MEETING LOCATION / TIME:
Christ United Methodist Church
301 E. Drake Road * Fort Collins, CO 80525 
Thursday, October 15th, 2015
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

DISCUSSION TOPIC:

Volunteer Risk Management 
Guest Speaker: Katie Zwetzig, Verified Volunteers
 
Stumped or intimidated at the thought of creating a comprehensive risk management program for your volunteer organization? Or do you have a risk management program in place, but you're not confident it is as thorough as it should be?

Attend this month's Larimer VOAD meeting to learn the specific risks involved in volunteer engagement, and how you can implement risk management policies, plans, practices, and processes - most of which cost little or nothing except some planning time. 

We'll cover:
* What risk management is and why it's important for volunteer programs
* Which elements should be included
* How you can improve your current risk management program - and make sure you are covering all bases
 
Katie Zwetzig, Executive Director for Verified Volunteers, is excited to be leading the revolutionary change Verified Volunteers is bringing to the nonprofit and volunteer industry. She has been at the forefront of the screening industry for the last 14 years and founded her own background screening company, Tandem Select. Katie holds an MA in Marketing from Colorado State University and a BA in Finance and Marketing from The University of Colorado.  Katie feels strongly that nonprofits and volunteerism are at the heart of a strong community. She is a dedicated volunteer, sitting on many boards and committees in Northern Colorado. She is based in Ft. Collins, Colorado where she lives with her husband and 3 daughters.

We are looking forward to Katie's presentation at the October meeting!

Meeting Minutes from September, 2015 Meeting: Click Here for 9/15 Minutes

Our Larimer VOAD continues to plan and coordinate our organized response to community disasters and disruptions before they happen so we can service our communities in the best possible way. 

IMPORTANT UPDATES:

SOUTH CENTRAL VOAD TRAINING ACADEMY

The First CO South Central Region VOAD Training Academy, which will be held in Woodland Park on October 22, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by a general membership meeting of the CO SCR VOAD from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. See the attachments on the links below for more details. If you have any questions, please contact Sally Broomfield at sally.broomfield2@redcross.org or call 719-339-0618.

LINKS:
Training Academy Flier
Training Sign-up Sheet
Course Descriptions

PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT
Hundreds of Volunteers Still Needed for Project Homeless Connect 15!
It may be cliché to say that you can make a difference in someone's life in just a day, but it's true.  By volunteering for just a few hours at this year's Project Homeless Connect 15, you can help thousands of homeless individuals, families, seniors and veterans accomplish in one day what could take them more than eight months to do individually. Various volunteer opportunities are available the day of the event and the day before.  
Project Homeless Connect 15 links people experiencing homelessness or who are at-risk of homelessness with resources like resume assistance, hygiene items, identification records, homeless court, health care needs, pet care, benefits enrollment and more in one day at one location.
​
Project Homeless Connect 15 will take place:
Tuesday, November 17, 2015, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
Colorado Convention Center, Downtown Denver

MEETING LOCATION / TIME:
Christ United Methodist Church
301 E. Drake Road * Fort Collins, CO 80525 
Thursday, September 17th, 2015
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

DISCUSSION TOPIC:

Spontaneous Volunteers & Donations Management/Messaging

Prevent the disaster-within-the-disaster!  When volunteers show up unexpected, disasters can go from manageable to chaotic in a hurry.  

Carrie Olenick from Volunteers of America will be facilitating a discussion of how Larimer VOAD can best manage this second disaster, identifying:

• Your agency's ability address disaster needs with current staff and affiliated volunteers
• What it would take for your agency to max out your existing capacity to address that need
• How many community volunteers your agency could responsibly manage to get back up to full capacity
• What your agency would need to have happen to accept those community volunteers into your program
• Communicating with VOAD when you are ready to take community volunteers
• Preparing communications/messaging to the public in advance to ensure the best public response to disaster.

Meeting Minutes from August, 2015 Meeting: Click Here for 8/15 Minutes

Note: Originally we had a Red Cross exercise scheduled for our September meeting, but due to a scheduling conflict that exercise will be rescheduled for the November meeting.

