Pasadena Foster Care Children’s Charity Drops, Covers, & Holds on

Pasadena, CA, October 18, 2009 --(PR.com)-- On October 15, Hillsides, a foster care children’s charity serving Los Angeles County, including the special education school in Pasadena, participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut Drill, the largest earthquake preparedness activity in U.S. history.

More than 6.8 million Californians registered to participate in the ShakeOut drill today at 10:15 a.m. The purpose of the ShakeOut is to practice how to protect ourselves during earthquake, and to get prepared at work, school, and home, stated the ShakeOut website, www.shakeout.org.

The Great ShakeOut was based on a potential magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault. According to a recent forecast, California has a 99.7% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake during the next 30 years.

Organizing the foster care children charity’s Great ShakeOut Drill participation, including the special education school located in Pasadena, was Gerri Monohan, Hillsides’ director of operations. Along with Monohan, the charity’s maintenance department, morning program directors and receptionist implemented the Great Shakeout earthquake drill.

“The planning stages had been in the works for over two months and with the help of the website, www.shakeout.org, Hillsides participated in their second Great ShakeOut earthquake drill,” said Monohan, adding that practicing for the “big one” will help everyone not to panic, not to get hurt, and to keep their heads on during the emergency. “Our charity’s staff along with the special education school students and teachers dropped, covered, and held on until the simulated shaking stopped and then proceeded to evacuate outside so our buildings could be checked to be sure they were safe to reenter.

To learn more about the foster care children’s charity and the Pasadena special education school, visit www.Hillsides.org or www.HillsidesEducationCenter.org.

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