The Connecticut Apartment Association, based in Glastonbury, Connecticut, has partnered with the American Red Cross for the second year in a row. As part of the partnership, this year, the Connecticut Apartment Association has contributed in support of the Sound the Alarm. Save a Life. Campaign and is entering their second year as a Ready 365 Bronze level supporter.

“We’re grateful to the Connecticut Apartment Association for their ongoing support of the Red Cross and for their support of our Sound the Alarm program,” said Brandon Ponder, Chief Development Officer, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region. “The Connecticut Apartment Association’s partnership helps the Red Cross prepare communities for the largest disaster threat, home fires.”

Every day seven people are killed and another 36 people suffer injuries because of home fires. And annually, the American Red Cross responds to nearly 62,000 disasters – the vast majority of which are home fires. Here in Connecticut, the Red Cross responds to about two home fires each day across the state. Having working smoke alarms cuts the risk of dying in a home fire in half, to save lives, the Red Cross started their Home Fire Campaign in 2014. The Connecticut Apartment Association’s contribution to Sound the Alarm. Save a Life. helps the Red Cross install free smoke alarms and provide important preparedness information to families.

On April 27, 2019, employees from the Connecticut Apartment Association joined nearly 200 volunteers and helped to make more than 300 homes safer and install nearly 900 free smoke alarms in the Greater New Haven area. Since the program began in 2014, the Red Cross and partners have saved more than 580 lives, installed more than 1.6 million smoke alarms and made nearly 700,000 homes safer.

“Being able to participate in Sound the Alarm was such a fun and rewarding experience.  The camaraderie of all the volunteers was palpable as the opening speeches were given and we were assigned our teams’ locations.  It is a very special feeling to be able to team up with such great people and go out and potentially save lives.  I’m already looking forward to next year”, says Brent Reihl of C&R Management and Chairman of CTAA’s Public Relations Committee.

The financial contributions of corporate citizens, like The Connecticut Apartment Association, enable the Red Cross to make a tremendous difference every day for those who rely on our services in disasters, like home fires and other emergencies.

About Ready 365

Ready 365 Giving Program members are businesses that value the local impact and global reach of the Red Cross; they want to deepen their commitment to our mission; and they are ready to help save lives every day of the year. To learn more about how your business can help the Red Cross become Ready 365, visit www.redcross.org/ct..

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/ct or visit us on Twitter at @CTRedCross.

About The Connecticut Apartment Association:

We actively lead the apartment industry in providing quality housing by educating, advocating and connecting property owners, managers and vendor partners.”

- CTAA Mission Statement