The Red Cross Movement and the Beginnings of the American
Red Cross
In October 1863, The International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement was created in Geneva, Switzerland, to provide nonpartisan
care to the wounded and sick in times of war. The red cross was adopted as
the Movement’s emblem at this first International Conference as a symbol of
neutrality and was to be used by national relief societies.
We’re proud of our
history and appreciative of the volunteers, employees and
supporters who have given time, blood or contributions to enable the Red
Cross to
perform its life-saving mission.
Call 1-800-RED CROSS or go to redcross.org
You can help the victims of thousands of
disaster across the country each year, disasters like Hurricane Gustav, by
making a financial gift to the
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross
to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of
disaster. The American Red
Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to
a specific disaster, please do so at the time of the donation. Call
1-800-RED-CROSS or
1-800-257-7575
(Spanish). Donations can also be mailed to the American Red Cross, 318
Washington Street , Frankfort , KY 40601 or to the American Red Cross, P.O.
Box 37243 , Washington , D.C. 20013 . Internet users can make secure online
credit card donations by visiting
www.redcross.org.
Cynicism is among our most punctual instincts. Within days of the
earthquake in Haiti, there came warnings of impending compassion
fatigue, wagers of how long it would be before we turned away to the
Super Bowl, the Olympics and the Oscars, leaving Haiti to misery.
But I don't believe people get tired of helping--only that they get
tired of feeling helpless.
Cynicism is among our most punctual instincts.
Within days of the earthquake in Haiti, there came warnings of impending
compassion fatigue, wagers of how long it would be before we turned away to
the Super Bowl, the Olympics and the Oscars, leaving Haiti to misery.
But I don't believe people get tired of helping--only that they get tired of
feeling helpless...
...Then there is the help that is no help at
all. After the 2004 tsunami, aid poured in from all over the world. But it
included tons of outdated or unneeded medicines that Indonesian officials
had to throw out. People sent Viagra and Santa suits, high-heeled shoes and
evening gowns. A year later, after an earthquake in Pakistan, so much
unusable clothing arrived that people burned it to stay warm. It may make us
feel good to put together children's care packages with cards and teddy
bears--but whose needs are we trying to meet?
Money is fleet and nimble. The very thing that makes it unsatisfying to give
makes it powerful to deploy. It can turn into anything--a water bottle, a
prefab house, a tetanus shot, a biscuit. It lets relief agencies buy locally
whenever possible, supporting local markets for products that are culturally
and environmentally right. In the past decade, accountability has become a
watchword of relief agencies around the world, with new guidelines to help
donors know that their aid won't be wasted. Give money, Presidents Bush and
Clinton implore, and by implication, leave the rest to professionals.
If you can't feed a hundred people, Mother Teresa used to say, then feed
just one. There are slow-motion disasters everywhere. The
Red Cross is doing heroic work in Haiti,
but it is also doing it around the corner, when a house burns down. It may
not feel glorious, but often the greatest good is accomplished quietly,
invisibly. The choice is not either-or. We can give globally and help
locally. Either way, the same principle holds in helping as in healing:
First, do no harm.
or products that are culturally
and environmentally right. In the past decade, accountability has become a
watchword of relief agencies around the world, with new guidelines to help
donors know that their aid won't be wasted. Give money, Presidents Bush and
Clinton implore, and by implication, leave the rest to professionals.
If you can't feed a hundred people, Mother Teresa used to say, then feed
just one. There are slow-motion disasters everywhere. The
Red Cross is doing heroic work in Haiti,
but it is also doing it around the corner, when a house burns down. It may
not feel glorious, but often the greatest good is accomplished quietly,
invisibly. The choice is not either-or. We can give globally and help
locally. Either way, the same principle holds in helping as in healing:
First, do no harm.
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Franklin County Kentucky Chapter 
