Creating a Collaborative in New Mexico
We’re fresh off running camp in Roswell, NM in response to wildfires that encircled the mountain town of Ruidoso. It was our second time responding in New Mexico, and we found our connections to the community there remained strong.
We were able to quickly connect with FEMA representatives on the ground, as well as New Mexico’s Children Youth and Family Department, who helped us connect with the New Mexico Health Care Authority and the state's Early Childhood Education & Care Department. These connections allowed us to secure a site for camp in Roswell at the New Mexico Military Institute. We were also tied into the emergency operations center for the fires and the Red Cross’ operation on the ground, who helped us spread the word to evacuated families and those staying in shelters.
When we flew out our advanced team – thank you Airlink! – the fire looked to be one that burns hot and keeps families far away from their homes for an extended period of time. Fortunately, a storm system came through, pouring rain on the flames and helping firefighters contain the blaze in relatively short order. As a result, the day camp opened in Roswell was the same day the evacuation orders were lifted in Ruidoso, and our camp there turned into a somewhat smaller affair than expected.
But our close ties with many of the community institutions revealed there were still huge service gaps for children in the affected areas around where the fire burned. Childcare, summer school, and camp programs set for the months of June and July had been disrupted and we found ourselves in a new role helping organize and coordinate efforts between national, state and local partners looking to find ways to meet the needs of children and families returning to Ruidoso.
These efforts led to a local childcare coalition that was meeting on a daily basis to discuss needs and find solutions for families. We helped organize representatives from the local schools, the Boys & Girls Club, state and federal agencies, local churches, and Eastern New Mexico University.
These discussions ultimately led us to a partnership with ENMU that has us returning to Ruidoso at the end of the month to help run a weeklong camp for children in the affected area. It’s a slightly different role than we typically play, but it’s an exciting opportunity to continue learning how to meet community needs in the aftermath of disasters.
We’ll have more updates on the Ruidoso camp as we get back on the ground there later this month, but we’re feeling very uplifted by our experiences in New Mexico and thrilled to continue finding ways to help children and families recover from these traumatic experiences.
Project:Camp Bulletin Board
We held a terrific volunteer training last month as part of our community organizing work in several counties in California and Oregon last month. We brought together a group of people from Jackson County, OR and Santa Barbara County, CA looking to help out children and learn about trauma-informed care. If you or anyone you know is looking to volunteer, you can sign up at projectcamp.co/volunteers.
We want to extend a warm welcome back to our all-star Seasonal Director Mark “Newt” Andreoni. Having completed his Masters of Social Work degree this spring, Newt is returning to Project:Camp for his second year on staff. A long-time camp director, and instrumental part of Project:Camp’s work in Maui last year, Newt brings his wealth of experience, talent and charisma to each of our pop-up camps.
Our very own Community Preparedness Coordinator Jared Morgan had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the San Bernardino County Operation Area Coordinating Council on June 6th in Big Bear, CA. Jared talked about how local agencies and organizations can help ensure that children and families are taken care of during disasters. Jared’s presentation is part of his work funded by CalOES’ Listos program, which seeks to help prepare communities ahead of disasters.