Communities have always been a constant factor in our everyday life, something that we come into contact with everyday and are involved with even when we are unaware. Even though communities are prevalent in our society there are some communities that can be considered as more important than others. In this term I mean the work done by the Red Cross. The Red Cross is an organization that is dedicated to helping others not just in the United States but world wide. This organization was founded by Clara Barton in 1881 during the Civil War and assisted in helping the war-injured as well as disaster relief efforts (Our History, n.d.). 
There have been many circumstances in the past where the Red Cross has brought together a group of people in order to help fight for a better cause, in this effort they formed communities of volunteers who were willing to help. These include natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, tornado devastation in the Southeast and Midwest United States, and most recently the Ebola break out to name a few. In 2012 it has been recorded that the Red Cross responded to 2,328 fires, building collapses, blackouts, floods, and other emergency situations (Disaster Response, n.d.). They also assisted 12,172 adults as well as children with shelter, food, and counseling following these disasters (Disaster Response, n.d.).
With most aspects of a community several people wish to focus more on the negative aspects that arise from the presence of a community. The Red Cross is an example that not all communities experience the bystander effect and other subjects related to the matter. There are some in the fray that go out of their way to help others who are need although the numbers are low. With the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa as well as the United States, there have been about 8,000 volunteers who have been trained that have been prepared to help an estimated 39 million people (West Africa, n.d.).
As well as services for those in need and emergency reliefs, the Red Cross provides information as well as training and certification to help in emergency situations. With these available services they wish to spread educational information that will hopefully reduce the inactivity that is found among others during an emergency situation.
References:
Disaster Response Statistics & Map. (n.d.) American Red Cross. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/ny/new-york/about-us/disaster-response-statistics
Our History. (n.d.) American Red Cross. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/about-us/history
West Africa: Ebola Outbreak. (n.d.) American Red Cross. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/ebolaoutbreak
Tags: Community