• Tony Blair addresses the Santa Barbara Community
  • Engaged Preschool Teaching
  • CPR during a Masters of Disaster Lesson
  • School Food
  • Orfalea Early Childhood Director's Retreat
  • Jr. Chef Day
  • Kids Cook
  • Orfalea Outdoor Classroom Project
  • Local Harvest
  • Culinary Boot Camp
  • Paul speaks with President Bill Clinton
  • James Lee Witt speaks to Santa Barbara County
  • Learning Outdoors
  • Orfalea Early Childhood Directors Retreat
  • Main School Family Resource Center- Carpinteria, CA
  • Montana Yellowstone Expeditions
  • MYE Students hiking in Montana
  • Assemblyman Pedro Nava attends Preparedness Event
  • MYE Students at the Beach
  • Santa Barbara County Emergency Operations Center
  • Our Local Agriculture
  • Students eat food that they made
  • A Jr. Chef peels her tomato
  • A Jr. Chef peels his carrot
  • Playtime at local Family Resource Center
  • Playtime at local Family Resource Center
  • MYS Students visit the farm
  • Children at the farm
  • The Orfalea Family and Mr. Tony Blair
  • Getting creative outdoors
  • Junior Chefs checking out their final outcome
  • MYE Student having a good time
  • Student admiring local produce

Aware & Prepare

Aware & Prepare: A Community Partnership to Strengthen Emergency & Disaster Readiness is an Orfalea Fund Initiative in partnership with James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA), Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services (SBC OES), and local foundations.

Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services (SBC OES) Aware and Prepare James Lee Witt and Associates

Mission

Our mission is to create a community partnership to enhance capabilities to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from an emergency or disaster in Santa Barbara County.

Project Background

The Orfalea Foundations have made a considerable commitment to strengthening emergency preparedness in Santa Barbara County that began in response to the Santa Barbara Civil Grand Jury Reports released in May 2006.

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Funding

Since we formally began the Aware & Prepare Initiative in January 2008, the Orfalea Foundations along with other local foundations have provided over $3 million in funding support to government agencies and non-profit organizations to develop, facilitate and/or implement innovative and sustainable programs.

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Key Programs and Projects

Through the efforts of the Aware & Prepare Initiative there has been a significant augmentation of existing capabilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters within the Santa Barbara County Operational Area. There are several noteworthy improvements that have been initiated and/or implemented in our key priority theme areas.

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Contact Us

If you would like additional information or have any questions regarding the Aware & Prepare Initiative, please contact Javier Moreno by email at Javier@orfalea.org, by phone at (805) 565 – 7550 ext. 115, or via the Orfalea Foundations contact form here.