Taft Elementary School third grade students got a visit from a pair of Red Cross volunteers on January 31. The purpose of the visit was to share with students the importance of being prepared in case of an emergency.
The visitors shared with the students a program called the Pillowcase Project.
“Each student gets their own pillowcase and they get to decorate it,” said third grade teacher Jonda Axthelm. “They suggest putting a bottle of water, soap, a flashlight, a special toy that means a lot to them, a change of clothes and a toothbrush and toothpaste.”
The Red Cross donates some of the suggested items and shares with the students a workbook that details emergencies, the history of the Red Cross, how the Red Cross could help them and a fire escape map.
Kids are encouraged to take the workbook home and create and go over the fire escape map with their families. The book also lists local fire and police department phone numbers and shows students who to call in case of an emergency.
“I’m donating blankets to my class, so they have a new blanket in their pillowcase,” Axthelm said. “The idea is if you have a fire, flood, or even if you get evicted, you’ll have things in your pillowcase that could at least help you survive for a night or two.
“Some of our kids do get evicted so they could have special things in one spot that they could just grab and go. It gives them a special peace of mind to know they have something special to them, right there.”
The existence of the possibility of eviction is real for some of Axthelm’s students and adds to the importance of having the pillowcase at the ready.
“I think it’s very important all around for them to know what to do,” she explained. “But I think at Marion it’s especially important because some of our third graders are actually taking care of younger siblings. I like to give them as much help as I can to know what to do in order to basically survive.”
It is the second year Axthelm has had the Red Cross volunteers come to her classroom and the experience has been good.
“The kids loved it,” she said. “I felt like it was really meaningful to them to know what to do in an emergency situation.”
“The Red Cross is a wonderful organization and we appreciate their support,” Superintendent Dr. Ron Iarussi said. “The Pillowcase Project aligns very well with our Learning Pillar and the work taking place around the social and emotional well-being of Marion students.”