Support Christmas Seals
In 1907, tuberculosis (TB) sanatoriums were springing up around the country, but most were makeshift and could only care for a few patients at a time. One sanatorium, a small shack on the banks of the Brandywine River in Delaware, was in desperate financial straits. Joseph Wales, a doctor serving this hospital, thought his cousin Emily Bissell might be able to generate much-needed funding. Emily worked with the Red Cross and had extensive fundraising experience. She was anxious to help, but convincing others to contribute would not be easy, as most people felt that TB was a hopeless cause, a death sentence.
Then Emily remembered a magazine article, written by journalist and social worker Jacob Riis, about how money for the care of children with TB was successfully raised in Denmark. Six of Jacob’s brothers were victims of TB, so when he learned that his native country developed a way to raise money to fight the disease, he had a personal motive to encourage the method in America. Jacob suggested the sale of small seals, during the Christmas season, to raise funds for fighting TB.
Emily thought the idea of seals was terrific. She sat down and sketched a design, a red cross centered in a half-wreath of holly above the words “Merry Christmas.” Her associates at the Delaware Red Cross refused to cover the costs of creating the seals but the national organization granted permission to use its red cross symbol on the Christmas Seals®.
Emily began a one-woman campaign of promoting the seals and expressing how donating would help fight the battle against TB. Finally, on December 7, 1907, the first seals were sold at a table in the corridor of the Wilmington post office. The campaign eventually raised over $3,000.
This year, the American Lung Association asks for your help to continue the work done by Emily Bissell. Please join us in raising money to prevent lung disease and promote lung health.
To learn more about Christmas Seals, click here.