Our Larimer VOAD continues to plan and coordinate our organized response to community disasters and disruptions before they happen so we can service
our communities in the best possible way. 

IMPORTANT UPDATES:

SOUTH CENTRAL VOAD TRAINING ACADEMY

The First CO South Central Region VOAD Training Academy, which will be held in Woodland Park on October 22, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by a general membership meeting of the CO SCR VOAD from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. See the attachments on the links below for more details. If you have any questions, please contact Sally Broomfield at sally.broomfield2@redcross.org or call 719-339-0618.

LINKS:
Training Academy Flier
Training Sign-up Sheet
Course Descriptions

2015 FAMILY SAFETY & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXPO 9/26!!

The 2015 Family Safety and Emergency Preparedness Expo will be held on September 26th at the Ranch Complex in Loveland. This informative and entertaining event is free and great for the whole family. Please share this event with all of your Northern Colorado friends, family and neighbors. 
See the Air Link helicopter plus other emergency vehicles and equipment. Bring the whole family for a day of fun and get the information you need to make sure your family has a good preparedness plan.


Please contact Laura Levy at laura@larimerLTRG.org if your organization can help supply volunteers

MEETING LOCATION / TIME:
Christ United Methodist Church
301 E. Drake Road * Fort Collins, CO 80525 

​August 20th, 2015
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

At our August meeting, The American Red Cross will be leading a discussion that you won't want to miss! 

If your organization thinks they would like to provide any assistance in Larimer County disasters, please attend this meeting to discuss our deployment and communications procedures. We will also be gathering more information about member organizations resources and capabilities. 

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

The 2015 Family Safety and Emergency Preparedness Expo will be held on September 26th at the Ranch Complex in Loveland. This informative and entertaining event is free and great for the whole family. Please share this event with all of your Northern Colorado friends, family and neighbors. 

Expo organizers are seeking volunteer help for the day of the event to work at the Expo.  Additionally, exhibitor booth space is still available if your organization has information regarding family safety and preparedness that you would like to share with attendees that day. 

Please contact Laura Levy at laura@larimerLTRG.org if your organization can help supply volunteers or you would like to be an exhibitor. 

LARIMER OEM UPDATE: 

Berthoud Tornado Update: Multiple structures affected by flooding and tornado activity last night due to the severe weather SW of Berthoud and along the Little Thompson River. Road Closures were in place throughout the damage area due to safety concerns from power/gas lines, flooding and debris. These closures were reopened this afternoon to residents now that it is safe to enter the area. Some buildings in the area have been deemed unsafe by the Damage Assessment teams and have been tagged. All roads are now open except CR 2 which will remain closed due to extensive flood damage. Approximately 100 people are still without power but crews are in the area working to resolve any power outages. People can call the Larimer County Emergency Information Phone Line at 970-498-5500 for updated information.

The Larimer Emergency Operations Center is no longer activated but OEM will continue to monitor conditions throughout the weekend and will report changes as they arise. 

Road and Bridge provided an updated damage assessment report. Mostly, Larimer sustained minor road damages and erosion. Crews worked on these repairs today. CR 2 is the only road in the county with significant damages and remains closed. The Damage Assessment team is out of the field compiling all data regarding structural damages.

OEM will continue to monitor throughout the weekend and EOC will remain virtual for situational awareness. 

WEATHER UPDATE: 

State OEM held a conference call at 1600 hours for all affected communities. NWS Boulder provided an updated report on expected conditions this evening. We should see a break in rain activity over the next few hours with light rains and the possibility of hail. Later tonight the biggest threat will be heavy rains in the county. They do not expect the same type of tornado activity today as we saw last night. A tornado watch does remain in effect throughout Larimer County until 1900 hours, however, and a Flash Flood Watch is in effect until 2200 hours.

GET HELP: 

The Evacuation Center remains open at the Berthoud Community Center at 248 Welch Avenue, Berthoud.

United Way of Larimer County 2-1-1 can be promoted as a number for those needing help or looking to offer help. Community members can reach us by phone Monday - Friday from 7:30am - 5:30pm by dialing 2-1-1 or 970-407-7066. 2-1-1 could extend those hours over the weekend as needed, but there are no plans to do that at this time.

