One of the Las Vegas Valley’s leading humanitarian organizations will mark a major milestone this year, as the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada celebrates its centennial June 14.
“The Red Cross has been part of the local community before the Strip and before Hoover Dam,” said Scott Emerson, executive director of the local chapter of the international emergency-assistance and disaster-relief agency, which also is known for its blood-services programs. “At the time, there wasn’t a proliferation of nonprofits like there is today, so the American Red Cross was one of the only conduits for citizens who wanted to get involved.”
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C., in 1881. The local chapter — originally chartered as the Clark County Red Cross — was formed in 1917 through the volunteer efforts of a small group of women who rolled bandages and knitted sweaters, socks and caps for soldiers fighting in cold climates overseas in World War I.
“There was a real sense of national identity in those days, and people really pulled together as a country in response to a call for support for WWI,” Emerson said. “One of our principles is to ensure that folks have their basic humanitarian needs met, and even today we still have a knitting club at Nellis Air Force Base, so that 100-year-old legacy lives on.”
After the war ended, Emerson said the organization began looking for other ways to support the community, and turned its efforts toward the Boulder Dam project. Constructed from 1931 to 1936 during the Great Depression, the project — later renamed Hoover Dam — attracted thousands of unemployed people to Southern Nevada, which was unprepared to accommodate the massive influx.
“People began flocking here and often had no housing or food or even clothing,” Emerson said. “We created some tent cities and offered other assistance, even providing gasoline for folks to leave town and relocate elsewhere when overcrowding became an issue.”
Then Nellis Air Force Base opened in 1941, and the organization began focusing on providing services to the military, which is still an integral component of its core mission. When Nevada became ground zero for nuclear testing in the 1950s, the American Red Cross shifted its local role to preparedness, school defense and water safety.
Other major services now include health and safety programs such as CPR and first-aid training, international services and blood services, with the organization serving as the largest supplier of blood in the U.S. The local chapter is the primary blood provider for 10 area hospitals.
A volunteer-led organization, the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross has 502 people serving in this capacity, with Christina Aberle acting as the local volunteer services specialist, responsible for recruitment and outreach.
“The American Red Cross is recognizable, so people trust us,” Aberle said, adding that attracting volunteers is an easy sell. “We get a lot of folks interested in our Disaster Action Teams, and others who don’t realize that we also have a huge military involvement. And a lot of people just say, ‘Where do you need me to help?’ ”
Historically, disaster response and disaster preparedness have been cornerstones of the organization’s mission.
Donna Robinson, the local disaster program specialist, oversees the Home Fire Campaign, in which volunteers install free smoke alarms and teach people about escape plans and ways to avoid having a fire.
She also directs the Pillowcase Project. “We go into elementary schools and give kids pillowcases printed with a list of things to put in them in order to be prepared for a disaster like a flash flood or a fire,” she said. “This includes items like clothing, a flashlight, a radio, a first-aid kit and snacks.”
She said the organization installed 1,343 smoke alarms in homes in Southern Nevada in fiscal year 2016, which ended June 30, while 1,951 students were educated in disaster preparedness through the Pillowcase Project.
The Disaster Action Team is on call 24/7 to respond to emergencies in the valley, which averages a fire about every 20 hours.
Over the years, the organization also has taken action in the wake of tragedies that have made national headlines, such as the Nov. 21, 1980, fire at the MGM Grand Hotel, which killed 85 people and remains the worst disaster in Nevada history. Volunteers from the local chapter were on hand for days to support victims and their families, reunite victims with their loved ones, provide emotional support and supply catering and other essential services.
The organization also was there to help when a blast at the Pepcon (Pacific Engineering and Production Co. of Nevada) chemical plant in Henderson shook the community on May 4, 1988, killing two people, injuring hundreds and damaging or destroying thousands of homes.
More recently, the organization rendered aid during the Carpenter 1 fire on Mount Charleston, which began July 1, 2013, and wasn’t fully contained until Aug. 18. The blaze consumed nearly 28,000 acres and resulted in the evacuation of residents and business owners.
“We mobilized volunteers for several days, and worked with multiple agencies to help support displaced families,” Emerson said. “Most folks left their homes thinking they’d only be gone for a few hours, so some of the local hotels provided free rooms, and the YMCA put together extended-care kits and activities for the kids. We even partnered with the city of Las Vegas and Animal Control for a mobile pet shelter. One of our core strengths is being able to pull people together.”
United Way of Southern Nevada is among the myriad agencies that boasts a long-standing partnership with the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada, according to Bob Morgan, president and CEO of the local chapter of United Way, adding that the organizations often work in tandem to build a stronger community by ensuring that families have the assistance they need in times of crisis.
“We are tremendously thankful for the support of American Red Cross of Southern Nevada as they provide disaster services, support to the armed forces and help to reconnect families,” Morgan said. “Through United Way of Southern Nevada’s fundraising efforts, over $1.35 million has been directed to American Red Cross of Southern Nevada over the last decade.”
As the organization prepares to mark 100 years of service to the local community, Emerson said plans are in the works for a centennial event — or possibly a series of events. To that end, a centennial committee has been created to iron out details. The committee includes Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and former Mayor Oscar Goodman, both of whom are avid supporters of the agency.
“For 100 years, the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada has been working to rebuild lives affected by disaster,” Mayor Goodman said in a prepared statement. “The Red Cross and its volunteers are heroes to countless people throughout our community, providing emergency services, supporting military families and training citizens in life-saving CPR and first-aid skills. They are always with us to provide compassionate care to those in need.”
And having weathered a century of economic downturns, world conflicts and ever-changing social conditions, it is clear that the American Red Cross is here to stay, having become deeply rooted in the communities it serves.
“While I cannot predict where we will be in the next 100 years, I do know that the Red Cross will be here, because the community continues to support it,” Emerson said. “It’s an iconic organization that is part of the American DNA, the connection to our history, our families and our communities. It also is a springboard for the betterment of our future — our children. We are not your grandparent’s Red Cross — we are your Red Cross. And in the future, we will be the Red Cross your children can count on in time of need.”