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Working Together Toward Disaster Prepardedness Awareness
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT
I am honored and humbled to be named as a Champion of Change. The title “Champion of Change” belongs to the entire public education team currently in place and those that have gone before me at the Washington Military Department: Emergency Management Division. These are the folks that work tirelessly every day to develop our innovative disaster public education and outreach programs. I personally value the designation as a “change agent” in the field of disaster preparedness as I passionately believe in the necessity to innovate in order to keep pace with the increasing frequency and severity of disasters. One of the guiding principles of our program is centered around the idea that in all communities there exists an untapped pool of talent, energy, and knowledge that can be put to great use in preparing, responding and recovering from disasters. Programs like our Map Your Neighborhood program seek to identify and organize the capabilities and capacities needed to rebound from disasters on a neighbor helping neighbor basis. We are challenged every day as disaster educators to ensure that we develop programs and products that both appeal to and empower every member of a community to become involved in disaster preparedness. This requires that a variety of disaster preparedness products is made available including hazard specific videos and interactive, audience specific content like our Kidz and Business specific web content – www.emd.wa.gov
Building and maintaining partnerships is the key to success of any emergency management program. Helen Keller said it best, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” The need to seek out non-traditional emergency management partners is greater than ever. Partnerships between government and the private sector allow us to leverage resources and to transfer knowledge and innovation in a way that directly contributes to creating disaster resilient communities. In Washington State one of our key priorities is to assist businesses in reopening quickly and we strive to ensure that Washington residents are the first to be offered jobs in helping rebuild their communities. Our private sector partners in turn recognize that investing in employee disaster preparedness and their family members offers a major return on investment.
Learn more aboutFinding New Ways to Engage our Residents
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT
On behalf of the Citizen Corps Council of St. Clair County, Michigan and the St. Clair County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, I am honored to represent the Council as a White House Champion of Change. We are all thrilled to have received FEMA’s 2011 Individual and Community Preparedness award for “Innovative Use of Technology.” We are passionate about Citizen Corps’ mission to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to disasters of all kinds. Major events potentially affect all types of essential services in both government and private sectors. These are services that residents expect to be delivered, are required by other services to function, and are critical to the life safety of residents. If these services collapse, the result would be a grave threat to life and limb. Failure to properly ensure the continuity of essential governmental and private sector services in the wake of a natural disaster or terrorist attack could result in societal chaos. During the response and recovery periods of a crisis, the public relies on the government to provide essential services. Federal, state and local governments maintain plans identifying the roles and responsibilities of those disciplines and agencies that provide those services. However, these plans often do not align with the expectations of the private sector. Educating the private sector about our government’s ability to meet those expectations is the foundation for community preparedness within St. Clair County.
Learn more aboutUtilizing Interactive Technology to Teach Our Children about Public Health
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT
Since the nation’s shift in focus to safety and emergency preparedness, Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response (ER&R) took ownership of making sure all citizens, even the youngest ones, are aware and prepared for emergencies. Under the leadership of Emergency Preparedness and Response Director Pam Blackwell, we targeted our most impressionable residents-- the children. This was no small task by any stretch of the imagination, but we knew that our team was ready, willing, and capable. We wanted to make sure that our children understood how to prepare, respond, and protect themselves in any situation.What did we do? Emergency Preparedness and Response Trainer and Development Specialist, Kelly Mullins and I developed a concept to utilize the CDPH building at the Cobb Safety Village to communicate Strategic National Stockpile/Emergency Preparedness and Response messages to elementary students, through the use of the state-of-the-art, interactive modules. We requested and received grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to begin work. Our objective was to create a fun and educational experience that delivered a very serious topic to children in a way that they would not scare them, but rather prepare them on their level.
What was the result? We developed six interactive training modules housed in the CDPH building at the Cobb County Safety Village that consist of highly interactive, state-of-the-art technology. It leads children through hands-on activities that include proper hand washing techniques, tips on preparing for emergencies, fighting flu viruses, destroying anthrax by “splatting” Annie Anthrax on the walls and floors, and dancing to the Kidz Shuffle Bop to emphasize the importance of physical activity.
Learn more aboutUsing Media Strategies to Boost Public Preparedness
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT
It is the honor of a lifetime to be called a ‘Champion of Change’. My mission as Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Wisconsin Emergency Management is simple: to educate and empower people to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. The critical information I spread across our state ultimately saves lives. We call our effort “ReadyWisconsin”. I tell people how to get ready for emergencies in many different ways.First, I produce media campaigns designed to highlight specific actions people can take to prepare for trouble. For example, last April we created a :30 public service announcement featuring a couple from Park Falls, Wisconsin. Their lives were saved by having an emergency weather radio while camping. The weather radio warned Larry and Rita Krznarich that a tornado was headed for their camp site. They warned others of the impending storm. Everyone took cover just as the twister hit. Larry is convinced that without that weather radio, he and Rita along with other campers would be dead. Not only did that PSA air across the state, we partnered with a major retailer and a major radio manufacturer along with TV stations across Wisconsin to promote the use of emergency weather radios in every home.
