Pre-Board Meeting Updates

Dear Board Members,

Welcome to your first update using the Ready Responders Hub. I will be posting update in Board Group. You can reply to the blog with comments and questions or continue to use email. However, this group will your one stop location for update, agendas and information sharing. Now for your November Update:

-Board meeting on December 17, 2025, 5:30pm @ 130 Fulton followed by dinner at Da Claudio.

-Project Elf is on December 10th. All are welcome to come and volunteer in support of the Ukrainian refugees. If you intend to help please email Hein at Communications@worldcares.org.
-We continue to deliver our Collabaortive Disaster Volunteer Credential Training. Please visit https://worldcares.org/events-and-training/ for our program calendar.

New News: Jamaica Deployment:

WCC has three requirements to activate a deployment:
1. Does the situation warrent WCC’s support and fit within our mission
2. Have we been invited/requested by the country or community to assist
3. Have we received funds to cover the deployment

The answer to the above for a Jamaica Deployment is YES.
Here are the high level details. We will be posting more on www.worldcares.org as plans progress:

Key Points

World Cares Center does not just respond to disasters; we build capacity within impacted communities so they can lead recovery efforts and be ready to respond to future crisis.

Assessment
December 18-21, 2025
Deployment 1
Team Briefing and Pre-deployment pharmacy set up January 1-2, 2026 in NYC
Deploy to Jamaica January 3-17, 2026

Outcomes
A total of 1300 individuals served
75 clients provided with medical care
250 children with 150 parents will participate in Love, Hope and Courage
Two Centers Supported in Tryall and Bethel Town
15 UNC Medical Interns Trained to support the centers

Future deployments in support of centers will be based on future support. WCC has a history of continued support from 3 months to 3 years.

Deployment & Program Overview
Collaborative Disaster Volunteer Credential Program
The Collaborative Disaster Volunteer Credential Training (CDVC) program provides standardized, evidence-based instruction in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The credential ensures that grassroots leaders, volunteers, and local partners share a common foundation of skills that allows them to act confidently in high-risk situations, supports coordinated community responses, and strengthens both workplace and organizational resilience. WCC’s model fills a long-standing gap: many community leaders are left to navigate emergencies without adequate training or resources, slowing recovery and increasing risk.
While the clinics are operating, we will be training local teams in the Collaborative Disaster Volunteer Credential. They will learn how to set up and manage the coordination center where volunteer efforts will continue, progressively managed by the local community and supported by WCC.
Medical Pop-Up Clinic Initiative
World Cares Centers leadership team, in concert with NCU medical students and partner organization volunteers will stand up two pop-up medical clinics to care for local community members that have no access to medical care or medications due to the hurricane. Clients will undergo a checkup, will be assessed and be provided with needed care, medication, and education discussing best practices for improved health.
-A goal of 75 clients a day will be provided with medical care, checkups, and dispensed prescriptions/medications as needed.
-15 NCU interns will be trained in emergency medical clinic management. Interns will receive extra credit from the University as well as a credential from WCC.
Hope, Love, Courage Initiative
For over 25 years, WCC has delivered the Hope, Love, Courage (HLC) program to communities worldwide. Now, we will deploy this program to Jamaica to strengthen the resilience and well-being of communities most affected by Hurricane Melissa. Over the years, the program has been adapted to meet the cultural and contextual needs of communities around the world, including Haiti, Japan, areas affected by Superstorm Sandy, and most recently, Ukraine. The HLC program integrates healing arts workshops with a resiliency curriculum designed to support children, families, and other vulnerable groups experiencing trauma, displacement, or chronic stress. Our holistic, non-clinical approach uses art, music, and creative expression to foster self-reflection, provides emotional release when words fall short, and deepens interpersonal and community connections. It remains a cornerstone of our mission, providing families with tools to express, connect, and heal in times of crisis.
A target of 250 children will participate and benefit from the Hope, Love Courage initiative and will receive 250 journals, while 100 parents will participate and receive caregiver guides. Together each group will create healing art murals with the children and parents.

If you have anyone that you know of that is interested in supporting the deployment, please do let me know. Thank you.

-Development:
I am working with a Taproot volunteer who has been with Grant Writing. We have submitted grants to Key Bank, Citizen Bank facilitated by Rober Fucito, Walmart through Richard Cooper however more information is needed as to how to proceed. We have also submitted a grant to the Tryall Fund for the Jamaica Deployment and have been apporved for a 25K grant. We are working from the development pipeline that the Board Members have access to. If you have any leads please do let me know. Thank you

Staffing/Contractor: After a decade of working with B&T accounting we have come to a mutual agreement that we will not be renewing our contract for financial management services. I worked with Accendo to secure an bookkeeper who can come to the offices and work more as an intergrated part of the team. The executive committee is reviewing the resume and we hope to onboard the candidate before the new year.

Partnerships expand our misson:
World Cares Center is proud of our partnerships. We are working with Northern Caribean University to partner on a Mentorship program in Jamaica as outlined in the grant proposal above.

Our work with John Jay College of Crimal Justice continues to grow and we are seeking ways to expand our partnership, intergrate our programs and ensure the legacy of WCC through our work together. I hope to have more information to share with you during our December 17th meeting.

-Board Meeting:
On December 17th we will have our baord meeting at 5:30pm at 130 Fulton Street, Apartment 12B, NYC NY. After the board meeting we will be moving to Da Claudio restaurant on Ann Street where the next Gen and Staff have been invited to join us for the annual dinner.

Please reply to this blog confirming your participation in the board meeting in person or via Zoom and the dinner.

A gentle reminder that since DOGE canceled the Susan Harwood grant I have been stepping in as ED, Programs Manager and Development. We now also have a deployment. Hein is stepping up to help and Nezi is as well. We are also now onbaording a new finance person. All this being said, we need your help. Please respond promptly on important dates such as the baord meeting, check our website for details and keep WCC in mind if there are funding opportunities.

Each committee lead should be prepared to present thier commitees activities and updates:

John T: Treasurer
David F: Secretary
Bob and Alison: Development
Tom and Joycelyn: Marketing

Thank you,
Lisa