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Timika Hoffman-Zoller

2010 National Achievement Award Winner

For years, Timika's interests have been focused on making her community safer and better prepared for emergencies.  Timika is a volunteer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member for the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management. A few years ago, through Chicago's CERT program, Timika learned basic hands-on disaster response techniques including  disaster preparedness, fire safety, team organization, disaster psychology, light search and rescue, terrorism response, and disaster medical operations. She took a particular interest in disaster preparedness and light search and rescue.  As a Chicago CERT volunteer Timika played a role in multiple emergency exercises.  She is also a certified American Red Cross Emergency Responder, and has a certification for CPR/AED for professional responders.

Timika created a twitter account, http://twitter.com/onthesafeside, where she shares useful safety and emergency preparedness tips and links with her followers. Timika Hoffman-Zoller is also the creator/producer of a radio show on WHKP called "On the Safe Side," where she invites guests into the studio to talk about various safety issues, emergency preparedness, internet safety for adults and children, bike safety, park safety, and other topics.  On Sept. 2, 2010, Timika hosted a show promoting September as being National Preparedness Month. Timika also created an "On the Safe Side" website at http://safethz.web.officelive.com where she shares further safety and emergency preparedness tips, safety podcasts and links to organizations that promote safety.  On her website she has a section that features bios of those who promote safety in the Chicago area.  She calls them "Safety Stars."   

In May 2010, Timika hosted a neighborhood crime prevention meeting and information session in a local park. By June 26, 2010 she had rallied community members and formed a Park Advisory Council  for the park . Timika also organized and hosted the first Elm Park Bike Safety Clinic with other local Elm Park supporters. Timika also volunteered for the city of Chicago during the H1N1 scare. In October 2009 Timika was allowed to take time off work to volunteer several days for The Chicago Department of Public Health's vaccination site, where she handed out screening forms, helped move people through the clinic, unpacked boxes, and distributed supplies.

Timika also distributes ready.gov pamphlets and literature about safety and emergency preparedness for families, the elderly, businesses, and pets.   She shares information with her coworkers, neighbors, friends, and makes regular stops to her Alderman's office to leave emergency preparedness information to be offered to the community.

Full list of 2010 Achievement Award Winners