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.