On a cold, early morning winter day in Hammond, American Red Cross of Northwest Indiana volunteer responder Jesse Jones rushed to the scene of a multi-unit apartment fire.  Five families had just lost everything they owned, and they were standing out on the street.  A young firefighter turned to Jesse and said, "Isn't that sad.  I wonder what will happen to them."  Jesse replied, “We’re what happens next.”

All across America, every day, the American Red Cross relies on its donors for their gifts of time, talent, money and blood to answer the question, “What happens next?” when someone in need turns to us for help.

How do we prepare for the unpredictable?  How do we ensure that we can care for individuals, families and communities when something unexpected happens?  How do we keep responding when, on average, a disaster strikes every eight minutes?  We rely on our donors, our volunteers and our partners.  We rely on you.  Be part of the answer.  Join us.

Learn more about our mission.