Fair to be held January 7th, 2012 in Hyannis

The American Red Cross is pleased to announce that the Andrew S. and Katherine Y. Keck Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation will support the 5th Annual Scout Emergency Preparedness Fair.

The fair will be organized on Saturday January 7th, 2011 from 9am-12pm at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis.

For this Fair, the American Red Cross, Cape Cod and Islands Chapter teams up with the Cape Cod and Islands Council, Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of Southeastern Massachusetts to put on the event.

Early 2011, over 250 scouts and almost 100 adults and parents attended from as far as Plymouth and Carver.

The fair provides Wolf, Bear, and Webelos scouts as well as Junior Girl Scouts and Brownies, with the opportunity to rotate through different activities learning about disaster preparedness, basic first aid, CPR, water safety, and other life saving skills.

The fair gives scouts the opportunity to practice these life saving skills and apply their knowledge directly so they could earn their individualized Emergency Preparedness Awards. Other disaster services volunteers will be present for the event as well, including the West Barnstable Fire Department, the Barnstable Police Department, and the members from AmeriCorps Cape Cod.

Various displays and stations are set up, teaching scouts Water safety, basic CPR, First Aid procedures and general disaster preparedness skills. One table will be set up where scouts can write a letter to the troops. The fair follows guidelines for the Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Scout Readyman badge, Emergency Preparedness Award, and the Junior Girl Scout Safety Award.

As the kids are busy earning their Merit Badge and Safety Award, their parents can attend a special short Preparedness presentation, covering the current regional sheltering plan project as well as what to expect, what to bring to, at a shelter. To find out more about the Scout Emergency Fair, about volunteering for the Red Cross, for class schedules, for disaster preparedness information in English, Spanish or Portuguese, or to donate, please contact the American Red Cross, Cape Cod Islands Chapter, 286 South Street, Hyannis, MA 02601, call (508) 775-1540 ext. 21 or visit www.cciredcross.org The Red Cross is not a government agency and does not receive federal or state funding. Local Chapters do receive some human resource support from the American Red Cross Headquarters, however, each Chapter is responsible for raising adequate funds to support all of its activities, including recruiting and training volunteers, and teaching life saving skills within its geographical coverage area. It relies on donations of time, money, and blood from the American public to successfully do its work.