Be True To Your School!

Good afternoon, Charlotte!

So as you may have noticed, Molly and I are pretty convinced that we live the best life ever, and I promise you we will not be slowing down with these awesome events any time soon. After the National Guard exercises last week, I wasn't sure if everything we did could hold up to such high standards, but I have to admit we had one amazing morning handing out information for Hands On Charlotte and the American Red Cross this morning at the Charlotte Fire Department's Life Safety Bowl! Essentially, we took an example of a go-bag someone might have packed in his or her closet, or near one's bed, so that if one wakes up to a house fire, one can grab the bag quickly and get out as safely as possible. 

What would you like to have in your go-bag? We took essentials like shampoo, soap, water and snacks, but we also had items we would enjoy and would be comforting during a tragedy. A book and a deck of cards were a couple of my favorites.

This kid wins my award for best dressed. Everyone had awesome tee shirts though!

If you had anything to do with the Life Safety Bowl, thank you so much for being part of such an awesome event. Molly and I had the time of our life, and it seemed like the kids were having a great time while learning all about preparedness and safety, topics which can be pretty dull if presented in the wrong light. Amazing job by all partners, and thank you a million times over to everyone who allowed us to be a part of it!

The best team ever, with items from our ready go-bag!

Now, while the education and conversations we were able to have with hundreds of CMS students were mind-blowingly wonderful, inspirational, and the main cause of our great time, we did also get to have some fun in the parking lot on our way out. Charlotte Fire brought our their pink firetruck (in support of breast cancer awareness), and we found Gus the Bus! If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Gus (before today, I hadn't), he is a safety bus who tours Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and we met the driver and educator who has been riding around town with Gus for the past 31 years! Amazing day!

I swear I work with a rockstar.

Because our life is a high school musical.

Molly with Gus' partner in education!

As always, stay safe, Charlotte, and if you have any questions about joining us in future emergency preparedness events, feel free to e-mail me at rob@handsoncharlotte.org!

And, because there is a video with John Stamos and trust me, he has jokes, here's a classic for your cloudy afternoon: