Red Cross Leads King Day of Service
“Train the Trainer” Prepares Nearly 20,000 for Disaster
The American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, selected this year for the first time as the signature project of the Greater Philadelphia 12th annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, sought to fulfill Dr. King’s forward-looking vision of doing good work that multiplies in the community.
The message on Jan. 15 this year was “Be Prepared,” a core element of the Red Cross mission – helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. To deliver this message in a meaningful way, the Red Cross enlisted 539 community leaders and volunteers to pack more than 2,100 emergency preparedness kits – informally called “go bags” – then trained volunteers in disaster preparedness. Those trained were asked to pass the training forward to others, which resulted in pledges to train a total of 19,837 people.
“It’s a ripple effect. By training the trainer, we extend the reach of vital Red Cross disaster preparedness and magnify across our communities the impact of preparing for the unexpected,” explained Harry McHugh, chairman of the Red Cross SEPA Chapter board of directors.
Volunteers at King High School in Germantown included Mayor John Street, U.S. Senator Bob Casey, former Senator Harris Wofford, actor David Morse, and the candidates for mayor of Philadelphia in this year’s election. Also present were Joe Certaine, director of the Governor’s Office in Philadelphia, United Way CEO Alba Martinez, volunteers from Girl and Boy Scouts of America, City Year Philadelphia, Town Watch, YouthBuild Charter School, SEIU, AFL-CIO, Temple University, and faith-based organizations.
The volunteers packed 2,133 Red Cross go bags with emergency supplies such as glow sticks; blankets, flashlights, batteries and collapsible water containers. Once packed, these bags were delivered to residents of the city and suburbs, who were instructed to add personal items like copies of drivers’ licenses, insurance papers and birth certificates, which would be needed in case of a
n emergency evacuation. Recipients of the kits also were enlisted to further spread the preparedness message to relatives, friends and neighbors.
“As signature leader for the King Day of Service for the first time this year, the Red Cross wanted to focus on the readiness lesson that we preach every day. Preparing for unexpected disaster is a fundamental part of our three-part mission, which also includes helping people prevent disaster and responding when emergencies do occur,” explained Tom Foley, CEO of the Red Cross SEPA Chapter.
While the go bags were being assembled, more than 200 volunteers from the five-county SEPA area were trained in the new Be Red Cross Ready disaster preparedness curriculum, so they could in turn train members of their community. ES Training and Volunteer Development Coordinator Jessie Helwig led the training.
Emergency preparedness training workshops also were held later that day at Resurrection Baptist Church, Cecil B. Moore Recreation Facility, Dixon House Settlement, Houston Community Center, H.A.C.E., and the Community College of Philadelphia. In addition, go bags were delivered to emergency management officials in the four suburban counties; these bags will be distributed at future “train the trainer” events, spreading the message throughout the Delaware Valley.
In addition to Red Cross trainers delivering educational programs to eight different sites, 200 children were part of a special Red Cross program at Ithan Elementary School in Bryn Mawr, Montgomery County. The students and their parents put together 1,500 disaster information kits (to be distributed in fire-prone neighborhoods) and completed a “Hazards in the Home” mural for their school.
View the Martin Luther King Day of Service by the Numbers
View photos from the Martin Luther King Day of Service
Photo #1 Caption: Tom Foley, ARC SEPA CEO, introduces Be Red Cross Ready training
Photo #2 Caption (from left to right): Tom Foley, CEO of the Red Cross SEPA Chapter, former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, and U.S. Senator Bob Casey
