Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Miller, WaSH Program
Kim Miller teaching WaSH Class
While Kim Miller was running a successful Prepare Your Neighborhood cluster in Pine Ridge, she expressed her concerns about how important water, sanitation and hygiene will be in any emergency situation. Kim accepted the daunting task of leading a special Task Force to review and revise the WaSH curriculum.
She’s generated tremendous interest in the subject and has offered several well-attended sessions since the new class launched in February. She’s also curated supplies that are available to the public at Pop-Up shops. Watch for those and WaSH classes on the EVCNB website!
We asked Kim about her experience with EVCNB.
What attracted you to EVCNB volunteer work?
I moved to Oregon in 1985 and visited the north coast area over a number of years. I moved to Manzanita in July of 2007. In December the hurricane hit the coast knocking out power. After that event, I saw my neighbors Jack and Judy Allen wearing CERT vests and talking about EVCNB. Both piqued my interest, but I was busy working two to four jobs all at the same time and had no spare time for community involvement.
Ultimately, I settled into teaching Foods (cooking skills) at NKN high school and science at NES and GGS Elementary schools.
In 2019, I became involved with my neighborhood PYN (Prepare Your Neighborhood) cluster and in 2021 became PYN lead for my cluster. Because of my background in education and curriculum development EVCNB invited me to be on a WaSH Task Force to re-write the WaSH curriculum. And here I am now in 2023, teaching the class, procuring supplies, keeping inventory, and drilling holes in buckets used for water filtration and hand washing. WaSH Pop-Up sales will start soon. It’s all very exciting. It’s all a great challenge. And it keeps me busy and out of trouble!
How does this work bring you satisfaction?
As a kid I was a girl scout, so being prepared is in my blood. My family did a lot of camping, and my dad taught my siblings and I many outdoor skills. I grew up in Kansas and remember when the Cuban Missile Crisis loomed, my parents stocked food and planned how the family could survive in the basement. And now living on the Oregon coast with the Juan De Fuca fault off there on the horizon, being prepared continues to be of importance in my life. What will I do when water isn’t available when I turn on a faucet? By becoming involved with WaSH, I now have a plan, I have water stored, I have basic knowledge on sourcing water, and I’ve got a plan on how to safely deal with my pee & poo when toilets aren’t flushing.
What else do you like to do with your free time?
When I’m not involved with WaSH responsibilities, I volunteer at NES elementary school library, I am on the Memorial Weekend Library Book Sale team, I work with Doug on the Teaching Trail at LNCT, and I fly off to visit my grandkids!