OHIO OFFICE

In this issue:

AmeriCorps

Ohio AmeriCorps Expands for New Year

Five new programs joined the Ohio AmeriCorps portfolio for Program Year 2005-2006, bringing our total number of programs to 27 and over 700 members serving the state. Organizations
sponsoring new programs include: Habitat for Humanity MidAmerica Region, Licking County Coalition for Housing, Ohio State Research Foundation, Sojourner’s Care Network, and YWCA Columbus. Between competitive and formula funding sources, Ohio secured over $6.4 million for AmeriCorps programming to support local communities. Information on AmeriCorps funding opportunities for Program Year 2006-2007 will be posted at www.serveohio.org in early January.	Ohio's AmeriCorps members pledged to commit a year of service at the November 9th swearing in ceremony held in Columbus.
AmeriCorps provides human and other resources to community organizations to build their capacity to meet local needs in education, the environment, independent living, public safety, homeland security, and other critical areas. New AmeriCorps programs in Ohio begin as planning grants which can last from 3 months to 12 months depending upon an organizations previous experience with AmeriCorps programming and federal grants management.

Senior Corps

RVSP
Senior Safety and Disaster Preparedness

We all saw the catastrophic devastation that Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma left down south. The loss of life was heartbreaking. Many were left homeless, without power and unprepared. Although disasters are unpredictable as to when they may come and how much damage they may do, they do not need to catch us off guard. A disaster can be natural (tornado, heat wave, and blizzard), accidental (fire or chemical release) or intentional (biological, shooting). No part of the country is completely safe from disaster.

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Safety in Ohio through Service (SOS)

The SOS Program is a new initiative through Learn and Serve Ohio at the Ohio Department of Education funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Currently in its second year, the purpose of this program is to fund K-12 school districts to develop service-learning programs that address the various needs of hometown safety—or homeland security. Over 10,000 students throughout Ohio are addressing such hometown safety needs as: family preparedness in the home and during emergency situations; safety procedures in the home, schools, and community; natural disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; physical and emotional responses to crisis situations; improving the emotional environment at the middle and high school levels; improving diversity awareness and sensitivity to others’ life situations; CERT training for emergency response; and developing school building crisis response plans.

During the 2004-2005 school year, seven school districts were awarded an SOS grant through Learn and Serve Ohio on a continuation basis through the 2005-2006 school year. These seven districts represent the demographic diversity throughout Ohio including small and large school districts from rural, urban, and suburban areas. As these districts develop and implement their programs, modules (or lesson plans) are being created to address a myriad of hometown safety needs. Because hometown safety needs differ throughout the state, the other grantee school districts are then helping to refine or expand each developed module based on what would be most suitable for their own demographic area.

The final outcome of this service-learning program will be a product, available for dissemination, of these hometown safety modules that are comprehensive enough to be replicated by any district or region throughout the state of Ohio, as well as throughout other states. To find out more about the SOS program, please visit the web site at www.csuohio.edu/aquila.

Make a Difference Day Ohio

...Another Successful Year!

For the sixth consecutive year, Ohio led the nation in the number of volunteer service projects planned for Make A Difference Day Ohio (MDDO)– Saturday, October 22, 2005. A total of 272 projects were actually registered on the national Web site (263 were registered last year!). A final count won’t be available for a few weeks. Stay tuned for further recaps. Way to go OHIO!

This year, Make A Difference Day Ohio's Steering Committee activities began at Lowe’s Easton (Columbus) kicking off a tool drive with the OSU Habitat for Humanity Student Chapter benefiting Gulf Coast Habitats. One hundred OSU students traveled to the Gulf Coast in November for a week to work with local Habitats. The tools collected were donated to Louisiana Habitat. "The Tool Drive Organizers” Doug Brownfield – Lowe’s, Hope Taft, Ohio's First Lady, Chris Smith, OSU Habitat member, and Ken Zell, Lowe’s Easton Manager.

SAVE THE DATE: Make A Difference Day Ohio Awards Ceremony: March 15, 2006 (Hilton Easton, Columbus)
SAVE THE DATE: Make A Difference Day Ohio 2006 - Saturday, October 28.

Quotes from this year's MDDO...

