The cornerstone of Ricky Zein’s work at the American Red Cross Bay Area is transforming vulnerable communities into disaster resilient neighborhoods by building local capacity to effectively prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Ricky joined the Red Cross as an AmeriCorps member under the Disaster Services issue area in September 2011. He came to the Red Cross through a partnership with New Sector Alliance, an organization providing high-impact training and support for AmeriCorps members. Ricky hit the ground running, playing an integral role in the chapter’s newly launched Ready Neighborhoods initiative. This initiative seeks to increase disaster resilience in 50 of the Bay Area’s most vulnerable neighborhoods by empowering local residents and the organizations that serve them with the training, resources, and networks necessary to be ready for disaster.

One of Ricky’s first projects was to coordinate and teach life-saving skills, such as CPR and disaster preparedness, to 45 residents impacted by the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion. In Chinatown, San Francisco, he partnered with the local Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) to provide Cantonese training and disaster preparedness kits to 49 community members. During the California Shakeout, Ricky provided technical support for a Chinatown faith organization carrying out its emergency communications plan. In San Rafael, he helped convene 85 agency representatives at community-wide preparedness meetings in the Canal, a low-income neighborhood comprised of primarily Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking residents. These meetings attracted stakeholders across all sectors and guided them to develop disaster preparedness action plans for their community.

Ricky’s main project during his term was to serve as the project lead for the Ready Neighborhoods initiative’s first annual Save-a-Life Saturday, a one-day event that engages community members in crucial disaster preparedness and relief skills training. Through his leadership, Ricky mobilized over 300 Red Cross volunteers and community members who trained 1,000 residents in concentrated poverty neighborhoods across the Bay Area. He also partnered with community-based organizations to host train-the-trainer sessions for 54 community members who can continue to teach these skills within their own community.

Under his guidance, Save-a-Life Saturday set a model for how the Red Cross addresses cultural and linguistic needs of residents living in these vulnerable communities, which are comprised of mostly immigrants, English language learners, low-income families, and those with access and functional needs. Ricky ensured that instruction at Save-a-Life Saturday included relevant languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tongan, and American Sign Language. Furthermore, instruction specifically geared towards those with access and functional needs was conducted in two targeted communities.

Ricky’s work has left a lasting impact within the Red Cross and in these communities. Not only did the Red Cross increase it’s cultural and linguistic capacity to serve the most vulnerable Bay Area communities, but community residents have gained lifesaving skills and become trained as instructors. Agencies serving these communities have developed a culture of preparedness. Most importantly, through Ricky’s innovative approach, community organizations and residents see themselves as drivers for building resilient communities.