White House Honor for Berkeley Woman

Published Sept. 27, 2013, 11:35 p.m.; updated Sept. 28, 12:07 p.m.

Going to Washington, D.C., to receive a White House award makes some folks nervous.

Like Emily White of Berkeley.

"My primary goal was not to pass out on live White House streaming TV," she told Patch Friday.

White was honored in a ceremony Tuesday as one of 18 national "Champions of Change," an award from the White House for individuals "preparing communities for disasters and helping them respond and recover, bringing members of the whole community together."

White is the Regional Director of Preparedness for the American Red Cross Gateway to the Golden State Region. Among her accomplishments honored by the White House honor was the "Ready Neighborhoods" program she launched.

"In collaboration with her colleagues and partners throughout the region," the White House said, "Emily recently launched Ready Neighborhoods, an innovative four-year initiative designed to transform 50 targeted neighborhoods into models of disaster readiness."

Also recognized was the Red Cross Bay Area Chapter's "Youth for Chinese Elderly Program," where recently arrived immigrant youth form clubs that make monthly visits to senior buildings in San Francisco Chinatown.

White said she didn't get to meet President Obama but nevertheless found the experience "amazing."

And while she said she felt personally honored by the distinction, she stressed the collaborative work by the Red Cross workers and their community partners.

"The most important thing is the work by all my volunteers, partners and colleagues at the Red Cross," she said. " ...The work we do is really about that collaboration, which is a key ingredient to community resilience."

The awards presentation, held in the Einsenhower Executive Office Building next to the West Wing of the White House, also included awards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which included honors for the Red Cross "Ready Neighborhoods" initiative and the Red Cross Bay Area Chapter's "Youth for Chinese Elderly Program," White said.

"Ready Neighborhoods" in West Berkeley

White said the Ready Neighorhoods initiative will soon be implemented in West Berkeley.

"West Berkeley has been identified as one of our Ready Neighborhoods beginning this fall thanks to a grant from the University of California, Berkeley Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund," she said via email.

"We will be working with students, the University's Office of Emergency Management and partners across the city like Berkeley's Office of Emergency Services and Fire Department and the Berkeley Disaster Preparedness Neighborhood Network to train local residents and organizations to safely prepare for and respond to emergencies and to open and operate a community shelter.

"The city of Berkeley is already one of the most prepared places in the Bay Area – which is why I love living here – and this work will help to advance  and sustain some of their existing efforts." 

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