The Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence is one of the oldest and most prestigious award programs honoring outstanding Employee Volunteer Programs. The award recognizes companies that have made workplace volunteering a central part of their business operation by putting structures, policies and evaluation in place to allow employees to give their time and talent to their communities.

Winning companies will be selected based on their ability to demonstrate exemplary evidence of the Principles of Excellence for Workplace Volunteering and will be featured throughout the National Conference on Volunteering and Service June 18-20, 2012 in New Chicago.

As a participant with the President's Volunteer Service Award program we realize you may also partner with for- profit corporations that do great work for you. Please share this announcement with companies that you would like to see considered for this award.

The 2012 Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence honorees will be announced in June 2012.
We look forward to hearing about your great employee volunteer programs. Should you have any questions or require assistance please contact Melanie Stevenson at mstevenson@pointsoflight.org or call 404-574-5378.

Deadline for applications is March 19, 2012 11:59 EST

To learn more about the award or to complete an application please visit

www.PointsofLight.org/recognition/corpaward

The Science and Technology Directorate within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is hosting a Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) Forum on February 21, in Las Vegas. This CMAS Forum provides stakeholders nationwide with a unique opportunity to discuss CMAS research, development, and testing in advance of CMAS deployment in April.

The CMAS Forum is designed to address current and future-state initiatives to advance CMAS
capabilities nationwide. Information gathered will guide efforts for future CMAS planning, including standards development and emerging technologies. The CMAS Forum will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Room S226, in conjunction with the International Wireless Communications Expo,
from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM PST.

The discussions and partnerships developed at the CMAS Forum will outline specific actions needed for
preparing communities for CMAS and will advance alerts and warnings capabilities nationwide, enhance
vital partnerships, and lay the groundwork for future success.

REGISTRATION AND HOTEL

Participants can register to attend the CMAS Forum by completing the attached registration form
and sending it to CMAS_Forum@sra.com. By registering via the attached form, participants will
automatically be registered for IWCE’s exhibit hall at no charge. Participants who wish to attend the full
IWCE conference should mention the CMAS Forum and code H28 when registering for IWCE to receive
25% off IWCE conference prices.

IWCE has arranged for reduced hotel rates, which are available on a first-come first-served basis. To
learn more about hotel and travel options when planning your attendance at the CMAS Forum, please
visit IWCE for information about rates and procedures for reserving a hotel room.

Oklahomans Encouraged to Participate in Regional Earthquake Drill

Next Tuesday, February 7, Oklahomans are encouraged to join more than 2 million people in nine states as they "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" in a region-wide earthquake drill. The event, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, is sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Oklahoma Geological Survey and is part of the second annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut.

In recent years Oklahoma has seen more earthquake activity, including a record-breaking 5.6 magnitude earthquake in November. The ShakeOut exercise is designed to help Oklahomans be better prepared in the event that a strong earthquake occurs in the state.

In Oklahoma, more than 45,000 people have already signed up to participate in the drill, including 134 Oklahoma schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

During the ShakeOut, participants will drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to the table for about 60 seconds until the exercise ends. Experts say this is the best way to protect yourself during an earthquake, since in the U.S. the primary threat for injury during an earthquake is falling debris and toppling objects, like bookcases and heavy electronics, rather than structural collapse.

Additionally, to emphasize the importance of earthquake preparedness, Gov. Mary Fallin has proclaimed February 7 as Earthquake Awareness Day in Oklahoma.

"In this state, we recognize the importance of being prepared for all types of disasters, including earthquakes, which is why we are taking part in this regional exercise," said OEM Director Albert Ashwood. "We applaud Oklahomans for their eagerness to join us in this effort."

This event is held in conjunction with the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, local emergency managers, and the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. 

Individuals, schools and businesses are encouraged to participate in the ShakeOut exercise by registering online at www.shakeout.org/centralus. Registered participants will receive information about how to plan their drill.

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The next FEMA Preparedness monthly call will be held Tuesday, February 7th at 3:00 ET / Noon PT. 


We're continuing the year with a series of FEMA Preparedness Calls that will be geared toward the needs and interests of our state and local partners. The calls serve as a resource for you to hear about new developments at the local, state, and national level, share promising practices, discuss relevant topics, and ask questions directly to each other and FEMA officials.
Last month nearly 300 state and local participants logged in! We hope you'll continue to keep in close touch.
Topics for this month's call include:

• Low Cost, Creative Options for Community Outreach featuring Jodi Simpson of the St. Clair, Michigan Citizen Corps Council
• Showcasing the White House Champions of Change event that recently honored 17 individuals and organizations doing innovative work to prepare their communities. 
• Messaging on Children and Burn Safety:  Safe Kids World Wide
• Overview of Free, Simple, and Effective Preparedness Activities, FEMA Course, IS 909 Community Preparedness: Implementing Simple Activities for Everyone

NOTE: Before participating on the call, you must be registered. Click the following link to register:
 https://connect.hsin.gov/readymonthly/event/registration_login.html

This link is available anytime leading up to the webinar.

If you have previously registered with the HSIN Connect system, you can use your current login information to access the webinar. If you already have a login identification and password, log in to the webinar using the link below:

 https://connect.hsin.gov/readymonthly/event/login.html.

If you have any questions regarding the call, please contact ready@fema.gov