What we're up to!

It’s Christmas week here at the Chapter! Since we spend all year doing good work for our community, we take advantage of the Christmas season to have a little fun.  Our past week has been full of Secret Santa, homemade goodies and theme days, including today which is… Ugly Sweater day!

Although it’s not a competition, there have been a few individuals that have gone above and beyond this week, whether in extravagant Secret Santa scavenger hunts, bringing in homemade goodies or making their own ugly Christmas sweaters!  Even throughout our Christmas week, we have helped several families, which we are happy to do. We know that the Christmas season is all about giving, and we know that you as a community do as well.

Without your generous donations, we would not be able to do our good work throughout Buffalo 24/7, rain or shine, holiday or not, so we thank you for giving us the power to give help, because that is what we do best!

To make a donation to the American Red Cross this holiday season and help us continue to do our good work in the community, please visit us online, donate through our Holiday Giving Catalog or text GIFT to 90999 to make a $25 donation.

Food for thought... chew it up!

Do you know what the number one food children younger than 10-years of age choke on?

Hot dogs!

Hot dogs account for more that 17% of choking occurrences in children.  Several of us here at the Chapter have witnessed the look of fear and panic that fills a young child’s eyes when they realize they can’t breathe, and it is safe to say that is one of the scariest things to see. What’s worse is when no one knows what to do.  If your child or loved one were to choke today, would you know what to do in order to save their life?  Take the steps now to be prepared!

The Chapter offers child CPR/AED courses and we encourage all parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers and babysitters to get certified, so if they’re ever put in that situation, they will know how to react and save a life!

For more information or to sign up for a course, visit us online or call us at 716.878.2387.

Winterize your home!

With all of this wintery weather and temperatures dipping well below freezing, it’s time to start winterizing your homes here in Buffalo!

Here are some tips to follow:

Insulate your home- Be sure to install your storm windows or to keep windows covered indoors with plastic insulation (it will help keep the cold air out and the warm air in!)

Heating supplies- Be sure to have your chimneys cleaned and inspected and your heaters serviced and inspected for optimum performance and safety.

Pets- Be sure to move your pets indoors and make sure that they have access to non-frozen drinking water.

Running water- If you know your pipes have a tendency to freeze, let water trickle to prevent freezing and bursting.

Emergency supply kit- Be sure to have 3 days of non-perishable food for you and your family on hand (remember a can opener!), 3 gallons of bottled water for each person in your household, a first aid kit and extra medications, a battery operated radio, warm clothing and sanitation items.  For more tips on building a kit or to buy a kit, visit us online!

Alarms- Make sure that all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms have batteries and are located in the central locations in your home.

For more tips and information about how to deal with the winter weather here in Buffalo, visit our Chapter online.