Clara Barton

Clara Barton’s passion for helping others manifested itself early on. Clara was eleven when her brother David fell from the roof of their barn. Though the family was told he would not survive, Clara astonished doctors by nursing David back to health. Clara’s devotion to serving others would prove to be her purpose in life.

Clara has been described as a dedicated humanitarian and pioneer of women. She began teaching school in 1837 in her home state of Massachusetts and eventually moved to New Jersey, where she started one of the first free public schools there.

Later she worked as a recording clerk in the U.S. Patent Office, making her one of just five women working for the federal government during this time. In 1861, the war had just begun. She started collecting and distributing supplies to the wounded but felt she was most needed on the battlefields where suffering was being experienced. Clara headed for the front lines and began tending to the wounded in any way she could, risking her own life in the process.

Realizing the desperate need for organized emergency aid in the United States, Clara founded the American Red Cross in 1881. She was 60 years old and fervently led the organization over the next 23 years. Clara’s dedication and zeal for serving people in need brought many achievements that most would never realize in a lifetime.

Hers was an investment in a life of uncompromising commitment.