In another campaign we asked NASCAR champion and Wisconsin native Matt Kenseth to team up with ReadyWisconsin to encourage everyone to have an emergency winter survival kit in their vehicle. We gave away emergency kits on our website (http://readywisconsin.wi.gov) as part of our “ReadyWisconsin Trivia Challenge”.
Learn more aboutDenver Is Only as Strong as Its People and Communities
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT
As the Community Relations Specialist for the City and County of Denver, Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS), Carolyn H Bluhm is responsible Denver’s Community Emergency Response Training (Denver CERT)and the Emergency Preparedness Programs. The purpose of OEMHS’ Community Preparedness Programis to harness the power of every individual and organizations through education, training, and volunteer service to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds.The mission of Denver’s OEMHSOutreach and Education programs is to enhance our community’s preparedness by:
- Providing emergency mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery training to individuals to assist their family, neighbors and fellow individuals in a disaster/emergency situation until first response personnel become available.
- Providing outreach and education programs to the individuals and organizations of Denver to prepare for a disaster/emergency situations when they find themselves in a disaster/emergency event.
- Proving training to individuals that will enable them to assist emergency volunteer organizations in preparedness, responce and recovery situations and/or community service activities.
Learn more aboutMaking Real Changes One Family at a Time
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT
It is with great delight that I accept the Champions of Change Award, on behalf of the Alianza Emergency Preparedness Project Plus and the extraordinary families, who by their participation and support have made the program a great success.Alianza Emergency Preparedness Project Plus (AEPPplus) is designed to address the disaster readiness of persons with access and functional needs living in a culturally diverse, majority Hispanic/Latino community (Perth Amboy, NJ). AEPPplus brings individuals, not only to the table, but to leadership positions in disaster readiness. The overarching goals of AEPPplus are to integrate all individuals into their community’s overall disaster readiness preparations; shift attitudes and change systems to assure a truly responsive and embracing community.
What sets the program apart is its unique one-to-one approach which makes possible the creation of an in-depth, highly personalized “Self Directed Emergency Preparedness Plan”. With a truly person-first design, AEPPplus brings individuals, not only to the table, but to leadership positions in disaster readiness.
Learn more aboutHonoring Dr. King’s Legacy with our Newest Americans
Posted by on January 16, 2012 at 9:00 AM EDT
Joshua DuBois, Special Assistant to President Obama and Executive Director of The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, greets individuals who took the oath of citizenship to become naturalized U.S. Citizens. January 13, 2012. (by USCIS)
I recently had the distinct honor of celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with Martin Luther King, III and 100 new American citizens at the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an extraordinarily meaningful moment to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. King at the naturalization ceremony and also these newly minted Americans and their families. Every year, the King Center hosts this ceremony for immigrants as they complete their path to becoming United States citizens.
In a 1961 speech, Dr. King spoke of his dream for America as “a land where men of all races, of all nationalities and of all creeds can live together as brothers.” Dr. King celebrated our nation’s diversity and recognized that our differences made us stronger. His faith in a God who loves all His children and a nation grounded in the promise of equality kept him focused on the fight for all he knew American was capable of.
Learn more about ImmigrationFor the Win: Parramore to Morehouse
Posted by on January 13, 2012 at 8:36 PM EDTFor the Win is a guest blog series featuring the remarkable initiatives that young Americans are advancing to win the future for their communities. Each week we highlight a new young person and learn about their inspiring work through their own words. Submit your story to appear in the For the Win guest blog series.
Shanta Barton-Stubbs was recently selected as a 2011 L’Oreal Women of Worth honoree. Points of Light partners with L’Oreal to celebrate “women of worth” for their inspiring devotion to service.
In the summer of 2006, as a 21-year-old college student, I decided that I needed to make a change. When my parents moved their church to a new area, the Parramore community of downtown Orlando, Fla., I was astounded at the lack of resources and support available. Parramore is notorious for its low income residents, high crime rates, drugs and violence.
Community involvement has been instilled in me since I was young. I felt compelled to do something for the kids of Parramore, they were acting out and hanging out in the streets, putting themselves in dangerous situations. They needed a place to escape and just be kids. In response, I began the New Image Youth Center at the church to serve as a safe haven and positive activity center for the at-risk youth.
Since I started the center, I've not only seen a change in the kids, but a change in myself. Giving the kids a true family environment has allowed them to see their full potential. Throughout the seven years that New Image has been open, we have seen no cases of pregnancy, college drop outs or trouble with the juvenile system – in a community where this was the norm. My kids have been able to rise above what is expected of them and have learned to expect more of themselves.
Shanta Barton-Stubbs. (Photo From Points of Light)
Service has become who I am. I don’t live in Parramore, but it has become my community. All of the youth at the center have their own families, but they have become my kids and we have become a family. Service is important to me because it has given me a family of people who want change for the community and want change for themselves. Serving the youth at my center has taught me that the impossible is possible and change can come from just a few passionate individuals.
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