FREE PREPAREDNESS SUPPLIES COMING TO BOISE/ELIOT NEIGHBORHOODS
Posted: July 8th, 2010 10:44 AM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2010-07/1190/36618/Prepare_2.jpg (Red Cross volunteers hit the streets with safety information.)
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2010-07/1190/36618/Prepare_1.jpg (A Red Cross volunteer talks with a resident about preparedness.)
Portland's Boise and Eliot neighborhoods will heat up this summer when the American Red Cross distributes free whistles, flashlights and safety information throughout the community on Saturday, July 17.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers, staff and community partners will conduct door-to-door outreach, talking to neighbors about emergency preparedness. The staging area for the event is the Oregon Trail Chapter Headquarters, 3131 N. Vancouver Ave. These neighborhoods were identified after mapping communities in the metro area with the highest need for Red Cross emergency assistance.
Thanks to grant funding, residents also have benefited from free emergency preparedness classes held in April, May and June. The next class will take place on Tuesday, July 20 at the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, 4815 NE 7th Ave.
"Our work with the Boise and Eliot neighborhoods is already underway," said Kate Fagerholm, the project's coordinator. "Dozens of neighbors have attended the spring preparedness classes, and now we're keeping the momentum going by providing safety information and supplies to even more residents."
This project is made possible by grants from Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Pacific Power Foundation, The Collins Foundation and The Autzen Foundation. Those interested in volunteering for Together We Prepare Boise/Eliot should contact Kate Fagerholm at 503-528-5673 or fagerholmk@redcross-pdx.org.
About Together We Prepare Our Neighborhood:
When former CEO Thomas Bruner arrived at the Oregon Trail Chapter, he inquired about the demographics of disaster clients and the locations of Disaster Action Team (DAT) responses.
When plotted on a map, the information pointed to a clear pattern: people in lower socio-economic neighborhoods tended to have a higher incidence of American Red Cross responses. The next question was clear; "What are we doing to help prevent emergencies and disasters in those communities?"
Together We Prepare Our Neighborhood is a large-scale prevention project where the Oregon Trail Chapter conducts door-to-door outreach in an at-risk neighborhood over the course of one or two days. In each area, the chapter works with neighborhood associations, schools, social service agencies and faith communities.
###
In Oregon, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disaster an average of 10 times a week; supplies more than 90 percent of Oregon's blood; teaches thousands of Oregonians lifesaving skills; offers transportation to seniors and the disabled; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.oregonredcross.org or join our award-winning blog at www.oregonredcross.org/blog.
Replies to this message do not go back to the sender.
Go to http://FlashAlert.net/login.html to change or delete these messages.
