Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis Packing Survival Kits for School Disaster Lockdown

ST. LOUIS, MO, April 13, 2014 (Press-News.org) Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis (LHB), a not-for-profit manufacturing and packaging organization with a dedicated social service mission (http://www.lhbindustries.com), is packing up emergency survival gear to help avert a potential school lockdown disaster in a project to prepare schools for unexpected crisis.

Adam D. Baker, a 16-year-old Boy Scout in Virginia, contacted Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis seeking emergency survival supplies to help equip Fort Defiance High School in Staunton, Virginia, in case students are ever trapped in their classrooms by a gunman or other emergency situation.

Adam developed the emergency survival project and contacted the Lighthouse as part of his effort to earn Eagle Scout status with Boy Scout Troop 38 in rural Bridgewater, Virginia, which is situated in the Shenandoah Valley about 100 miles from Richmond.

"Since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that claimed the lives of 20 students and six teachers on December 14, 2012, I have often wondered how well schools in Virginia are prepared to handle similar emergencies," Adam explains.

"In keeping with the Boy Scout motto 'Be Prepared', my Eagle Project will make classrooms at Fort Defiance High School better equipped to handle horrific situations or catastrophic events. It will provide every classroom with an emergency bucket which will be packed with emergency supplies that will enable a teacher to maintain their classes for a twenty-four hour lock down," Adam says.

"I pray my project will never have to be used but it will be better for all if we are prepared for unexpected emergencies," says Adam, whose project includes a messaging system to notify first responders if classrooms are occupied by criminals or if someone is injured.
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Adam discovered that Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis, also known as LHB Industries, packages and ships Quake Kare ER Emergency Ready disaster survival kits for crisis situations that schools, individuals, families, and business organizations may encounter such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, terrorist attacks and accidents. They include emergency kits for schools, cars, homes, offices, emergency shelters, travel and outdoors. LHB owns the Quake Care Emergency Ready brand and packages those kits at LHB's plant in Overland, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb.

Adam met with Larry Landes, Principal of Fort Defiance High School (who is an Eagle Scout), to explain the project and gained permission for the effort so long as Adam detailed his project for all faculty members. Adam also met with local first responders including the sheriff's office and fire departments to explain the preparedness scenario, and recruited volunteers from his Boy Scout troop to help with his plan. He then called Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis to ask about survival kit options.

Brian Houser, Lighthouse Director of Sales and Marketing, says, "We were immediately impressed with Adam's initiative and his mission. We volunteered to partner with his project by providing Solar/Hand Crank Radios and first aid kits at substantial discounts, in addition to other kit equipment. This is an innovative disaster preparedness initiative and the Lighthouse is pleased to be involved."

Adam's emergency preparedness survival kit buckets for every classroom at Fort Defiance High School from the Lighthouse will include:

Specially-designed bucket lids that function as a toilet seat; Toilet paper; first aid kit; emergency blanket; AM radio; glow sticks; surgical gloves; emergency flags to be hung in classroom windows to let responders know the room is occupied; grease pencil to write on window glass the number of students that are present; water; and nonperishable food.

Adam's local Home Depot store also donated $1,000.00 worth of materials toward the lockdown project.

Adam's father Grady Baker, a former U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam and spent 30 years as a police officer in Washington, D.C., says, "All of this is Adam's doing. I never knew that the school shootings in Sandy Hook and other schools weighed so much on his mind. He developed this whole concept for school emergency preparedness, raised donations and contacted Lighthouse for the Blind. Adam wants to attend the U.S. Naval Academy when he graduates from high school. I am very proud of him."

Lighthouse for the Blind has packed and shipped emergency survival kits to the Bakers' home in Mount Solon, Virginia, so that on Wednesday, April 16, Adam can launch his demonstration project with assembly of the kits in the school cafeteria, which he hopes will inspire school districts across America to implement similar programs. A teacher's how-to seminar will occur in mid-May. Adam hopes his efforts will help him become an Eagle Scout. The Baker family cell phone number is 301 602 6257.

The Lighthouse and its employees manufacture, assemble, warehouse and sell high-quality products to government and business customers nationwide. These include emergency preparedness kits, emergency supplies, survival kits, first aid kits, medical kits, catheters, aerosol and liquid paints, aerosol and liquid cleaning products, eco-friendly products and many others.

In February 2014, the Lighthouse acquired all assets of Quake Kare, Inc. (www.quakekare.com), a leading supplier of emergency preparedness kits, emergency supplies and survival kits. The acquisition is expected to increase Lighthouse revenues and employment at its two manufacturing and shipping plants in St. Louis County by expanding operations, providing more employment for people who are blind or legally blind and to supporting outreach programs for visually impaired people in Missouri and southwestern Illinois.

All sales revenues directly support Lighthouse programs including Professional Career Development; Special Technology and Adaptive Resources for Students (STARS); Summer Jobs for Students; Continuing Education; Arts & Entertainment Accessibility; Low Vision Aid; and others available for individuals who are legally blind and visually impaired in Missouri and Southwestern Illinois.

Contact Brittney Smithers, Marketing Manager, at 800.542.3697 or 314.423.4333 for information about Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis. Website http://www.lhbindustries.com. Media contact: Jeff Dunlap 314.409.5203.