March 2026 Magazine - Flipbook - Page 24
SAFETY
Page 19
RED CROSS MONTH
March is American Red Cross Month, in honor of the people who dedicate their
lives to the American Red Cross. We celebrate the entire month to recognize those
who make lifesaving missions possible in times of crisis, and to raise awareness
and support for Red Cross Month as they unite, encourage, and assist in providing
Walter J.
peace among all people. The American Red Cross (ARC) was established on May
Breaux, RPLS
21, 1881, in Washington, D.C., by Clara Barton and a circle of her acquaintances.
TSPS Safety
Barton first heard of the Swiss-inspired Red Cross network founded in 1863 while
Committee
visiting Europe after the American Civil War. After seeking government support to
create
an organization that could provide humanitarian services to areas of armed conflict, she also campaigned
for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war injured. The United States ratified this in 1882.
Clara Barton served as the leader of the Red Cross for 23 years. During her time of service, she extended
services beyond wartime support to include disaster relief for natural disasters in the United States and
around the world. The Red Cross received its first congressional charter in 1900 and a second in 1905, the
year after Barton resigned from the organization. The latest revision, adopted in 2007, reaffirmed the
organization's established objectives. These include aiding members of the American armed forces and
their families, serving as a communication channel for them, and delivering national and international
disaster relief and mitigation services.
During World War I, the organization operated as a quasistate, non-governmental organization separate from the
U.S. government, primarily focused on overseas civilian aid.
The organization allocated just under one million dollars to
domestic projects, compared to 120 million dollars for
international relief. During World War I, it helped soldiers
with facial injuries by creating galvanized copper face
masks for soldiers who had been facially disfigured. They
also produced 500,000 wound dressings of Sphagnum
moss rather than cotton, based upon the research of John
William Hotson.
The Red Cross was celebrated in 1943 when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt declared March as Red Cross Month
to raise awareness of the mission of the American Red
Cross during World War II. President Roosevelt asked the
public to help with the efforts of the Red Cross during the
