This month, the American Red Cross celebrates 125 years of service – a special anniversary for all Americans. For 125 years, guided by its mission to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies, the Red Cross has helped our nation through some of its most challenging times.

During a live 30-minute interview on KJFF Radio (1400 AM) on Friday, May 12, Nick Farruggia, manager of disaster preparedness and client services for the St. Louis Area Chapter, joined Omar Ruiz to discuss this important anniversary, as well as Red Cross involvement in Armed Forces Emergency Services.

Farruggia and Ruiz opened their interview by discussing the irreplaceable constant within the American Red Cross during the past 125 years – the importance of its volunteers. Today, more than 95 percent of all Red Cross workers are volunteers and the 125th anniversary is a special time to recognize their steadfast commitment to serving those in need.

Through the years, Red Cross volunteers have mobilized support and delivered compassionate service through two World Wars, the Influenza Epidemic of 1918, the Great Depression and the Johnstown Flood. Along the way, the Red Cross has pioneered first aid and water safety training, blood banking and disaster preparedness, saving many lives in the process.

Most recently, in 2005, the Red Cross was at the forefront in responding to major natural disasters, including the tsunami, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, house fires and other emergencies. As a nation, we were inspired as more than 230,000 Americans left their homes for weeks, and in some cases months, to volunteer for the Red Cross in service to those impacted by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

As these large-scale disasters made headlines, the Red Cross was also responding throughout the nation to other emergencies. In fact, Red Cross chapters responded to more than 70,000 disasters during a 12-month period – more than in any year of the organization’s history. While many of these disasters were on a smaller scale than the hurricanes, they were just as devastating for those affected.

Clara Barton established the American Red Cross on May 21, 1881 and led the organization as a volunteer for more than 20 years, setting the standard for volunteer service. At the onset of the Civil War, Barton saw the need for humanitarian service to the individuals in uniform who were wounded, hungry and in need of clothing and other supplies.

In response to this need, Barton collected supplies for the soldiers, read and wrote letters for them and listened as soldiers expressed their fears and concerns. And so began the Red Cross movement in the United States. Barton’s actions in the 1860’s paved the way for an eventual Red Cross program that continues today – Armed Forces Emergency Services.

Through the more than 800 chapters across the country, the American Red Cross serves 1.4 million active-duty personnel and 1.5 million members of the National Guard and the Reserves. Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services personnel also serve on more than 100 military installations around the world, including alongside our troops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

The American Red Cross briefs departing service members and their families regarding available support services, and explains how the organization may assist them during their deployment. Active-duty and community-based military personnel can count on the Red Cross to provide communications that link them with their families back home, access to financial assistance and crisis intervention when needed.

The Red Cross provides the resources for military members stationed all over the world to send messages to loved ones during an emergency or other important event. These messages are delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

A program known as “Get to Know Us Before You Need Us” has been introduced to familiarize the American public with Armed Forces Emergency Services. Today, members of the Guard and Reserve are being called to active duty in record numbers. Not only does this occur more frequently, but the deployments often last for longer periods of time. Right here in Jefferson County, the 220th and the 1035th National Guard Units have returned from active-duty deployment within the last month.

For more information related to the 125th anniversary of the American Red Cross or Armed Forces Emergency Services, call 636.464.9150.

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