The American Red Cross and thousands of Home Fire Campaign partners have helped save at least 77 lives and installed more than a quarter of a million smoke alarms in homes all across the country since the campaign launched in October of 2014.

Here in the California Northwest, Red Cross workers and partners have taught 329 youth to be safer in emergencies and installed 812 smoke alarms in 317 Households across 7 neighborhoods.

“Every day seven people die in a home fire somewhere in the United States. Working with our partners, we are changing that by making people safer with each new smoke alarm we install,” said Jeff Baumgartner, American Red Cross of the California Northwest Chapter executive. “The campaign has already helped to save the lives of dozens of people and we know that number will only grow as more alarms are installed and more people take action to prevent home fires.”

The Home Fire Campaign is supported by more than 2,500 local community partners and more than 40 national partner organizations.

Key local partners include: 7-11 Lions Club, Arcata Fire Protection District, American Canyon Fire Protection District, Fieldbrook Fire Department, Fortuna Fire Department, Fortuna Fire Department Explorer Program, Iglesia Cristiana Shalom-Elohoime, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Petaluma Fire Department and Tzu Chi Foundation.

Turn and test

Daylight Saving Time occurs at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, March 13, and the Red Cross reminds everyone to “turn and test” –  turn their clocks ahead one hour and test their smoke alarms.

If someone’s home is lacking smoke alarms, residents should install smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.

The alarms should be tested every month and the batteries replaced at least once a year, or according to the alarm manufacturer’s instructions.

“With clocks around the country springing forward this weekend, it’s a perfect time for families to test their smoke alarms and practice escaping,” said Baumgartner. “While testing your smoke alarm, practice your fire drill at home until everyone can escape in less than two minutes.”

Every household should develop a fire escape plan and practice it several times a year and at different times of the day.

The plan should include two ways to get out of every room and a place to meet outside. Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas or homes with two stories or more.

People can visit www.redcross.org to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from fire or visit www.redcross.org/local/ca/santa-rosa/local-programs-services/home-fire-campaign to learn about the location of local smoke alarm installation events.

They can also help by volunteering their time or making a donation today to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org , calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Soroptimist International of Clear Lake is searching for the prettiest cocktail dresses and evening gowns, the most glamorous shoes, and the glitteriest accessories to accept as donations for their prom dress giveaway event taking place on March 18 and 19.

All Lake County high school girls are invited to “shop” for their prom ensembles, free-of-charge, at the prom dress giveaway from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 19.

The event will take place at the Lower Lake High School Fitness Center at 9430 Lake St.

Prom dress giveaway shoppers are entered into a raffle to win high heels, as well as manicures, pedicures and hair styling gift certificates in preparation for prom.

“Every young woman should be able to attend the Prom. We know how expensive it can be, which is why we created the prom dress giveaway. If you have a dress hanging in your closet that you haven’t worn for a couple of years, we urge you to consider giving it new life by offering it to one of Lake County’s teens,” said Soroptimist President Olga Martin Steele.

Donations of dresses, shoes, accessories and beauty services may be delivered to The Harbor on Main at 16170 Main St., Suite F in Lower Lake or to The HUB at 750 Old Lucerne Road in Upper Lake.

If you would prefer to have your donation picked up, please contact Anna directly at 707-994-5486.

To get involved in the prom dress giveaway, please contact Mari at 707-994-6471, Extension 2725.

Look for the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PromProject2016/ and on Instagram at #promdressdriveLC2016.

The prom dress giveaway event is a collaboration of Soroptimist International of Clear Lake, Lake County Office of Education, Healthy Start and Redwood Children Services.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Northshore Community Center is planning a board meeting and retreat in March.

The board of directors will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 14. The meeting is usually the first Tuesday of the month for future attendance.

The board is hosting a two-hour retreat from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, for the purpose of guiding future planning. Both meetings are open to the public.

The center's board is recruiting members to help with the guidance of the center.

Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided at the meetings but feel free to bring other snacks to share.

The not-for-profit center serves Northshore senior populations with on-site lunches, Meals on Wheels, social events and advocacy.

It also has many other activities for seniors and families. Stop on by and get a calendar for what is happening.

The Northshore Community Center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive, Lucerne.

For more information call 707-274-8779.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The next meeting of the Green Party of Lake County is set for Sunday, March 20.

The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 821 11th St. in Lakeport.

Guest speakers will be Tina Scott, candidate for District 4 supervisor, at 4:30 p.m., followed at 5:30 p.m. by Voris Brumfield, candidate for District 1 supervisor.

The elections are in June so get informed. Local officials affect you directly. 

Green Party meetings are free and open to the public regardless of politics.

The Lake County Green Party is part of the California Green Party and the Green Party of the US, the third largest political party in the United States.

Contact the Lake County Green Party at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 707-263-3391, online at www.lakecountygreenparty.bravesites.com or on Facebook.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A special town hall meeting will be held in Middletown on Wednesday, March 9, to discuss community choice energy.

The gathering, hosted by Valley Fire Phoenix Rising's Eco Zone Action Team, will take place beginning at 7 p.m. at Middletown United Methodist Church, 15851 Armstrong St.

Paul Fenn, the creator of community choice aggregation, will be speaking and fielding questions about community choice, the workings, and how Lake County can derive the maximum local benefit from its program.

The Lake County Supervisors voted to pursue launching a community choice energy program. This program will effectively allow the county to take over its energy supply – instead of buying only from the PG&E monopoly – and provide residents with choice about their energy bills.

This means that soon residents of Lake County will have a choice of where their electricity comes from. They can buy cheaper, local, truly renewable energy from the county's new program or they can continue buying coal/gas/nuclear electricity from PG&E.

Community choice programs have been very successful in Sonoma County, Marin County and Lancaster. Many cities and counties in California are currently in the process of launching programs.

This community choice energy program (also called community choice aggregation, or CCA) has the potential of providing:

- New local green jobs;
- Lower energy bills;
- New, local energy generation sources (wind/solar);
- Incentives for rooftop solar;
- A resilient and sustainable energy future in Lake County.

Additional information is available at the event's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/events/1119707664742877/ .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson will host his 25th annual Lake County Ravioli Dinner on Saturday, March 19.

The dinner will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at a new location this year, Boatique Winery, 8255 Red Hills Road in Kelseyville.

All are invited to attend and enjoy an evening of good food, fine Lake County wines, great raffle and live music by David Neft.

Tickets are $25 for adults, and children under 12 years may attend for free.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, at the door the day of the event or at www.mikethompsonforcongress.com .

For more information, please call Mary Jane Bowker at 707-226-8989.