Every day, seven people die in home fires, most in homes that lack working smoke alarms. Sadly, children and the elderly disproportionately lose their lives. The American Red Cross wants to improve the odds and save lives, that’s why we launched our Home Fire Campaign in 2014. A critical part of the campaign is Sound the Alarm, a series of home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events across the country. Red Cross volunteers, along with fire departments and other partners canvass at-risk neighborhoods, installing free smoke alarms, replacing batteries in existing alarms, and providing fire prevention and safety education.
Each year, the Illinois Red Cross presents an award to local heroes at an annual recognition event called the Heroes Breakfast - Celebrating Community Heroes. These individuals are honored for having made significant, positive differences in their communities in the areas of emergency response, disaster preparedness and prevention or exemplified the Red Cross mission in some way.
Team Red Cross brings together runners of all ages and abilities in support of the American Red Cross mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.