AmeriCorps Pledge

On November 15, 2010 twenty-three California Safe Corps (CSC) members took the AmeriCorps pledge.

I will get things done for America to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities. Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I will persevere. I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond. I am an AmeriCorps member . . .
and I will get things done.

CaliforniaVolunteers AmeriCorps Conference

Brian McConnell and Erica Helson attended the 2010 California AmeriCorps Conference on December 6-9th in Sacramento. Brian and Erica participated in workshops that offered new strategies for communicating program impacts and new approaches to AmeriCorps member development. Brian and Erica also served as panelist for the Disability Inclusion Panel session. While in Sacramento Brian and Erica also found time to talk to the big man about the program (see photo). Other highlighted sessions from the conference included:

Disaster Divas
Brenda Emrick, Preparedness for All
The Disaster Divas training session is designed to provide participants with current disaster preparedness information, best practices for sharing preparedness messages, and resources for their personal and professional use.

Inclusion Project Panel
AmeriCorps Program Directors, Nadith Schuster, Disability Partner Organization, and Karen Leventhal, Tarjan Center
Hear from six panelists, AmeriCorps program managers and members, who have successfully included people with disabilities, as members, volunteers and community capacity builders. Learn creative strategies that allow everyone to participate in your program. Oftentimes programs think about disability inclusion too narrowly, and then it feels daunting. In reality, there are plenty of ways to include new populations in your program.

Implementing Performance Measurement: Data Collection and Data Analysis
Francis Yuen, Project STAR
In the context of the 5 step performance measurement implementation process, this training will focus in the data collection and data analysis steps, essential for strong reporting and program improvement. Participants will have an opportunity to review key considerations and strategies in collecting and analyzing data and will practice the steps involved in analyzing data.

Ways to Tell Your Story
Bernadette Dawson, CaliforniaVolunteers
Join a field discussion on making reporting both informative and useful. The discussion will include successes and challenges of conveying impacts, sharing ways reports have been useful, identifying common reporting issues, and suggestions on how CV can provide useful feedback on impact.

San Diego CSC Members are “Getting Things Done”

CSC Members Dora Arnold and Mariana Vasconcelos recently completed training in November. Since finishing training they have “got things done” by becoming active members of their chapters Disaster Action Team (DAT) and by giving Community Disaster Education presentations in English and Spanish.

As DAT members Dora and Mariana responded to an apartment fire on their own. Dora and Mariana served the residence of the apartment by making sure they had a place to stay, clothing to wear and food to eat.

Training New Volunteers in Inyo and Mono Counties

While many know that the Greater Los Angeles chapter is the second largest Red Cross chapter in the country, few know that the chapter also covers Inyo and Mono Counties, including the cities of Bishop and Mammoth Lakes. Safe Corps member Jennifer Lazo travelled to both counties for four days to provide trainings to local volunteers and attend county emergency planning meetings. Fourteen new volunteers were trained to open and run shelters in Mammoth Lakes, and five volunteers in Bishop were taught the introductory disaster course, Disaster Services: An Overview. All volunteers were enthusiastic about continuing to learn from the Red Cross, and hope to work on updating shelter and vendor agreements in the area. Along with Agreements Specialist Alex Rose, Jennifer also attended the Unified Command meetings of both Inyo and Mono counties, where she got to meet emergency officials from around the state and learn about the winter storm plans in place for the area. Pictured is the class of new shelter workers in Mammoth Lakes in front of the (donated) Red Cross hummer.