Humanitarian Services
In 1905, the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the American Red Cross that required the organization to act "in accord with the military authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and their armed forces..." Since that charter was granted, the Red Cross has provided not only communications but a variety of basic humanitarian services to help members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families around the world. Red Cross nurses provided aid as far back as the Civil War and Spanish-American War with ambulance drivers being added during World War I. Red Cross canteens welcomed American troops during World War II and American Red Cross recreation clubs were established close to the front lines in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
The Red Cross has supported U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf War, Somalia, Rwanda, Cuba, Haiti and anywhere else our service men and women are deployed.
NEWS
New Coping with Deployment Class Available for Military Family Members
FREE course offered Thursday, May 6th from 10am-2pm - Lunch Served
The American Red Cross is offering a free class to help military families cope with the stress of deployments. The Northwest Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross will be hosting a new course: Coping With Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families. The FREE course will be held on Thursday, May 6th from 10am-2pm at the Red Cross office (4221 Linwood Avenue, Shreveport). Lunch will also be provided free of charge. The course is open to any military family members of active duty, Reserve, and National Guard forces, as well as veterans and their families.
The Red Cross is requesting that anyone interested enroll by Tuesday, May 4th to ensure enough food and supplies are available. Interested families and individuals can sign up to take the course by contacting the Red Cross at (318) 865-9545 or send an e-mail to redcross@louisianaredcross.org.
The Red Cross developed the course to address the stress and strain of deployments on military family members to include spouses, children, parents, siblings and significant others of servicemembers and veterans. The course is taught by actively licensed Red Cross mental health professionals. The Red Cross worked closely with subject matter experts from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, to include active duty, National Guard and Reserve commands, in development of the final curriculum.
“The Red Cross was founded on service to our service members and we are proud to continue that support today,” says Reid Brau, Executive Director of the Northwest Louisiana Red Cross. “Our service men and women, and their families, sacrifice so much for our freedoms. It is an honor to be able to help them, even in small ways, in return.”
The course provides significant information on resiliency strategies for adults and children. Resiliency is the process of how one quickly recovers from adversity or change. The course also explains the easy steps involved in psychological first aid which involves providing immediate support to people in distress. A significant resource and referral section in the course helps families identify resources that can provide additional assistance to them quickly.
Additional courses will be scheduled at a later date. For more information, please call (318) 865-9545.
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