American Red Cross

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers that provides relief to victims of disaster and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The International Red Cross movement began in Switzerland in 1862 with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Ms. Clara Barton introduced the Movement to America in 1881 and in 1898 the Seattle-King County Chapter was established. We serve the entire King County population of over 2,000,000 people, and respond to an emergency every other day, on average.

Our local chapter has over 1,800 volunteers who committed more than 110,000 hours of their time last year. Volunteers respond to disasters, speak to community groups and schools, develop youth leadership skills, support local blood drives, provide care to service members, and much more. The training and support volunteers receive on a regular basis allows them to be successful in every Red Cross program. Volunteers are providing front line services to your community 365 days a year. It all starts with you!