“We cannot and should not let our community down and go through another wildfire and lose another life. That should be our mission. That should be our goal.” -Brad Sherwood
“Strong recovery comes down to people.” -Pamela Van Halsema
“You called me a second responder, I'd never heard that term before for an artist… It was just pouring out of me, I couldn't keep up with myself. It was like the best problem I've ever had!
Episode Description:
Welcome to the first episode of After the Fire Podcast Take 5 Series, where you get to hear the best of every episode in under 10 minutes!
Disasters happen when we least expect them. And often, we are left with very little time to take action. In these emergency situations, how we respond means the difference between life and death for us and someone else. Every second counts! But sometimes, we tend to panic and let our fear get the best of us. When everything is on the line, how do we maintain our composure? And most importantly, how can we manage to keep calm and lead others out of a disaster while also mourning our loss and healing ourselves? Let’s hear from our guests, Co-Founder of Larkfield Resilience Fund Brad Sherwood, Coffey Strong Board Member Pamela Van Halsema, and second-responder artist Peter Alan.
Connect with After the Fire: Recover. Rebuild. Reimagine.
Website : https://afterthefireusa.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfterTheFireUSA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfterTheFireUSA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterthefireusa/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/after-the-fire-usa-8241b7217/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTefxZgWUJkDVoZGZQpxgQ
Highlights:
01:34: S1 Ep5: How to Advocate the Local and State Level with Brad Sherwood
04:09: S1 Ep4: How to Block Captain in Suburban and Urban Areas with Pamela Van Halsema
07:06: S1 Ep15: How to Heal Through Art with Peter Alan
Meet Brad:
Brad Sherwood and his family have resided in Larkfield Estates since 2013. Professionally, Brad manages the community and government affairs division at Sonoma Water, formerly known as the Sonoma County Water Agency. As a community advocate, Brad serves as a trustee on the Mark West Union School District Board of Trustees and is a member of the Mark West Citizen Advisory Council. Brad brings his public policy, communications, and government relations experience to the Board of Directors of the Larkfield Resilience Fund.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brad.sherwood.92
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-sherwood-28b6076/
Connect with Larkfield Resilience Fund:
Website: https://www.larkfieldfund.com/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larkfieldfund
Meet Pamela:
Pamela Van Halsema has lived in Coffey Park with her husband since 2001 and raised three children in the neighborhood. Pamela is an educator and librarian who values getting involved with community work, including advocacy for children and families and issues around equity, human rights, and the environment. Pamela serves on the Community Services Advisory Board, is a participant in the Leadership Institute for Just and Resilient Communities, is on the Housing for All project for Santa Rosa Together, and serves on the Sonoma County Resilience Collaborative steering committee. For Coffey Strong, she is helping people navigate the landscape planning and permitting process in the rebuild.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanhalsema
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pammylalala
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-van-halsema-285b952a/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pvanhalsema/?hl=en
Connect With Coffey Strong:
Website: https://coffeystrong.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coffeyparkstrong/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coffeystrongsr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffey-strong/about/
Meet Peter:
Visual/conceptual mixed-media artist Peter Alan was born and raised in Southern California. After earning a Certificate Degree in Graphic Design, UC Irvine, then completing his undergrad at Sonoma State University in Studio Fine Art, History and Psychology, he spent 6 months in Assisi and Rome, Italy. There, Alan received mentorship from a local native Italian painter that ignited his career choice to make art professionally. Alan’s collective works on paper and panels range from Contemporary Realism, Abstraction and Responsive to Experimental, tinkering with any material art-makeable at reach. Since 1999, he has held a number of painting studios in California making art for galleries, non-gallery venues, and private collectors throughout Los Angeles and Sonoma County.
Connect With Peter Alan:
Website: http://www.peteralanart.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peteralanart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peteralanart
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-alan-43006413/