Organizations Accepting Gently used Life Jackets
(Portland, OR) — AMR (American Medical Response) Operations in Portland, Clackamas and Vancouver, Safe Kids Portland Metro, along with Multnomah County Public Health, is ramping up efforts on their summer Life Jacket Drive. We are asking for donations of new or used life jackets in good condition. Community partners are also joining the effort. “Currently we have commitments from Gladstone Fire and Lake Oswego Fire to join the Life Jacket Drive as a donation location, says Jason Mahle, AMR Operations Manager, “There is considerable concern about water safety on the Clackamas river this year." There was also a committment of life jackets from Portland Parks & Rec just minutes before this release was sent.
Life Jacket Drives are tried and true ways to collect gently used (or new) life jackets in order to provide them to county programs and local community organizations who need them. Distributing gently used life jackets at no cost will allow more families to use the most important water safety device – a life jacket. As the summer heats up, more families want to be in or around water. Note: all life jackets will be sanitized prior to distribution.
Remember: children should be under direct supervision and wear life jackets when in or near all bodies of water, including rivers, lakes, and ponds, as well as backyard pools and spas. Hosting a life jacket drive is a way to provide life jackets for families who are unable to purchase new life jackets – which may be yearly as their child grows.
Goal of the Life Jacket Drive: To collect new or gently used life jackets in good condition to be distributed in coordination with county officials and community groups.
Donation sites and hours: (All AMR Donation times are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm)
AMR Multnomah County Enter lobby and look for donation box
1 SE Second Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
AMR Clark County Enter front office to leave your donation
409 NE 76th Street
Hazel Dell, WA 98665
AMR Clackamas County Enter thru glass doors and look for donation box
12438 SE Capps Road
Clackamas, OR 97015
Gladstone Fire Department Signs will indicate donation box
555 Portland Avenue
Gladstone, OR 97027
Lake Oswego Fire Department Signs will indicate donation box
300 B Ave
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Please contact Lucie Drum, Safe Kids Portland Metro Coalition Coordinator, if you can be a donation location for the life jacket drive. Lucie.drum@amr.net.
Why host a Life Jacket Drive?
- It is a chance to collaborate with your local community.
- Buying new life jackets is expensive.
- It keeps perfectly good life jackets out of landfills.
- It helps restock life jacket distribution programs.
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About American Medical Response
American Medical Response, Inc., America’s leading provider of medical transportation, provides services in 40 states and the District of Columbia. More than 28,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs, RNs and other professionals work together to transport more than 4.8 million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations. AMR is a subsidiary of Global Medical Response, www.GlobalMedicalResponse.com. For more information about AMR, visit www.amr.net and follow American Medical Response on Facebook @AMR_Social on Twitter and Instagram.
About Safe Kids Portland Metro (SKPM) – serving Clackamas and Multnomah Counties
SKPM is a coalition of Safe Kids Worldwide, a network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury. Members include AMR, Clackamas County Drive to Zero, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Oregon Poison Center, Randall Children’s Hospital, Think First Oregon, Trauma Nurses Talk Tough at Legacy Emanuel and more. SKPM was founded in 2006 and is led by American Medical Response NW. For more information, visit www.safekidsoregon.org and www.safekids.org