1. Lend a hand to a local military family.
- Perform free services such as car washes, lawn mowing, repair projects, etc.
- Provide childcare while parents attend important informational or support group meetings.
- Mentor or teach children and students through activities such as reading, mentoring college-bound students or providing arts or sports workshops.
2. Support military veterans. Reach out to veteran health facilities: play games, conduct exercise programs, distribute books or help plant and cultivate healing gardens.
3. Thank Red Cross contributors. Participate in a thank-a-thon. Give 2 - 3 hours of your time to thank friends and neighbors who support the mission of the Red Cross.
4. Give the gift of life—become a blood donor or volunteer for a blood drive.
5. Challenge your friends and family. Be the first to recruit the most blood donors, sign up the most participants for CPR and First Aid classes or enlist the most people to become “Red Cross Ready” by taking the 10-minute online Red Cross education program.
6. Help your neighbors be prepared for a disaster.
- Distribute information on disasters common to your community—home fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.
- Build disaster kits to help friends and neighbors prepare for local emergencies, or comfort kits for those personally affected by disasters.
7. Ensure your community has adequate sheltering capacity in the event of an emergency by visiting and evaluating shelter sites.
8. Share your caring and humanity with people around the world.
- Join the world-wide movement to vaccinate children against measles by raising awareness of the Red Cross Measles Initiative.
- Make your neighbors aware of Red Cross services to help locate loved ones in other countries separated by disasters and war.
- Share the values of the Geneva Conventions by distributing information on international humanitarian law.
9. Use your technology skills to help your local Red Cross chapter update Web sites, post Red Cross volunteer opportunities or educate Red Cross employees and volunteers on the use of social networking Web sites.
10. When there is a major disaster in your local community, lend your time and skills to support the Red Cross disaster relief effort.
