Collier County Red Cross, Naples Florida


 

 
ARMED FORCES EMERGENCY SERVICES (AFES)

 

 

  • In 1905 the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the American Red Cross to act as medium of communications between the people of the United States and their Armed Forces.

 

  • Today the Red Cross provides basic humanitarian services to members of the armed forces and their families in the following areas.   

                Emergency Communications

In the event of an emergency, critical accident, illness or death in a service member's immediate family, the Red Cross should be called at once.   The Red Cross is equipped to verify the situation and relay an emergency leave request to the proper military authorities.  It is then up to the commanding officer to decide whether or not to grant leave.

                   

               Emergency  Financial Assistance

When an emergency arises that requires the presence of the service member or his / her family, the Red Cross may provide access to an interest-free loan or a grant for travel expenses.  These funds are made available by the military aid societies.  They may be authorized for other emergencies as well and are disbursed on the basis of need.  Referrals to specialized sources of help are also available to service members and their families.

These Red Cross services, and more, are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

                                 

                Counseling

  The Red Cross offers counseling, provides information, makes referrals and furnishes

  other assistance to military families.

   

                Health and Welfare Inquiries

Regular Communications between service members and their families is ordinarily no problem, but sometimes a long time with no word can become worrisome.  The Red Cross can help.

Through our worldwide communications network, we can communicate with the installation or ship where the service person is stationed.  You'll get a report on his / her welfare to give you peace of mind.  Also, service members can request the same service regarding families back home.