“Make A Difference Day was at the brink of being overlooked this year completely after our community was torn apart by bigotry and hate in the aftermath of riots caused by different hate groups. In contrast, North Toledo came together, as one people - we made a difference and always will."
Hans Ashbaucher, North River Development Corporation, Toledo, Ohio

“There are four Holidays here (in Toronto, Ohio) Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years and Make A Difference Day.”
Kay Jean Wilson, Toronto Beautification Group, Toronto, Ohio

“By sending students out to work in this area, we not only opened their eyes to the poverty and deteriorated conditions that exist within walking distance, but we also showed them the improvements being made and how they can be part of the solution through service, civic engagement and continued involvement…”
Kelly Cowdery, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

VOLUNTEER! License Plate

The 2005 holiday season was the perfect time to celebrate with our new legislative sponsor State Representative Larry Flowers. (L to R) Sally Wynkoop (Canal Winchester resident/community volunteer), Barbara Flowers, State Rep. Larry Flowers, Jim Wynkoop (Canal Winchester resident/community volunteer), and John Poole, Ohio Community Service Council. Representative Flowers, a retired Fire Chief from Canal Winchester, serves District 19 and is the Majority Floor Leader.

Next Step: We are approaching the 1,000 required signatures…but still need your help. We hope to have the new VOLUNTEER! License Plate available in early Spring 2006. Stay tuned to serveohio.org for the latest updates!

Please click here to show you support the creation of a specialty license plate supporting VOLUNTEERS. Thank you!

Ohio Citizen Corps completed its Fall Marketing and Recruitment Campaign on December 15th. More than 800 people contacted our office looking for volunteer opportunities. If you did not have a chance to see our television advertisements, click below to watch them now.

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In addition, Ohio Medical Reserve Corps provided a list of registered medical professionals for potential deployment by Health and Human Services in the Gulf States.

Locally, many MRC units were involved with evacuees coming to Ohio. The Montgomery County MRC provided medical support to 150 evacuees.

Finally, 500 new healthcare professionals registered to become apart of OMRC and assist with future emergencies.

Lead Volunteer Centers

Ohio Citizen Corps’ (OCC) Regional Coordinators met in Columbus on November 16 to review past accomplishments and establish plans and goals for 2006. The Coordinators represent four Lead Volunteer Centers (LVC) statewide that offer support, technical assistance, training and educational opportunities to citizen volunteers.

Click Here for a larger picture.
Ohio’s Lead Volunteer Center Regional Coordinators: Back row (left to right): Jeanette Hrovatich, Jackie Bailey, Karl Roach, Maureen Drummond. Front row: Jonda Hamilton, Beth Eck, Susan Rogers,
Cher Bellar

The coordinators reviewed the successes of the initial three years of OCC including the continued partnership with the Ohio Department of Health and the formation of the Ohio Medical Reserve Corps. Seventy-two county-level Citizen Corps Councils have been established. State leaders have recognized the significant role of the Volunteer Processing Center (VPC) concept as a staging arena for disaster response volunteers. The increased importance of volunteer involvement in citizen preparedness and education has encouraged citizens to register on the Citizen Corps Database. Through training such as CERT or TAP, they have become a future resource for disaster response, if and when they may be needed.

Plans for 2006 include additional opportunities for education and training. An example is staging VPC exercises, incorporating the Medical Reserve Corps in the process. This concept is being adapted in such real-life situations as flu clinics as an exercise if the need for mass inoculations should occur. A goal of the program is to have trained staff “at the ready” throughout the state. As new partnerships are forged, additional trainings will be created.

Helping wherever needed:
One Pickaway County Volunteer’s Story

Becky Serpette believes in feeding the hungry and helping those in need and that is why volunteering in mass care for the American Red Cross is the perfect fit for her. On August 28, 2005 she was called to deploy for Hurricane Katrina and the next day was in Florida where she worked 12-hour night shifts in a Red Cross emergency
shelter.

“I have a full time job at the Ohio Department of Health – that is what I do, but I volunteer for the American Red Cross because that is who I am.”
Becky Serpette, Red Cross/Ohio Citizen Corps Volunteer, Pickaway County

Becky explained that the shelter’s residents appeared to be suffering from shell shock those first several days. One individual, Jerry, a concert pianist who had provided musical accompaniment to movies including Titanic, managed to save his baby grand piano and practiced at the shelter several hours a day. As Becky explained, “Jerry played to deal with the pain of losing two brothers in New Orleans." Becky also helped celebrate happy occasions serving as matron of honor in a wedding of two individuals who had fled the winds of Hurricane Katrina.

Becky has volunteered with the Pickaway County Red Cross since 1999 teaching first aid and CPR and assisting local and national disaster victims.

Courtesy – Crosswords Newsletter – American Red Cross of Greater Columbus

Last year in Ohio 943,831 baby boomers contributed more than 82,664,378 hours of service to their communities!