2016 New Year’s Resolution: Prepare to Care

Written by: Corey B. Welcher, volunteer

Many of us begin each new year with goals and plans to do something new/better/different than the last. The sense of getting a fresh start propels many of these well-intentioned goals forward, for at least a little while. What do your goals look like this year? Do your goals include ways to care for both yourself and your community in 2016?  

Ensuring completion of goals is a task itself! Our fresh start can quickly lose speed as calendars fill up and energy depletes.  We become “too busy” to take a class, be nice, eat better, etc. To try and give myself the best chance of success in the new year, I follow these steps: The first week of January I take a look at my goals and make sure they include both personal improvements/changes and volunteer goals. Next, I evaluate them to confirm they are both realistic and achievable within twelve months. Lastly, I make a due date for each goal and put it on my calendar- with a reminder attached! 

One of my resolutions for 2016 is to take a CPR certification class. I first completed my CPR certification when I was thirteen during the Red Cross Babysitting class. Having the certification gave me an added confidence and additional tools to pull from during my babysitting jobs. Now that I teach yoga lessons in my home and at studios around the DMV, I am realizing that it would be a responsible, good idea to complete the CPR training. Should anything happen during class or in my community, I’ll be prepared to help. 

By breaking down your plans for the new year into achievable goals with realistic timelines, we can all meet our goals for the new year. To help round out your resolutions for volunteering, take a moment to check out your local Red Cross, consider donating blood at redcrossblood.org, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for more information on opportunities for involvement

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New Year’s Resolutions, Red Cross Style!

Resolve To Be Prepared

By Lisa Newman, Volunteer Contributor 

Welcome to 2014!  For many of us, the new year is a time for self-reflection, renewal and goal setting.  Maybe we commit to exercising regularly, changing careers, volunteering in the community, or all of the above.  I don’t know about you but my resolutions seem much more doable in January, than say, June!   

Last year I took a very different approach and included my top resolutions as monthly reminders in my Gmail and iPhone calendars.  Well, this simple change made all the difference!  In addition to enrolling in a yoga class and partnering with public/private organizations on a homeless fundraising initiative, my list also included working with the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region - and here I am!  

The calendar approach might also help you improve emergency preparedness in your home.  Every year, the Red Cross responds to over 70,000 disasters in the U.S. so we know being prepared for the unexpected can save lives.  Try including simple preparedness resolutions as action items on your calendar right there next to learning a foreign language, traveling, or meditating through my - I mean your - child’s teenage mood swings!  Did I mention my 14 year-old daughter?

So let's get started! Below is a list of Red Cross emergency preparedness action items for inclusion on your digital organizers and mobile phone calendars. Be sure to take a look at the entire list and click on the links to start protecting your family and your homes today. Here's to a safe and happy 2014!

Click and prepare away! 

Prepare for a disaster by making a plan so you know what do in case of an emergency. 

Purchase of make an emergency kit for your home, office, and vehicles.

Change batteries in smoke alarms and review fire prevention tips since home fires account for the majority (over 93%) of disasters. Use this fire prevention checklist. 

Give blood at your local Red Cross donation site and help save a life. 

Download the Red Cross Mobile Apps for immediate access to help during an emergency.

Take a Red Cross class including First Aid, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator).  Help your family and community with lifesaving skills.

Register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website and stay in touch with loved ones during an emergency.

Volunteer with your local Red Cross and make a difference in your community.

Donate funds to help make an impact on lives.

Share this list!

For more information about emergency preparedness, volunteering with your local Red Cross, or giving blood, visit the Red Cross online. 

Hello 2014!

My New Year's Resolutions

By Squiggy the Squirrel

Happy 2014 everyone! I'm excited for the year ahead and to share more stories and tips with you. I thought long and hard about my resolutions for the new year and I'm confident I came up with a good list!

• Master the art of cupcake making. I promise I'll share! I'm thinking my first batch should be Red (Cross) Velvet.
• Donate Blood. This is the gift that keeps on giving. More than 40,000 blood donations are needed every day and I want to help out! I can even schedule my donation online.
• Read War and Peace. I can get through 1,296 pages pretty fast, right?
• Take a Red Cross training course. Did you know that each year more than 9 million people take a skills class through the Red Cross, including First Aid, AED, and CPR training? I want to try a new one this year to gain new skills. Search for a class today!
• Learn to juggle. I do enjoy the circus! And I think this would be a lot of fun! 
• Check my smoke alarms frequently. To practice fire safety skills, I'm going to use the test button to check each smoke alarm in my tree house once a month. I'll also frequently check the batteries in the smoke alarms.
• Visit a new state. There are a few that I would love to visit. Maybe I should go to California this year?
• Donate coins. I have a jar in my room full of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. I'm going to count them all and donate the money to Red Cross. Helping others in need is a great way to kick of 2014!

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? What goals do you have for 2014?

xo,

Squiggy