News & Publications

September 4, 2007 American Red Cross – Fundamental Principles/ careful stewards of the donated dollar

Mr. Uryga has voiced concerns about why we would assist a certain family after a recent disaster (single family fire), we cannot address the specific case due to confidentiality but overall: our organization’s mission - A Humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Our 7 Fundamental Principles include Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. This mission and principles are reflected in our daily emergency prevention and preparedness activities for our chapter, volunteers, communities, neighborhoods and organizations and individuals (disaster preparedness, CPR, First Aid, Learn to swim, hygiene, etc) and emergency response for the communication and assistance needs of our active and retired military.

We work with victims of disasters, in relation to the extent of their damage related needs, regardless of their diverse background. We normally receive a call from or with referral from a fire department or first responder agency when there is need for disaster assistance and respond within a couple of hours. Our volunteers are trained well to consider options with individuals affected by the disaster. If a victim does not have resources to have food or shelter after a disaster, we can help with up to 3 days assistance. This assistance is in accordance with their level of damage and whether/when other resources are available through insurance, family members or other organizations. Our organization provides assistance when individuals and families are in a time of desperate need whether there is a fire, hurricane, family emergency, etc and to help to prevent and prepare before something occurs. We provided support to 158 families, from July 2006 to June 2007, that had their lives turned upside down, who were all in need of basic assistance due to a disaster. All of these families had limited resources during the time of the disaster and we were there during the trying days of getting a disaster victim’s life back in order.

The American Red Cross takes stewardship of our limited donated dollar very seriously and ensures all costs are justified at every turn. We have committed volunteer and paid staff that continually works with vendors to ensure our costs are as low as possible. We are a non-profit organization who takes our fiduciary responsibility very seriously with checks and balances throughout our organization, both locally and nationally. Additionally, we pride ourselves in following our mission and principles on a daily basis to fulfill our humanitarian obligation to our community.