Wasco County 4-H Awarded Emergency Preparation Grant
From STEM Outreach Program:
By Lu Seapy
The Dalles ore. March 26, 2024 — Students in Wasco County will soon be able to learn essential skills for handling emergencies and disaster preparation thanks to a generous grant from the John and Ginger Niemeyer Foundation. Wasco County 4-H was recently awarded $48,000 to bolster emergency preparation knowledge for local youth and plans to implement a series of camps and clinics aimed at boosting youths’ survival skills.
“This grant will enable us to expand our efforts in enhancing community resilience and readiness in the face of potential disasters,” said Lu Seapy, outgoing 4-H STEM Coordinator and author of the grant.
Grant funds will be used to hire retired educator and long-time 4-H volunteer Betty Odom. Odom has over 30 years of experience teaching language arts and special education.
“I am passionate about the topic of teaching emergency preparation. In our household we have regular discussions about what to do in an earthquake, housefires, or wildland fires,” said Odom.
She says her remote lifestyle in South Wasco County requires that her family be self-sufficient and ready to go in a dangerous situation.
Odom is currently planning an after-school Survival Club at Dufur School that will focus on preparing youth for earthquakes, house fires, wildfires, landslides, and evacuations.
She is also working with the South Wasco School District and the South Wasco Alliance to plan an educational series about water safety and disaster preparation.
Additionally, she will be leading classes in The Dalles this summer through Wasco County 4-H.
“I want people to learn how to handle disasters. More problems come from panicking in emergencies. If we can educate families, our emergency responders would have less work to do,” said Odom.
“The generous funding provided by the Niemeyer Foundation will support a variety of critical activities aimed at strengthening our community's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. We are very pleased to have this grant,” said Seapy.
Odom will be working with Wasco County 4-H through the 2024 spring and summer as Lu Seapy plans to retire from her work with Oregon State University and Wasco County 4-H in May.
“I’ve treasured my time working with Wasco 4-H. The students, families, and partners in the region have been a joy to work with these last 10 years. I’m excited to be leaving the community with a fantastic new program,” said Seapy.
For questions about the 4-H Emergency Preparation series, contact Betty Odom at odomb@oregonstate.edu or call 541-296-5494.
Support Local News
Available for Everyone; Funded by Readers
