General FAQs

The Red Cross idea was born in 1859. Henry Dunant, a young Swiss, witnessed a bloody battle in Solferino, Italy, between the armies of imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian Alliance. Some 40,000 men lay dead or dying on the battlefield and the wounded were lacking medical attention. Dunant organized local people to bind the soldiers' wounds and feed and comfort them. On his return, he called for the creation of national relief societies to assist those wounded in war, and pointed the way to the future Geneva Conventions.

In October 1863, The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement were created in Geneva, Switzerland, to provide nonpartisan care to the wounded and sick in times of war. The Red Cross emblem was adopted at this first International Conference as a symbol of neutrality and was to be used by national relief societies. In August 1864, the representatives of 12 governments signed the Geneva Convention Treaty.

The extraordinary efforts of Henry Dunant led to the eventual establishment of the International Red Cross. Today, the Red Cross Movement incorporates the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (the International Federation), as well as National Societies in 175 countries, including the American Red Cross of the United States.

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was the first person to establish a lasting Red Cross Society in America. She organized the American Association of the Red Cross in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1881. Created to serve America in peace and in war, during times of disaster and national calamity, Barton's organization took its service beyond that of the International Red Cross Movement by adding disaster relief to battlefield assistance. She served as the organization's volunteer president until 1904.

The Lubbock County Chapter of the American Red Cross was chartered on August 8, 1917 by President Woodrow Wilson. Many other county chapters on the South Plains received their charter around the same time.

Over the years the Bailey, Cochran, Crosby, Dickens, Garza, Hockley, Kent, Lamb, Lynn, Terry, and Yoakum County Chapters merged with the Lubbock County Chapter to form the South Plains Regional Chapter.

Hale, Floyd and Motley Counties are not officially a part of the South Plains Regional Chapter, however the South Plains Regional Chapter is tasked by the American Red Cross to ensure that the needs of those communities are met.

The American Red Cross functions independently of the government but works closely with government agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), during times of major crises. It is responsible for giving aid to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and to disaster victims at home and abroad. It does this through services that are consistent with its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement allowing the Red Cross to stay neutral and impartial. Race, religion, legal or economic status are irrelevant to receiving Red Cross assistance.

In 1905, the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the American Red Cross that required it to act "in accord with the military authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and their armed forces." Since then, the Red Cross has provided communications and other humanitarian services to help members of the U.S. military and their families around the world. Living and working in the same difficult situations and dangerous environment as U.S. troops, Red Cross staff has given comfort to soldiers thousands of miles from home by providing emergency messages, about deaths and births, for example, and comfort kits for loved ones to send to their troops.

The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

Humanity: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement were created from the desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield. In its international and national capacity it strives to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.

Impartiality: It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavors to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

Neutrality: In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Red Cross may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

Independence: The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the Movement.

Voluntary Service: It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

Unity: There can be only one Red Cross or one Red Crescent Society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

Universality: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all Societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other, is worldwide.

Although the red cross is not a religious symbol, some societies view it as such. The symbol of the red crescent is used instead of the red cross by societies in most Islamic countries and more recently a new neutral symbol, the Red Crystal, was approved by the Geneva Conventions, to accommodate the Magen David Adom, used in Israel.

The natural disaster with the highest death toll in U.S. history was the Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900 in which an estimated 6,000 people were killed. Clara Barton, founder and president of the American Red Cross in 1900, gathered a team and traveled by train from Washington, D.C., to Galveston to provide relief.

Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on August 29, 2005, is the most expensive single, natural disaster in the organization’s history to date. This hurricane necessitated the largest mobilization of Red Cross workers for a single relief operation. In the weeks and months that followed that storm, two subsequent severe hurricanes—Rita and Wilma—struck the GulfCoast states during the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

More than 233,000 Red Cross workers were activated and/or deployed to provide shelter, food, water and other immediate necessities for millions of storm survivors. Ninety-five percent of those workers were volunteers. As the response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma shifted from emergency relief to providing recovery assistance, cost estimates for the operation reached $2.116 billion.

The Red Cross does not accept individual donations of material items (called "in-kind" donations) because receipt of such items can actually hamper relief efforts. The financial and personnel cost of receiving, sorting, transporting goods and ensuring the quality and cleanliness of items donated by individual households is very high. It does not allow for individuals and families to receive what they uniquely need in their own size and shape.

Red Cross provides assistance with a client debit card that cover's the individuals immediate needs. The vouchers are redeemable at local stores and paid for with donation dollars that enable victims to purchase what they need in the correct sizes, etc. Making even these small decisions helps individuals begin to take control of their lives and their recovery. In addition, this process helps channel money into the local economy and thus aids the community in recovery from disaster. The Red Cross does accept large corporate donations of food, bottled water and other items needed by the disaster-affected communities.

Click here to see the wide variety of local volunteer opportunities available.

National and International disaster relief workers are drawn from a pool of paid and volunteer staff with extensive prior experience. It is required to first serve as a local volunteer before recommendations are made for available national and international opportunities.

Individuals wishing to make a financial donation, please click here.

There are minimal requirements around age, health and background check factors to help the Red Cross. Click here for relevant information.

As the largest humanitarian organization in the United States, the Red Cross depends on volunteers to accomplish the organization's mission: providing relief to victims of disasters and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. To prepare volunteers for this, we provide training for most volunteer positions, with the level of training varying according to the requirements of the position and the qualifications of the individual. Volunteers serve at all levels of the Red Cross, including:

• Serving on the national Board of Governors and boards of local chapters and Blood Services regions.


• Serving in management positions such as leaders of youth councils, supervisors on disaster relief operations, and chapter (local unit) managers.


• Performing direct services such as AFES casework; disaster response; training in CPR, first aid, and HIV/AIDS education; and supporting bloodmobiles.


• Performing support activities such as volunteer recruitment, marketing and public relations; fund raising; human resources management; and fiscal management.


• Serving on advisory groups, task forces and committees at the local, state and national levels.


• Teaching International Humanitarian Law courses and providing tracing, message and reunion services.


• Delivering services to youth.

Each year the American Red Cross mobilizes relief to victims of more than 60,000 disasters nationwide and has been the major supplier of blood and blood products in the United States for over 50 years. The American Red Cross also trains more than 11 million people in vital life saving skills, provides direct health services to 1.8 million people; provides more than 22 million locally relevant community services, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 50 countries, and transmits more than 500,000 emergency messages between members of the U. S. Armed Forces and their families.

Over 1.2 million people volunteered for the American Red Cross in FY2002. Ninety-seven percent of American Red Cross staff are volunteers. Adults over 25 comprise about 66% of Red Cross volunteers, while youth and young adults make up about 34%.

A Red Cross volunteer is an individual who, beyond the responsibilities of paid employment, freely assists the American Red Cross in the accomplishment of its mission without expectation or receipt of compensation.

The American Red Cross supplies more than half of the nation's blood supply. Individuals wishing to make a blood donation to the Red Cross may call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.givelife.org to find a blood drive near you. If the Red Cross does not collect blood in your neighborhood you will be referred to the nearest collection agency.

In Lubbock, and the surrounding area, blood is collected by United Blood Services.

The Red Cross is committed to saving lives and easing suffering. This diverse organization serves humanity and helps you by providing relief to victims of disaster, both locally and globally. The Red Cross is responsible for half of the nation's blood supply and blood products.

The Red Cross gives health and safety training to the public and provides emergency social services to U.S. military members and their families. In the wake of an earthquake, tornado, flood, fire, hurricane or other disaster, it provides relief services to communities across the country. The Red Cross is America's most trusted charity, and it needs the support of compassionate Americans to succeed.