125 Years Strong Nationally: 102 Years Strong Locally
Five Swiss citizens, including author Henri Dunant, created the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863. Dunant’s book, Un Souvenir de Solferino, sparked what became known as the Red Cross Movement. The ICRC, including the founders, was later instrumental in the Geneva Conventions. The Geneva Conventions adopted by 181 countries, lay out humanitarian guidelines during war and armed conflict protecting the rights of people held or directly affected. In 1863, these five Swiss citizens set the groundwork for the most respected humanitarian organization in the world.
On May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton and her supporters. That summer, the American Red Cross responded to its first disaster by coming to the aid of thousands who were left homeless following the Michigan forest fires. In 1905, the first office in Michigan was opened in Detroit in a house on Jefferson Avenue appropriately named the Michigan Branch of the American Red Cross. Later, the Detroit Chapter was formed in 1909 at the same location. Today, the Southeastern Michigan Chapter touches 250,000 lives annually by providing disaster relief in times of crisis and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
Southeastern Michigan Chapter Timeline:
1905 - The Michigan Branch of the American Red Cross was formed in Detroit.
1909 - The Detroit Chapter of the American Red Cross was chartered.
1916 - One of the nation’s first lifesaving corps was established by the Detroit Chapter to teach lifesaving skills and to patrol the community’s unguarded beaches. It was the only Red Cross activity at the time not directly related to the war effort.
1917 - The Red Cross began training nurse’s aides at Newberry Home Teaching Center in Detroit.
1923 - The Detroit Chapter began first aid activities. By 1927, the Detroit Board of Education had
accepted the Red Cross First Aid programs for its schools.
1936 - The Detroit Chapter established three Highway Safety Stations and staffed them with volunteers trained and equipped to give first aid to travelers in case of accident or illness.
1941 - A blood donor service was first initiated in November at the request of the Army and Navy to obtain plasma for the armed forces. The Detroit Donor Center opened in December.
1942 - Detroit Chapter membership reached 593,326, making it the largest chapter in the nation.
1947 - The Southeastern Michigan Blood Region began providing blood supply for area residents and hospitals.
1949 - The Detroit Chapter became the very first Red Cross chapter to enter into an agreement delegating the responsibility for Red Cross fundraising to the United Way. In 1954, the national office of the American Red Cross changed its policies so that other chapters across the country could work with the United Way.
1950 - The American Red Cross national convention was held in Detroit for the first time, and held here again in 1965.
1950 - The Detroit Chapter began first aid training in small industries.
1965 - The Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross was formed by the merger of the Detroit, Grosse Ile, Macomb, and Oakland chapters. The Detroit Regional Blood Center was renamed the Southeastern Michigan Regional Blood Center.
1967 - The Chapter set up emergency food and clothing centers to aid families left homeless by the Detroit riot. Volunteers collected over 3,000 pints of blood to make sure area hospitals were adequately supplied to meet their emergency needs.
1969 - The Southeastern Michigan Regional Blood Center furnished blood for the first Michigan heart transplant patient at University Hospital in Ann Arbor.
1970 - Volunteer Disaster Action Teams, groups of volunteers who provide immediate emergency assistance to victims of home fires, were first established.
1973 - The Chapter moved into new facilities at Mack and John R, our present location.
1978 - Joan B. Warren became the first woman elected as Chapter Chairman. She had been instrumental in raising funds for the new facilities as the Capital Fund Committee Chairman.
1982 - A new “Contract Services” program was begun, offering onsite training in First Aid and CPR to business and industry on a contractual basis.
1984 - The Chapter launched a pilot Home Health Aide/Nurse Aide course designed to train and certify individuals in the skills needed for employment as a home health aide or nurse aide.
1990 - Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) workers provided emergency communications and other humanitarian services to U.S. troops in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm.
1994 - The first Rhapsody in Red Gala was a huge success and for a few years was the premier community fundraiser for local disaster relief.
1997 - The Southeastern Michigan Chapter was the hub of a national disaster operation, responding to devastating tornadoes which ripped through the tri-county area. More than 700 Red Cross-trained volunteers gave aid and comfort to 5,000 victims of the storms.
1998 - The Southeastern Michigan Chapter was one of a few Red Cross chapters in the nation to pilot a program for Automated External Defibrillation placement and training in public and private facilities. It developed a standard training with First Aid and CPR components and placed the most AED units during the pilot.
2001 - The support of thousands of organizations and individuals across southeast Michigan helped the American Red Cross aid victims of the September 11 tragedy in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania by raising over $17 million for the Red Cross Liberty Fund.
2003 - Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) workers provided emergency communications and other humanitarian services to U.S. troops in the Middle East during Operation Enduring Freedom. This service activity increased 20% over the previous year.
2004 - The Southeastern Michigan Chapter responded with its generous supporters, nine staff, and a brand-new Emergency Response Vehicle to provide emergency relief following four devastating hurricanes that swept through Florida and surrounding states within one month.