Student Guide for
Creating an American Red
Cross School Club
Dear Club Leader,
Thank you for your interest in starting a Red Cross Club at your
school. I hope that you will find it to be a rewarding and fun
experience and that you will also develop yourself as a leader.
We have developed this Students’ Guide to give you basic
information on various topics that you may need to know in starting
and leading your club. You will find basic suggestions on how to
facilitate a meeting, make posters to advertise projects, and
project ideas.
There are so many Red Cross Projects from which you can select,
but feel free to develop new projects as well! Your club is going to
be what you make of it and no two clubs are the same.
I hope that you and your club will learn from our training and
ideas, but we want to learn from you as well. If you have a
suggestion or new idea for a project, please tell us!! The School
Programs are constantly evolving and your input would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks so much for your hard work and energy!
Best of Luck,
Your Local American Red Cross
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REASONS TO JOIN A RED CROSS CLUB
1. You will make a difference in your school, community and
world.
2. You can fulfill Service-Learning requirements.
3. You can be trained in CPR and First Aid, Disaster
Services, and Public Speaking.
4. You can improve your work or college resume.
5. You can network with professionals, other volunteers and
other high school Red Cross Clubs in the York area.
6. You can be an active member of a respected
international organization.
7. You can cultivate skills in leadership, marketing, and
business.
8. You can meet several other people your age and have fun!
The purpose of Red Cross Clubs is to assist students in
implementing exciting and meaningful service-learning projects and
educational opportunities in their school and community. Red Cross
clubs provide students the perfect forum for discovering leadership
skills, learning Red Cross training and giving back to the community
through service. Please be CrEAtivE! This is your club and it will
be what you make of it.
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First Steps
Before you start to have meetings with your club, you should first make sure you
have permission from the administration of your school to organize the club. You
may want to set-up a meeting with the administration to go over your ideas. (You
can always ask other students, teachers or me for help). Please call your local Red
Cross contact if you need assistance.
Once you have permission, you can start your search for a club sponsor. A sponsor
could be a faculty member, teacher, or parent involved with your school. The most
important thing that a sponsor must show is an
interest and commitment to your club. They
must be able to provide you with meeting space
and be able to be present during meetings.
Spreading the Word!
Whether you’re recruiting members for your
club, or advertising an upcoming service project, it’s important to spread the word
around about what you are doing. The more that students, faculty, and community
members know what you are doing, the more support you will receive for your
cause.
There are many different ways to market your club, but the two methods you will
be using most will be face-to-face communication and poster/flyer designs. (You
should also check with the school administration to see if they can make an
announcement about your club meetings/events at the start of the school day. This
may be different for every school.)
Face-to-Face
Since people are swamped with hundreds of messages and advertisements every
day, it is important to keep your speeches and recruitment messages short.
Whether you’re talking to another student about joining your club, making a
presentation to the community, or creating an announcement about an upcoming
project, talking with people in person is your most effective recruiting tool. You
may want to practice creating something called a 30-second spot with other club
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members. Come up with a basic message (a couple different ideas and points about
your club or event that you want to highlight) and time each other to see if you can
fit the speech into a 30-second time period.
For example, if you are trying to get new members to join your club,
you might want to say something like: “I just joined the Red Cross
Club at our school. We’re planning to do a lot of exciting projects
like collecting toys for children who have been burned out of their
homes, helping out at a homeless shelter, and training elementary
school students about how to respond to a disaster. Some of us are
getting certified in CPR and First Aid. You should think about
joining too. It’s a lot of fun, and we meet every other Friday in the
science room. Hey, if you’re interested, you can let me know now, or
just show up on Friday. I would love to have you as part of the
group!”
It’s important to show enthusiasm when you’re recruiting, and always remember to
mention the benefits of being involved. Never beg someone to join your club or
event! No one wants to join a group if they feel like they are being guilt-tripped
into it.
Posters/flyers
This is another great way to spread the word about your club activities throughout
your school and community. Again, as with the face-to-face approach, you want to
remember to keep things short and simple when creating a poster or flyer design.
There are four simple elements that each poster or flyer should have in order for
it to be most effective.
1) A statement of need – this tells the reader why it’s important that they
volunteer for a project or join a club.
Example: “Many young children do not know how to respond to an emergency
situation.”
2) Explain what someone can do to help – this piece inspires and empowers the
volunteer, letting them know that what they do will make a difference!
Example: “You can make a difference in the life of a child. The Red Cross Club
is looking for interested students to educate local elementary students in basic
First Aid education.”
