Border Community SERVICE of Niagara University to host 'Empowering Volunteers' conference

Border Community SERVICE of Niagara University is hosting a free Citizen and Community Preparedness conference at Niagara University on Saturday, June 4. The "Empowering Volunteers" Conference is designed to provide training opportunities and workshops detailing "best practices" in citizen and community preparedness initiatives. The event is for community volunteers and leaders in Niagara County, Erie County and the City of Buffalo.

The conference will begin at 9 a.m. in Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum with a keynote address by Dr. Michele Bernatz, assistant professor of art history in the Department of Visual Arts and New Media at the State University of New York at Fredonia, on the topic of "2012: Ancient Mayan Prophecy or New-Age Hysteria?" Bernatz will explain how the Mayans envisioned time and summarize the calendrical issues that trigger end-of-the-world predictions so that audience members can assess for themselves whether the 2012 phenomenon is prophecy or hysteria.

The conference will have two breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon including presentations by Dave Whalen, statewide project coordinator for First Responder Disability Awareness Training; Judy Levan, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Louis Henry, vice president of management and development, MJM Corp. Radiation Consultants; Janet Hinkel, adjunct professor at D'Youville College; Niagara Frontier Search and Rescue Team; and Niagara County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. The workshops will be held in St. Vincent's Hall.

There is no charge for this conference, but participants must pre-register by Thursday, June 2. Individuals can register online at http://www.niagara.edu/conference-registration/ or by calling Gail Struzik at 286-8388 or Dana Estrada at 286-8304.

The mission of Border Community SERVICE (Special Emergency Response Volunteer Initiative for Community Empowerment) of Niagara University is to provide emergency preparedness training to citizens and to encourage their participation in opportunities that enhance regional emergency readiness. Border Community SERVICE training for citizen volunteers includes CERT (Community Emergency Response Team training) and MYN (Map Your Neighborhood).

For additional information, refer to the Border Community SERVICE Web page at www.niagara.edu/bordercommunityservice.