asheville, Be Ready. Be Prepared. Get Involved in the American Red Cross National Preparedness Month

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Be Ready, Be Prepared, Get Involved in the American Red Cross National Preparedness Month

As the cooler days of fall begin, the colors of the leaves change, and many people refocus on work and school, the American Red Cross urges people to also focus on the needs of their community. September is National Preparedness Month 2008, and the message is to BE READY, BE PREPARED, and GET INVOLVED.

The Red Cross wants to encourage you to enhance your personal and community preparedness by taking a short “Be Red Cross Ready” course, volunteering, giving blood, and supporting the Asheville-Mountain Area chapter of the American Red Cross.

Four “Be Red Cross Ready” presentations are scheduled at the Asheville-Mountain Area Chapter at 100 Edgewood Road in Asheville. These presentations are geared for the general public and are scheduled 1 per week during the month of September. We offer two “Lunch n’ Learn” sessions and two sessions shortly after the typical work day on the following dates:

Tuesday, September 2 @ 6-7 p.m.
Thursday, September 11 @ 12:15 –
Wednesday, September 17 @ 6-7 p.m.
Wednesday, September 24 @ 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.

Red Cross Disaster Services volunteers will be making the presentations; a door prize of a “Car Preparedness Kit” will be given away at each presentation. Light refreshments will be served. Those who are coming for the lunch time presentations should bring their own lunches.

In addition, we are looking for people who would like to be Community Disaster Education Presenters. On September 10, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the Asheville Chapter is offering a workshop to volunteers with good presentation skills. The workshop is a basic-level disaster course that enables the presenter to target audiences, recognize & correct misinformation, select appropriate messages and materials and use the Community Disaster Education resources that, when delivered effectively, will cause people to change their behaviors during times of disaster.

Registration is encouraged for all workshops, but not required. Register online by going to our website (www.redcrosswnc.org) and clicking on the “Be Ready, Be Prepared graphic” register now button; or go to http://arcdisaster.eventbrite.com/.

To register by phone, to request more information and/or to schedule additional group presentations in Asheville and the surrounding area, contact Merideth Lovejoy, Preparedness Specialist at 828-258-3888, x. 228.

For more preparedness information, go to the following link on the American Red Cross site: http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/NPM/.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcrosswnc.org. For more information on scheduled blood drives, please click here.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.

(Images provided by the American Red Cross.)