http://www.redcross.org“American Red Cross International Services helps vulnerable people and communities around the world prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and health emergencies, through mobilizing the power of the world's largest humanitarian network, with 186 Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies and more than 97 million volunteers. In all our work, we abide by the seven fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.”
Brief History“Clara Barton and a circle of acquaintances founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881. Barton first heard of the Swiss-inspired International Red Cross Movement while visiting Europe following the Civil War. Returning home, she campaigned for an American Red Cross society and for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war-injured, which the United States ratified in 1882.
Barton headed the Red Cross for 23 years, during which time it conducted its first domestic and overseas disaster relief efforts, aided the United States military during the Spanish-American War, and campaigned successfully for the inclusion of peacetime relief work as part of the International Red Cross Movement-the so-called "American Amendment" that initially met with some resistance in Europe.”
Why I Help - JJ Janousek
by Stephanie Brooks, Red Cross Volunteer JournalistFriday, June 05, 2009 — JJ Janousek has been a devoted worker with the American Red Cross for 22 years. Janousek has been on numerous deployments to some of the country’s hardest hit areas during modern crises. She was born in Scotland, has lived in Cambridge, and later came to the United States.
In October 1987, she volunteered with the American Red Cross as a way of saying "thank you". Earlier the Red Cross helped her go home to England to be with her dying mother. Janousek discovered it was her calling to help others. After devoting so much time and effort to the Red Cross mission, Janousek says she and other Red Cross workers are rewarded in so many ways. She commented, "People can’t thank us enough [for our help]; it makes us feel good."
When asked about her most memorable deployments, Janousek spoke of two tragedies that still loom in the country’s consciousness: the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Regarding the 9/11 tragedy, she said, "I think about every three days, we were going to memorial services for people who lost their lives."
Four years later, Janousek deployed again to help with the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Janousek recalled, "People came from all over the world to help with Katrina." She found herself once again giving assistance so that others could start rebuilding their lives and their homes.
JJ continues to bravely deploy wherever the country needs her most. Her work with the Red Cross has bonded her and others for life in a cause to better the lives of others in need. She declared, "We’re one big team." And, Janousek added that the Red Cross people she's worked with are "like a family."
Read more at: http://www.redcross.org
