American Red Cross’ Sound the Alarm Initiative

Sound the Alarm Initiative
Image: redcross.org

Cody Gotchall is an Oregon student taking online courses in pursuit of earning a transfer degree in business. Cody Gotchall has been a supporter of the American Red Cross through blood donations since 2012.

The American Red Cross recently celebrated the accomplishment of installing more than 120,000 free smoke alarms in dozens of at-risk cities nationwide. More than 29,000 volunteers registered to work with community partners to install the alarms as part of the Red Cross’ Sound the Alarm initiative. The alarms were installed in more than 50,000 households during the months of April and May. Jackie Sturdivant is the owner of one of the homes in which a smoke alarm was installed. She credited the alarm for saving her and her three children following an electrical fire.

The Sound the Alarm initiative is part of the larger Home Fire Campaign, which was launched in 2014 to reduce the number of lives lost as a result of house fires. Since that time, the Red Cross has installed more than 1.7 million smoke alarms in more than 709,000 households and delivered youth preparedness programs to more than 1.3 million children.

The American Red Cross Works to Prevent Home Fires

 

Red Cross
Image: redcross.org

In 2014, Cody Gotchall graduated from Crescent Valley High School, where he was an honors student and a member of the school’s robotics team. Since graduating from high school, he has studied at Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College. Alongside his academic pursuits, Cody Gotchall has supported several community organizations over the years, including the American Red Cross.

In its efforts to help individuals and families prepare for emergencies, the Red Cross oversees its Home Fire Campaign, which aims to reduce the number of fire-related injuries and deaths in the United States. Through the campaign, the organization works alongside community partners and volunteers to install free smoke alarms and provide educational programs focused on fire safety and preparedness.

Since launching the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, the Red Cross and its partners have installed over 1 million free smoke alarms. The organization also replaced over 50,000 smoke alarm batteries while helping families nationwide develop home fire escape plans.

In 2018, the Red Cross will continue to advance the Home Fire Campaign with Sound the Alarm events across the country. From April 28 to May 13, the organization plans to install 100,000 smoke alarms during events in over 100 major US cities. To learn more, visit www.soundthealarm.org.

American Red Cross Calls for Emergency Blood Donations

American Red Cross
Image: redcross.org

A student at Linn-Benton Community College iLearn, Cody Gotchall has spent the past several years volunteering with numerous organizations. Over the years, Cody Gotchall has helped such groups as Habitat for Humanity and SAGE Garden. He also has donated blood to the American Red Cross since 2012.

In addition to providing disaster relief and training services, the American Red Cross takes and distributes blood donations. Because of blood shortages, the American Red Cross issued an emergency call for blood donations in early July 2017.

During the two months leading up to July, the American Red Cross was sending platelet and blood donations to hospitals faster than it was receiving donations. There was roughly 61,000 fewer donations than what the organization needed to meet the demand of hospitals. The organization believed this shortage resulted from fewer blood drives. Many drive sponsors had their vacation time during the summer, especially around Independence Day, and this resulted in close to 700 fewer blood drives organized during the week of July 4.

To address this shortage, the American Red Cross called for emergency donations. The organization reminds individuals that donating blood and platelets is a relatively simple process and that most individuals above the age of 17 are eligible to give.

Team Requirements for FIRST LEGO League

 

FIRST LEGO League
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A lifelong Oregon resident, Cody Gotchall studies through Linn-Benton Community College’s iLearn program. Maintaining an interest in math and science, he belonged to a robotics team while in high school and is interested in FIRST Robotics. Cody Gotchall also volunteered with the FIRST LEGO League.

As part of its mission to develop the next generation’s technology and science leaders, FIRST hosts a variety of mentor-based programs, including the FIRST LEGO League.

Designed for individuals between grades four and eight, FIRST LEGO League promotes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). By using STEM concepts, participants are asked to research and solve a real-world problem related to areas such as recycling or food safety. Each FIRST LEGO League team consists of up to 10 students who are led and motivated by at least two adult coaches. All teams must have a public or private meeting place that has internet access, along with a standard Challenge Set and LEGO MINDSTORMS robot set.

Teams typically form and register between the months of May and October each year. The FIRST LEGO League season challenge information is released in August. Once the challenge is released, teams have a minimum of eight weeks to complete their project. Specific tournament dates vary by season. All team members and coaches must agree to meet at least once per week between the months of September and April. Some teams may also want to compete in off-season events, so coaches must have the free time to accommodate these activities as well.