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3) Address potential fears – think about what might scare someone about this
project or event, and explain what will be done about it. For instance, some
students might feel threatened about speaking in front of people.
Example: “Training materials and practice sessions are available.”
4) Most importantly, be sure to include contact name or explain what the reader’s
next step to get involved will be!
Make sure all lettering used on the poster/flyer is large and legible enough to read.
You can use graphics and color to attract attention to your material. Hang posters
at eye level, and make sure they are secured well to the wall. Most people will not
take the time to re-hang a poster if it falls off the wall.
Icebreaker Ideas for first meeting
Partner Introductions
Break the group up into pairs. Invite each pair to find out three things about the
other person. Have each person introduce their partner to the larger group.
M&M or Toilet paper
Pass around a bowl of M&Ms OR a roll of toilet paper around the group. Tell players
to take as much as they want, and once it has gone around to everyone, ask each
person to tell one thing about themselves for every M&M or piece of toilet paper that
they took.
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JOIN THE
CLUB!
TO GET INVOLVED, CONTACT:
ADVISOR______________________________________________________
STUDENT
SPONSORS_____________________________________________________
MEETING
TIME/DATE____________________________________________________
MEETING
PLACE_________________________________________________________
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Being an Effective Facilitator
Running a successful Red Cross Club meeting can be a very simple task if you keep some basic
things in mind:
1) Set a consistent time and day to meet. You will be more likely to retain members if you set
a particular day of the week as your club meeting day. That way, members will know
automatically that for instance, the first Tuesday of each month they have a meeting. Set a
time limit for each meeting and stick to it. It’s not professional or courteous to run meetings
late; have someone be responsible for keeping time if necessary.
2) Prepare an agenda for the meeting. Agendas help organize meetings and tell club
members what to expect. They keep meetings focused and on schedule. An agenda should
include brief explanations of what is to be discussed at the meeting, the individual
responsible for each part, and time limits. It can be helpful to ask club members before the
day of the meeting if there is anything that they want to add to the agenda. You may also
want to leave 5-10 minutes in the meeting for any last minute announcements that other
members have, or ideas that they want to add, this should be a “New Business” time.
3) Delegate tasks. Giving other members of the group responsibility for projects, even if they
are not a top club leader, instills in them a sense of ownership and responsibility. Students
will be more likely to come to meetings if they feel that they are an important part of the
club. If you have a large number of people in your club, you may want to assign an entire
committee to one project. Make sure that you also assign responsibility to someone to report
progress from their particular assigned duties each meeting.
4) Summarize. Leave time at the end of the meeting to go over any decisions, assigned duties,
or deadlines that members may need to have clarified before leaving. This may also be a
good time to remind everyone of the next meeting date.
5) Follow-up. People are busy and don’t always remember what was told to the. This is when
reminder phone calls, emails, and announcements are important. If you’re having trouble
with members attending meetings, you may want to call them the night before and just
remind them about the meeting the next day. Or, if someone has volunteered to take
responsibility for a project, you may want to call right before their deadline to ‘check-in’ and
see how they are progressing.
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CLUB FORMAT
You have the flexibility to design your Red Cross Club to best fit the needs of your student
body and your school.
Decide on how much time you as Teacher/Sponsor are willing and able to commit to your
Red Cross Club. Once this is determined, make the commitment to yourself, the youth of
your school, and the American Red Cross to follow through in your plans.
The School Program Coordinator will provide each club with a “Club Notebook.” This
notebook lists over 50 service project ideas and step by step directions on how to complete
each project! It has been very helpful to the advisors who have already formed clubs in area
schools. The students are welcome to select any of these projects, or develop projects of
their own.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TEACHER SPONSOR OR RED CROSS CLUB PRESIDENT
 Act as a liaison between the Red Cross and your school.
 Represent your club at major Red Cross functions.
 Notify the Red Cross School Program Coordinator of new projects and volunteer
activities.
 Help students organize Red Cross Club activities.
 Maintain records of participants and volunteer projects (see Activity Form and Club
Registry).
 Submit articles and updates to Red Cross for the chapter newsletter.
A WORD ABOUT FUNDRAISING
Your Red Cross Club may raise money in the name of the Red Cross as long as the money goes
toward serving the mission of the American Red Cross. Use the money to support your own Red
Cross projects and club, Red Cross scholarships, Red Cross field trips, etc. Any money your
club decides to raise becomes the responsibility of the club. Many clubs like to fund raise for the
local chapter to help local fire families or to train themselves in CPR and first aid.
