The 7th Annual Marion County Emergency Preparedness Expo for people with disabilities was a huge success! Over 150 participants gained valuable insights from various presentations and 27 different vendors throughout the day. Everyone had the opportunity to learn about home safety, special needs shelters, how to build a go bag for your home or vehicle, how to create an emergency preparedness plan, emergency protocols before, during and after a storm, and a new program from MCFD, Paramedic Program, where teams come to your home, cutting down trips to the hospital. UF groups were also in attendance, providing participants access to update their vaccinations if needed. Refreshments and lunch subs donated by Publix were provided. Attendees and vendors were thrilled with this event, and some were already asking about attending next year!

Thanks so much to our dedicated CIL team for attending and providing their support, and special thanks to CIL staff Kevin Towles for all of his hard work in organizing, planning and implementing such a valuable community event for people with disabilities in Marion County. Kevin was instrumental with bringing this expo to the community 7 years ago. He knew the need was there, but did not realize how big it would become over time. He is very proud to provide his community up-to-date, relevant, emergency preparedness resources for people with disabilities, and his number one goal is to make sure everyone is safe and informed.

DONORS:
Publix
Herr’s
Sam’s Club
Culligan
Dunkin Donuts

VENDORS:
Center for Independent Living; Disability Rights Florida
Ocala Electric Utility; Kat Cammack US congresswoman
MCSO; Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Heart of Florida Health Center; College of Central Florida
Marion4care LLC; Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST); Encompass Health & Rehabilitation
Marion County Medical Reserve Corps
Ocala Police Department; SunTran; Agency for Persons with Disabilities
American Red Cross; Langley health Services; Human Potential Healthcare
The Arc of Marion County Florida; Marion County Fire Rescue Community Paramedicine; 
Champions for Champions
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Elder Options; Marion Senior Services; AdventHealth Ocala

SPEAKERS:
Welcome from Congresswoman Kat Cammack (Rep)
American Red Cross & United Way of Marion County
Marion County Fire Department
City of Ocala Utilities

ID: There are two graphics, one with a light purple background and the other with a light blue background. Each graphic contains 12 hexagonal images in a variety of different sizes and configurations. Each hexagon is a photo of the various vendors tabling at the 7th Annual Marion County Emergency Preparedness Expo.