GIVE HELP: 

Donations for immediate needs should be directed towards the Red Cross and Salvation Army. The United Way of Larimer County has set up a long term Berthoud Tornado Disaster fund. Donations can be made to their website at this link. Please share this information with your networks.

Volunteer: There are currently no known volunteer opportunities pertaining to the disaster.  2-1-1 will collect the information of people who want to volunteer in the event they are needed in the future. Residents may also visit helpcoloradonow.com for more information on how to help.

Larimer VOAD representatives will continue to monitor newly developing storms throughout the weekend. If the Larimer EOC is fully activated, all local and county requests for resources and volunteers will be coordinated through the Larimer VOAD. Please do not call the County or EOC directly. I will send out email updates as new information arises.
VOAD Members: 

Please email Laura Levy today at laura@larimerLTRG.org with any updates from your agency. 

Please make sure to include your available resources, after-hours contact information (don't assume I have it)  
If you have any questions, please email Laura Levy at laura@larimerLTRG.org or call 303-931-8080. Email will get you the fastest response. 

Let's hope it's a peaceful and uneventful evening and weekend. Thank you for your continued service to the community!

Laura Levy
Larimer VOAD Chair

Join us for the COVOAD Quarterly Meeting and a very special presentation hosted by Larimer VOAD. We will also be discussing all of the recent weather events and VOAD response in Colorado.
 
Don't miss this opportunity to connect with your state and regional VOAD partners.
 
SPECIAL PRESENTATION:

Jennifer Tobin-Gurley is the Director of Research and Engagement at the Center for Disaster and Risk Analysis (CDRA) at Colorado State University. Jennifer will be giving a presentation on multiple research projects at the DCRA and will specifically highlight SHOREline, the research being conducted with children and youth across the the United States and Canada. 

Other CDRA work include projects focusing on disaster preparedness in Colorado, disaster recovery and youth empowerment along the Gulf Coast, Midwest, and in Canada, and a brief overview of her upcoming dissertation research focusing on educational continuity in Lyons, CO following the 2013 Colorado Floods.
 
LOCATION / TIME:
 
Medical Center of the Rockies (Hague's Peak Room)
2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue, Loveland 80538

Click HERE for directions

Hague's Peak Room is in the basement - head downstairs from the main entry

June 18th, 2015
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
________________________________________
 
Additional Upcoming Training Opportunity

The Boulder County VOAD, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities program, is pleased to invite you a training on Leading and Managing Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers in Times of Disaster. Led by Lisa Orloff, the president of World Cares, this training offers a unique opportunity to learn how to harness the power of community in the midst of chaos; connect neighbors to neighbors; and integrate local knowledge and skill sets to work within the emergency response system rather than circumventing it. The training will be specifically tailored to the experience and knowledge of the participants to ensure maximum effectiveness for local solutions and practices.
 
The training will take place on June 24th, from 9:00am-3:00pm at 1317 Mapleton Ave, Boulder, CO. To reserve your spot, please RSVP to bocovoad@gmail.com or call 720.999.4981.
 
Free snacks and lunch will be provided to all participants so leave the brown bags at home. Come enjoy, connect, and learn!
 

_____________________________________________________

 

Mark Your Calendars: Our Larimer VOAD meetings are 

every 3rd Thursday at 2:00 PM

Happy Mother's Day!

What a weekend! Mother Nature took the state of Colorado on a wild ride. We had areal and flash flood warnings, tornados, hail and even a winter storm.... all in 24 hours. With all that weather, Larimer County experienced heavy rain that caused some damage to rural roads prompting the Department of Emergency Management to activate the EOC. All is now quiet and we're left feeling fortunate. It could have been so much worse.

The Larimer County EOC and Larimer VOAD are officially standing down. No new issues were reported overnight. The American Red Cross shelter team is on standby and is monitoring conditions. This will be the final update from the Larimer VOAD regarding this storm. We hope the remainder of spring runoff season is gentle but are prepared to react if we are needed. 