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SERVICE PROJECT IDEAS
Holiday Gift Sharing
collect canned goods/pasta/beverages/personal care items
Hat/Scarf/Mitten Tree for winter safety
Write a Friend
letter writing to elderly
Creating Art Projects for Nursing Homes or sick children in hospitals
Teach Safety Programs to Elementary Students - Scrubby Bear (hand washing),
Home Alone Safety, and First Aid
School Chests
Box/chest of school supplies that will be shipped to countries that
have experienced a natural or man-made disaster
Comfort Kits
Bags of personal supplies to be passed out to victims of local
fires. There are adult and child lists to fulfill. These kits are made on an as
needed basis, please check with local Red Cross to see what is currently needed
Participate in the Measles Initiative
Help staff a First Aid Station at local events
Create a Safety Skit - for elementary students or senior centers
Decorate school bulletins or public display cases with vital Red Cross information
Distribute Red Cross Informational brochures - Halloween Safety, Power Out!,
Flooding, Winter Preparedness, etc.
Help staff information booths at community events
Sponsor a blood drive
Compete in the Fire Hurts Campaign or other
Chapter fundraising campaign
Toy Drive for underprivileged kids
Face Painting at community events
Assist with the Annual Red, White & Blue Gala or other Chapter event
Collection of Full Size Bed Sheet sets and Pillows for Local Fire Victims
and many MORE in the
Service Project Notebook!!
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ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROJECTS
This is an excellent opportunity for students to learn presentation and management
skills. These types of presentations will look great on a college application or job
resume.
"Scrubby Bear"
This is a program created by The Red Cross to teach elementary age children and younger about
the importance of washing their hands to reduce diseases. You can go out into the community,
such as an elementary school or youth group and tell them the story about Scrubby Bear. This
program is partially video based.
Objectives:
 Teach students about germs and hand washing.
 Have students become members of Scrubby Bear Clean hands club.
 Teach responsible behavior to help reduce and prevent the spread of germs.
“Home Alone Safety”
This program is also video based. The video is stopped at certain points to discuss what the
students in the video are doing right and wrong. This class is meant to help teach students safe
habits when they are home alone and also to create a list of activities that could safely occupy
their time while they are home alone. This program is for Grades 3rd – 6th.
“Fire Safety”
This program is for 2nd – 4th grades and teaches the students fire safety measures. Script and
activity based presentation.
Objectives:
 State that matches and lighters are tools, not toys.
 Identify the three requirements to make a fire.
 Demonstrate "Stop, Drop and Roll," and know when to do it.
 Remind parent(s) to check all home smoke detectors on a monthly basis.
 Identify two safe exits out of their bedroom.
Club members are welcome to learn each of these programs and present them to
elementary schools or organizations within their school district. If there is a
presentation outside the school district, please check with the School Program
Coordinator before scheduling the presentation.
For more detailed information on any of these presentations, please contact your
local American Red Cross Chapter.
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Red Cross Club Attendance Form
(Please duplicate and submit after each meeting for volunteer hour credit)
Please PRINT clearly
School Name _______________________________________________ Date ____________________
Name
Grade
Name
Please make a copy for your records and send a copy to:
Local American Red Cross contact
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Grade
AMERICAN RED CROSS
SCHOOL CLUB ACTIVITY FORM
(Please duplicate and submit after each meeting for volunteer hour credit)
Event/Project Name:
Start Date
Or Time:
End Date
Or Time:
School:
Club Advisor:
Phone Number:
E-mail Address:
Number of Volunteers
(attach roster with student’s names & volunteer hours to ensure proper time is recorded)
Youth (17& under):
Young Adult (18-24):
Adult (25 & older):
PLEASE SELECT THE ONE ACTIVITY THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR EVENT/PROJECT
Service Project (i.e. collection/production of items)
Distribution/Presentation of Disaster Preparedness Information
Distribution/Presentation of HIV/AIDS Awareness Information
Distribution/Presentation of General Red Cross Information
Red Cross Club Meeting
Red Cross Fund Raiser
Educational Instruction to younger
students
Other:
Class taught:
Description of
project/activities:
Form Completed By:
Date:
Send Completed Form to:
Local Red Cross Club Contact
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Number of Items:
Number of
People Reached:
Number of
People Reached:
Number of
People Reached:
Number of
People attended:
Amount Raised:
Number of kids
taught: