For Julia Walker, moving to Arizona meant starting over. After losing her job in Southern California, she relocated to the Valley to be closer to her family, including her son, daughter and granddaughter. But just three weeks into her new home, Julia experienced something she hadn’t anticipated: Arizona’s unpredictable weather.
“After I had been here just one day, there was a sandstorm,” Julia recalled. “We were getting the warnings on our cell phones, but I didn’t really understand what was going to happen. I wanted to be ready.”
A sandstorm, followed by rain and hail, left her with questions about what to expect and how to protect her family.
For Julia, preparedness is especially important because of her granddaughter, whom she lives with. She wanted to make sure they had the resources and knowledge to navigate an emergency, including something as simple as losing power.
Our Role: Bringing Preparedness Directly to the Community
Through United We Prepare, with support from Verizon and United Way Worldwide, Valley of the Sun United Way is working to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience across the Valley by connecting individuals and families with critical information and resources.
As a sub-grantee of the initiative, Unlimited Potential AZ helps extend this work directly into the community. At its recent community Health Fair, Valley of the Sun United Way joined Unlimited Potential to deliver disaster preparedness presentations in both English and Spanish, ensuring more families could access information in their preferred language.
The team also distributed hundreds of disaster preparedness kits directly to attendees, giving families tangible resources to help them prepare for emergencies.
These kits were assembled during Valley of the Sun United Way’s Day of Action, which brought together more than 250 volunteers. With Verizon’s support, volunteers also assembled 2,000 first aid kits and 2,000 hygiene kits, turning collective volunteerism into thousands of resources for local families.
The Impact: Making Sure No One Has to Prepare Alone
For someone like Julia, access to preparedness education can make an unfamiliar place feel a little less uncertain.
“I am so thankful for the education today and learning about what to expect,” Julia said, smiling. “Putting out the word is everything. It’s so important for people to know what to do, to have these kits, and be prepared because this can save lives. You never can be too ready for anything.”
A new beginning should come with the confidence to feel at home. Through United We Prepare, Valley of the Sun United Way and its partners are helping make that possible, one family, one conversation and one preparedness kit at a time.
United is the Way to a safer, stronger and more resilient Valley.
