Resilient Children/Resilient Communities Initiative Honored by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

The Resilient Children/Resilient Communities (RCRC) initiative, a partnership between Save the Children, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness and global healthcare company GSK, was named winner of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 2018 Corporate Citizenship Award for “Best Disaster Preparedness and Community Resilience Program”.

“GSK is partnering with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness and Save the Children to help thousands of children quickly return to a sense of normalcy following a disaster,” said Marc DeCourcey, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “Their efforts are helping communities prepare for disasters and building resilience long term.” 

The RCRC initiative utilizes a community-led planning process and a suite of tools to help parents, community leaders, emergency management officials, schools and child care facilities work together to prepare for emergencies and help children quickly return to a sense of normalcy after a disaster strikes. Some 69 million children are away from their parents every day, in daycare centers, schools, camps or with neighbors, family or friends. The initiative ensures plans are in place to help those children in the event of an emergency.

“Through our emergency response and recovery work, we’ve seen the gaps in protecting children during a disaster first-hand. We know protecting our children when disaster strikes is a shared responsibility and it takes support from us all,” said Sarah Thompson, Director of Save the Children’s Emergency Programs. “Resilient Children/Resilient Communities brings together leaders to help ensure that communities, families and children are better prepared.”

With a $2 million grant from GSK – and in partnership with Save the Children – the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute helped create and pilot RCRC plans in two U.S. communities for two years before making those tools available for free to the public. Washington County, Arkansas, and Putnam County, New York, are now measurably more prepared to support more than 76,000 children in their care should a disaster strike.

The RCRC initiative has produced a comprehensive online toolbox of resources for communities across the US. With nearly two-thirds of American households lacking adequate disaster plans, the RCRC Toolbox provides the resources that parents, community leaders, emergency management officials, schools and child care facilities need to prepare for emergencies and improve their ability to help children quickly return to a sense of normalcy. The toolbox is available online at https://rcrctoolbox.org/.

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