NECHAMA returned from Pacific, MO on Monday. We worked with Service International, a Christian relief organization based near St. Louis, MO. We had a solid week of work and created a new partnership with Service International, as well as some connections with the local Jewish community.

On Sunday evening March 30th, the early assessment team arrived in Jefferson City, MO and met with the FEMA VAL(volunteer agency liason) and the state volunteer coordinator. It was determined that the best use for NECHAMA would be in the Jefferson City area which is just south of St. Louis. Seth met with the City Emergency manager and found out that Jefferson City is behind in coordinating recovery. The St. Louis AmeriCorps also joined in to help the city coordinate their recovery plan.

NECHAMA had another meeting in Franklin, MO on Monday March 31st with Service Intl group from Pacifica. The thought would be that they would start working with them in Franklin and then transition to Jefferson City once their plan was ready to be put into action. As soon as all the plans are confirmed, NECHAMA will be contacting the St. Louis area for volunteers. Watch for more updates....

A CAREER WITH A CAUSE

Are you seeking a career that will make you feel good about coming to work? NECHAMA – Jewish Response to Disaster is a non-profit organization that provides clean-up and recovery assistance to individuals following natural disasters. We are seeking a qualified Operations Manager to play a key role in our vital humanitarian work. You will be the first to arrive at a disaster site, where you will assess needs, secure work sites, coordinate with governmental agencies and other disaster response teams, and lead a team of volunteers on a deployment. Additional responsibilities will include maintaining vehicles and supplies, developing training programs and manuals for staff and volunteers, and cultivating a committed and qualified volunteer base.
The ideal candidate will have the following qualities/skills:
 Mechanically competent
 Detail-oriented
 Ability to lead and motivate and group of volunteers
 Effective teaching skills
 Ability to follow-through with assignments and see them through to completion.
 A schedule which allows you to leave for a disaster site on 6 hours notice and be prepared to stay for up to two weeks at a time.
 Sincere desire to improve the world by providing comfort to those in need.

Salary commensurate with experience. Intrinsic benefits from this job are too numerous to mention.

Please send resumes to Seth Gardner at sgardner@nechama.org. Call 763-732-0610, x1 with questions. Find out more about NECHAMA at www.nechama.org.

NECHAMA will be responding to the severe flooding that has taken place in Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois. One of our deployment trailers and our supply trailer will be heading to southeastern Missouri, about 150 miles south of St. Louis, this weekend. We plan on being on the ground for a month. This deployment is being generously underwritten by the United Jewish Communities Disaster Relief Fund.

We do not yet know what the opportunities will be for outside volunteers. This is something we will be trying to determine as soon as we get on the ground, so please check back frequently for updates.

Our annual chainsaw training will be Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. led by Gene Borochoff, one of our key volunteers. The training will encompass basic chainsaw safety and use. The first portion of the training will be in a classroom setting, while the last portion will be hands on.

The exact location will be forthcoming. The class is limited to 25 participants, so please contact Amy Cytron at acytron@nechama.org to register.