American Red Cross volunteers Pam O’Day and Marie Ferrell recently presented The Pillowcase Project to third grade students at East Elementary School.  
The Pillowcase Project started in Louisiana and has expanded with support from The Walt Disney Company.  
The project teaches students how to stay safe and calm during an emergency and how to be prepared when emergencies happen.  
The three building blocks for the project are Learn, Practice and Share.  
Learn how the emergency happens and the best ways to be safe.  
Practice what to do during the emergency.  
Share what they learn so everyone in the household can be safe.  
The students also learned about coping skills they can use during an emergency.  
The students learned about Hurricane Preparedness and Home Fire Preparedness.  The presenters showed the students an example of a pillowcase that would have items needed in it during an emergency.  
The items included:  battery operated radio with weather/news information, flashlight, water bottle, first aid kit, personal hygiene kit and snack foods.  Each student received a pillowcase that they could decorate and have for an emergency, overnight stay or family vacation.  They also learned that they do not grab the pillow case if there is a fire, but they can grab it if there is another reason for evacuation.