During her time as a Together We Prepare AmeriCorps member at the American Red Cross, Emily Thayer has presented herself as an enthusiastic and capable professional. She is hardworking, conscientious, and cheerful.

The Together We Prepare AmeriCorps program, administered by the American Red Cross, utilizes AmeriCorps members to improve the capacity of communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters in locations across Michigan. In addition to preparedness education, members provide direct assistance to individuals experiencing disaster.

As an AmeriCorps member, Emily routinely installs smoke detectors for the hearing impaired and gives presentations to children on how to prepare for emergencies. She also oversees a variety of specialized issues, including a youth development program. Emily’s dedication to service is reflected in all she does and has led to her finding new methods to connect with community partners. When her service goals are met ahead of schedule, Emily regularly offers to assist other offices around the state that have not yet met their goals.

“Emily works well with diverse groups of people and is always willing to consider other opinions and ideas,” stated Together We Prepare program director Eilis Gambill.

Prior to joining AmeriCorps, Emily worked extensively with children with developmental disabilities who struggled with motor and speech skills. This has always been a passion for her and she plans to attend graduate school to continue her education to serve those with developmental disabilities. With this in mind, Emily has approached her supervisors to seek out how she can bring the information she generally provides to children in schools, to vulnerable populations. She has already provided skill sessions to students the program is generally not able to reach, such as students with gross motor skill disorders.

Emily has also expressed interest in preparing another vulnerable population for disasters – specifically, homeless individuals. She has worked with this population in the past and is interested in serving these populations in a broader context, including access and functional needs, non-English speaking, deaf/blind communities, homebound seniors, international visitor groups, and more. She is especially interested in doing specific outreach related to Be Red Cross Ready and Hands-Only CPR.

“Emily is helping our program expand our reach to new populations in order to make our communities safer,” Eilis noted. “Her passion to connect communities and ability to think outside the box will serve as valuable assets throughout her life and help her to continue to get things done.”