| Sioux Empire American Red Cross Proudly Serving Since 1917 |
| 808 N West Avenue Minnehaha, Clay, |
| Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Lincoln, Turner, |
| Phone: (605) 336-2448 McCook, Moody, |
| Fax: (605) 336-9630 Bon Homme, Gregory, |
| and Charles Mix Counties |
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Tracing and International Social Services (ISS) The 1905 U.S. congressional charter obligates the American Red Cross to meet responsibilities as a Red Cross society to provide international relief to victims of conflict and disaster. This means we not only meet the material needs of victims by supplying food and clothing but that we also address the anguish and psychological wounds sustained. One way the American Red Cross provides these services is to assist people separated from family due to war or disaster to locate, communicate with, and, often, facilitate their reunion with relatives.
How Tracing and International Social Services Works The key to the service is the local American Red Cross chapter or the Red Cross office on U.S. military installations. The social service staff and volunteers work with the individual to secure information about the lost relative and the circumstances during the war that created the separation. The inquiry is then sent by the ISS Division to the appropriate agency. Some inquiries take several months, some several years to resolve. Some inquiries may never be successfully answered. Searching for lost family members often moves beyond the actual time of the war. Miraculous events can take place such as sisters finding a brother whom they have not seen since WWII, or a Rwandan refugee receiving a Red Cross message that assures him his family has survived. Each day, in chapters across the country, American Red Cross workers participate in these miracles by locating family members at the request of other Red Cross societies. How You Can Help If you would like to volunteer to be part of this "miracle network", or if you are in need of assistance from our International Services, please contact staff at the Sioux Empire Chapter.
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Send mail to
nhanneman@siouxempireredcross.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
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