Red Cross Mission

The American Red Cross, founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross, will provide relief to victims of disasters to help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. All actions carried out by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are guided by the Fundamental Principles. The Fundamental Principles are generally regarded as the moral authority under which we operate. The Fundamental Principles are as follows: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

The Red Cross responds to a disaster in the U.S. every eight minutes. Whether an entire region is devastated by floods or one family's home is destroyed by fire, the Red Cross provides food, clothing, shelter and other necessities to those in need, remaining as long as the recovery takes.

In fact, we're active in communities before disaster strikes, teaching people how to prepare for disasters and minimize their potential for destruction. As part of the world's largest humanitarian network, we work with our Red Cross partners to assist victims of disaster beyond our borders, and to relieve human suffering caused by war, economic collapse, epidemics and chronically poor living conditions. As in U.S. communities, we help people in disaster prone areas learn to cope with emergencies--saving lives and livelihoods. All our assistance promotes self-sufficiency and strives to restore dignity and hope to devastated lives.