Heritage Academy is a self-supporting boarding academy of 65 students run by Seventh-day Adventist administrators, faculty and staff. They have been proactive in disaster training and response since their first involvement in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina. Each year they train all of their students in Basic CERT and respond to disasters ranging from hurricanes and tornados to floods and an ice storm. They have consistently produced outstanding student trainers who have trained dozens of their peers and have become experts in applying moulage for disaster drills of all types. Heritage Academy affiliates with 2Serve as their primary partner to offer disaster trainings and assit with leading out in providing opportunities for other schools to participate in disaster responses as the need arises.
Tri-City Christian Academy is a long standing, successful Seventh-day Adventist K-12 school that has recently built a new facility. One of the goals for building the new facility was to host conferences and trainings such as 2Serve CERT trainings. Over the last four years they have become recognized as a 2Serve Training Center with a growing number of experienced student trainers of their own. 2Serve is pleased to partner with Tri-City Christian Academy to host a Basic CERT training on their campus each year and to utilize them as a strong, consistent partner in disaster response.
Southern Adventist University (SAU) is a higher education institution established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. SAU’s mission is to nurture Christlikeness, traditional Seventh-day Adventist values, academic excellence, and a lifelong pursuit of truth, wholeness, and service. SAU has recently partnered with 2Serve in the fall and has sent 5 groups in response to Hurricanes Florence and Michael. Students provided valuable assistance to, and experienced many life changing interactions with, survivors in both disasters. SAU’s Social Work, Nursing and Education Departments are working together with 2Serve to add Shelter Management as another service that can be offered to survivors after a disaster. In addition, SAU is becoming a training site for CERT Basic Disaster Response training.
Florida Division of Emergency Management exists to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the natural, technological, and manmade emergencies and disasters that impact the State of Florida. ESF6 (Emergency Support Function) Mass Care coordinates and provides life-sustaining resources and essential services when the needs of disaster survivors exceed local government capabilities. The three primary functions of ESF 6 are (1) mass care, (2) emergency assistance and (3) human services. ESF6 partners with 2Serve by providing the needed resources that enable us to render the following assistance to survivors:
(1) Operating PODs (Point of Distribution) to distirbute food, water, etc.
(2) Debris Removal
(3) Muck-outs (Removing contents and dry wall from homes that have been under water)
(4) Assisting with feeding stations
(5) Sheltering assistance through Southern Adventist University Social Work Department
The Gulf States Conference is the governing entity for the Seventh Day Adventist Church that covers the geographical territory of Alabama, Mississippi, and Northwest Florida with headquarters located in Montgomery, Alabama. The Gulf States Conference and the Panama Ctiy Seventh-day Adventist Church partnered with 2Serve to provide significant intervention for survivors of Hurricane Michael in Panama City. As a result, the Conference has entered into an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with 2Serve to partner together in aiding survivors of future disasters. Elder Day Livermore, Conference President, said, “I would never want to go through a disaster in Gulf States without 2Serve alongside us.”
Gideon Rescue Company (GRC) is impressed with what God is accomplishing through 2Serve. Communities are receiving wholeistic assistance in practical needs and gospel aid, all through the hands of trained Christian youth. 2Serve bears goods fruit both in the youth who respond, and in those receiving aid. Kory Meidell of Gideon Rescue Company
2Serve presented to the Collegedale Community Church administrative pastor Jim Lewellen and ministries director Misty Brennan about developing a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Team for the church starting with a CERT training and then conducting 3 simulations per year at the church to increase church member awareness and hone the skills of the CERT team. With their support 2Serve conducted a CERT Training for 21 people who want to serve as an active CERT team for the church and surrounding community. Collegedale Community Church is the first church in the county to have a CERT team that we are aware of. Efforts are being made to connect with the City of Collegedale and Hamilton County emergency response services to see how their CERT team can be of assistance. 2Serve leaders Jim & Becky Ingersoll are members and are providing on going leadership in disaster training and response for the church.
