Members of the Starke County Community Organization Active in Disaster group established a more consistent meeting schedule when they convened Tuesday night.
Previously, the COAD was meeting every other month due to various obligations during the summer months. However, in order to keep people more engaged, members opted to move to monthly meetings. They will now meet the first Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m.
Additionally, members discussed the development of a COAD Board. Starke County EMA Director J. Nier has been facilitating the creation of COAD but said ultimately, it is meant to be run by community members. There are a few existing members who seemed like they would be a good fit for certain positions but additional representatives are still needed.
Red Cross Doug Farmwald suggested approaching various organizations within the community who would need to be involved with disaster response and recovery. He encouraged directly communicating with people who work with those organizations to let them know that they may want to get involved with the COAD.
For instance, somebody who already works with a charitable organization or financial institution would be a good candidate for the treasurer’s position since that person will be responsible for keeping track of the finances and helping the group obtain a 501(c) (3) status.
The existing members will be reaching out to other individuals in the community who would benefit from being involved with the group. Even people who don’t want to serve on the board could still be helpful as a member and volunteer.
The next COAD meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 4th. All interested community members and organization officials are encouraged to attend.
If you have any questions visit the Starke County COAD Facebook page or contact EMA Director Nier at 574-772-9182.
