Reducing disasters of tomorrow EnviRenew’s framework for resilience. By Ethan Frizzell
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hen a family holds its history in hand and with thanksgiving expresses hope for new beginnings, our hearts break. Such has been the case around the country and around the world this past year. The Salvation Army, as a leader in disaster response, purposefully listens to the stories of despair and shares prayers of expectation of God’s grace. Disaster is an impetus that calls and brings forth capital that allows us to fight for social justice through long-term recovery toward resilience, and FedEx joined as a corporate leader in this fight. “While I have always had the utmost respect and admiration for the organization and its work in the disaster response field, I had not seen the organization so much as the amazingly creative and innovative organization that it is,” said Shane O’Connor, FedEx global citizenship program advisor. “We have been looking for ways to expand our disaster recovery work into the long-term recovery space. Until recently, it has been difficult to find ways where FedEx can focus our resources to really make a difference.” FedEx supported The Salvation Army with funding for a national dialogue with an impressive expert panel that worked throughout the summer “to create a compelling, actionable, and inclusive process for sustainable community resilience and recovery.” The panel included representatives from The Salvation Army’s USA
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WINTER 2011_2012/CARING
Returning residents celebrate an historic effort to rebuild a resilient community in Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans.
Southern and Western Territories, the U.S. Green Building Council, the U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center, professors and students from Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Graduate School of Design, students from MIT, representatives from the City of San Francisco, and BNIM—one of America’s leading architects, whose firm won the 2011 American Institute of Architects National Architecture Firm Award. “What is the call of The Salvation Army in this ministry space? Resilience,” said Doug Ahlers, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. “Resilience is the capacity of a system to be able to prevent, withstand, absorb, adapt to, or bounce back from shock— whether the shock is sudden, evolving or cascading. It is, in part, reaching a point where a community is able to mitigate, absorb and manage its vulnerabilities.” The Salvation Army helps people bounce back every day. It is our hope and expectation by faith, service delivery by experience, and tenacity by cul-