This past July, the Corporation for National & Community Service awarded the American Red Cross with a $1+ million grant to launch the Red Cross Corps.
The 80 Red Cross Corps AmeriCorps members will teach 60,000 youth about fire safety and emergency preparedness through The Pillowcase Project. Sponsored by Disney, The Pillowcase Project is a Red Cross program that teaches students in grades 3 to 5 about personal and family preparedness, local hazards, and how to cope. Upon completion of the program, students receive a pillowcase in which to build their personal emergency supply kit.
The AmeriCorps members will also teach as many as 20,000 adults about home fire safety through the Home Fire Campaign, a five-year effort to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in the United States related to home fires by 25 percent. Working with fire departments and community groups across the country, the Red Cross is installing 2.5 million free home smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high risk for fires and teaching residents about fire prevention and preparedness.
We’re honored that Red Cross Corps has invested in the Timesheets, Communications, and Member Management modules of the AmeriCorps Impact Suite. The national organization joins two local Red Cross affiliates that have been using various portions of the Impact Suite during the past several years.