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If this is an emergency and you need to communicate with a family member
in the military, please call 517-484-7461 or 888-827-4357
for assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Services to Armed Forces
Today's American Red Cross is keeping pace with the changing military. Using the latest in computer and telecommunications technology, the Red Cross allows military members stationed all over the world to send messages to loved ones back home during an emergency or other important events. These communications are delivered around-the-clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Mid-Michigan Chapter Services to Armed Forces volunteers brief departing service members and their families regarding available support services and explain how the Red Cross may assist them during deployment. Both active duty and community-based military can count on the Red Cross to provide emergency communications that link them with their families back home and provide access to financial assistance and counseling.
Click here to find our new Community Resource Guide for service members, veterans, and their families in the central lower Michigan region. It's a compilation of support provided by the Red Cross and other organizations.
Emergency Communications
475 times a day, the Red Cross connects deployed service members with their families.
American Red Cross communication services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of a family member or other important events, such as the birth of a child. The Red Cross sends messages quickly, anywhere in the world, including ships at sea, embassies and to isolated military units. The information or verification in a message assists the service member's commanding officer in making a decision regarding emergency leave. When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, please have the following information ready which will speed the process of sending your message:
Financial Assistance
The Red Cross works with the military aid societies (Army Emergency Relief, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Air Force Aid Society and the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance). These partnerships help to provide financial assistance in the form of grants or no-interest loans. This assistance may be used for emergency travel, the burial of a loved one or basic needs such as food, temporary lodging, urgent medical needs and funds needed to avoid eviction, utility shut off, etc.
Mid-Michigan service members and their immediate family members may contact a Service to Armed Forces Caseworker at 517-484-7461 or 888-827-4357 for assistance
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Counseling
The American Red Cross offers confidential services to all military personnel—active duty, National Guard and Reserves and their families. Counseling, guidance, information, referrals and other social services are available through our worldwide network of chapters and offices on military installations.
As more and more National Guard and Reserve units are called to full time duty status, counseling is becoming increasingly important to prepare the Guardsman and Reservists and their family members for the period of activation. Because members of the National Guard and
Reserve typically live in civilian neighborhoods, they and their families frequently have difficulty accessing much-needed, military-related social services.
Mid-Michigan service members and family members may contact a
Service to Armed Forces volunteer at 517-484-7461 or 888-827-4357 for assistance.
 Welcome Home, A Guide to a Healthy Family is a publication especially for military personnel returning home to their families after a lengthy deployment. The guide has suggestions for making the transition smoother for the entire family. You may read this publication online or you may request the booklet (ARC 2091, Apr. 1996) from the
Mid-Michigan Chapter.
Military One Source: 1-800-342-9647
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