Francis Marion University, the American Red Cross and the Konduros Fishermen’s Fund announce the Inaugural Rachel Hodges Leadership Institute
February 22, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – February 22, 2012 – Francis Marion University, theAmerican Red Cross and the Konduros Fishermen’s Fund are partnering topresent the first annual Rachel Hodges Leadership Institute to be heldMay 19 – May 24, 2012 at Francis Marion University.
The Institute is designed to ensure that Red Cross staff andvolunteers have the opportunity to develop and become more prepared torespond to small and large scale disasters down the street, across thecountry and around the world. In total, over 300 Red Cross volunteersand staff will be trained from seven states, including South Carolina.
We look forward to a collaboration with former First Lady, RachelHodges and the American Red Cross in offering comprehensive leadershiptraining to community and state volunteers, said Francis MarionUniversity President, Dr. Fred Carter. This promises to be a uniqueand creative program for educating those who will be front linecaregivers in natural catastrophes, and FMU is proud to be a part ofdeveloping and implementing it.
This six-day Institute will be broken into three tracks, including,Executive Leadership, Development and Disaster Services. Attendees willreceive advanced training in the following four core areas:
1. Disaster Readiness – planning and response to major disasters
2. Chief Executive Officer Training – responding to community needs during times of disaster
3. Disaster Fund Raising
4. Public Affairs
Rachel Hodges acknowledged the collaboration would not have beenpossible without the vision of both James Konduros of the KondurosFishermen’s Fund and Dr. Carter of Francis Marion University. Thispartnership is essential to our moving forward and strengthening theAmerican Red Cross, Hodges said.
For more information, about the Rachel Hodges Leadership Institute, please visit www.columbiarregionredcross.org/LeadershipInstitute.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotionalsupport to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’sblood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarianaid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is acharitable organization – not a government agency – and depends onvolunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform itsmission. For more information, please visit www.columbiaregionredcross.org or join our blog at http://crredcross.wordpress.com/.
About Francis Marion University:
Francis Marion University, founded in 1970, is one of SouthCarolina’s 13 four-year, state-supported universities. As one of thestate’s six comprehensive institutions, FMU prides itself on providing ahigh-quality, yet affordable liberal arts education. While 95 percentof its students come from South Carolina, the university enrollsstudents from 26 states and 16 countries, allowing the FMU community toexperience the diversity of people from other cultures.
