The mid coast chapter’s history, as its present, reflects its ability to change and grow with the needs of the community, the nation and the world.  From its humble origins in 1909 to the present day, the volunteers, leaders and residents of our communities have provided a source of humanitarian services unparalleled any time, anywhere. 

            On May 20, 1909, General Joshua L. Chamberlain, a Civil War hero and president of the Maine branch of the American Red Cross, suggested the formation of a local Red Cross chapter: Kenneth C.M. Sills, president of Bowdoin College, served as the first president of the chapter, one of the first two in Maine to receive its charter-the “alleviation of human suffering in war and peace.”

            One of the Chapter’s first “local” ventures was to establish a public health nursing service for Brunswick in the early 1920’s, in response to perceived health crisis among school-age children.  Brunswick held clinics in Wheeler Hall (now the Church of Christ ) for the removal of tonsils and adenoids.  After the crisis, nursing duties expanded to include home nursing and service to the local schools. Additionally, the Chapter offered courses in first aid, accidental prevention, life saving and water safety, as well as swimming lessons. 

            With the advent of WWII, the sudden influx of the service personnel and their families to Brunswick Naval Air Station (BNAS) created a severe housing problem, since on-base housing didn’t exist.  The Red Cross worked closely with the local townspeople, who generously agreed to open their homes to these families.

            Housing the military wasn’t the only challenge for the Red Cross. Over Time, the Chapter faced moves due to expansion of services, and numbers of volunteers-production workers, instructors of safety services, solicitors for the house-to-house annual Roll Call and Junior Red Cross school children.  In the Furbish Block of Upper Main Street, production Volunteers made thousands of articles for active service personnel abroad and for veterans at Togus hospital. According to Bibbo Whitman’s Early History of the Brunswick Chapter, “there was hardly a household not affected in one way or another by the war,” and many not actively engaged in battle assisted the Red Cross with its work.  Even after the war, the Chapter continued to provide many services to the military forces at home and abroad. 

            The 1950’s saw the potential threat of atomic warfare.  To prepare for the perceived threat, the National Red Cross established a blood program by setting up regional centers and stockpiling emergency supplies of blood all over the country. The Portland Regional Center opened in 1950.  During this time, the first mobile unit was sent to Portland to collect blood.  The Chapter recorded 123 volunteers who donated blood and, according to Mrs. Whitman, the donors received a “small glass of brandy or sherry to help with their recovery”. 

            Red Cross disaster units were called into service when several large fires erupted in various areas of the state in 1950.  In the Brunswick area numerous buildings on

            In the mid 1960’s, service delivery activities once again centered around war; focusing on the families of service personnel fighting in Vietnam .  The Gray Ladies continued their long years of service by visiting veterans at Togus and Bodwell House of Regional Memorial Hospital .  They visited patients and provided volunteer assistance at the hospitals.  Production was still a part of the Red Cross program with volunteers creating “ditty bags” for service personnel on duty and in hospitals, as well as filling chest with articles for children in Vietnam . 

            As part of its mission, the Chapter continued to offer life saving, water safety, swimming and first aid courses.  A nursing representative offered Mother and Baby Care courses at BNAS as well.  Due to increasing demand, the swimming courses formerly offered by the Chapter; were taken over by the Brunswick Recreation Department in 1970.  The Chapter provided consultation and instructor training. 

            In the 1980’s, the Chapter’s name changed to the Mid Coast Chapter when the service area expanded to include Bath (1982) and Lincoln County (1989).  The Chapter continued to offer a variety of Health & Safety courses and to respond to local disasters including: Hurricane Gloria (1985), Hurricane Bob (1991) and the Ice Storm of 1998.  During the Ice Storm over 2,000 Red Cross workers assisted in 84 shelters all over the state. 

            Whether disasters occurred locally or nationally, the Chapter stood ready to raise money and provide volunteer relief workers, sometimes sending them to destinations throughout the United States and beyond.  A sample list shows the extent and variety of disasters to which The American Red Cross responds: the terrorist attack of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the fires in Oakland, the typhoon in Bangladesh, the earthquake in the Philippines, and the conflict in Bosnia, amply illustrating that giving to the Red Cross connects donors to the world. 

            The Chapter has also played an important role in Blood Services.  The ever-present demand for blood products in Maine is met through a comprehensive schedule of blood drives.  Volunteers within the Chapter’s community help staff the registration, canteen and escort positions at the drives, allowing the nursing staff to focus on blood collection. 

            In 1991, the Chapter was instrumental in a precedent-setting event.  A Brunswick native, Julie Fortin-Beaupre, had been diagnosed with acute leukemia.  The only cure was a bone marrow transplant.  A close friend of Julie’s wanted to set up some blood-testing drives to hopefully find a marrow donor for Julie.  Not knowing where to start, he contacted the Chapter for assistance.  Over a month’s time, the Chapter organized four drives, helped determine volunteer needs and recruitment, and stimulated donor interest.  As a result, in four hours at one site, they tested 1,200 area residents and had a 500-name mailing list of people who were turned away when funds ran out.  In a letter to the president of the American Red Cross, Julie’s friend said, “Clearly, it has been yet another demonstration of the important role the Red Cross plays in making Mid-coast Maine a better place to live.”

            Over the years the Chapter had many locations, but finally in 2003, with the overwhelming, generous financial support of the community, the Highlands and Highland green and the assistance of the Navy’s Seabees, the Chapter built a permanent home in Topsham.  The chapter house now stands as tribute to the thousands of volunteers who names are not recorded, but whose humanitarian efforts to support their country and the world in times of trouble are not forgotten.