WELCOME
Lutheran Social Service of Utah is delighted to welcome five (5) domestic peace corp members to our site courtesy of a grant through the AmeriCorps*VISTA, Corporation for National and Community Service arm of the United States Federal Government. Our project runs from August 2008 through December 2012.
Welcome!:
Pero Kukic, Director, Worlds of Art Boutique
Sherrie Kimball, Director, More Blue Sky Employment Center
Mohamed Mohamed, Director, LDR Disaster Response
Agnes Nduwimana, Director, Refugee Women's Textile Project & Green Waters Health Center
Milka Vladic, Director, Manna Market
Manase Yokule, Director, Refugee Elder Gardens Project
2000(+) 72 Hour Kits for New Refugees!
Jose Bonilla, Pero Kukic and Leslie Whited started conversations around disaster response kits for new refugees. Their initial goal? 1000(+) 72 hour kits for new refugee families from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Thailand, Somalia and Sudan. As the conversation grew, Rich Foster, a former AmeriCorps*VISTA, recently hired from his VISTA position to the Utah Department of Health, joined the conversation. Before long, 1000(+) kits were planned for the Salt Lake City, Utah based May 2009 hosting of the national Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (www.NVOAD.org), held May 18-22, 2009 by the Utah VOAD on-site planning committee.
Utah Department of Health, Rich Foster, a former AmeriCorps*VISTA himself, co-sponsored our April 6th Refugee Disaster Preparedness Conference where 72 hour kits were given to each refugee family. The Conference: "Today's Wounds, Tomorrow's Health" will be held at Horizonte Education and Training Center in SLC from 10-3 pm at 1234 South Main Street SLC. Laurie Sullivan-Sakaeda, Presenter, sponsored by Lutheran Disaster Response (national).
Leslie, Mohamed (AV), Jose (Former AV) and Rich (Former AV) are already planning a follow-up $30,000 service project with an area business to exponentially create that many more disaster response kits available to refugee and first generation families. Stay tuned!
Resources
AmeriCorps*VISTA "Be Ready Disaster Relief Kit" -- For more about this kit please view:www.vistacampus.org.
Disaster response planning and preparation for new refugee and multi-cultural populations is a critical component of the US government motto: "liberty and justice for all!" To see why this project promotes justice, please watch the HBO special "Requieum in Four Acts" by Spike Lee.
Links
www.americorps.org
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