« October 2005 | Main | January 2006 »
December 23, 2005
Take Note Links - December 2005
Washington Post article on red light cameras:
D.C. Red-Light Cameras Fail to Reduce Accidents
Insurance Institute of Highway Safety Status Report article:
Results vary, but red light cameras reduce injuries
KARE-11 reports on red light cameras:
Minneapolis coffers swelling from red light camera tickets
More problems with camera cop system
Red light camera generated ticket was wrong, check closely
Posted by Victoria Ford at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2005
Sean Kershaw, podcaster?!?
So I’m going to try podcasting! I like to talk – and it could be a great supplement to my Viewpoint and other communication opportunities. These audio formats help convey thoughts that don’t always work in text formats and they are a great way to feature other interesting League and community members.
For example, this inaugural podcast is a conversation with Mike O’Connor, the entrepreneur behind Saint Paul’s innovative “community preparedness” strategy for Y2K – a strategy that has taken on new life in our post-9/11 and post-Katrina world. Mike and I talk about the motivations and plans that went into this emergency preparedness strategy, and even how podcasting might be useful in future emergency mitigation situations.
I welcome any thoughts on how this works. It’s rough – but was a lot of fun to work on.
(By the way, the music you hear at the beginning and end of the podcast is Bubble Man, by GST - featuring Citizens League staffer Bob DeBoer on the trumpet.)
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 05:20 PM | Comments (1)
December 16, 2005
Citizens League Board Members In The News
Citizens League Board members Art Rolnick and Hussein Samatar received kudos this month...
Art Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Citizens League Board member and co-chair of our Policy Advisory Committee, was named Minnesotan of the Year by Minnesota Monthly magazine.
Hussein Samatar, Executive Director of the African Development Center and new 2006 Citizens League Board Member, was appointed by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to a two-year term on the library board. The Star Tribune ran a terrific editorial about Hussein on December 9.
Posted by Victoria Ford at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2005
Help us reach our Pohlad Family Foundation matching grant goal: $10,000 in new memberships!
During our Common Ground Membership Drive, every new membership contribution will be matched by the Pohlad Family Foundation. Help us make the most of it by recruiting a new member or giving a Citizens League membership as a gift. Call or email Sarah Idowu (651-293-0575 x16), our membership coordinator, for tips on how you can help.
Posted by Victoria Ford at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Stay informed, stay involved: how you can help during an emergency
It’s hard to shake some of the images we’ve seen lately. People devastated after losing their families, homes and jobs to hurricanes. Children left homeless and alone after their parents perished in the storms. Pictures of a crisis…compelling us to get involved and help. Disasters are relatively unpredictable, making them complicated to both prepare for and cope with when they happen. As we all scramble in the aftermath to be a part of the solution, it is important we understand the system of response and the timeline that drives it. It’s also important we understand the role each citizen can play, capitalizing on our own strengths and finding ways to offer help.
Disasters in other parts of the state or country can indirectly affect the Twin Cities area. The flooding of the Red River in ‘97, the tragedy of September 11th, and most recently the hurricanes have all had local impact. Roughly 1,800 families have made their way to Minnesota from the Gulf region. That’s more than 5,000 hurricane evacuees who are now here rebuilding their lives. They are staying with relatives, in shelters and in other temporary housing. Families are getting help initially from the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, but accessing FEMA benefits takes longer than we might think, as many victims apply without identification, having left it behind during the hurricane evacuation. Those who are poor or vulnerable are disproportionately affected by disasters and thereby more reliant on nonprofits for help. With no fluid cash or network of family support to turn to, they have additional needs following a disaster.
Greater Twin Cities United Way assisted in local hurricane relief efforts by helping assess what the evacuees would need to restart their lives here in Minnesota and by supporting the efforts of the nonprofits involved in the recovery and rebuilding stages. United Way allocated $300,000 to help create and support the infrastructure that is ensuring families have food, clothing, shelter and the ongoing services they need- like financial and crisis counseling.
Information coordination and communication is critical for those affected by a disaster, as well as by volunteers and donors. United Way’s information and referral hotline, United Way 2-1-1™ played a vital role immediately following the hurricanes. United Way 2-1-1™ is a free, confidential service that people can access 24-hours a day to find the social services they need. In the three weeks following Hurricane Katrina, 2-1-1 took more than 20,000 calls above and beyond its normal call-load, many of the calls from people looking for ways to help with hurricane relief efforts.
How can you help in the days, weeks and months following a disaster?
Our immediate reaction to a crisis is to want to help, so many of us approach the Red Cross or other organizations to find out how we can volunteer. Yet for most disaster relief volunteer roles there is a training process for volunteers, and it is nearly impossible for the organizations to ready people to respond to a crisis already happening. Here’s what you can do:
• Give money to a trusted nonprofit helping with disaster response and recovery. Disaster response organizations continue to say cash is the best gift, rather than collecting food, water and supplies to donate. Collections of donated items require valuable and scarce resources such as time, money, and personnel to sort,clean, and distribute them, which come at the expense of the emergency activities relief workers are attempting to perform. In particular, avoid donating used clothing. Used clothing can be donated year-round to local nonprofits. Call 2-1-1 (651-291-0211 from a cell phone) to find out where to donate used clothing in your area.
• Stay informed. Seek volunteer opportunities. Join your local place of worship or neighborhood service groups. Serve on a board of a nonprofit or volunteer at local nonprofits that assist vulnerable people at times of crisis and year-round. For group volunteering options check out United Way’s Caring Connection program at www.unitedwaytwincities.org/caringconnection.
• At home, be prepared with a family communication plan. Make sure you have some basic supplies like water and nonperishable food. Ask your employer to see if your company has its own disaster plan.
• Sign up to be a trained disaster response volunteer through the Red Cross, Salvation Army or other relief organizations. You may not be trained in time to help for this crisis, but you will be prepared for the next disaster.
• Hold elected officials and units of government, as well as the nonprofit sector accountable for having sound plans and making sure there is money to support those plans.
It’s all about being proactive and not waiting for a crisis to happen before deciding to make a difference. Your community needs you now. Come join us and help ensure Minnesota remains a wonderful place to live.
By Frank Forsberg
Vice President of Community Impact
Greater Twin Cities United Way
Posted by Victoria Ford at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)