Here’s an opportunity to help Greenwood prepare for emergencies…

Proposed Emergency Preparedness Grant: The staff at the Greenwood Boys & Girls Club are preparing an application for a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant for Greenwood preparedness. The grant application seeks $25K to fund establishment of 2 neighborhood hubs in our extended neighborhood — places that could function as communication centers and house supplies during large scale emergencies. Having a hub would also provide focus to power other emergency preparedness activities in the neighborhood.

How you can help: Community participation is crucial to getting these grants, and volunteer time is credited towards the project as our neighborhood’s matching contribution for city funds. We need to demonstrate that volunteers time will be forthcoming. Several workshops and training activities will be needed to plan for the new hubs that you could volunteer to help or participate in – and these would also give you valuable skills, knowledge, and hopefully some fun and new friends.

The grant deadline is next week – Oct. 7 – so your pledge of volunteer time is needed right away to help get the grant funded.

To pledge volunteer hours: Send an email to Joan at the Greenwood Boys and Girls Club by clicking here, or call her at 436-1851. Tell her your name, address and phone, plus the number of hours you would be willing to donate over the coming year. Five hours per 2014 month could equate to $1200 in matching funds from the city, but any amount will help. If the grant is funded, a volunteer will contact you to arrange for a volunteer activity that fits your schedule and interests. Also please pass this message along to others you know who might be interested. If you are willing to write a letter from you or a group/organization you belong to, contact the North Seattle Boys and Girl’s Club at (206) 436-1850.

For more information:

• For information about Neighborhood Matching Fund and other city grants, click here.
• For more about the City’s Seattle! Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) program, click here.
• To stay connected with Greenwood neighbors interested in emergency preparedness, join the Greenwood Preparedness yahoo group.  Click here to send an email to subscribe.  Subscribing will be another way to demonstrate neighborhood support for this effort.

(I’ve sent this to the Greenwood News, Greenwood Preparedness and Greenwood Community Council lists – so apologies if you received it more than once.)