Your Local Red Cross
Around the clock, every day of the year, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter stands ready to respond to emergencies. At every disaster, a volunteer or staff member assesses the victims' needs and provides food, clothing, and shelter and other services to help families take the first steps to recovery. The Philadelphia Fire Department honored our Chapter with its 2005 Community Partnership Award and presented a commemorative Liberty Bell in honor of the award on the Mayor's behalf. Beyond disaster, our Chapter provides emergency services to the Armed Forces and their families.
Training Programs in CPR/First Aid, water safety, lifeguarding, and other areas provide vital skills and a chance to help others in the event of an emergency. Nurse Assistant Training provides individuals with skills to become nurse assistants certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, enabling them to earn higher wages in a field in need of workers; the Chapter is the state's only authorized testing site.
As members of after-school Red Cross Clubs, high school students become leaders and role models, learn valuable personal health and safety lessons, educate their peers and younger youth, explore educational and career opportunities, and proudly serve their school and community. The Chapter also offers the Healthy Behaviors program, which provides HIV/AIDS prevention, disaster preparedness, and safety training to empower youth to respond to life's emergencies. The Philadelphia School District has recognized our excellence in providing training that builds the capacity of individuals to educate their family and community through contracts in the last 15 years in which more than 210,000 students, teachers, and administrators have been trained.
The Chapter supports Red Cross Blood Services by staffing blood drives with volunteers and assigning volunteers to deliver blood to the Philadelphia processing facility.
As a part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, the Chapter reunites individuals displaced by conflict or natural disasters worldwide while also educating the public on International Humanitarian Law, International Relief & Development, and Tracing & International Services. Older Adult Services: The Chapter offers Lifeline, a 24-hour personal emergency response system that empowers homebound individuals with limited mobility, and Personal First Aid for Seniors. Our Chapter's program was the first of 39 to reach 1,700 subscribers and is now the largest in the nation.
