As the 1916-1917 school year neared its end, both the town of Bluffton and the students of Bluffton College organized efforts to support the Red Cross. The May 2, 1917, issue of the Bluffton News carried as front page news these announcements and would continue to update the village on future Red Cross–related efforts in the community.
Women of Ropp Unite to Help
The women of Ropp Hall – 60 volunteers in all - did what they could in the short time before commencement in 1917, cutting and sewing six of nine hospital outfits for a Red Cross box and then regrouped in the fall to continue their efforts, including answering this plea for producing 1000 surgical dressings from the Bluffton Red Cross chapter, as printed in the December 8, 1917 issue of the Witmarsum.