Neelin Views: Mark Red Cross Day with act of appreciation

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This article was published 08/05/2023 (1268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Today marks World Red Cross Day, an observance created to celebrate the unity and uniqueness of the organization’s movement.

The Red Cross is an organization dedicated to helping alleviate the world’s pressing humanitarian problems, with some examples from its 2023 plan including combatting climate change and addressing the war in Ukraine. The Red Cross was created in 1919 after the conclusion of the First World War, with the creation being led by Henry Davidson, president of the American Red Cross War Committee. The original intention of the Red Cross was to help countries that had suffered a lot during the war. Shortly after, the Red Cross started helping with relief for natural disasters, which eventually morphed into the Red Cross we know today.

The Red Cross also has a subsidiary called the Red Crescent, with the difference between the two being that the Red Cross operates primarily in countries with Christian majorities, whereas the Red Crescent operates in countries with Muslim majorities. When the Red Cross is mentioned later in the article, it includes the Red Crescent.

World Red Cross Day always has a theme for people celebrating to channel. In 2022, it was “Be Humankind.” This year the theme is “Everything we do comes from the heart.” This theme is made to celebrate the “person next door,” or the person who is the first to step up to help when someone is in need. This can include people who are always helpful at a store, or someone who has always been with you, through thick and thin.

To celebrate this observance, the Red Cross suggests sharing stories of these people and images of them. Other options include showing your appreciation for them in whichever way you feel is best, or even just spending time with them. The way you celebrate World Red Cross Day this year is not only going to be very different from years past and future, but, depending on your bond with these people, will most likely be different from the bond one has with any other person, making the day feel more special.

Other ways to celebrate the observance can be to support the Red Cross or any charity to help alleviate the problems the Red Cross is dedicated to help with.

The Red Cross as an organization has a very important goal that helps to stop human suffering as much as it can, and while the day is not solely dedicated to celebrating this, it can still have a place. The different themes each year not only help to differentiate the observances throughout the years but also add variety to the celebrations that most observances simply do not have without an ever-changing theme.

The Red Cross and other humanitarian foundations are incredibly important for helping struggling communities and nations. Without them, even if concerned persons wanted to help under-resourced people, they either would not be able to due to a lack of a way to make an actual impact, or they would have to start up their own organization, which is a very difficult task.

» Seamus Malcolm is a Grade 11 student at École secondaire Neelin High School.