Kennewick Gains Official Red Cross Status
A newly formed local branch grants the community control over its own funds and operations for the war effort.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Kennewick branch of the Yakima chapter of the American Red Cross was organized at a meeting in the Commercial club rooms Monday evening. Organization was effected under the direction of Mrs. W. L. Lemon, secretary of the Yakima chapter. There are now more than twenty Red Cross organizations working under the jurisdiction of the Yakima chapter, but to date the organization here is the only branch, the others being auxiliaries. An auxiliary must forward all its monies to the chapter, which purchases supplies for them, while a branch is permitted to direct the expenditure of its own funds. The branch retains funds it raises in its own treasury, with the exception of one-half of the annual membership fee. A. R. Gardner was elected chairman; Mrs. Amy M. Bartlett, vice chairman; J. L. Johnson, treasurer; and Miss L. Harlow was chosen secretary.
“The essential difference between the two is that a branch is permitted to direct the expenditure of its own funds, while an auxiliary must forward all its monies to the chapter.”
This reflects a moment where Kennewick transitioned from an informal auxiliary to a formal administrative hub. During WWI, the Red Cross functioned as a quasi-governmental humanitarian arm, demonstrating how local civic autonomy was often negotiated even within the rigid structures of national mobilization efforts.
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