Company Overview

The Red Cross is recognized worldwide for providing disaster relief, health services, and education; it deals with about 70,000 cases each year. The American Red Cross gives aid to disaster victims and members of the U.S. military. It also runs blood drives and solicits tissue donations. Though it does work closely with the government in times of crisis, this is not a political organization. In fact, the Red Cross includes among its fundamental principles neutrality, impartiality, and independence. It’s about helping people in dire straits, wherever and whoever they are. The Red Cross has played a significant role in helping ease the effects of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was also on the front lines helping victims of the tragic tsunami in Southeast Asia as well as those of Hurricane Katrina here in the United States. It is providing humanitarian support in the face of manmade tragedies in places such as Sudan and Haiti. The Red Cross was deeply involved in 9/11 relief efforts—nearly 55,000 Red Cross workers mobilized in response. The Red Cross was created in 1863 in Switzerland. Clara Barton established a lasting Red Cross Society in America in 1881 and the American Red Cross was chartered by Congress in 1905.