American Red Cross Month 2026

Posted by kimberlycarlo on February 27th, 2026 Posted in: Blog

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The American Red Cross educates the public on disaster relief, access to blood that can save lives, and training opportunities on life-saving skills, such as CPR training. It began in 1881 and was founded by Clara Barton. You can read more about their history.

March is American Red Cross Month. This month, we can teach our communities all that the American Red Cross has to offer and how anyone can take an active step in helping others.

Library Programming Ideas
If your library would like to host programming to celebrate and collaborate with the American Red Cross, consider the following ideas:
• Preparedness for both children and adults
• CPR training
• Host a blood drive
• Smoke alarm installations by trained Red Cross volunteers for your community
• Invite the community to assemble comfort kits with Red Cross volunteers
• Teaching water safety
• Offer information on how to become a Red Cross volunteer

Giving Day

While we can celebrate the American Red Cross all month, March 25th is Giving Day. This day allows communities to come together to help families who have been impacted by disasters, such as a home fire, who need Red Cross services. There are many ways to get involved and you can read more about Red Cross Giving Day.

 

 

NIH Blood Donation Information

The NIH has information on donating blood, fact sheets, video resources, and more! This resource will complement American Red Cross Month events well. (Link to NIH Blood Donation Page)

NNLM Emergency and Disaster Resources

The NNLM also has plenty of information on the Emergency and Disaster Resources webpage, which can be helpful when planning programming. There are also training opportunities available here.