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Disaster PrepWise AmeriCorps Program
Disaster PrepWise AmeriCorps is a program based out of the University of Iowa College of Public Health whose mission is to increase disaster preparedness among older adults in Iowa. Members serve either within a local public health/senior service organization or with our team at the College of Public Health. Members recruit older adults and deliver our program to them, as well as work with their own and other local organizations to help promote disaster preparedness and develop resources that allow us to more specifically target vulnerable populations.
Disaster PrepWise has placements ranging from minimum time positions during the summer to quarter-, half-, and three-quarter-time positions built around the UI academic calendar. Members can serve internally with our program staff or externally with another non-profit/public health organization with benefiting older adults and/or disaster preparedness as goals.
Listen to Disaster PrepWise AmeriCorps Member Shahad Elnour as interviewed by KCII radio about her service and the Disaster PrepWise program.
Nick Ostrem, our Disaster PrepWise program manager, spoke with Volunteer Iowa to share his experiences as an AmeriCorps member and the Disaster PrepWise Program. To read the full article click the following link:
“I hadn’t expected to do AmeriCorps, but the opportunity presented itself and the things that it offered were the things that I was looking for, actual real world job experience in Iowa City, Everything suddenly fell into place really nicely.”
Nick Ostrem – Disaster PrepWise Program Manager
Activities
- Members give presentations to target populations to inform them about general preparedness and Disaster PrepWise
- Members have one-on-one meetings with participants to help them develop a personalized disaster plan using the Disaster PrepWise tool
- Members develop relationships with local organizations to help spread the word about Disaster PrepWise
- Members help to create and refine resources (handouts, flyers, etc.) for the Disaster PrepWise program
AmeriCorps members at the State Capitol