7th Annual Nonprofit Hurricane Preparedness Day Prepares Nonprofits to Manage Disaster-Related Stress

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 120 local nonprofit leaders and mental health professionals attended the 7th Annual Nonprofit Hurricane Preparedness Day at the Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL, and prepared to reduce and manage disaster-related stress in themselves and their clients.  The annual event is hosted by Nonprofit First® and Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and was sponsored by Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County, Inc. and Office Depot Foundation.  The Palm Beach County Disaster Recovery Coalition Inc. was this year's co-host.

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The program focused on increasing personal resiliency to stress, thereby creating a greater tendency to effectively manage high stress situations. Using visual demonstrations, self-care ideas she calls "The Real To-Do List" and personal stories from the field, Keynote Speaker and Florida Crisis Response Team Statewide Crisis Response Coordinator, Cheryl Ricciardi delivered the message to care-giving professionals, "You have so much energy and compassion that you willingly give away to others each day, you must also make time to give some of it to yourselves."  Ricciardi is a certified trainer for the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) and teaches throughout the U.S. and British Columbia.  

"No one wants an active hurricane season, but we need to prepare for the worst.  Your presence today demonstrates your commitment to ensuring continuity of services for the clients you serve," stated Pedro del Sol, President and CEO of Nonprofits First.

Other speakers included Chief Ron Beesley, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, discussing methods used by emergency management, paramedic and firefighter personnel to cope with critical incident stress and Paul R. Peluso, Ph.D., covering various forms of stress and productive coping styles.

Nonprofits First® is a 501(c)(3) organization in South Florida whose goal is to build a nonprofit community that excels in the development and implementation of sound management practices. The organization promotes quality and accountability through leadership development, education and management services.

Non-Profit Legal Assistance Project at Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County provides legal, human resources and risk management services on an annual basis exclusively to nonprofit organizations. The NLAP has been providing services to Palm Beach County nonprofit organizations since 1998.

For more information about Nonprofits First, please visit www.nonprofitsfirst.org or call 561-214-7435.

SOURCE Nonprofits First