Campus Corps and the American Red Cross of Montana Launch Red Cross Month

March is Red Cross Month!

During March, the American Red Cross of Montana is asking everyone to help people in need by supporting the lifesaving services it provides.  Campus Corps programs throughout the state will be showing their support of Red Cross through a variety of initiatives.

The chief initiative will be centered on disaster preparedness to help Montana communities prepare for and handle disasters. “Increasing a community’s ability to handle potential disasters from flooding to forest fires is an essential part of our mission,” says Red Cross Disaster Volunteer, Jill Washburn.  In addition to disaster preparedness, campuses will also be hosting blood drives, Citizen CPR courses, and actively seeking volunteers to join the Red Cross in support of its mission.  Campuses will be participating in a competition to see who can have the greatest impact on their local community and will be rewarded points in the competition for each Red Cross month event they host.

The disaster preparedness initiative is part of the “Be Red Cross Ready” campaign for which Campus Corps members will be distributing 6,100 disaster preparedness bags to households throughout the state.  The preparedness bags, which have been provided by the Governor’s Office of Community Service, will give residents the guidance needed to shelter in place or evacuate to a shelter during a disaster.  Additionally, six colleges are seeking to identify at least one certified emergency evacuation shelter for their communities, which will enable them to provide relief services to their communities during times of crisis.

Another important event scheduled for Red Cross Month is “Save A Life Saturday” scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 24.  (Note: some communities will be hosting this event on an alternate date). In support of this initiative, participating campuses will host a free, compression only Citizen CPR course.

Stay tuned for updates on events happening in your local community and to keep up with the competition taking place between all of our member campuses!