Internship in the American Red Cross

Over this past summer I had the honor and pleasure to be an Intern for the American Red Cross in the Historic Programs and Collections Department. So what exactly did I have to do for the organization? Firstly, I was involved with the re-housing of the materials in the archives. Archives and the items inside the archives are more active than one might think, especially with the Red Cross Headquarters undergoing renovations and other factors such as a water pipe bursting across the hall. This meant a lot of boxes being piled up on top of each other, giving the potential for serious damage to the artifacts. So my first job was spent in the small archives moving boxes around so some of the weight would not be on the back wall, which is where some of the older items that the Red Cross has were housed, such as Clara Barton’s letters and diaries. Secondly, I would give tours to visitors to the Red Cross headquarters. The tours would be about a half hour long and incorporated paintings, quilts, and a trowel. If you are interested in a tour they are completely free, Wednesday s and Fridays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. During my summer at the Red Cross I gave tours to over 50 people from all over the world. Finally, I would help with some public inquiries. For example, someone would email my supervisor, Susan asking about someone in their family. One that sticks out in my mind is someone asking about their father who was a doctor with the Red Cross during World War I. I went into out files and found that that doctor went to Belgium, France, Germany, and England during the War. The doctor only told his family that he went to France, so they were surprised to hear about the other countries that he went to. Overall, it was an extremely rewarding summer for me in more ways than one.

Above is the largest of three object rooms of the American Red Cross Archives.