AAMU to Partner with Red Cross to “Serve the City”

Alabama A&M University and The American Red will join forces April 6 during the University’s annual “Serving the City as One Day of Service,” an upcoming activity that sends hundreds of student volunteers to select agencies to offer various forms of assistance throughout the city.  This year, volunteers will focus on a national effort by the American Red Cross to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires.

In the recent past, AAMU’s “Serving the City” has harnessed the collective energy of hundreds of freshmen, upperclassmen and community volunteers for a massive Day of Service event.  Last year, AAMU actually led the city-wide effort, but it has participated in the program for several years.

Additionally, Huntsville is one of three signature cities in Alabama to host the Red Cross Sound the Alarm Event. On April 6, after convening at Louis Crews Stadium, over a thousand Alabama A&M students and more than 200 community leaders will install over 650 smoke alarms in homes in local communities.

“Home fires are the biggest disaster threat we face, killing seven people in this country every day,” said Khris Anderson, executive director for the North Alabama Chapter of the Red Cross. Anderson says that Madison County has seen two fatalities from home fires in the month of January alone. “I truly believe that we will save lives by installing these smoke alarms.”

The Home Fire Campaign is making a difference. Since the beginning of the initiative, Red Cross and its partners have saved at least 26 lives in Alabama through the Home Fire Campaign. Last year in North Alabama, the Red Cross installed more than 1,200 alarms.

Nationwide, the Red Cross will Sound the Alarm through a series of smoke alarm installation and fire safety events in more than 100 communities. From April 6 through May 13, Red Cross volunteers and partners will install 100,000 free smoke alarms. These events are related to the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which since 2014 has helped save lives through smoke alarm installations and home fire safety education in thousands of communities.

Visit the Day of Service Webpage

For additional information, contact Monica Clarke at monica.clarke@aamu.edu, (256) 372-4710, or contact Khris Anderson at (256) 689-7128.