Initiative for founding
the Red Cross came from the Swiss philanthropist, Jean Henry
Dunant. Dunant was appalled at the lack of care for wounded
soldiers so he appealed to the leaders of nations to develop
societies devoted to the nonpartisan care for the sick and
wounded during times of war. Five Swiss citizens formed a
committee, which later became ICRC, and issued a call for an
international conference, which was later held in Geneva,
Switzerland. Delegates from 16 nations attended that conference
and the following year, 12 nations signed the first Geneva
Convention, which laid down the rules for the treatment of the
wounded and for the protection of medical personnel and
hospitals. It was at this conference that the Red Cross Emblem
(an inverted Swiss cross) was adopted as a symbol of neutrality
to be utilized by national relief societies. The movement was
born.
In the United States,
an American Civil War volunteer and humanitarian, Clara Barton,
tended the sick and wounded at the Battle of Bull Run and,
later, provided relief services overseas in the Franco-Prussian
War. While in Europe, Ms. Barton learned of the emerging
activities of the International Red Cross. Due in large part to
her tireless efforts, the American Red Cross was established in
the United States in 1881.
Clara Barton lobbied
vigorously for the United States to sign the Geneva Convention
Treaty and to participate in international relief efforts. In
1900, Congress granted the American Red Cross a charter charging
the organization with specific responsibilities including:
- To provide relief services to
members of the armed forces (to act as a medium of
communication between members of the armed forces and their
families)
- To provide relief to disaster
victims at home and abroad (to carry on a system of national
and international relief to alleviate suffering caused by
pestilence, flood, fire, and other disasters;
and to devise measures for preventing such calamities) - To
provide other government requested assistance in carrying out
the terms of the Geneva Convention.
Calhoun County
Citizens Respond: On September 16, 1916, six citizens,
including Dr. A.S. Kimball met at the Chamber of Commerce
building for the purpose of gathering together an alliance of
nurses and physicians. Their vision was to prepare a group of
volunteers who could respond to potentially devastating fires,
floods, plagues and to render service to the United States
government in times of war. They each committed $1 in dues and
became charter members of the Calhoun County Chapter of the
American Red Cross.
One of the early
efforts of the Calhoun County Chapter of the American Red Cross
was the establishment of the Motor Corps, a group of volunteers
that assisted the soldiers at Fort Custer and ran errands for
physicians during the flu epidemic of 1918. Red Cross volunteers
wore face masks as they drove from the camp to the hospital
carrying supplies and providing relief services for family
members of the sick and dying. The Motor Corp service was
revived during World War II to provide the same necessary
services.
The American Red Cross Today
In its second century,
the American Red Cross continues its tradition of providing
relief to victims of natural and man-made disasters. The
organization has expanded greatly from the tiny organization
created by Clara Barton. Still, millions of volunteers and
relief workers are motivated by the same caring and concern as
those who provided aid in the first Red Cross efforts.
We are proud to say
that a survey conducted in the early 1990's revealed that the
American Red Cross was one of the most highly regarded U.S.
charities. Furthermore, Money magazine named the Red Cross one
of the ten best-managed non-profit organizations in the United
States. As the organization has grown and expanded beyond its
Congressional mandated services, it continues to demonstrate the
values important to its founders: humanity, impartiality,
neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and
universality.
The Calhoun County Chapter of the American Red Cross
Like its national
counterpart, the Calhoun County Chapter of the American Red
Cross has responded to needs expressed by Americans through the
decades. Today the Calhoun County Chapter of the American Red
Cross is certified by the national organization, meeting its
high standards for chapter operations. The local chapter
provides diverse services to meet the needs of the people of
Calhoun & Branch County and continues to provide efficient and
effective services including:
- Comfort and
assistance to disaster victims
- Life-saving blood to patients in local hospitals
- Maintenance of a safe and accessible blood supply
- Health and Safety classes that teach children and adults to
swim, adults to save lives, and families to be safer
- A communication network connecting families separated by
disaster or military service
- Public education classes to slow the spread of AIDS
- Youth education programs in basic first aid, babysitting and
water safety
- Placement of more than 1,500 Red Cross volunteers throughout
the community
- Participation in the "Youth Engaged in Service", a program
placing more than 200 youth in various agencies for volunteer service during the summer
- Bone marrow drives to allow persons to be tested and placed
on the National Bone Marrow Registry
- Local, National and International Relief to disaster victims
- Armed Forces Emergency Services to armed forces members and
their families
The Calhoun County
Chapter of the American Red Cross is committed to keeping
families, and the communities they live in, safer and healthier.
