1st Annual Columbia Emergency Preparedness Expo!

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The 1st Annual Columbia Emergency Preparedness Expo was held at the Columbia County Senior Services, Lifestyle Enrichment Center this past month on February 22nd. For a 1st Annual event, it was well attended, with engaging speakers and several vendors providing valuable information to participants about their services and how they would be able to assist in the event of a disaster. This area was decimated during the last couple of hurricanes, with several areas under water, and with the new hurricane season fast approaching, these type of events are crucial to help prepare people with disabilities before, during and after a storm. Participants who attended stated this is a very important event to build in the community and they were grateful to have learned about additional resources and services to help keep them prepared and safe.

Special thanks to all of our sponsors, speakers and vendors! Thank you as well to the Columbia County Senior Services, Lifestyle Enrichment Center for hosting our event! Without you, none of this would have been possible!

A CIL staff member stands behind a FAAST outreach table with brochures, informational materials, and giveaways at an event.
A speaker addresses an audience at an indoor event, with attendees seated and informational tables set up in the background.
A speaker at a podium addresses an audience while a sign language interpreter translates beside him at an indoor event.
A presenter discusses disaster types with a slideshow while a sign language interpreter translates for the audience at an indoor event.
Attendees sit in rows of chairs at an indoor event, listening to a speaker. Informational tables and banners are set up in the background.
Two representatives sit at the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority table with brochures, pens, and a laptop, engaging with event attendees.
Two representatives sit at a Florida Health table with brochures, informational materials, and giveaways at an indoor community event.
A representative stands behind the Elder Options table, displaying brochures, informational materials, and giveaways at a community event.
A representative sits behind the FDLRS table, displaying brochures, informational materials, and small giveaways at a community event.
A CIL staff member, Ashlyn, stands behind an outreach table with brochures, info packets, and giveaways. A CIL banner and partner logos are visible.

SPONSORS:
Region 3 Healthcare Coalition Alliance
Northeast Florida Regional Council, Health Department
United Way of Suwanee Valley
Columbia Department of Health

SPEAKERS:
Bryan Russell with Disability Rights Florida
Rachel Rall with Three Rivers Legal Services

VENDORS:
Center for Independent Living
Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST)
Florida Diagnostic Learning Resource Systems (FDLRS)
Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc.
Elder Options
Disability Rights Florida
Sugar Dogs Internastional, Inc.
The Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Children and Families (DCF) – HOPE Florida
Living Hope, Inc.
Suwannee Valley Transit Authority
Columbia Department of Heath
Endeavors

ID: image descriptions are provided in the alt text for each image respectively.