The Pillowcase Project is a free 40 to 60 minute program for 3rd to 6th graders to help increase awareness of natural hazards and encourage emergency preparedness actions. 

• The program was created in New Orleans, inspired by university students who carried their belongings in pillowcases during evacuations for Hurricane Katrina. All students receive a pillowcase to decorate and a preparedness workbook.  
• Children are encouraged to work with adult members of their households to create an emergency plan. 
• Trained Red Cross staff and volunteers present the program in communities nationwide. The program features interactive lessons focused on home fire prevention and safety and other potential hazards such as wildfires, floods and earthquakes. Lessons are based on what disasters occur in our Colorado and Wyoming communities. 

• Students learn about the science of a locally relevant hazard and how to best prepare for it. They practice what to do if a disaster occurs and how to cope with related fear and stress. Then they share the information and skills they have learned with their family and friends, so everyone in the household knows what to do