American Red Cross Enlists Country Artists For Campaign

Lauren Alaina, Cam, Kenny Chesney and Hunter Hayes have partnered with the American Red Cross for The 2Steps2Minutes campaign. The initiative aims to keep families safe from fires with two simple steps: practicing a two-minute fire drill and checking smoke alarms each month.

Cam, Lauren Alaina, Dakota Bradley, and Diamond Rio’s Marty Roe all share personal home fire stories in a new 2Steps2Minutes PSA launching this week.

New experiences and prizes have launched on 2Steps2Minutes partner platforms Prizeo and Charitybuzz. The offerings include tickets to see Chesney in concert, a VIP concert experience with Rascal Flatts, and a meeting at the studio with award-winning songwriter and producer Marshall Altman. Fans also have the chance to win a number of prizes from Hunter Hayes, including a signed guitar, personal Skype video call, or a VIP hang out with the singer at a show.

“People think a home fire is something that will happen to somebody else,” said Russ Paulsen, executive director of community preparedness at the Red Cross. “But these stars know it can happen to anyone, so we all need to take two simple steps to keep our families safe. Fire drills aren’t just for school.”

The American Red Cross responds to nearly 66,000 disasters a year, the vast majority of which are home fires. On an average day, seven people die and 36 are injured from a home fire, resulting in over $7 billion in property damages each year. To combat this, in less than 18 months, the Red Cross and its partners have installed over 264,000 free smoke alarms in homes across 4,500 cities.