Educate Yourself

• Code Adam is a powerful search tool for lost and possibly abducted children currently used in tens of thousands of establishments across the nation. Investigate whether Code Adam has been adopted by stores in your community.
• Find out about your state’s current legislation regarding double and triple trailer trucks and longer single trailer trucks on state highways. If larger trucks are permitted, work with your state legislators to tighten regulations or cap weight and sizes allowed. If larger trucks are not permitted, work with your federal legislators to support freezes in truck weight and length on Federal Highway System roads.
• Find out if your local law enforcement agency and fire/rescue personnel have taken courses in the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Child Passenger Safety training. If not, provide information on the need for training and how it can be obtained, including sources of possible subsidies to reduce costs to participants.
  
  

Inform Others

• Work with your local fire department or hospital community liaison to hold a fire safety awareness day for children and parents. Include topics such as home fire drills, what to do once you’ve escaped a burning structure, residential sprinklers, safe storage of combustibles, and special concerns for children and older adults.
• Establish an awareness campaign to remind community members to change batteries in smoke detectors when clocks change back to standard time.
• Join forces with a local hospital or health clinic to present first aid and CPR classes at a club meeting or program.
• Work with your local office of aging or senior center to present a community forum on safety for older persons. Contact the Center for Disease Control’s SAFE USA office and AARP for information on how to obtain materials on a variety of safety concerns for seniors.
• Recognize the dedication and patriotism of women who have served in defense of the country by inviting them to speak at club meetings and community forums.
  
  

Create Change

• Promote the proper use of child safety and booster seats. Booster seats are for children who are too small to be properly protected by adult seatbelts, but are too big for child safety seats. These generally are children from ages four to nine, and under 4 feet 9 inches tall.
• Honor local servicewomen, women military leaders, and women veterans. Provide support for these women in the community. Encourage the governor, mayor, or city council to proclaim the week preceding Veterans Day as “Women Veterans Recognition Week.”
• Seek volunteer opportunities through the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service. Assist with the care of outpatients in community care clinics as well as in Veterans Hospitals.
• Conduct projects that recognize and honor all veterans, and encourage young veterans to join the Veterans Association. 2010-2012 GFWC Club Manual | Public Issues Community Service Program | September 15, 2010 Page 3 of 10 www.GFWC.org
• Support and create ways to observe the National Day of Remembrance. Promote the Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day each year.