Introduce Yourself

6/6/2018 (Permalink)

According to the late author and motivational speaker Zig Zigler, “success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” You never know when you might cross paths with someone who could impact your career or become your next big client. So, it’s important to have a well-crafted “elevator pitch” ready to go when you need to introduce yourself on the fly.

It’s called an “elevator pitch” because you should be able to recite it in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the bottom to the top floor. So, if you run into a potential business contact on an elevator, you want to be able to introduce yourself with the most important information before they or you reach your floor and have to exit.

On average, at a regular conversation speed, people speak at a rate of 150 words per minute, and according to an article from the Harvard Business Review, the average elevator ride is about 118 seconds. That means if you run into a potential new business contact on an elevator—or any of a wide variety of similarly time-crunched situations—you only have about two minutes to explain in enough detail why they should be in business with you.

http://expresspros.com/

Summer Water Safety 2018

6/4/2018 (Permalink)

Safe Kids North Carolina offers tips to reduce child drownings in all bodies of water

RALEIGH -- As the summer swimming season kicks into full gear, Safe Kids North Carolina, a statewide program housed within the North Carolina Department of Insurance and Office of State Fire Marshal, is reminding parents and caregivers about important safety tips to reduce child drownings.

“On these warm summer days in North Carolina, many families will be drawn to activities near water,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, chair of Safe Kids North Carolina. “We want parents and caregivers to be particularly cautious and take steps to avoid any potential tragedies in swimming pools and other bodies of water.” 

Safe Kids Worldwide and Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program have released a new report highlighting the dangers of childhood drowning, with a specific focus on incidents that occur in lakes, rivers, oceans, and other types of open water.

Key findings of the research include:

• Overall, an estimated 1,000 children drown in a single year, 70 percent of them between May and August.
• An additional 7,000 children end up in the emergency room because of a drowning scare. That means a minimum of 150 families a week are impacted by a tragic or frightening event.
• Most often those drownings take place in open water. A 10-year-old, for example, is three times more likely to drown in open water than in a pool. Older teens are more than eight times more likely to die as a result of an open water drowning than a pool drowning.
• Boys are at greatest risk: Eight in 10 open water fatal drowning victims are males.
• African American children are twice as likely to fatally drown in open water than their white counterparts. American Indian children are at even higher risk.

Between 2015 and 2016, there was a 14 percent increase in fatal drownings. The 1,002 drownings in 2016 (latest data available) was the highest number in five years.Most of those drownings occurred in lakes, rivers, oceans, and other types of open water.

Safe Kids North Carolina reminds parents and caregivers to take the following precautions around the water:

LOCK – Homeowners should put up a fence that is at least 4-feet high around all sides of a pool or spa with a locking gate that closes and latches by itself. Homeowners should cover and lock pools and spas when they are not using them, and also remove or lock ladders to above-ground pools and spas when not in use.    

LOOK – Adults and caregivers must always watch children — whether the children know how to swim or not — when kids are in or near water without being distracted by phone calls, text messages, reading or talking to others. If a child is missing, look in the water first.       

LEARN – Children and adults should know how to swim. Adults should learn how to use rescue equipment and correctly choose and use U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Caregivers should learn adult and infant CPR and teach children to never swim alone or swim near pool or spa drains.   

For more detailed information about the water safety, go to https://www.safekids.org/water-safety or contact Safe Kids NC Director Shannon Bullock at 919.647.0081.

Prescription Drug Drop Off Cabarrus

5/15/2018 (Permalink)

Good evening. This week — May 14th through 19th — is Prescription Drug Drop-off Week in Cabarrus County.

Members of the Leadership Cabarrus Class of 2018 are asking residents to Check Your Rx to ensure that legally prescribed drugs do not end up in the wrong hands. They are asking residents to:

Check their medicine cabinets and closets for unused or expired medication
Collect the medication and
Drop it off at one of four locations within the county

It is important to drop prescriptions in the approved, secure drop boxes because disposing of medication in the trash or toilet is unsafe and causes contamination of soil and water supplies.

