American Red Cross New Jersey Region

The American Red Cross began in 1881 through the efforts of Clara Barton. The Red Cross is part of our national history, providing disaster assistance to millions of people, saving countless lives through health and safety training, and assuring the availability of blood and blood products in medical emergencies. From its beginning the Red Cross has responded to disasters both local and national to international. The first national disaster relief operation began with a forest fire in Michigan and quickly was followed by others that included locally the present day Hurricane Sandy. With Volunteers Red Cross provides food shelter, clothing and medical care to those in need. In addition to Disaster response the support for the Armed Forces includes a history of providing nurses, doctors and food for soldiers during wartime. In 1909 the Red Cross began offering first aid plus other lifesaving trainings, in 1958 they began teaching mouth to mouth rescue breathing and worked to establish standards for CPR. In 1941 the military asked the American Red Cross to create and operate a national blood program to support the troops. After the war, the Red Cross introduced a civilian blood program that continues on today.

The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.