By: Judith Weeks

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and what better day to celebrate the heroic women volunteers of the American Red Cross?

Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1900, and her life’s work has laid the foundation of the organization we serve today. Barton was a hero of the American Civil War, bringing supplies, food, and clothing to wounded and sick men on the battlefront, who called her “Angel of the Battlefield.” Of her own work, she wrote “I always tried to bring help and comfort. I could run the risk. It made no difference to anyone if I were shot and taken prisoner.” Clara Baron’s humanitarian efforts have inspired women volunteers ever since.

From World War II to Korea to Vietnam, women volunteers of the American Red Cross have brought comfort to soldiers in battle. During World War II, the Red Cross “Clubmobiles” traveled throughout Great Britain and Europe and were staffed by volunteers known as “Donut Dollies.” They brought a “taste of home,” water, coffee, and food to troops. These women were on the front lines, as was Clara Barton.

Today, women Red Cross volunteers carry on the work of Clara Barton by bringing comfort, food, and shelter to people who have been touched by disaster. They believe in her legacy, equal rights, and helping all people in need, regardless of race, gender, or economic situation. And they are proud to be members of the largest humanitarian organization in the world.

Main image description: a quote graphic featuring American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, seated in a black and white photograph. The Red Cross logo appears in the left-hand side. To the right of her picture is this quote, in white letters on a blue background: “I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man’s work for less than a man’s pay.”