Volunteer FAQs
1. What is the mission of the American Red Cross?
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and people, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
2. What is a volunteer and what roles do volunteers play at the American Red Cross?
A Red Cross volunteer is an individual who freely assists the American Red Cross in the accomplishment of its mission without expectation or receipt of compensation. As the largest humanitarian organization in the United States, the Red Cross depends on volunteers to accomplish the organization's mission: providing relief to victims of disasters and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. To prepare volunteers for these roles, training is provided appropriate to the requirements of the position and the qualifications of the individual. To learn about the specific volunteer roles available in Orange County for individuals, click here.
3. What important Red Cross efforts do volunteers help with?
Each year the American Red Cross mobilizes relief to victims of more than 60,000 disasters nationwide and has been the major supplier of blood and blood products in the United States for over 50 years. The American Red Cross also trains more than 11 million people in vital lifesaving skills, provides direct health services to 1.8 million people, provides more than 22 million locally relevant community services, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 50 countries and transmits more than 500,000 emergency messages between members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. During fiscal year 2005–2006, the Orange County Chapter trained 35,627 individuals in First Aid/CPR and worked with 760 individuals impacted by local disasters.
4. How many volunteers are involved with the American Red Cross of Orange County?
The Orange County Chapter is home to a large and diverse volunteer pool. Annually about 2,300 individuals volunteer approximately 37,000 hours with the chapter. Our volunteers range from youth to retired personnel. In fact, of the 2,300 volunteers, 803 are youth volunteers (from 12 to 18 years old). Recently, we started a new partnership with the Vietnamese community and now have a dedicated cadre of bilingual volunteers as part of the Vietnamese Outreach Committee.
5. Why do I have to complete a background check to volunteer?
Background checks have been an area of focus at the American Red Cross and encouraged for many years. However, after the fraud and waste that occurred during our work aiding those affected by the hurricanes of 2005, it was decided that mandatory background checks on all employees and volunteers were necessary. The Red Cross continues to reaffirm our accountability to the American public. The background check initiative, coupled with our previous efforts on this front, help us achieve a more efficient and safer work environment for our employees and volunteers.
7. Are American Red Cross classes free?
All disaster courses are free. However, costs for classes in our Preparedness, Health and Safety department vary. Red Cross volunteers may take CPR and first aid classes at a 50% discount.
Volunteer FAQs
1. What is the mission of the American Red Cross?
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and people, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
2. What is a volunteer and what roles do volunteers play at the American Red Cross?
A Red Cross volunteer is an individual who freely assists the American Red Cross in the accomplishment of its mission without expectation or receipt of compensation. As the largest humanitarian organization in the United States, the Red Cross depends on volunteers to accomplish the organization's mission: providing relief to victims of disasters and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. To prepare volunteers for these roles, training is provided appropriate to the requirements of the position and the qualifications of the individual. To learn about the specific volunteer roles available in Orange County for individuals, click here.
3. What important Red Cross efforts do volunteers help with?
Each year the American Red Cross mobilizes relief to victims of more than 60,000 disasters nationwide and has been the major supplier of blood and blood products in the United States for over 50 years. The American Red Cross also trains more than 11 million people in vital lifesaving skills, provides direct health services to 1.8 million people, provides more than 22 million locally relevant community services, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 50 countries and transmits more than 500,000 emergency messages between members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. During fiscal year 2005–2006, the Orange County Chapter trained 35,627 individuals in First Aid/CPR and worked with 760 individuals impacted by local disasters.
4. How many volunteers are involved with the American Red Cross of Orange County?
The Orange County Chapter is home to a large and diverse volunteer pool. Annually about 2,300 individuals volunteer approximately 37,000 hours with the chapter. Our volunteers range from youth to retired personnel. In fact, of the 2,300 volunteers, 803 are youth volunteers (from 12 to 18 years old). Recently, we started a new partnership with the Vietnamese community and now have a dedicated cadre of bilingual volunteers as part of the Vietnamese Outreach Committee.
5. Why do I have to complete a background check to volunteer?
Background checks have been an area of focus at the American Red Cross and encouraged for many years. However, after the fraud and waste that occurred during our work aiding those affected by the hurricanes of 2005, it was decided that mandatory background checks on all employees and volunteers were necessary. The Red Cross continues to reaffirm our accountability to the American public. The background check initiative, coupled with our previous efforts on this front, help us achieve a more efficient and safer work environment for our employees and volunteers.
7. Are American Red Cross classes free?
All disaster courses are free. However, costs for classes in our Preparedness, Health and Safety department vary. Red Cross volunteers may take CPR and first aid classes at a 50% discount.