The
American Red Cross (also known as the
American National Red Cross) is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the
United States, as part of the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Today, in addition to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers services in five other areas community services that help the needy; communications services and comfort for military members and their family members; the collection, processing and distribution of blood and blood products; educational programs on health and safety; and international relief and development programs.
Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of more than 700 chapters and 36 Blood Services regions, now broken up into 9 divisions, dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. More than a million Red Cross volunteers and 30,000 employees annually mobilize relief to people affected by more than 67,000 disasters, train almost 12 million people in necessary medical skills and exchange more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their family members. The Red Cross is also the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide. Of the organization's over $6 billion in annual revenues, blood and blood products generate over $2 billion.
The American Red Cross is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and recently has had fluctuating executive leadership. The Chairman of the Board of Governors, serving her second three-year term, is Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. The current interim President and Chief Executive Officer is Mary S. Elcano, who replaced her predecessor, Mark W. Everson, on 26 November 2007. Everson resigned after serving only 6 months. Prior to that the organization had been led by interim president John F. McGuire. In 2007, US legislation clarified the role for the Board of Governors and that of the senior management in the wake of difficulties following Hurricane Katrina.[1]
