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By Annette Williams – Julian Journal
• Wed, Aug 01, 2012
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Tiffany Espensen, 13, was recently honored at a Julian Teen CERT party for her selection as one of 13 nationwide FEMA Youth Preparedness Council inaugural members. She is the daughter of Robin and Dan Espensen, and is an actress who lives and works in Hollywood.
She and other young leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., in early August to participate in community preparedness discussions with leaders of national organizations. They were asked to voice their opinions, experiences, ideas and solutions to help strengthen the nation’s resilience in the face of disasters, and bring informationback to their communities.
Tiffany says she is excited to talk about her exp
erience in the Julian Teen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program. “I want to share it with everyone in the world!”
“She really means that from her heart,” says Diane Hake, program manager for Julian Cuyamaca CERT. “She is a lovely young lady and works together so well with her peers. Very respectful.”
Tiffany portrays “Piper” on Nickelodeon’s “Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures,” and is in talks with Walt Disney Studios about a new movie, according to Hake. With her large youth fan base, she has a perfect opportunity to present the disaster preparedness message to her peers.
The home-schooled teenager has been enrolled in educational programs through Julian Charter School and Julian Junior High School, and will begin high school this year. She received CERT training in Julian last October with fellow junior high-age students under the direction of Robin Calloway, and participated in the Teen CERT evaluation team for new Teen CERT instructors.
“We are proud of all of our youth and look forward to next year to include at least two academies at the junior high, and two in the Julian high school,” says Hake. “Additionally, we will be teaching the new FEMA Ready Kids program to the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students.”
Youth Preparedness Council members will be in contact with FEMA quarterly and are eligible to serve on the council for two years.
For information on the Teen CERT training program in Julian, call Johnny and Diane Hake at 760-310-0206 or email [email protected]