May 21 – NATIONAL AMERICAN RED CROSS FOUNDER’S DAY

Clara Barton, a one-time clerk working for the US Patent Office spent a major chunk of the American Civil War by tending to the wounded soldiers, and providing supplies on the front.

In Washington D.C, Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons laid the foundation of the American National Red Cross.

In May 1881, she founded the American Red Cross.

Red Cross dedicated itself to providing humanitarian help to victims of war and natural disasters in accordance with the International Red Cross.

Who Was Clara Barton?

Clara was born in Massachusetts in 1821 and worked with the wounded during the American Civil War.

She gained the name – Angel of the Battlefield for her tireless dedication to helping the needy.

The Big Reward

In 1865, United States president Abraham Lincoln commissioned her search for lost prisoners of war.

Clara made extensive records that she made during the war, and it helped identify thousands of Union soldiers in the Andersonville POW camp.

During a visit after the war’s conclusion, Clara came to know about the Red Cross movement and related Geneva Convention.

The Geneva Convention regulates the treatment of wounded soldiers, which later included POWs and civilians.

It was in Europe in 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, Clara went behind the German lines to work for the International Red Cross.

In 1973, she went back to the United States and within four years organized the American branch of the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross received its first US federal charter in 1900, and Clara was the head of the organization till her 80s.

Clara died in 1912.

A Little Extra Info

The May 21^st marks the anniversary of the American Red Cross, which is celebrated as the day of the National American Red Cross Founder’s Day.

Clara Barton was the first president of the Red Cross and led the organization to do some great humanitarian work during the next 23 years.

The American Red Cross provides assistance in the United States and is a designated affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Washington D.C. is the location of the headquarters of the American Red Cross, which also provides services as;

• Community services for the needy
• Educational programs for preparation, health and safety
• International relief and development programs
• Communication services and comfort for defense forces members and their families
• Collection, processing, and distribution of blood and blood products