Award recipients to be honored at annual ball

HARTFORD >> The American Red Cross will celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program by honoring The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO, Christopher J. Swift and the national program with the 2017 Community Impact Award. Swift and the Junior Fire Marshal program will be recognized at the Red Cross Ball on Saturday, March 25, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

“The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program has helped save countless lives by educating children and families about the risk of fire,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region, in a written statement. “The Junior Fire Marshal program and the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign share the same goal: To prepare our communities in the event of a fire. We are thrilled to be honoring The Hartford at this year’s Red Cross Ball.”

The Junior Fire Marshal Program, started by an employee of The Hartford, was created in 1947 to teach fire safety education to kids and keep families safe. The program teaches lifesaving lessons such as Stop, Drop and Roll; Go Low in Smoke and Draw a Home Fire Escape Plan. Since the program’s inception, the program has deputized more than 110 million Junior Fire Marshals.

Over the years, celebrities such as Ron Howard, Dick Van Dyke, Jack Benny, Jimmy Dean, Mr. Green Jeans and Captain Kangaroo, Carol Channing, Red Skelton, Johnny Carson, Robert Young, Henry “the Fonz” Winkler and President John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have helped The Hartford recognize children who participated in the Junior Fire Marshal program.

“The Hartford is proud to be recognized by the American Red Cross for our ongoing commitment to building safer communities through our Junior Fire Marshal program,” said The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift. “A home fire is reported in the U.S. every 86 seconds. We believe that through education we can help to reduce the risk of home fires. With the Junior Fire Marshal program, we empower everyday kids to become everyday heroes by teaching them to recognize the fire risks in their homes and how to stay safe.”

This year’s ball will be an evening full of fun and inspiration. “The Ball will have something for everyone,” said Bruno. The event begins with a reception at 6:00 p.m. featuring silent auction items and live music. WTNH Good Morning Connecticut coanchor Laura Hutchinson will emcee this year’s event. The Ball will feature an evening full of fun and inspiration featuring a live and silent auction and live band.

This year’s ball is being co-chaired by Nancy Taylor, Charter Oak State College and Lucian Terranova, UPS (Retired). Information and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.redcross.org/RedCrossBall.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.

The Red Cross is a notfor-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, visit redcross.org/ ct or visit us on Twitter at @CTRedCross.