Region SAF Vision Statement: To provide sustainable programs that support the Region’s entire military community, whether on an installation or community based.

Engage Volunteers: The backbone of the SAF program is the volunteer. A large majority of the SAF volunteers are veterans themselves, spouses of veterans or have had a family member serve in the Armed Forces. Our volunteer assist by serving as Case Workers, Medical Clinic Representatives, Special Event Representatives and Veteran Affairs Volunteers.

Emergency Services: The American Red Cross provides timely, factual reports about family emergencies, such as a death, illness or birth, to service members wherever they are stationed. The SAF Team’s main effort for emergency services is the family follow-up. SAF units contact the client to check on the outcome of the requested services. This follow-up could include:

• Contacting the family after an Emergency Communications Message is sent to determine any new or ongoing needs.
• Assessing the needs of the family beyond emergency communications.
• Providing information about, and referral to, local resources.
• Conducting a client satisfaction survey prior to closing the case.

Education (Outreach & Briefings): Information delivered to help military families and the community better understand, prepare for, and respond to the daily challenges of military life. Briefings educate service members, veterans, family members, military commands and community partners about Red Cross programs and services and how to access them in communities across the county and around the world.

Information and Referral: SAF offices help service members, veterans, Department of Defense (DoD personnel (overseas) and their families. Once identified, they provide information about resources and offer referrals to organizations that may assist them. Information and referral also builds and maintaining relationships with partner organizations in the community to meet needs that are not available through the American Red Cross.

Service to Military & Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Facilities: Volunteers from Red Cross Offices serve at more than 140 of the nearly 200 VA medical treatment facilities. It is their way of saying thank-you to the men and women who answered their country’s call and are now cared for in VA clinics and medical centers. Each VA medical treatment facility has volunteer needs that provide Red Cross volunteers with opportunities to serve in a variety of roles from assisting combat-wounded service members to information desk worker.

Building Family Resiliency: The SAF Team educates the military community about our resiliency programs. These workshops provide another valuable resource for military family. Workshops focus on individual/small group discussion that enhances the likelihood of positive reunions among family members and the successful reengagement of the service member in civilian life. The workshops consist of a number of topic areas that service members and their families have found relevant to their experience as they transition back home.

International Services: American Red Cross International Services helps vulnerable people and communities around the world prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises through mobilizing the power of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. We also provide services to local families who are separated internationally by war, disaster, migration and other humanitarian crises. This work is accomplished through cooperation with the global Red Cross network.