I have been working at the St. Louis Area Chapter for almost three months now as an AmeriCorps member. It’s truly been a great experience. One of my favorite job responsibilities is to teach disaster preparedness education to different groups around St. Louis. This is a free service of the Red Cross and last year the Chapter educated over 100,000 people! This past week I went to the Edgewood Children’s Center   here in St. Louis. I presented general disaster preparedness information to the entire faculty of the school.  This group was very welcoming and responsive to the information that I presented.  One teacher asked the question, “where is the best place to put your disaster kit in your home?”  My response was that it depends on the home and the area that you live.  There is no one particular place in a home that you should store your disaster supplies kit, the main thing is to have it in an easily accessible place that everyone in the home is aware of.  The entire faculty seemed interested in what I had to say and I think I was able to make a difference in their level of personal preparedness. 
 
Another good experience that I had this past week was going to Jefferson Barracks Memorial Hospital   to play Bingo with the veterans. The Red Cross hosts bingo every Saturday and it’s something we love to do. One veteran shared a personal tragedy that affected his family. His home was flooded and the Red Cross was there in his time of need. I hear stories like this all the time. It makes me proud to be a part of this organization.
 
Until next time…
Danae'
 
Danae’ Dimmick is an AmeriCorps member for the American Red Cross.