The American Red Cross has tips parents can follow to help keep children safe while enjoying Halloween festivities.
Trick-or-treaters need to see and be seen.
Use face makeup instead of masks that make seeing difficult.
Give trick-or-treaters a flashlight.
Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags.
Have everyone wear light-colored clothing.
Use flame-resistant costumes.
Make sure adults know where children are going. A parent or responsible adult should accompany them door to door.
Be cautious around animals, especially dogs.
Walk, don’t run.
Only visit homes that have a porch light on. Accept treats at the door – never go inside.
Walk only on the sidewalks, not in the street. If no sidewalk is available, walk at the edge of the roadway, facing traffic.
Look both ways before crossing the street, and cross only at the corner.
Don’t cut across yards or use alleys.
Don’t cross between parked cars.
Drivers – use extra caution. Children may forget to look both ways before crossing.
Check treats before children eat them.
Make sure to remove loose candy, open packages and choking hazards.
Discard any items with unfamiliar brand names.
Welcome trick-or-treaters to your home, but light the area well so young visitors can see and sweep leaves from sidewalks and steps. Clear porch or front yard of obstacles someone could trip over.
Courtesy of Cherry Hill Mayor’s Office Volunteers had their blood taken for donation at the township’s recent blood drive.
Cherry Hill partnered with the American Red Cross on Aug. 1 for a five-hour blood drive at the Carmen Tilelli Community Center.
The drive was planned through the Red Cross Leaders Save Lives Program, an initiative that encourages high-school and college students to organize and lead blood drives during breaks from school. According to the Red Cross – the largest single provider of blood and blood products nationally – someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets every two seconds, and 29,000 units of blood are needed to keep up with the daily demand.
The Save Lives program also offers scholarships and educational opportunities to students who choose to participate in and plan drives, as well as training and toolkits to help them smoothly run drives. Two students from Cherry Hill East led the community center drive, meeting all of the goals they set out to achieve.
Teens from both East and the Red Cross were the first to initiate the sponsorship, reaching out to the township to arrange the drive.
The event also aligned with Mayor Dave Fleisher’s wellness campaign and the township offered the Tilelli center as the drive’s location.
“Partnering with the American Red Cross and two of our Cherry Hill high-school students to host a blood drive at the community center is a powerful way to bring people together for the greater good,” Fleisher said.
One blood donation can go to multiple people and can help save multiple lives, including those with severe physical trauma or chronic diseases like cancer or sickle cell anemia, both of which can often require multiple transfusions.
“It gives our residents the chance to make a real impact by donating blood and helping those in need,” Fleisher noted.
Certain types of blood and plasma are in the highest demand; type O negative blood and type AB plasma can be given to patients with any blood type. O negative blood is only present in 7% of the U.S. population, with AB plasma only present in 4%.
Brian Bauerle is the chief of staff and acting business administrator for the mayor’s office.
“It’s very consistent with the mayor’s wellness campaign that he’s been working on throughout the year,” Bauerle explained. “So it was a perfect opportunity for us to partner on this program. The event went great. We were happy to host it.”
The American Red Cross needs the help of state residents.
The need for blood and platelet donations during January’s National Blood Donor Month and beyond is a constant, according to the organization.
“Currently, the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years,” said Kim Goetz, executive director of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. “And when fewer people donate blood, even small disruptions to blood donations – like recent winter weather systems – can have a huge effect on the availability of blood products and dramatic consequences for those in need of emergency blood transfusion.”
Winter can be a factor in people traveling to donate blood, and coupled with cold and flu season that keeps people at home, poses a challenge to blood donations. Central New Jersey is home to the Llura “Lulie” Gund state headquarters and Blood Donation Center in Princeton.
“This newly renovated space offers donors the opportunity to give whole blood, Power Red donations and platelet donations – all under one roof,” Goetz explained.
Rachel M. Lippoff, executive director of American Red Cross of Southern New Jersey, said “the need for blood donation is constant” adding it is a simple and quick process.
“It is easy to sign up to give blood and the entire process can be done in less than an hour,” she noted. “Simply go to redcrossblood.org to learn more about blood donation and enter your zip code to find a local blood drive or blood donation center near you.”
The majority of Red Cross first-time donors, according to Goetz, are high-school and college age.
“Young people are so important to the blood supply,” she noted. “It’s also such an inspiring way to serve your community.”
Recurring donors keep the blood supply healthy. According to Diane Concannon, communications director at American Red Cross New Jersey, donors can give blood every 56 days or up to six times a year.
“Every time you donate, you have the potential to save someone’s life,” Goetz said. “What an incredible way to spend about an hour of your time.”
As a way to entice state donors, Red Cross New Jersey partnered with the National Football League for a promotion. In recognition of National Blood Donor Month, individuals who donated blood through Jan. 26 were automatically entered for a chance to win a Super Bowl LIX giveaway. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl.
Regional blood dontion locations in central and South Jersey include the following:
The American Red Cross, founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, collects about 40% of the nation’s blood supply. According to its website, the organization received its first congressional charter in 1900 and is “tasked by the federal government with providing services to members of the American armed forces and their families well as providing disaster relief in the United States and around the world.”
