¹     Wendy, Tim, and Tess were riding their bicycles into town. They had spent the morning pulling weeds for their neighbor, Mrs. Mullins. She had given each of the children a crisp, new five dollar bill for their work. The children decided to make a trip to the candy store in town. What better way to spend their hard earned money than on some yummy sweets?
 
²     The children came to a stop light. They waited before they walked their bikes to the other side. They noticed a table in front of the grocery store. There were large jars sitting on the table. Each of the jars had a big red cross painted on it. They recognized the person standing behind the table. It was Mrs. Davis, their minister's wife. They decided to see what was going on.
 
³     "Hi, Mrs. Davis," said Wendy. "Are you selling these jars?"
 
⁴     "No, Wendy," answered Mrs. Davis, "I am taking donations. People are giving me money to put in the jars."
 
⁵     "People are giving you money and getting nothing back?" said Tim. "That doesn't seem fair."
 
⁶     "The people are getting something back, Tim," said Mrs. Davis. "You just can't hold it in your hand. You hold this in your heart."
 
⁷     "Now, I'm really confused," Tess said as she shook her head.
 
⁸     "Let me try to explain," responded Mrs. Davis. "These crosses stand for the American Red Cross. That is an organization begun by Clara Barton in 1881. She had traveled in Europe after the Civil War. The Swiss had started a group in Europe that offered aid and protection to people hurt in war. She wanted to start a group like that here in the United States."
 
⁹     "That sounds like a good thing," said Wendy. "But, what does that have to do with us now?"

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