Each year, the president of the United States proclaims March “Red Cross Month.” Since Clara Barton created the American Red Cross in 1881, it was largely dependent for publicity and support of people who learned of catastrophic events and the Red Cross response to them. After the news of an event, the American Red Cross rushed to the scene with help. People around the country came forth with outpourings of voluntary assistance, donations of funds, and supplies.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the month of March 1943 as “Red Cross Month.” The Red Cross set a goal of $125 million, the largest amount ever requested in one campaign by any American organization. Again, the response was overwhelming. It took less than six weeks to reach the target. By June 1943, donations totaled nearly $146 million. Roosevelt called it “the greatest single crusade of mercy in all of history.”

On February 25, 2010, President Barack Obama signed his American Red Cross Month Presidential Proclamation. His next to last paragraph, he wrote, “Our Nation’s leadership relies upon our citizens who are motivated to act by our common humanity. This month, let us come together to celebrate the American spirit of generosity, and the dedicated individuals and organizations who keep that spirit alive.”

The American Red Cross of Augusta was chartered in 1917 as a unit of the American National Red Cross. The Augusta chapter has provided services to the citizens of 11 counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes. The Augusta chapter is guided by a Board of Directors and a staff of 7 full time employees. They have a volunteer force of approximately 500 individuals that provide the programs and services to the local community.

The American Red Cross Services has been supporting the U.S. military since the Civil War. American Red Cross workers deploy with U.S. forces all around the world, to include military exercises and combat. Currently there are American Red Cross stations in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq to expedite emergency communications for our troops and provide verification to military commanders. The American Red Cross provides Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) which provides emergency communication 24 hours a day/7 days a week between the members of the military and their families.

Military members can have peace of mind knowing that when they are on a mission, training, or stationed far from home they are still connected to home. While providing service to 1.4 million active duty military personnel and their families, the Red Cross also reaches out to more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families living in nearly every community in America. Red Cross workers in hundreds of chapters and on military installations briefed 974,573 departing service members and their families regarding available support services, and explained how the Red Cross may assist them during the deployment.

The Red Cross has both an adult volunteer program and a youth summer program. Last year, Eisenhower Army Medical Center and Fort Gordon had 163 adult volunteers that contributed over 38,207 hours. An Independent Sector Research based the value of one volunteer hour to equal $20.25 which equated to saving the Army over $773,693.00. The Youth Summer program had 105 participants that volunteered over 15,846 hours. Based on the Independent Sector Research value, they saved the Army over $329,892. The combined savings in 2009 was over $1,103,586.20.