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Youth Volunteers Help Train "Safe Kids"
Kelly Garrison, Special to RedCross.org
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 — On Saturday, April 21st, (which is National Youth Service Day), 21 Red Cross Club high school volunteers will teach children Basic Aid Training. Randi Zimmerman, the Youth Services Coordinator for the Ventura County Chapter in California, said this training will allow kids to respond to emergency situations by teaching them to identify and prevent harmful situations and treat common injuries. She also said the teenage instructors of ‘safe kids’ “will walk away with leadership skills and will gain confidence in themselves. It’s an opportunity to learn responsibility, to follow through and be committed to a project.”
Zimmerman remarked, “With the elementary school students, if something happens in their families, they may be able to save a life.” The elementary school students will move from station to station where trained high school volunteers will teach them everything from water and fire safety to first aid and rescue breathing. “I want them [the elementary school students] to be able to respond to basic emergencies,” Zimmerman said. “Each can pass that on to make a difference in someone else’s life.” A certificate will mark the course completion for each child. They’ll also walk away with booklets and other items referencing what they’ve learned. Each session lasts 20 minutes before kids rotate to other booths.
Zimmerman said event preparation has lasted at least two months. The young volunteers came from four different high schools and have practiced by teaching skill lessons to each other. “It’s really the youth leaders who are responsible for supporting this event and initiating the instruction of it,” she noted. In the past, the event has drawn about 40 participants, Zimmerman added that she hopes for an even larger attendance this year.
It is organized this year with the help of funds from the local chapter. Safe Kids Day will take place on Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Moorpark High School. To register, call 805-620-4067, ext. 267. For more information, call 805-339-2234, ext. 280.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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