish-American War and World War I. Red Cross canteens welcomed American troops during World War II, and American Red Cross recreation clubs were established close to the front lines in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. During the 1990-91 conflict in the Persian Gulf, the Red Cross provided service members and their families with financial assistance, crisis intervention, support groups, and a variety of other services.

The American Red Cross has been assisting men and women in uniform for more than a century. Beginning in the mid-1800’s, the organization’s founder, Clara Barton, risked her life on the battlefields of the Civil War to tend to fallen soldiers.

The Red Cross relays some 4,000 emergency messages between members of the Armed Forces and their families every day – one every 22 seconds.

In 1998, Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services reached 843,992 members of the Armed Forces and their families. In the majority of cases, more than 560,000, the Red Cross provided emergency communications and reporting.

The Red Cross provided 6,000 military families with financial assistance totaling approximately $4.4 million in 1998.

Red Cross chapters serve local veterans and their families, helping them obtain their rightful benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Chapters work through the Red Cross office located at the Board of Veteran Appeals in Washington D.C., which represents the veterans before the appeals board.

Health and Safety Services

In 1909, the American Red Cross began to offer first aid training to the general public. The Red Cross has trained millions of people in their Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Program (CPR).

Many Red Cross Chapters throughout Southern California offer the following health and safety services:

• First aid stations at public events
• HIV/AIDS education
• Prenatal education
• Blood pressure screening, referral and follow-up
• Back injury prevention and stress management
• Health care training
• Home health training
• Baby-sister training
• Training for child-care providers
• Sports Safety Training

Youth Services

In 1992, the American Red Cross Board of Governors adopted the National Youth Agenda, designed as the blueprint to carry youth involvement into the twenty-first century. The agenda promoted volunteer service, international collaboration and awareness, leadership development, youth-adult partnership, and external and school-based partnerships.

Formal and informal volunteer experiences during the teen years lead to a consistent commitment to volunteerism in adulthood, according to Independent Sector findings.