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Millions of people across the world work for voluntary organisations and invest their abundant energies into helping their communities. Historically, establishments of voluntary organisations date back to at least the nineteenth century, when some of the world’s largest voluntary organisations, such as the Red Cross, were established to help people in need for free. To date, volunteer work remains a popular activity among the public worldwide.

The post The power of volunteering: you make me happy and I make you happy appeared first on OUPblog.

By Julia F. Irwin

President Barack Obama has proclaimed March 2014 as “American Red Cross Month,” following a tradition started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. 2014 also marks the 100-year anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War in Europe. Although the United States would not officially enter the war until 1917, the American Red Cross (ARC) became deeply involved in the conflict from its earliest days. Throughout World War I and its aftermath, the ARC and its volunteers carried out a wide array of humanitarian activities, intended to alleviate the suffering of soldiers and civilians alike.

In honor of American Red Cross Month, and in commemoration of the First World War’s centennial, here’s a list of things you might not have known about the World War I era history of the American Red Cross:

(1)   On 12 September 1914, just over a month after the First World War erupted in Europe, the American Red Cross sent its first relief ship to the continent. Christened the Red Cross, the ship carried units of physicians and nurses, surgical equipment, and hospital supplies to seven warring European nations. This medical aid reached soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

(2)   After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the ARC’s intervention in Europe expanded enormously. Over the next several years, the ARC’s leaders established humanitarian activities in roughly two-dozen countries in Europe and the Near East. The organization provided emergency food and medical relief on the battlefields and on the European home front, but ARC staff and volunteers also took on more constructive projects. They built hospitals, health clinics and dispensaries, libraries, playgrounds, and orphanages. They organized public health campaigns against diseases like typhus and tuberculosis. They took steps to reform sanitation in many countries and introduced nursing schools in several major cities. The ARC’s efforts for Europe, in other words, went well beyond immediate material relief to include long-term, comprehensive social welfare projects.

(3)   During World War I, the American Red Cross experienced astronomical growth. On the eve of war, ARC membership hovered around 10,000 US citizens. By 1918, the last year of the war, roughly 22 million adults and 11 million children – approximately 1/3 of the total US population at that time – had joined the American Red Cross and contributed at least $1.00 to the organization.

(4)   In 1917, the wartime leaders of the American Red Cross established an auxiliary body for US children—the Junior Red Cross (JRC). During the war, American Juniors put on plays and organized bazaars to raise money for the war effort, collected scrap metal and other essential war supplies, and helped produce over 371,500,000 relief articles for US and Allied soldiers and refugees, valued at nearly $94,000,000. After the war ended, postwar leaders transformed the JRC’s mission, moving away from relief efforts and towards international education initiatives. They established pen-pal programs for between US and European schoolchildren and published monthly magazines to teach US students about the culture, geography, and histories of other nations.

(5)   As President of the United States, President Woodrow Wilson was also the President of the American Red Cross. Wilson proved to be a tireless promoter of the ARC. Through many speeches and press releases, he urged all US citizens to join the ARC, defining this as nothing less than a patriotic duty. Wilson also lent his face to ARC posters, magazine covers, and other forms of fundraising publicity. It was on 18 May 1918, perhaps, that Wilson made his commitment to the ARC most visible: on that day, he led a 70,000-person American Red Cross parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City. The visible support of Wilson and his administration played a critical role in defining the ARC as the United States’ leading humanitarian organization—a status that it continues to hold 100 years later.

Julia F. Irwin is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of South Florida. She specializes in the history of US relations with the 20th century world, with a particular focus on the role of humanitarianism in US foreign affairs. She is the author of Making the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation’s Humanitarian Awakening. Her current research focuses on the history of US responses to global natural disasters.

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Image credits: (1) “Help the Red Cross.” Public domain via U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (2) “In the Name of Mercy – Give.” Albert Herter. Public domain via Library of Congress.

The post The American Red Cross in World War I appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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Yesterday afternoon a massive tornado hit the town of Moore, just outside Oklahoma City. Dozens have been killed, hundreds injured and the town was nearly leveled. This is one of the most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States and even more destructive weather is possible in the region over the next few days.

When a disaster like this hits, especially in schools and harming children as this did, we all look on, feeling empathy, wishing they could do something. Us too, here at First Book, watching the twitter feeds, the news, and holding our breath, hoping one more person will be found alive. The time will come to rebuild schools and provide books for schools whose home and school libraries were destroyed.

Until then, please join us in supporting the  Red Cross in their disaster relief efforts. This organization is the front line to repair and support, not just those in Moore, OK, but all who need it most in the region over the next few days.

You can go online at www.redcross.org and donate. Call Red Cross at 1-800 REDCROSS. Text REDCROSS to 90999, to give $10, or click on the American Red Cross image on the left to donate.

