October 3, 1881—Clara Barton, with the help of Susan B. Anthony, founds the second Red Cross Chapter in the U.S. in Rochester, NY six weeks after the first Red Cross chapter opens in nearby Dansville.
1900—Hurricane strikes Galveston, Texas. To date it is the deadliest disaster in U.S. history, and the last disaster Clara Barton responds to before her retirement.
1905—American Red Cross receives its Congressional Charter.
1906—San Francisco earthquake. President Theodore Roosevelt calls upon Red Cross to lead the major relief effort.
1917—When the U.S. enters World War I, the Greater Rochester Chapter is ready. The Chapter organizes Base Hospital No. 19 and more than 89,000 volunteers in Rochester help with the packing and shipping of war relief supplies. At the same time, the Greater Rochester branch of the American Junior Red Cross is founded. These young Red Crossers knit sweaters, make surgical dressings and bandages, and other tasks that help our country through the war.
1918—The Greater Rochester Chapter leaps into action during the Influenza Epidemic and provides food, transportation, nursing care, and housekeeping services for the sick in Rochester.
1919—The chapter establishes Home Nursing Classes in Monroe County Schools.
1931—The Great Depression. The Red Cross distributes surplus wheat and cotton products to victims.
1941—Rochester, N.Y. is recognized nationally for the largest number of blood donors per capita in any U.S. city.
1942—First aid centers are set up throughout Rochester to train people in accident prevention and preparedness.
1948—Rochester Red Cross establishes Unit #1, the first civilian blood collection program in the U.S.
1950—Korean War. The Rochester Blood Program responds to call for additional blood donations and is the first to send blood to Korea.
1967—Red Cross Blood Services sets up a national Rare Blood Donor registry.
1967—1,500 Christmas gift bags sent to soldiers in Vietnam through Armed Forces Emergency Services.
1972—Hurricane Agnes strikes Florida and heads Northeast hitting New England, with the worst damage occurring in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Rochester Red Cross volunteers respond with emergency relief.
1977—Rochester Red Cross elects Jane Napier as the first woman Chair of the Board. Under Ms. Napier’s leadership, new programs are initiated in Rochester: CPR training, Kids Project (disability awareness), and preparation of nutritious meals for the elderly and homebound for the Meals on Wheels Program.
1983—U.S. blood banking groups issue first warning about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
1985—HIV blood testing begins.
1989—Hurricane Hugo strike Puerto Rico, and South and North Carolina killing 82 people, leaving 56,000 homeless. The storm causes $13.6 billion in damages, making it, at the time, the most damaging hurricane ever recorded. Red Cross responds with volunteer support and emergency relief for the victims.
1990—Operation Desert Storm. Red Cross staff sent to the Persian Gulf to provide Armed Forces Emergency Services.
1991—Elizabeth Dole becomes the first woman president of the American National Red Cross since Clara Barton.
1991—An ice storm paralyzes the Greater Rochester community. Rochester Red Cross opens 13 shelters and provides emergency shelter and food for thousands of people.
1995—Red Cross aids victims of the Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City.
1999—Rochesterians raise more than $100,000 to assist the Red Cross International Response volunteers help the victims of the Kosovo War.
2001—Red Cross responds to terrorist attacks in New York, the Pentagon, and outside the town of Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania. More than 100 Rochester Red Cross volunteers are sent to provide support and counseling.
2004—Magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia triggers massive tsunami that brings death and destruction to 12 countries. American Red Cross joins the international relief effort. The Rochester Red Cross responds, providing financial aid to victims.
2005—Hurricane Katrina becomes one of the most destructive storms in the history of the Gulf Coast, killing 2,000 people and leaving millions homeless. Red Cross mobilizes the largest, single disaster relief effort to date. Two other hurricanes, Rita and Wilma, hit, compounding the devastation and impacting relief operations. The Rochester Red Cross responds, providing volunteers and financial aid to victims.