My Favorite Time of Year...

Thinking back, summer has always been my favorite time of year. I love spending days outside in the sun. When I am not working at the American Red Cross of Chicago you can usually find me spending my days at the beach, in my pool, or at some Chicago Event (Chicago White Sox games, Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza happen to be my favorite). To me everything just seems better in the summer.

This isn’t a recent development. When I was younger my favorite time of the year was the last day of school and I knew I could run around with friends everyday. I remember as a child I would spend countless hours in my pool or at the park playing baseball and tag day after day.

Not much has changed. While I may not be engaging in games of tags, I usually spend my days outside with friends and family enjoying a beautiful Chicago summer. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Between baseball games, street festivals, concerts, movies-in-the-park and backyard barbeques it never seems like things can go wrong in the summer.

However, in recent years, excessive heat has caused more deaths than all other weather-related events. Fortunately, this summer has been a mild one so far. While this severely limits my time at the beach, I have been able to spend my days outside without a constant fear of sunburn. This week Chicago temperatures seem to finally be climbing the charts. Temperatures have been in the 80’s, and according to weather.com should be reaching mid-90’s by Saturday.

As what seems like “true” summer weather approaches it is important to remember Heat Safety Tips, before you or your loved ones head into the sun. You can learn how to take preventive steps in the face of rising temperatures and help your children play safe in the heat too. Learn how you can Help Kids Play it Safe in the Extreme Heat.

I want everyone to have fun this summer as you head to you favorite beach, pool, or grill spot, but more importantly I want everyone to stay safe in the heat!

Enjoy your summer!

Megan Wallace~ Marketing and Communications Intern