World Cares Center empowers communities to work toward their own disaster preparedness and long-term recovery by:
• Collaborating with community-based organizations to provide educational and resilience-building services to communities preparing for and recovering from disasters, emergencies and trauma;
• Working with Homeland Security leadership, emergency managers and relief agencies to effectively integrate and utilize Spontaneous Unaffiliated Community Volunteers (SUCVs) into their disaster response plans;
• Preparing SUCVs to safely and effectively contribute to local emergency response; and
• Supporting long-term recovery and resiliency in communities affected by disaster.
WCC implements its vision of community preparedness and resilience through the work of its Disaster Preparation and Trauma Mitigation (DPTM) program. WCC has provided training and supportive services to more than 40,000 individuals affected by disaster.
The DPTM program provides volunteer management and self-care training for the entire responder community. WCC addresses a gap in training and support by working specifically with SUCVs and the emergency managers who utilize them. Since 2001, WCC has lent its unique perspective to the local, state and national Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) as well as the Human Services Council in efforts to further gain support and understanding of this crucial aspect of disaster response. The actual preparation of individuals who may help in their neighborhoods and the manner in which official agencies look at managing this resource is critical to having the best possible relief effort.
Trainings and workshops have been presented nationwide including efforts in:
• Alexandria, VA
• Baton Rouge, LA
• Bloomington, IL
• Chicago, IL
• Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Harrisburg, PA
• New York, NY
• New Orleans, LA
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Paramus, NJ
• Raleigh, NC
• San Diego, CA
• Washington, DC
Seminars have included:
• Forums for Communities for a Resilient Future (operated jointly with Oklahoma's National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism),
• Leading and Managing Community Volunteers in Response to Terrorism and Disaster (presented to members of NYC-OEM, Chicago OEM, Salvation Army, and American Red Cross)
• Self-Care Modular Learning,
• Disaster Volunteering.
In addition, WCC is among the agencies selected by NYC-OEM to staff Volunteer Disaster Centers in the event of an emergency. Major efforts were extended in New Orleans to help support the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. International consultation has also been provided to communities in Bermuda and New Zealand.
The September Space Community Resilience Center (SSCRC) located in midtown Manhattan, served as the crucible where WCC's ideas are tested and the centerpiece of our services to individuals, groups and communities affected by 9/11. Through dynamic partnerships, World Cares Center gathered the services of caregivers and community leaders that provided long-term recovery programs for disaster-stricken communities, long after the relief agencies had withdrawn their support. Through September Space, World Cares Center has offered educational and resilience-building programs to Manhattan residents, workers, students, caregivers from community-based programs, minority populations who experience barriers to services, disaster survivors, disaster volunteers, responders, recovery workers, and returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. As individuals moved through the stages of recovery at their own pace, they benefited from the long-term availability of different forms of support. September Space responded to these needs with an array of comprehensive services. Due to the broad range of client needs, and because World Cares Center recognized the essential value of cooperation with other organizations in providing services to participants, WCC depended on its associates for their expertise.
The comprehensive roster of agencies with whom we have developed working relationships includes the American Group Psychotherapy Association, the American Red Cross, Arts for All, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, Chinese Planning Council, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services, Mental Health Association of New York, Mount Sinai, National Organization for Victim's Assistance, New York Disaster Counseling Coalition, New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS), New York Downtown Hospital, New York University Art Therapy, NYCOSH (New York Committee of Occupational Safety and Health), Safe Horizon, September's Mission, Living Memorial Committee, St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center, Swedish Institute Acupuncture and Massage, Tuesday's Children, World Trade Center Survivors Network and the World Trade Center Permanency Project.
All of World Cares Center's efforts are underscored by our lessons learned from 9/11, the Gulf Coast hurricanes, and other disasters. The World Cares Center board, advisors and partners (including FEMA, NYC-OEM, American Red Cross, National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, and members of the New York City Fire and Police Departments) lend expertise and guide program development. Based upon the recommendations of WCC's advisors, DPTM continually improves its approaches to volunteer preparation and management, and responder self-care.
The relationships and lessons learned developed through World Cares Center's September Space program live on through our Disaster Preparation and Trauma Mitigation program.
The September Space experience has been monographed and is now shared through the Leading and Managing III training under the Disaster Preparation and Trauma Mitigation program. The September Space Community resiliency center model has been shared nationally, most recently with the committee developing the "Welcome Home Centers" in New Orleans.