Your Local Chapter

The St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, founded in 1917, exists to provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. 

We provide comfort, care and physical necessities to aid victims of disasters such as house fires, floods, tornadoes and storms. We offer education and training programs ranging from First Aid and CPR to water safety, babysitting, HIV/AIDS information, and workplace safety. We assist military personnel and their familes during times of crisis, coordinate searches for families torn apart by war and armed conflict, and teach young people to be volunteer leaders in our community.

Click here to see a map of our service area and the locations of our Chapter Headquarters and four Service Centers. In addition, a separate Red Cross Missouri Illinois Blood Region agency can be accessed at this site.

As part of the American Red Cross, we are guided by our Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement. Our local programs and initiatives have become national models and our local disaster volunteers are regularly called upon to travel across the country to assist those in need whenever natural or manmade disasters occur.

In 2008, the St. Louis Area Chapter became the first Red Cross chapter in the country to reach “High Level III Readiness.” In the event of a disaster in St. Louis, the Red Cross is prepared to immediately shelter and care for up to 600 families without assistance from the American National Red Cross. Through the creation of the Ready Rating Program, the St. Louis Area Chapter has served as a national model of engaging schools, businesses and organizations in a discussion of preparedness.

Read the 2009 Annual Report for the latest information on the St. Louis Area Chapter.