American Red Cross Of Massachusetts Bay
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/Red Crescent Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
Description:
The American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay was founded in 1905 and is of the largest Red Cross chapters in the nation. The Massachusetts Bay Chapter is responsible for providing services across 145 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts with a combined population of nearly four million.
Headquartered in Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Chapter has area offices located in Brockton, Fall River, Melrose, New Bedford, Peabody, Quincy, and Waltham that serve as local sites for community programs, volunteer recruitment and disaster preparedness and response. With a network of volunteers that annually provide more than 132,000 hours of service, the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay is one of the largest volunteer organizations in Massachusetts.
In 2005, the Massachusetts Bay Chapter:
Responded to nearly 500 local incidents, including fires, power outages, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, flooding and winter storms.
Provided immediate disaster assistance to more than 900 Massachusetts families in the form of emergency shelter, food, clothing, diapers, and prescription medications.
Taught more than 110,000 Massachusetts residents how to protect themselves and their families or to help others in an emergency through classes in First Aid, CPR, Lifeguard training, Babysitter training, and more.
The Boston headquarters of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay is located at the corner of Clarendon Street and Columbus Ave in Boston’s South End. We are your American Red Cross, staffed by your friends and neighbors and committed to you and your family.
History:
Red Cross History
1821 Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born on December 25 in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Died April 12, 1912.
1828 Swiss citizen Jean Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross, was born May 8. World Red Cross Day is celebrated annually on his birthday. Died October 30, 1910. Shared first Nobel Prize in 1901 with French humanitarian Frederic Passy.
1862 Dunant published A Memory of Solferino, in which he described an 1859 battle in Italy and how he tried to help the thousands of wounded. He urged creation of war relief societies, leading to the founding of the Red Cross.
1863 A five-member International Committee of the Red Cross was created in Geneva, with Dunant as a member. A red cross on a white background, the inverse of the Swiss flag, was adopted as their emblem in homage to neutral Switzerland.
1864 An international diplomatic conference adopted the first "Geneva Convention" to protect the sick, wounded, and medical personnel on the battlefield. Three more were later added to protect the wounded and sick at sea (1907), prisoners of war (1929), and civilians (1949). Additional protocols governing civil wars were added in 1977.
1881 On May 21, Clara Barton, a former teacher and government worker from Massachusetts, founded the American Association of the Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Supplies were shipped to Michigan forest fire victims by New York chapters in the organization's first disaster relief operation.
1892 The American Red Cross carried out its first international relief program. One million starving Russians received grain from Midwestern farmers.
1900 The U.S. Congress granted the American Red Cross a charter, providing a national mechanism for the American Red Cross to provide services to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and relief to disaster victims at home and abroad. The charter was revised in 1905.
1905 The Massachusetts branch of the American Red Cross was established.
1906 An earthquake and fire destroyed much of San Francisco. President Theodore Roosevelt named the American Red Cross as the agency to lead relief efforts.
1909 Jane Delano, superintendent of Army nurses, joined the Red Cross headquarters in Washington. This was the first step in giving the organization a national nursing corps.
1909 American Red Cross first aid and safety programs begin.
1914 Water safety program was established. The American Red Cross sent a “Mercy Ship” to Europe at the beginning of World War I, which carried surgeons and nurses to aid the wounded on both sides.
1914 The Metropolitan Boston Chapter was established.
1917 America entered World War I. The American Red Cross became a major humanitarian force with more than 30 million contributors and volunteers, carrying out medical and welfare activities for the armed forces.
1939 The Red Cross established a blood and plasma program and eventually mobilized more than seven million volunteers to carry out national programs in support of U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Produced 29 million life-saving food parcels for prisoners of war, collected 13 million units of blood, and aided 76 million war refugees.
1942 Coconut Grove fire which killed more than 400 people was instrumental in establishing a more effective disaster response system for the Greater Boston Red Cross
1950 Red Cross workers provided humanitarian assistance to U.S. troops in Korea.
1962 Red Cross workers went to Vietnam. By the end of U.S. involvement in 1973, they responded to two million requests for services to members of the Armed Forces.
1985 Through public education programs, the American Red Cross began working to prevent HIV infection.
1989 Hurricane Hugo devastated parts of the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands and was followed shortly after by the Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California. The Red Cross spent some $224 million on these and other disasters in that year.
1990 The American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information Center opened after captured Nazi documents in the archives of the former Soviet Union were released, enabling the Red Cross to trace the fate of thousands of victims.
1990 Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services workers followed U.S. troops to Operation Desert Shield/Storm in the Middle East to provide emergency communications and other humanitarian services.
1992 On August 24, Hurricane Andrew devastated parts of Florida and Louisiana. Some 14,800 Red Cross disaster workers mobilized in the most comprehensive and expensive natural disaster relief effort in Red Cross history - $83.7 million.
1995 The American Red Cross assisted victims of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. More than 9,000 Red Cross workers were involved in helping with a variety of needs ranging from financial assistance to trauma counseling.
2001 The American Red Cross responds to the 9/11 terrorist attacks by providing over $1 billion in of short and long-term relief assistance to families of the victims, residents of New York City, rescue workers and others affected by the tragedy.
2005 The American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay Chapter celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (617) 375-0750
Address:
Web Site: http://www.bostonredcross.org
Directions:
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Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Kendal MIT (Red Line),
Walk distance (in minutes): 2 min
Nearest Bus Stop: 68, 64, 2 min minute walk |
Miscellaneous Information
| What is the type of the agency? |
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501(c)(3)
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| Does the agency conduct CORI checks? |
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No
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| Last updated on December 30, 2008 |
