How Did Karla Barton Contribute To The American Red Cross

An educator, nurse, and founder of the American Red Cross, Clarissa Harlow Barton, more famously known as Clara Barton, was born in 1821. Being a woman born into this time period, she faced hardships and struggled to compete with men and it was because of this that she was pushed towards taking care of people who were wounded or ill. She had her first calling at the age of ten where she nursed her brother back to recovery after he experienced a severe fall and it was not until forty years later in the 1860s that she began making major contributions to the nursing profession. The 1860s was the time of the Civil War, specifically beginning in 1861. At this time, Barton was working at Washington D.C. where she worked in the Patent Office. When

Before the First World War, the Red Cross introduced its “first aid, water safety, and public health nursing programs” (Who is Clara Barton, 2008) In regards to natural disasters, they provided relief for the Great Depression during the 1930s and also the during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 which was the largest Red Cross Response in it’s history. Here they provided millions of people with food, shelter, and money to get back on their feet, emotional support, etc. Their first congressional charter was received in 1900 and the second in 1905. Then their third was adopted in May 2007 which “restates the traditional purposes of the organization” which includes being a form of communication between those in the American armed forces and their families as well as providing an international and national disaster relief and mitigation (Who is Clara Barton, 2008). Not only is the American Red Cross responsible for sending relief response teams, but also for education. They have expanded their services to teaching CPR/AED, emotional care, support in the wake of emergencies, civil defense, and HIV/AIDS education. Additionally, they have “introduced the first nationwide civilian blood program that now supplies more than 40% of the blood and blood products in the country” (Who is Clara Barton, 2008). Overall, the American Red Cross has done great things for the greater good of