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By Mary Richards, Church News
In the months since an emergency preparedness fair was held in Tigard, Oregon, the members of the community southwest of Portland have increased their own knowledge and awareness of preparedness principles — on individual, family and community levels.
People also learned more about JustServe.org at the fair. JustServe is a website and app where nonprofit and community organizations can list their volunteer needs and volunteers can find service opportunities around them. It was begun by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but is free for anyone to use.
Janet Olson, a JustServe specialist in Tigard and Tualatin, Oregon, and member of the Tualatin Oregon Stake, said JustServe is part of connecting the community in a unified effort to improve lives and resources.
“The Tigard Preparedness Fair was the very first time the stake leadership asked the members of the stake to sign up on JustServe.org for a specific project,” Olson said. “They asked them to invite friends and neighbors to sign up and come with them.”
As a result, JustServe in the area saw a spike in use after the fair and a continued high number of projects and active users since then. The support from the stake presidency and stake council have also helped the JustServe specialists feel supported and encouraged, Olson said.
“I would recommend that growing JustServe participation happens when stake leaders make it a priority and include it in their annual stake plan.”
Olson is also a member of the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, which sponsored the Tigard’s annual fair on July 21, 2023, and is planning this year’s fair.
“I know that CERT programs in our region try to get neighbors talking to each other about resources and emergency plans. More people in our community are joining CERT and they are recognizing that it is an active group focused on preparing the community,” Olson said.
Booths included information about 72-hour emergency kits, city government response and the American Red Cross. The Church had booths about EnglishConnect classes, the emotional resilience course “Finding Strength in the Lord,” and JustServe.
Members of the Tualatin Stake provided live music and a free barbecue meal — with two cooks cooking on grills throughout the event.
Missionaries from the Oregon Portland Mission helped with setting up and taking down the chairs and tables, and Olson said the stake used JustServe.org for volunteer signups.
The Tigard fair sparked interest in Tualatin, and an emergency preparedness fair was held in that city the very next month. Resources were shared like smoke detector installation, first aid training, CERT and ham radio classes.
Olson said having a preparedness fair is a great way for people in the community to understand city resources and how to get involved ahead of an emergency.
“Part of being prepared for a disaster is knowing your neighbors, knowing what the city can and cannot do for you in an emergency, and learning what your own strengths and weaknesses are in terms of gear,” Olson said.
The Church had a booth at the Tualatin fair as well, with information on emotional resilience, 72-hour kits, food storage — including a demonstration on grinding wheat — and JustServe projects and information.
Olson said many people in the community who wanted to be involved in service came up to the booth. They were curious about JustServe and finding volunteer opportunities.
“It is not hard to find these people by having a booth at a community fair. If someone wants to be involved with JustServe.org, I recommend looking at the organizations that use JustServe.org in your local area. Each organization will have their own set of service projects posted,” she said.
She said the best way to teach about JustServe and about emergency preparedness is to give people hands-on experience.
“Let them see and feel and participate in a service project, a community preparedness meeting or a first aid demonstration. Community fairs are the perfect setting to get these started,” she said.
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