The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. — American Red Cross Mission Statement

The American Red Cross Los Angeles Region is part of a network of American Red Cross chapters nationwide that fulfill this mission every day.

As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the American Red Cross is part of the largest humanitarian organization in the world and one of 186 Red Cross and Crescent Societies across the globe.

A volunteer-led humanitarian service organization, the American Red Cross annually provides about half of the nation’s blood supply, trains almost 12 million people in vital lifesaving skills and responds to more than 67,000 disasters from house fires to large natural or man-made disasters. It also provides direct health services to nearly 3 million people, assists vulnerable people all over the world through international disaster responses and long-term development projects, and transmits over a million emergency messages to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C, the the American Red Cross is guided by its Congressional Charter, which it received in 1900. The Charter is federal legislation and falls under the exclusive authority of the United States Congress and the President of the United States. It was recodified as part of the governance reform signed into law by President George W. Bush on May 11, 2007.