WEATHER UPDATE: 
Larimer County is still under a Winter Storm Warning but it is expected to expire this morning. Light snow and winds are observed across the county. Temperatures are expected to continue dropping throughout the day. All totals of precipitation and snowfall were somewhat lower than forecast but this will help with the flood outlook for the coming week.
 
Some snow totals for this storm up through 7 a.m.
DayWeather Office East Fort Collins 1.0 inches
Buckhorn Mtn 1E 8.6 inches
Estes Park 1SSE 2.9 inches
Hourglass Lake 11.0 inches
Wellington 1SE 1.2 inches

RIVERS:
On the Poudre there will be a peak flow right around 0700 Monday. It will be close to the level this morning of a stage of 5.88 feet or roughly 2890 CFS. The level will fall Tuesday and Wednesday and then come up again at the end of the week as snow melt combines with warmer temperatures in the higher elevations. The Little Thompson is also running high and members of the river coalition are monitoring potential trouble spots along the river. Repairs continue on damaged roads within the Pinewood Springs community and on CR 47 towards Big Elk Meadows.

ROADS: 
Larimer County will continue to update the community on road closures and ongoing repairs on their website - click HERE.

RESIDENT & COMMUNITY NEEDS:
The Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group and Colorado Spirit/Mountain Outreach Teams will continue to monitor existing recovery and flooding issues throughout the county and, if possible, will provide additional volunteer support.

Thank you for all of your emails offering support. Special thanks to the American Red Cross as well as Serve 6.8 and Team Rubicon for their swift assistance in filling thousands of sandbags (in the pouring rain.) 

Larimer County is very fortunate to have such an incredible network of faith-based and charitable organizations active in disaster in addition to a very proactive team of emergency managers and responders. Together, it's a great team.

If you have any questions, please email Laura Levy at laura@larimerLTRG.org or call 303-931-8080. 

Wishing you a happy, dry and uneventful Sunday,

Laura Levy
Larimer VOAD Chair

Website: www.larimerVOAD.org
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/larimerVOAD
Twitter: www.twitter.com/larimerVOAD

The Larimer VOAD is continue to monitor storm conditions and is working closely with local communities, the American Red Cross and Larimer County. 

According to the National Weather Service, another band of precipitation will arrive later this afternoon. If heavy rains occur, we expect some flooding. If heavy snow arrives later tonight and tomorrow, we expect there will be some power outages due to downed power lines. We are encouraging residents to prepare just in case they lose power.

The Larimer County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has activated at a Level 2 level and limited for situational awareness and damage assessment. The Larimer VOAD is participating in the EOC activation via phone and will continue to be standing by ready to respond to requests if it is required. 

The Red Cross has three shelters ready in the region.

We will continue to post notices and will let you know if the Larimer VOAD is going to formally activate. Please do not call the County or EOC directly.

The Larimer VOAD is also happy to coordinate volunteer needs in Weld and Boulder counties as needed. 

Larimer VOAD Chair resides in Pinewood Springs and is actively involved in assisting with community needs in that region. Although there are some closures due to low water crossings, the community is safe with no major damage and continues to prepare for more rain later today.
If you have any questions, please continue to email Laura Levy at laura@larimerLTRG.org. Email is the preferred way to communicate this weekend as phone access may be limited.  

More than $124,000 has been distributed to local nonprofits in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park as a result of the latest round of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) funding.

EFSP is a Federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program has been entrusted through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 (PL 100-77) "to supplement and expand ongoing efforts to provide shelter, food, and supportive services" for hungry and homeless people across the nation.

United Way of Larimer County administers the program on a local level to ensure the federal requirements are met. United Way convenes the EFSP Local Board, which is responsible for advertising the availability of funds, establishing local priorities, selecting the nonprofit and government agencies to receive EFSP funding, and monitoring program compliance.

"EFSP is a great example of United Way's ability to leverage additional resources into our community," said Marcy Yoder, chair of the EFSP Local Board and Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of Larimer County. "EFSP funds will help local families put food on the table, have a roof over their heads, and have a chance at finding stability in their lives."

Click HERE to read full article at the Loveland Reporter Herald