The post Moore, Oklahoma – Our Hearts Are With You appeared first on First Book Blog.

It takes a very good reason for vampires (and their fans) to brave the harsh light of day.  An Alabama library found the perfect thing to coax them out into the hot summer sun.  Gadsden Public Library’s Read and Bleed event challenged teens to donate money, time, and—most importantly—blood.  Library director Amanda Buckner Jackson explains how Read and Bleed came about: “With all the destruction the State of Alabama and our area had faced in April, we wanted to do our part to help with the recovery efforts and to keep the need for assistance fresh in the minds of our community. The Red Cross has been such an integral part of the relief efforts, that partnering with them seemed like the most logical decision.”  After some inspired brainstorming, Read and Bleed fell into place.

Gadsden Public Library reached out to an old friend who knows a little something about blood.  Vampire Kisses author Ellen Schreiber had visited Gadsden for the library’s fantastic Geekfest.  When asked to return, Ellen jumped at the chance to reconnect with Gadsden’s enthusiastic teens.  She flew down from Ohio just for Read and Bleed.  Teens came from as far away as Huntsville to see Ellen and give blood.  A Red Cross van collected blood donations while Ellen signed books and read to the gathered fans.  Ellen says she loved the goths who showed up in monster boots and corsets.  But Ellen admits, “We were so hot we had to go inside for the rest of event.  We vampires were melting in the sun!”

Ellen couldn’t give blood because she was getting on a plane right after the event, (and we’d hate to see her pass out at 30,000 feet).  But she did donate her entire speaking fee to the American Red Cross.  Ellen wasn’t alone in her generosity.  The summer book club raised $1000 for the Red Cross.  Amanda Buckner Jackson reports that Read and Bleed had close to 100 participants through fundraising, reading, donating blood, and helping to publicize the blood drive.  Not only did the blood drive collect donations at a critical time, it also encouraged Gadsden’s teens to be more civic minded.  As Amanda says, “We wanted them to see that just because you are young doesn’t mean you can’t be the change you want to see in your community.”  And that warms the heart more than a pint of AB negative.

~ Tony

This morning a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Japan once again, triggering tsunami alerts. We followed the quake through the Twitter feeds of writers living in Japan.

Author Jake Adelstein wrote: “‘I may have been shaken but I am not stirred. I will be the dry martini in a time of crisis.’ My Earthquake mantra.” Pamela wrote: “Trying for some shut-eye. May the rest of your night be non-earthshaking.”

Yesterday artist and blogger  posted a painted tribute (embedded above) to the earthquake-hit Aomori prefecture. Follow this link to donate to Red Cross earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Girls Drawin Girls is organizing an online art sale to donate proceeds to the American Red Cross (or a Haiti related charity of your choosing) to go towards the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

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hey SFG people!

Girls Drawin Girls are organizing an online art sale to donate proceeds to the American Red Cross (or a Haiti related charity of your choosing) to go towards the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

New York will be in a good mood when I arrive this afternoon – an afterglow of congeniality from the Giants’ Super Bowl lightning-bolt win. Of course, there’s always a feeling of camaraderie at the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. SCBWI is an international professional organization that promotes knowledge among authors, illustrators, publishers, agents, educators, and booksellers who are passionate about children’s books. It’s the ideal networking opportunity for people who are already a part of this industry, as well as those who want to join in. I look forward to their annual winter conference each year; it’s a great place to meet enthusiastic and talented authors and artists. That’s where I met Lisa Trumbauer. Her book A Practical Guide to Dragons had just topped the NY Times bestseller list. She went on to write one of our first sports books for girls, Storm Surfer. And now she’s working with us on another project for Spring ‘09.

Last year’s conference brought together three of the biggest names in children’s literature: Katherine Paterson, Susan Cooper, and Brian Selznick. It was an alignment of the heavenly bodies. This year’s opening address will be given by poet Nikki Grimes. Wow! And Richard Peck, one of my favorite authors, will be there, along with Susan Patron (Newbery Award-winning author of The Higher Power of Lucky) and David Wiesner (Caldecott Medal-winning author/illustrator of Flotsam).

I’m also excited to hear from some equally influential stars on the business side of the industry. David Gale, Vice President/Editorial Director at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and Mark McVeigh, the Editorial Director at Aladdin Paperbacks, will be heading up breakout sessions. I’ve signed up for both of them. When I return to the office, I know that my laptop will be reaching its megabyte limit with new names and addresses of potential authors and illustrators for Stone Arch Books, as well as info on the hottest industry trends, the latest technology, the changing profile of young readers, and the delight and challenge that all the participants share in the ageless art of storytelling.


--Michael Dahl
Editorial Director, Stone Arch Books