RB United Long Term Recovery Center
18402 West Bernardo Road
San Diego, CA 92128Current Phone: 858-485-8502Fax Number: 858-485-1114Email: office@rbunited.comDays of Operations: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday, 10 AM- 3 PM |
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Team Members
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Valerie Brown |
Valerie Brown is a resident of the Westwood community in Rancho Bernardo, which lost over 180 residences during the October 2007 Witch Creek Wildfire Valerie is a mother of three, graduate of Duke University, and has an extensive background in crisis counseling, case management, and community coordination. |
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When friends and neighbors lost their homes, Valerie coordinated the volunteer community response for Westwood residents. The Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation later hired her as the project coordinator for RB United, serving the entire RB community. When The San Diego Foundation established the RB Long Term Recovery Center, she expanded services to include Poway, Rancho Santa Fe, and later, Escondido. In Rancho Bernardo, her role has been to coordinate the services between assistance agencies and fire families from as well as determine the needs of the Ranch Bernardo community and work collaboratively within the community to solve them during the recovery process. |
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Valerie Brown Project Coordinator RB United Coalition & Long Term Fire Recovery Center 11858 Bernardo Plaza Court, Suite 200 San Diego CA 92128 858-485-8502 (office) 858.692.2181 (cell) |
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Jan Rasmussen joined RB United as Outreach Coordinator in January 2008 to assist Rancho Bernardo and surrounding communities as they recovered from the 2007 wildfires. As Outreach Coordinator, her first priority was to determine the critical needs of the fire survivor community and to identify those resources and services available to them through community relief agencies and affiliates. |
Jan Rasmussen |
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Having lost her home in the 2003 Cedar fire, Jan has drawn on her own first hand experience to understand the needs of fire survivors as they rebuild their homes and their lives. Her expertise as a former insurance broker and accountant has proven invaluable n assisting families with the challenges that face them in the aftermath of a disaster. In her role as Outreach Coordinator, she has partnered with local faith-based organizations and insurance advocates to hold educational meetings on insurance and rebuilding issues, and to provide community members with the opportunity to reconnect with each other. She has also coordinated countywide mental health events for fire survivors. A long term resident of San Diego and graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University, Jan lives in Scripps Ranch with her husband and family. |
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Events / Community Information |
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Summer greetings! We hope this finds you in good spirits and moving on in your recovery. We wanted to call your attention to some important issues that have come to our attention:
Last Thursday’s Lemonade Social with United Policyholders and RBCPC was a joy filled event. A lovely evening celebrating “making lemonade out of lemons” was held for fire survivors as a final capstone to the Roadmap to Recovery lecture series*. Specialty Plants, a wholesale nursery owned by the Stevens family of RBCPC, donated a one-gallon lemon tree to every fire survivor family. (Many thanks to the Stevens for their generosity) These trees will serve as longstanding reminders of the RBCPC-RB United-United Policyholders partnership to help restore the lives of 2007 wildfire survivors. *Please note that insurance support groups will continue to meet on an informal monthly basis.
Over the next few weeks representatives of RB United will be attempting to contact those fire families who have not yet obtained a building permit. We wish to provide whatever services we have available to assist you in your recovery. Unfortunately, we do not have current telephone contact information for everyone. If you are not currently rebuilding, would you please email us with your name, former address, contact information, and a short status report, indicating whether you intend to rebuild and/or what issues you are facing, and whether you desire assistance. If insurance is the problem, we’d appreciate the name of the company as well. Also, If you have a friend or neighbor who is not rebuilding, please let them know we are trying to reach them. Thanks for your cooperation.
Support Groups, Counseling, & Social Events: Green-Spark Bi-Weekly Green Rebuilders Meeting! Wednesday, July 29, 6 – 8 pm at the RB Glassman Recreaton Center Many fire survivors are now designing their homes and wish to incorporate sustainable qualities. These meetings provide a forum for homeowners to meet, share resources, discuss challenges and find solutions. If you are not a fire survivor and wish to participate, please contact the Green-Spark Chair at: contributor_info@green-spark.org Please RSVP to: Jowens@green-spark.org or (619) 358-5110
Fired-Up Sisters 858-673-1355 Meetings are held at Glassman Recreation Center at RB Community Park on West Bernardo Drive, a peer- support group for adult female fire survivors. August Fired Up Sisters Meetings: Friday, August 14th at 12:00 noon, Rancho Bernardo Glassman Recreation Center, 18448 West Bernardo Drive Wednesday, August 26th at 5:00-9:00 pm Woodies Night at Cruzin’ Grand Join us and the local crowd on Grand Avenue in historic downtown Escondido at Hwy. 395 for this fun-filled Friday evening.
Tempur-Pedic Mattresses We have had overwhelming interest in the Tempur-Pedic Mattresses. A second shipment reserve list has been started. To add your name to our list, please call Tiffini at (858) 673-1355, or email us. We will notify you by phone and/or email when we have a delivery date. Hot August Nights RBCPC Invites you to their Hot August Nights Free Family Concerts Wednesdays at 6:30 pm – Courtyard Come to Hot August Nights where families can relax, enjoy the summer and connect with other people. Hear about exciting upcoming events and opportunities at RBCPC. Join us for great music and free ice cream sundaes! Bring your kids, chairs and snacks. Childcare provided for the little ones – no reservations necessary. · Aug 5: Relentless – Rock n Roll cover band · Aug 12: Molly Jenson – alternative/folk/rock singer/songwriter · Aug 19: David Shield Trio – Brazilian Jazz guitar trio
Jewish Family Services JFS continues offering its Economic Crisis Response Program to help clients address their concerns at the state of the economy, and their own personal economic crises. They offer a variety of workshops throughout San Diego County; for a complete schedule, visit their website at: www.JFSSD.org Space is Limited • RSVP Required. RSVP Online or call (858) 637-3380.
United Policyholders UP is a non-profit insurance advocacy group that holds lecture series for fire survivors, has a disaster recovery mentor program, an “Ask an Expert†On-line Forum (contact Emily Cabril at Emily@unitedpolicyholders.org to join), and a “Survivor to Survivor†Listserv (e-mail Karen Reimus at Karen@unitedpolicyholders.org to join). For more info, contact Karen Reimus, Local Coordinator at 858-414-97 56, http://www.unitedpolicyholders.org/disaster/socal/socal_meetings.html
Hope Counseling Center Counseling for Fire Survivors at Hope Counseling Center – Thanks to a grant from United Way, Hope Counseling Center in Rancho Bernardo is offering free Marriage Counseling for fire survivors. Please call Edie Davis, MA, MFT at 619-218-2874 for an appointment. There is no longer a 6 session limit, due to United Way’s generosity. (This offer is limited to fire survivors who begin couple’s therapy in 2009.) |
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