Collection locations include the City of Concord and City of Kannapolis Police Headquarters and the Sheriff’s Administration Building, as well as Harrisburg’s Hometown Pharmacy in Harrisburg and Moose Pharmacy in Mount Pleasant.

You can learn more about the Check Your Rx campaign by visiting our district website at www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us and through our other district communication channels as well.

Thank you for your time and attention. Good night.
This e-mail has been sent to you by CABARRUS COUNTY SCHOOLS. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you no longer wish to receive email notifications from CABARRUS COUNTY SCHOOLS, please click here to unsubscribe.

Buckle Up

4/4/2018 (Permalink)

With so much information out there, it can be difficult to figure out the best way to keep kids safe in the car and people often wonder if they have made the right decision.

Luckily, there are many car seat checking stations in North Carolina that teach parents and others how to properly install and use their car seats and seat belts. Locate a program in your area.

If you live in the Concord North Carolina Area you can visit Fire Station #3, 100 Warren C Coleman Blvd. Concord N.C. 28027 Station #3 is a Safe Kids Hub. You can make a appointment to learn how to install, check on age and weight or just need help to insure your installing properly.

If you would rather use a on line resource, you can visit www.buckleupnc.org

Safe Medication Disposal

9/20/2016 (Permalink)

The Healthy Cabarrus Substance Use Coalition advocates the safe disposal of medication through the Medicine Drop Box Program. Disposing unused/expired medication can help save lives and keep our communities safe.

Why is proper disposal important?

67% of people who abuse prescription drugs get them from friends or relatives.

1 in 6 North Carolina teens use prescription drugs to get high.

Unintentional poisonings are the 2nd leading cause of injury death in the state after motor vehicle accidents.

Safely dispose unused/expired medication at one of your local drop boxes. See photo for local drop box locations in Cabarrus County as well as the types of medications that can be disposed.

National Safety Month

6/1/2015 (Permalink)

Spring has sprung and June is National Safety Month. During this month, take the time to discuss safety education with your friends, co-workers and family. Learn to become better informed and equipped to prevent injuries. The National Safety Council helps people to understand where the greatest number of preventable injuries and deaths occur, what actions need to be taken to stay safe and who is at risk. For more information, please visit that National Safety Council's website at http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/safety-at-home.aspx

National Blood Donor Month

1/9/2015 (Permalink)

January is National Blood Donor Month. SERVPRO is also a proud, national sponsor of the American Red Cross. This is the time when blood organizations, like the American Red Cross, pay tribute to the nearly 12 million people who give blood each year and encourage others to start the New Year off right by donating as well. Give back to a great cause by organizing or volunteering at a blood drive, or by suggesting blood donation to your family and friends. For more ways to get involved, please contact your local American Red Cross Chapter.

Cabarrus Meals on Wheels Emergency Food Drive

9/19/2014 (Permalink)

This year commemorates the 40^th year that Meals on Wheels has been delivering meals to homebound and disabled senior neighbors in Cabarrus County. They have served over 1.5 million meals in Cabarrus County alone.  In 2013, they served almost 10% of those meals. Today, they serve 400 seniors in our county every day.

Now more than ever, they need our support so we can end senior hunger in Cabarrus County. They are reaching out to you to recognize and help those who are less fortunate in your community. They are beginning an Emergency Food Drive for their clients and your help would be greatly appreciated!

Your support to Cabarrus Meals on Wheels enables them to provide nutritional meals and a friendly visit to homebound neighbors in Cabarrus County. 400 clients depend on them to deliver their noon time meal. They also provide weekend meals to over 180 clients, pet food, birthday cakes, and holiday treats. The canned goods provide them with food for their pantry.  Most of their clients live off only $800 a month. 

SERVPRO of South Cabarrus County will be glad to come by and pick up anything you have to donate. Please email or call to let us know they are ready for pick up. We would like to have all donations collected by October 1. 

Thank you for your generous support.  Together, we can end senior hunger in Cabarrus County.

National Preparedness Month

9/3/2014 (Permalink)

The month of September is National Preparedness Month. It is important for families and businesses to have a plan in place when disaster strikes. Take the time this month to be better prepared and informed for an emergency.