Partnerships and Awareness with Business and Government

Two of the other organizations we need to partner with are businesses and government agencies.

Last week, readers of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors blog participated in the

Emergency Preparedness Fair in Alexandria, Virginia.

The preparedness fair should be seen as a role model for other government agencies and businesses.

During the morning, participants were given a bag with some supplies to start their kit.

Representatives from the Alexandria Citizen Corps Council, Alexandria Police, Fairfax County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Volunteer Fairfax, Animal Services, National Weather Service, USDA Food Safety, and other agencies were there to speak about their programs and answer any questions.

Today Is The Day of Action!

Yesterday, we introduce our readers to ServiceNation.

And Today

September 27

is the

day of action!

Why September 27th?

The Day of Action will take place on Saturday, September 27th, 2008. This date was specifically chosen because it is:

- the day after the first Presidential debate,
- the day after Congress adjourns for recess, and therefore most congressional members will be in their home districts on this day,
- National Public Lands Day, a day to highlight and celebrate our public green spaces across the country.

There are 2713 events planned in 50 states across the country!

Why not participate in one of the events?

http://events.servicenation.org/

National Declaration of Service Coalition Partner

Neighbors Helping Neighbors is proud to be the newest coalition partner with ServiceNation.

ServiceNation is a national campaign to increase service opportunities, solve chronic social problems through service, and promote a culture of service in America. ServiceNation is a vision of a new America, an America where citizens unite to take responsibility for strengthening communities and building a better future, and where service is a core ideal of citizenship. The ultimate vision of ServiceNation is an America in which, by 2020, 100 million citizens will volunteer time in schools, workplaces, and faith-based and community institutions each and every year (up from 61 million today), and that increasing numbers of Americans annually will commit a year of their lives to national service.

Sign the pledge and participate in a Day of Action on September 27, 2008.

What's Your Connection? Newspaper Partners

Recently we have been included in discussions about outreach and getting citizens aware of Citizen Corps programs.

Our community partner discussions fit perfectly to this conversation.

What's Your

When asked, how did I get involved locally with disaster emergency response, the answer was simple. There was a small one paragraph article in the local newspaper. I was unable to attend the first round of classes, but when a similar paragraph appeared several months later, I responded. I had no idea this program existed.

Yesterday, we discussed an article in the Ellenville Journal, a local town newspaper.

It was the Connection Newspapers - The View and the Fairfax Times, were I first read about the CERT program. And through the CERT program learned about the many programs offered through the Citizen Corps.

Earlier in the year, we spoke with the local newspapers who were very interested in including this public information as a story. It is very similar to the paragraph articles, like child safety seat inspections, they include from the Police Department.

The next time you struggle how to balance funding issues with reaching out to new members of your community, consider having a conversation with your hometown newspaper. That no cost conversation can go a long way. Thing of the reach this could have, as many hometown papers are delivered to the driveways of most residents in the community.

This may just get others started on the path of emergency preparedness and volunteering in their own neighborhoods. And might not even cost your organization a dime.

No Cost Internet For Awareness - You've Been Exposed

As we continue to think about partners or ways to increase awareness at no cost, we spent a few minutes to see where Neighbors Helping Neighbors (http://citizencorps.blogspot.com/) has appeared on the internet over the past year.

Here are some of the places articles or references can be found.

GOVERNMENT WEBSITES

Ready.gov

Department of Homeland Security
National Citizen Corps
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Nebraska Deparment of Education
Samal City Government
Fairfax County Government

INDUSTRY MAGAZINES

Government*Horizons
Homeland Defense Journal

CONFERENCES

World Conference on Disaster Management

National Conference on Community Preparedness

Showcase Ontario

ASSOCIATIONS

International Association of Emergency Managers

National Organization on Disability

Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations

Volunteer Fairfax

NEWSPAPERS

Washington Post

All Voices

Fairfax Times

Connection Newspapers

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Facebook

LinkedIn

Second Life

SAMPLE BLOGS

Anniston Star Police
St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council
Fairfax County CERT
Mindanao Bloggers
American In Davao

General Santos

Dr. Dorodny

Partnering With Your Local Schools

This week, we have been focusing on partnering.

While reading an article from a small town in upstate New York, it became clear that many have overlooked one of the most valuable partners in our community.

The local schools.

Rescue Squad Needs Rescue

Resident of this town and other communities that struggle with this same problem may benefit from partnering with their local schools and getting students involved.

The following highlights one very successful program.

Students In Emergency Preparedness Programs Not A New Concept For Fairfax County

New Learning Playbook

Neighbors Helping Neighbors is pleased to share our experiences with

http://www.newlearningplaybook.com/

and

http://jeannemeister.com/

for publication in a book about corporate innovations.