BRACE organizer named finalist for Life Award
BY PAT SOUTHERLAND Special to Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Bell

Some excel at turning tragedy into triumph.

"I have no transportation and I need to get medicine for my wife" -- " Our trailer lost the roof. Where can I get a tarp and someone to put it on? I am 85 years old."

As Jackie Bell answered calls like this in the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center after Hurricane Ivan, needs came in that could not be met. The frustration that was fostered in the aftermath led her to move forward with efforts to make a difference for the people in the Pensacola Bay area. Resources were available in both public and private sectors. The challenge came in trying to put the two parts together and in enlisting more key players, especially from the faith-based community. As she struggled to match the available help to the immediate needs, she was able to match two of her skills to begin to bring a solution to this problem. Bell has an innate compassion for those who are in need of help in any way. She also has organizational skills backed by the determination to put a plan into action.

"There has to be a better way to do this," was her recurring thought as she worked tirelessly to do what she could with what was available.

As community leaders began to put together a plan for immediate and long-term recovery, Bell became an integral part of the effort as she was on the board of Rebuild Northwest Florida and the chair of the Escambia County Long Term Recovery Committee. Working in these areas gave her insight into the intricacies of the system and also gave her a vision of the direction needed next. The result was an organization called Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) dedicated to making this community the most disaster resilient community in America. Their core purpose is to engage the entire community now, before a disaster, in all four phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. The threat of hurricanes formed BRACE, but it is now prepared to handle any type of disaster.

The community can now support the efforts of Jackie Bell and BRACE have championed.

Jackie Bell has been named one of the 10 finalists in the safety category of the Volvo for Life Awards Program. True to her humble spirit, she insists that she did not do this alone and always gives credit to her team. Jackie's faith is also very evident in her work and in her responses. In a speech which she gave to the Rebuild NW Florida group, she ended by saying, "My very personal note to each of you is that I believe that there is a God who is bending down close to whisper to…just to you. 'Well done. Have faith. I know you are making a difference.' "

Now the people in the area can say this to Jackie Bell by casting our vote in support of her hard work and dedication to making Northwest Florida a safer, better place for all.

You may cast your ballots for Jackie Bell until Jan. 7 at www.volvoforlifeawards.com.