Figure 1.--Here we see Junior Red Cross children at school making stuffed animal toys for children in Euopean countries struggling to recover from World War II.

Junior Red Cross membership grew, morevthan doubling to almost 20 million during World War II, reaching 20 million in 1945. This was quite a remarkable figure -- some 75 percent of the total school population. This was done as it was promoted ar the schools. Activities included producing comfort items and clothing for the servicemen, preparing gift boxes for children overseas, assisting with regular chapter activities, and becoming active in war-related programs, such as Victory Book collections and the operation of Victory Gardens. JRC members also made contributions to the National Children's Fund that had been established after World War I to meet the emergency needs of children in America and overseas. They did important work in provided desperately needed relief aid to children overseas in the aftermath of World War II--the deadliest war in history. Unbekownst to Americans, even adults, was that a major German war goal was to actually murder children.