Learning about safety ‘is fun’
Canadian Red Cross in P.E.I. celebrates third open house and family fun day
It’s never too early to start teaching kids about safety, especially if it’s taught in a fun way.
That was the goal at the open house and family fun day at the Canadian Red Cross in P.E.I.’s facility on Paramount Drive on Saturday.
From crafts that showed what goes into an emergency preparedness kit to applying some first-aid to teddy bears, there were plenty of family activities at the event which was also meant to celebrate Red Cross Month.
“The kids love it, there is a lot for them to do. But there is also some really important messaging around staying safe and emergency services,” said provincial director Laura Johnson-Montigny.
This was the third and biggest year for the open house, which began shortly after provincial Red Cross moved into its new facility. The event has also grown to involve other emergency management organizations, such as the Charlottetown police and fire department as well as the Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team.
“It just keeps getting bigger and bigger,’ said Johnson-Montigny. “People look forward to it now.”
The event is also volunteerdriven, with about 55 volunteers in the provincial Red Cross right now.
Jean Willison was one of those volunteers helping out on Saturday.
Willison and her granddaughter Mallory Grant were stitching up and putting BandAids on teddy bears, one of the most popular activities in the open house.
Willison, who had a career in nursing, joined the Red Cross last June and hasn’t looked back.
“It’s very comfortable here. The people are so nice. You just fit right in, and it’s not even been a year,” said Willison, who volunteers two days a week and was highly impressed by Saturday’s event.
The event also saw some facepainting, a clown, balloon twisting, door prizes and treats. Apart from providing a fun day for families and teaching kids about safety, the event also helps raise awareness for the provincial Red Cross programs such as the PDF loan program, health equipment loan program and its popular water safety day camps.
Day camp supervisor Emma MacMillan and assistant supervisor Madeline Gallant said this summer will be the 73rd year of the camps being held in P.E.I. They said the event was a good day to let people know about the camps.
“Some people don’t know about the day camps or you get some parents who say ‘I did this as a kid but I didn’t know they were still running.’ It’s awesome,” said Gallant. MacMillan, who is in her eighth year with the water safety camps, gave the entire open house event a thumbs-up.
“There is so much stuff happening and so many kids coming in. I love today because people get to learn more about what the Red Cross has to offer.”