Pickens County celebrates new Community Emergency Response Team graduates
United Way of Pickens County and Pickens County Emergency Management celebrated the graduation of a new Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, cohort in Pickens County.
United Way of Pickens County welcomes Adrienne O’Brien as Success Coach for Pathways at Work
United Way of Pickens County has hired Adrienne O’Brien as its full-time Success Coach for Pathways at Work, a new United Way program that embeds financial coaching and resource navigation directly inside local Pickens County workplaces.
Adrienne O'Brien
Through Pathways@Work, Adrienne works on site at partner companies to provide one-on-one coaching and support for employees. From helping finding housing or utility assistance, to handling an unexpected tax notice, to accessing benefits earned through veterans service, or creating a personal financial plan, Adrienne helps employees navigate challenges in a confidential, free and focused way.
United in Action: Launching Change Together. This annual event brings the community together to celebrate the impact we’ve made, recognize community partners, and share our vision for the work ahead.
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Pickens County LTRG Launches Three Disaster Workshops for Community Partners
Hurricane Helene taught Pickens County a lot. It showed where partnerships were strong, where coordination gaps cost time, and how much recovery work continues long after a storm itself. In response, the Pickens County Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) is offering three workshops to help local leaders and community partners strengthen disaster preparedness, coordination, and recovery before the next emergency.
Each workshop focuses on a different stage of the disaster cycle: before, during, and after. Registrants may attend one, two, or all three.
Supporting Communities After Disaster
The hardest part of recovery often comes after the news cameras leave. Months and years after a disaster, families are still rebuilding homes, processing what they have been through, and finding their footing again. The third workshop focuses on the long arc of recovery: the practical, emotional, and community-wide work of helping a community heal.
What you will take away:
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Coordinating Community Response and Recovery
When a disaster arrives, plans meet reality. The second of three workshops focuses on the days and weeks immediately following an event, when speed, coordination, and clear communication determine how well a community responds. We will look at what coordination actually looks like in practice across organizations, agencies, and volunteers, and how to move from emergency response into early recovery without losing momentum.
What you will take away:
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Building Community Awareness and Preparedness
This first of three Disaster Preparedness workshop focuses on what happens before a disaster ever arrives. Preparedness is more than supplies and plans on paper. It is the relationships, the awareness, and the leadership practices that allow a community to act quickly when minutes matter. This session is for leaders who want to strengthen the foundation their organization stands on before the next emergency.
What you will take away:
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Duke Energy Foundation grant will help Pickens County's older adults stay safe through disaster season
When a powerful storm knocks out power across Pickens County, the neighbors most at risk are often older adults who live alone, rely on medical equipment, or have no easy way to get out. A new grant from the Duke Energy Foundation will help United Way of Pickens County reach those neighbors before the next disaster strikes.
Pickens County CERT Launches First Training in June
When a disaster hits Pickens County, the first responders most people will see are not professionals. They will be neighbors. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is the program that trains those neighbors.