Picking A Commitment

Recently, I wrote about walking my city of Hermosa Beach for several months following retirement and learning more about the environment where I lived.  But now, I was ready to do my part to make it even better.  My plan was simple – join a community group where I would meet others from the community beyond my local street, lend some of my professional skills acquired during years of working to the group, and really get involved.  Worthy goals.  Noble ideas. 

All of my previous volunteering activities while working had been short term ‘assistance’ for events that covered one or two weekends at most.  Even though most of them required driving a distance, they had been fun, social, upbeat and with relatively easy job duties.  So the decision as to where to apply my time and efforts on a more regular basis needed serious consideration.  By coincidence or by accident, the decision seemed to make itself. 

At the end of 2010, my husband, Dennis, and I had determined that as long as we were living in earthquake country, it was smart to be prepared.  We had always identified a “disaster kit” with extra food and supplies; but we realized that more knowledge might be of benefit should a real emergency occur.   So we attended a first aid/CPR class and then an AED/CPR training as well. We joined with the neighbors in the Neighborhood Watch Program.  However, the next step was to get trained and certified for a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  CERT is a wonderfully valuable training program given all over the country to enable community members to respond and assist their neighbors and local area in case of emergencies or natural disasters.  

CERT classes are offered at various times throughout the South Bay area in Southern California.  We enrolled for our training through the Fire Department and CERT organization in the neighboring city of Manhattan Beach.  Upon completion of the 24 hours of classroom and hands-on training, I learned from the MB CERT Coordinator that the Fire Department in Hermosa Beach was trying to get its own CERT organization started.   Decision made.