Honoring American Red Cross Giving Day 2021

Since its founding by Clara Barton on May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross has provided services to American armed forces and their families, as well as disaster relief around the world. While they have adapted to meet the changing needs of the people they serve, they have remained true to their mission of serving people in need.  

In 1943, President Roosevelt was the first to proclaim March as American Red Cross Month. Since then, issuing this proclamation has become an annual tradition, where presidents designate March as the month to honor American Red Cross volunteers. March 24 also marks the seventh annual American Red Cross Giving Day, during which the American Red Cross encourages communities to come together and donate to help the American Red Cross provide essential relief to those affected by disasters. 

In honor of American Red Cross Giving Day, the IDHH has collected a few of our favorite images featuring American Red Cross volunteers from our contributors at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County, the McLean County Museum of History, and the Graham Hospital School of Nursing: 

black and white photo of four women putting together ditty bag packages.
Red Cross Ditty Bag Project. September 12, 1969. Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. Fort Sheridan. Courtesy of Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. 
black and white photo of a reclining woman giving blood.
Red Cross Blood Drive. January 20, 1975. Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. Fort Sheridan. Courtesy of Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. 
black and white photo of a woman pinning a badge onto a nurse's aide.
Red Cross Nurses’ aide. January 21, 1943. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection, 1940-1945. Courtesy of McLean County Museum of History. 
black and white photo of two women working on Singer sewing machines while another woman oversees them.
Red Cross. September 26, 1941. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection, 1940-1945. Courtesy of McLean County Museum of History.
color photo of two women standing in front of a Red Cross van with an awning stretched out of it.
196-.1.14 Fulton County Red Cross nurses Lois Watts. circa 1960s. Graham Hospital School of Nursing. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Courtesy of Graham Hospital School of Nursing. 
black and white photo of two women in nursing uniforms sitting at a table with papers in front of them.
194-.1.1 Red Cross Volunteers. circa 1940s. Graham Hospital School of Nursing. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Courtesy of Graham Hospital School of Nursing. 

View the full Fort Sheridan collection, the full Pantagraph Negative collection, and the full Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library collection on the IDHH. 

View more items related to the American Red Cross on the IDHH. 

Nurses at the Graham Hospital School of Nursing

black and white photo of nursing students in dresses standing in front of the school building.
Graham Hospital School of Nursing students. 1946. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Images from the Past. Permission to display given by Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library.

Reports from across the country describe the effort of nurses as they continue to care for patients sick with Covid-19 and put themselves at risk. Thousands of nurses have themselves been infected with the virus Covid-19 during the pandemic while caring for patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

The Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library collections is the only collection in the IDHH dedicated entirely to nursing and nurse education. It contains 2,000 images and interviews from nurses who trained at the Graham Hospital School of Nursing in the 20th century, as well as images of and information about Graham Hospital, the history of medicine and the Graham Hospital and Canton Illinois community, as well as nursing and nursing education. Below are a few images. Thanks to nurses in Illinois and across the country.

black and white photo of a nursing student holding a flower arrangement outside a patient's door.
Graham Hospital School of Nursing Student Delivering Flowers. 1951. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Images from the Past. Permission to display given by Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library.
black and white photo of two female nursing students wearing masks and washing their hands.
Graham Hospital School of Nursing Students Scrubbing. 1963.Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Images from the Past. Permission to display given by Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library.
black and white photo yellowed with age of female nursing students sitting in desks taking notes.
Graham Hospital School of Nursing Students in Classroom. 1947. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Images from the Past. Permission to display given by Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library.
black and white photo of a female nursing student sitting in a chair next to a male patient in a wheelchair.
Graham Hospital School of Nursing student with patient. 1945. Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library. Images from the Past. Permission to display given by Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library.

I hope that all the reader’s of the Highlights blog and everyone surfing the IDHH and DPLA are safe. You can see more on the IDHH from the Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library or more on nursing from the rest of our contributors