Disaster Relief Organization & Support Squad | Team Rubicon
Press Release: March 30, 2010
Author, Renowned Milbogger, and Former Army Major, Mathew Currier Burden Joins Team Rubicon on its Board of Advisors
Team Rubicon Wharton Kicks Off
Team Rubicon Wharton with William McNulty and Drew Lewis. MBA team includes (from left to right) Stuart Zurn, Andrea Warnke, Mike Kramer, Efrain Guerrero, and Jenn Chu (not pictured)
The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School has kicked off a project to develop a more robust marketing and social networking strategy for Team Rubicon. Project description developed by Jake Wood:
The Proposed Business Challenge
Team Rubicon is a new and rapidly growing non-profit disaster relief organization seeking Wharton’s help in scaling its social media operations. Having provided initial disaster relief and medical treatment to Haitian and Chilean earthquake survivors, TR currently serves as a model for rapid-response, all-volunteer medical relief. The organization needs a dynamic marketing and social networking strategy to raise both money and awareness.
The Key Deliverables
TR wishes to create a strategic plan and take tactical steps to expand, integrate, and scale its marketing and social networking activities including:
- Create and integrated social media strategy encompassing TR’s blog, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter
- Create a forward-looking plan to extend TR’s social networking capabilities to similar grassroots relief efforts, enabling them to develop and collaborate online with the guidance of TR’s expertise
- Recommend and initiate implementation plans for social media-based methods of fundraising (such as text message donations, ‘registry’ donations, and individual team sponsorships)
The Impact on Organization
Team Rubicon is a highly effective and highly innovative addition to the disaster response scene. This project is an opportunity to hugely impact a paradigm-changing model in relief efforts. TR’s efforts in both Haiti (where it temporarily operated the emergency room of Port-au-Prince’s largest hospital) and Chile (where it was the only U.S. NGO working directly for the Chilean Ministry of Health) has caused a sharp increase in donations, web traffic, and media exposure. Team Rubicon needs Wharton’s help in harnessing this momentum and preparing to respond to future disasters.
Haiti After Action Report
Team Rubicon members have completed the After Action Report for Haiti.
You can download the AAR as a PDF file here. (Acrobat Reader required)
Chile Still Needs Your Help
Paulina, one of the Chileans whom we worked with directly during Operation Fuerza Chile, is still seeking help in rebuilding her nation. I just recently received the following request from her. If you would like to help fund her request directly, Team Rubicon can put you in direct contact with her.
On the night of February 27, a massive 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, causing extensive damage in the VI, VII and VIII regions south of Santiago. Among the areas affected was the small town of Santa Cruz, where Hogar de Cristo, Chile’s largest non-profit organization, operates a nursing home. (more…)
NYC Medics needs physicians, nurses, etc. for Haiti
Team Rubicon’s brothers in arms, NYC Medics, are sending another medical contingent to Haiti from 31 March to 14 April. If you haven’t learned about NYC Medics, you’re wrong.
“NYC Medics responds to the health needs of people in disasters worldwide, rapidly deploying emergency health professionals to provide critical medical care. Founded in the wake of the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir,Pakistan, NYC Medics particularly serves those isolated by injury, illness, geography, or other barriers, who would otherwise be inaccessible; wherever they are, whatever the barriers.”
If you are a physician, nurse, physical/occupational therapist, PA or other professional and would like to take part in their continuing Haiti mission, please contact Ruben Flores.
Ruben Flores
NYC Medics, Director of Operations
2214 Eighth Avenue, Suite 139
New York, NY 10026
www.nycmedics.org
Mobile: +1.917.698.6061
E.mail: Ruben@nycmedics.org
NYC Medics Haiti Emergency Medical Relief from Charles Berkowitz on Vimeo.
Tune into the A-LO Show tonight!
Remember to tune into the “A-LO Show” tonight, Thursday, March 18th, 2010, from 6-8pm in Chile on www.santiagoradio.cl (more…)
San Jose Church in Constitución
Amazing story of selfless sacrifice by a Chilean fisherman trying to save women and children. The church in this piece served as TR’s base of operations in Constitución. Though the church was badly damaged and food supplies were low, the Father pictured here generously provided TR with a roof over our head, a generator, and food provisions.
Cost of Operation Fuerza Chile!
Expenses
FLIGHTS $15,554.45
GASOLINE $158.13
LODGING $145.64
FOOD $244.59
GROUND TRANSPORTATION $884.37
TRUCK RENTAL $800.00
LOCAL HIRE $400.00
ARGENTINE VISAS $658.91
OTHER, CASH $1,086.97
$19,933.06
President Jake Wood’s Summary of Operation Fuerza Chile!
On February 27th, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the nation of Chile. The epicenter was near the Chilean coastline, close to the city of Constitucion, and 200 miles southwest of the capital city, Santiago. Within minutes of the earthquake, a tsunami struck coastal villages with varying degrees of magnitude, further complicating an already chaotic situation.
Within 8 hours of the earthquake, Team Rubicon began assessing the situation through reports being disseminated in various media outlets. Initially the Chilean government set the death toll at 100, with approximately the same number missing and 1,000 seriously injured. Despite Chile’s public statements that matters were well in hand and outside aid was not needed, Team Rubicon began researching feasible options for providing medical relief to the Chilean people. Ultimately, Team Rubicon’s Board of Directors felt that the sheer magnitude of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami would overwhelm Chile’s robust emergency services; creating shortfalls of medical response in the rural areas outside the major population centers where assistance would be concentrated. For these and other reasons, including conflicting reports about the situation on the ground in the hours following the disaster, Team Rubicon voted to activate and deploy an advance medical team to Chile. This team was tasked with conducting field triage, treatment and transport operations (T3), in addition to helping coordinate the dissemination of care to the outlying rural communities. (more…)
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