Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

The American Red Cross is a non-profit organization that responds to about 70,000 disasters in the United States every year, ranging from home fires that affect a single family to hurricanes that affects tens of thousands, to earthquakes that impact millions. In these events, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, health, and mental health services to help families and entire communities get back onto their feet. Although the Red Cross is not a government agency, it is an essential part of the response when disaster strikes. They work in partnership with other agencies and organizations that provide services to disaster victims. The Red Cross helps military members, veterans and their families as well, to help them prepare for, cope with, and respond to the challenges of military service. Emergency communications, training, support to wounded warriors and veterans, and access to community resources help an average of 150,000 military families and veterans annually. The Red Cross is also the nation’s leading provider of health and safety courses including CPR, first aid and lifeguard training. Each year, more than nine million Americans participate in training programs such as first responders, educators, babysitters, and people who want to be prepared to help others in an emergency. Lastly, the American Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network with thirteen million volunteers in 187 countries. The help respond to disasters, build safer communities, and educate future humanitarians. Each year, the Red Cross helped reach an average of more than one hundred million people across the globe.

The Red Cross was even chartered by the United States Congress to "carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same." The Charter is unique to the Red Cross because it assigns duties and obligations to the nation, to disaster survivors, and to the people who generously support our work through donations.