The following guest post is from our colleague, Scott, in R&D. Scott is part of the first wave of GSK's PULSE volunteer program launched last year (we wrote about it here).
I have been working at AmeriCares since mid-Oct 2009 on a full time volunteering assignment through GSK's PULSE program. My assignment has involved helping to research, develop and implement new IT tools and applications to help their lean, yet amazingly productive staff "do more with less."
For most of my time here, Mother Nature appeared to have been on a bit of an extended vacation, but the earthquake in Haiti quickly reminded us how important it is for organizations like AmeriCares to be prepared. I have found it extremely inspiring to see how quickly AmeriCares jumped into action with "all hands on deck." In a blink of an eye, I saw this organization transform into an amazing action machine in the way they planned and executed delivery of $6MM of humanitarian aid--as if it were really just second nature to them.
In the planning and briefing sessions immediately after the Haiti earthquake, you could see the passion, commitment, and confidence on AmeriCares folks' faces, in the stride of their steps, and in the tone of their voices. They have been there and done that (many times). This is what they have been trained to do--and they are masters of it!
In a matter of hours after the quake hit, plans were in place to put AmeriCares disaster relief workers on the ground, not only in Haiti, but along the supply chain route from Connecticut to Miami to the Dominican Republic to Haiti, to shepherd the humanitarian aid that was being dispatched. The first airlift of supplies arrived safety in Port-au-Prince on Sunday. The challenge now is to deploy supplies to the appropriate sites as soon as possible.
I am honored to have the opportunity to support this organization's special mission in my own small way.
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