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Ninety Years Old, but Still Young at Heart
The American Red Cross continues to benefit from the contributions of its youngest members—and both they and their communities benefit as well.
By Mary Etta Boesl, Officer, Volunteer Partnerships, National Headquarters
Friday, September 14, 2007 — Woodrow Wilson is considered a visionary president for his advocacy of an international organization to promote world security, a dream that was realized in 1946 with the formation of the United Nations. But even Wilson could not have imagined how successful another of his visions—for American youth to share in the "best work in the great cause of freedom"—would become when he issued a proclamation on September 15, 1917, announcing the formation of the Junior Red Cross.
American Junior Red Cross-Juniors Helping Everywhere, poster by Paul Marten, 1930
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The new group made an immediate impact, with its 25-cent dues (which amounted to more than $2 million a year) providing basic needs to children in war-torn Europe. The National Children's Fund, as the initiative was called, was soon also supporting children who were victims of domestic disasters.
After World War II, a high school chest program was initiated. Chests containing supplies for 50 school children were sent internationally and to children in the United States whose school supplies were lost in disasters.
In 1956, the American Junior Red Cross shipped 10,000 gift boxes and 12,000 undershirts to Turkish children overwhelmed by a series of natural disasters. In addition, 6,900 packages of vegetable seeds were sent so gardens could be replanted.
Reducing Suffering Overseas
Today, 90 years after Wilson issued his proclamation, Red Cross youth are still helping reduce suffering overseas by raising money for the Measles Initiative. The goal of the project is to reduce measles deaths globally by 90 percent by 2010 by vaccinating children in Africa and Asia.
To raise money for the vaccine (which costs approximately $1 per child), students in the Red Cross Club at Ohio's Bowling Green State University partnered with the African People's Association to sponsor a four-day fundraising drive. In Rockville, Maryland, students at Robert Frost Middle School have held a poster contest for the past three years, with the money raised benefiting the Measles Initiative.
Youth volunteers in Midland, Michigan, sold round circles of paper called Measles Dots to local businesses. Each dot was signed by the purchaser and displayed in the window of the Red Cross chapter.
Developing Leadership Skills
Another goal of the Junior Red Cross was to help youth volunteers gain leadership skills and develop a penchant for community service they could carry with them throughout their lives. By training youth to help deliver services, providing leadership camps, and offering "on-the-job" mentoring, Red Cross chapters help young volunteers become leaders in their communities.
"The organization does not want young people to serve, it wants them to lead," says Sandy Tesch, who has served the Red Cross for nearly a decade.
Tesch, who chairs the organization's National Youth Council, became a member of her local chapter board in San Francisco at age 14. She says she was "painfully shy" at first, but gradually found her voice by talking about Red Cross services and sharing her ideas with other Bay Area youth volunteers.
Another youth volunteer, 15-year-old Beau Brooks, is a member of the Youth Sounding Board at the Red Cross in Monroe, North Carolina. The board was created to give the Red Cross a better idea of how to tailor the Babysitter's Training Program to the youth of today.
Helping Local Communities
All told, nearly 300,000 youth and young adults ages 24 and under are involved in all aspects of the Red Cross. They serve on disaster teams, teach health and safety courses, donate blood and staff blood drives, provide assistance to military families, and support international initiatives. Youth volunteers have also become integral to the day-to-day operations of many Red Cross offices by raising funds, participating in strategic planning and taking a place at the decision-making table.
In Los Angeles, 24 teenagers are teaching community disaster education at schools, houses of worship and neighborhood councils. The teens developed their own presentations for the half-day training sessions, blending humor and interactive skits as they show others how to be "Red Cross Ready."
In Little Rock, Arkansas, a middle school shooting led to discussions about how to empower students. One result of the discussions is the annual Red Cross Rapid Response Camp, which immerses students in the world of first response, from first aid to incident command. Camp graduates then establish rapid response teams in their high schools to be ready for emergencies at school.
If you are a youth or young adult who is interested in helping people, the Red Cross is the place to volunteer. That's what Justine Davis of San Antonio, Texas, did. She became a Red Cross volunteer as a way to give back for the help she and her mother received from the Red Cross when their house burned to the ground.
Call your local Red Cross chapter today to get more information about youth programs and opportunities in your area.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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