It's August 26th and that means We're also only 5 days away from the start of National Preparedness Month. This is an exciting time for people who like to promote preparedness! This event calls for a nation-wide push to promote preparedness throughout the country. FEMA is involved. DHS is involved. Ready.org is participating, and private companies who are members of the National Preparedness Coalition will all be pushing hard next month to get the word out and raise awareness.

We're contributing by making our growing library of awesome preparedness content available to as many people as we can reach. To encourage outreach, we're giving away some very cool, hand-made, Paracord 550 survival bracelets to several lucky community members. It could be you! To be eligible to win, all you need to do is bring a new member into the community between September 1st and September 30th. The current members who bring in the most new members will win a free survival bracelet. 

By inviting new members, you will give them access to all the preparedness materials that we create over the next year and beyond:

• Preparedness check lists
• Gear recommendations and reviews
• Videos
• Tips
• Advice
• Questions and answers
• Photos
• ... all the content we can serve up on the subject of preparedness

They will be reminded from time to time about things like changing the batteries in their smoke detectors and updating their emergency plans. They will also get access to you, me, and others like us who bring experience and enthusiasm for the subject.

I've made a video on how to invite people, and there are now lot's of new and easy ways to do it! You can invite folks from your address book, from GMAIL, from Yahoo, from Windows Live, from straight email, from Facebook or even from LinkedIn! 

All you need to do is click the Invite tab, put in your membership credentials and invite your friends. There is one limitation imposed by Facebook and one by LinkedIn when it comes to invites. Facebook requires that invitations be sent individually, so you won't be able to select all of your Facebook friends en masse. LinkedIn has a limit of 10 invites per day. Other than that, you should find that these invitation improvements are sure to be an easy way to get invites out!

The Prepared Community will be giving away hand-crafted survival bracelets to the 10 people who bring in the most new members during National Preparedness Month (between September 1 and September 30, 2012)! These bracelets are top quality, hand-made survival tools made from 550 para cord - one of the strongest and most useful pieces of cordage available. Inside each bracelet are several feet of emergency cordage. Wear them on a camping trip, use them if you find yourself in need. Make sure your new invitees put your name in the spot that tells us who invited them!

Take a look at the bracelets we'll be giving away. The first place winner, get's first pick. Second place gets second pick, and so on. Awards will be made one week after the membership drive is over. 

Thanks to one of our Prepared Community members, Alan Rock Sr., for making these bracelets and for offering them up as part of our National Preparedness Month membership drive. Alan is very talented with these and other hand-crafting skills. I've seen his work and own several pieces myself. He's a master!

Alan also makes custom orders. He makes them with the traditional ball clasp and with a plastic clasp (see the last green and black one). He makes them in different colors, lengths and widths (the red one above, for example, is perfect for a child's wrist). He also makes other accessories out of para cord like handles, key chains, etc. If you can dream it, chances are he can make it. And as a scout leader and a paid employee of the American Red Cross, he not only understands the value of these devices, but he wears and uses them himself. 

Let's get the word out in September, 2012! 

In addition to running this membership drive, I will also be hand delivering 1,000 pieces of preparedness material to my neighbors. You can order your own supplies from FEMA, free of charge, from the link I've provided in this email.