OperationOC

Bringing HOPE through disaster relief and recovery...

OperationOC Receives Award for “Outstanding Service to the field of Emergency Management.”

The California Emergency Services Association, Southern Chapter (CESA) has given OperationOC and its volunteers a certificate of special recognition for “Outstanding Service to the field of Emergency Management.”

“This is a great honor, and on behalf of all of our volunteers OperationOC would like to thank CESA President, Mr. Keith Harrison, and Awards Committee Chairman, Mr. Roland De Rocili, for recognizing OperationOC as a model of community-based disaster recovery,” said OperationOC Emergency Services Manager, Mr. Virgil Garduque.

The California Emergency Services Association was founded in 1965 with the mission of preserving and protecting property through emergency preparedness and disaster mitigation. Our membership is composed of emergency managers and planners from all levels of government (city, county, state, federal, special districts), hospital/medical professionals, education representatives, public service organizations, business/industry emergency planners and other individuals interested in this field. (http://www.cesa.net/southern/index.cfm)

OperationOC Featured at White House Summit

Jim Palmer, President of the Orange County Rescue Mission's OperationOC, presented the success of OperationOC and its operational plan at the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and Governor Schwarzenegger’s California Volunteers Program. The conference entitled “A Partnership Summit To Strengthen Communities” was held in Sacramento and attended by 1,100 community and government leaders.

Jim Palmer was asked to present on “Effective Integration of Nonprofits and Government in Disaster Preparedness and Response.” Also presenting at the conference were Director Matt Bettenhausen, Office of Homeland Security; Director Henry Renteria, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services; Director John Kim Cook, Ph.D., US Department of Homeland Security; and Harold Brooks, CEO, American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter. Jim presented the OperationOC model to a standing-room only crowd.

If you would like to see Jim's presentation, the PowerPoint presentation can be accessed here.

OperationOC would like to thank all of its partners, and especially the White House and Governor's Office, for honoring OperationOC and its volunteers.