Clara Barton

Hello! My name is Clara Barton. I was born on Christmas Day, December 25th, 1821, in a little house in Massachusetts. When I was a little girl, I was very shy, but I always loved helping people and animals. I found my true calling when I was just eleven years old. My big brother David had a bad accident and was very hurt. I became his nurse and took care of him for two whole years until he was all better! That's when I knew for sure that helping others was what I wanted to do most with my life.

When I grew up, I became a teacher because I loved helping children learn to read and write. In 1852, I decided to start my very own school in New Jersey. The best part was that it was free for everyone! A few years later, in 1854, I moved to a big city called Washington, D.C. There, I got a job working for the government. It was very unusual for a woman to have a job like that back then, but I wanted to show that women could do important work just as well as men.

In 1861, a big, sad war started in America, called the Civil War. I saw that the soldiers fighting were getting hurt and didn't have enough medicine or bandages to feel better. I knew I had to do something! So, I started collecting supplies and drove my wagon right up to the battlefields to take care of the wounded soldiers. It was scary work, but I stayed brave for them. The soldiers started calling me the 'Angel of the Battlefield' because I was there to help them when they needed it most.

After the war ended, I traveled to a country far away called Switzerland. There, I learned about an amazing group called the Red Cross that helped people who were hurt in wars and other disasters. A thought popped into my head: 'America needs one of these!' So I came back home and worked very, very hard to start one. On May 21st, 1881, we finally did it! I founded the American Red Cross to help people during floods, fires, and any time they need help. It was a dream come true.

I was the president of the American Red Cross for many years and helped it grow bigger and stronger. I lived to be 90 years old. Today, the American Red Cross is still here, helping millions of people all over the country, just like I dreamed it would. I hope my story shows you that even if you feel small or shy, one person with a big heart can make a huge difference in the world.