Red Cross to Hold 'Together We Prepare Saturday,' Free Preparedness Event
for Adults and Children
News Release: February 5, 2004
Contact: Janice Osborne, Director-Communications and Marketing
(610) 865-4400, ext. 262
Don’t let disaster take you or your family by surprise. Be prepared. Start today by registering for American Red Cross “Together We Prepare Saturday” on March 13 at Iacocca Hall, Lehigh University’s Mountaintop Campus.
“Together We Prepare Saturday” is a free community-wide preparedness event that will focus on the five basic building blocks of the Red Cross Together We Prepare program: make a plan, build a kit, get trained, volunteer and give blood.
According to a study the national Red Cross commissioned last year, close to 60 percent of Americans are wholly unprepared for a disaster of any description. “They don’t have a family emergency plan, nor are they aware of school, workplace and community procedures,” explained John R. Hughes, executive director at the local chapter. “They have not stocked emergency supplies, nor have they sought even basic first aid and CPR training. They’re not giving blood,
nor are they donating their time or money to emergency support services like the American Red Cross.
“Americans need to be prepared, that includes everyone in the Lehigh Valley,” said Hughes. “The more empowered and self-sufficient you and I feel, the more immediately effective we can be in a crisis situation.”
Lehigh Valley residents can begin taking charge of their safety and security by registering for one of three free presentations to be held on March 13:
Adult CPR/AED training — from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will learn how to provide care for breathing emergencies and perform CPR for victims of sudden cardiac arrest over 8 years of age. Also covered is training in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to restore a heart’s normal rhythm on sudden cardiac arrest victims. The hands-on program is taught by certified Red Cross instructors and uses manikins and first-aid materials and equipment. Participants may audit the course or be certified by passing a written test following the class. Class size is limited to 150.
“Preparing for the Unexpected” — from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and repeated from noon to 2 p.m. This two-hour presentation provides adults with information about how they can prepare for any type of disaster in the home or workplace, and respond to direction from authorities. The first 100 adults to take the course will receive a free item to include in their home emergency supplies kit. Space is limited to 50 participants per session.
“First Aid and Preparedness” — from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and repeated from noon to 2 p.m. This program, for children in grades 6-8, covers the concepts of emergency preparedness, including the five action steps they can take to be prepared for possible emergencies. Space is limited to 70 students per session.
Participants also can meet with Red Cross representatives regarding Red Cross volunteer opportunities, visit with Miller-Keystone Blood Center representatives, purchase Red Cross first- aid materials and tour the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle throughout the day.
Beverages and light refreshments will be served to registrants.
Underwriters for the event are: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.; Erie Insurance Group Allentown/Bethlehem; The Morning Call; and The Home Depot-Whitehall.
You must register to attend; no walk-ins, please. Deadline for registration is March 5. Space is limited. To register, call the Red Cross at (610) 865-4400, ext. 247, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., or on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley serves more than 660,000 residents in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties. Last year the Red Cross provided health and safety education training and emergency relief services to more than 20,000 Greater Lehigh Valley residents. For more information about the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley or volunteer opportunities, call (610) 865-4400 or visit www.redcrosslv.org.
