Townhall of Fame

Honoring the Leaders Among Us

Volunteers arrive in the Philippines to provide relief from Typhoon Haiyan as part of Operation: Seabird. (Photo courtesy of Kirk Jackson, Team Rubicon)

One Organization, Two Missions Accomplished

By Leah Barkoukis

Team Rubicon is changing the current paradigm in disaster response and helping veterans along the way.
Team Rubicon co-founder and CEO Jake Wood saw rst-hand how bad the establishment was at responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. So when a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti ve years later, he knew he couldnt just sit back and watch the lumbered response of large aid organizations.

With four years of service in the Marine Corps under his belt, Wood had a specialized skill set he knew could be utilized in Haiti, and the connections needed to make a disaster response trip possible. Within days, Wood, along with a small team of veterans, health care providers, and rst responders crossed the Artibonite River dividing the Dominican Republic and Haiti to bring much-needed help and medical supplies to the people of Port-au-Prince. Chaos, destruction, and a complete breakdown of law and order were to be expected. What the team was surprised to nd, however, was that they were not part of a larger relief effort they were the relief effort.

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When it comes to international operation like the Philippines, because were looking for very specic skill sets, those volunteers will come from all over the country, Kille says. A lot of times our responses internationally will tend to have more of a medical component to it, whereas here in the states itll typically be debris removal, volunteer management, those types of skills. While each team member brings a unique skill set to the table, Team Rubicon is always trying to increase the training pipeline for its volunteers. We dont want to be seen as a hindrance to responding to disaster, we want to be seen as a valuable asset, Kille says. And they are. Team Rubicons small, rapidly deployable, and highly skilled teams Team Rubicon volunteers provide medical care in the Philippines af ter Typhoon Haiyan as part of are lling a critical void in disaster Operation: Seabird. (Photo courtesy ofAndrew Herrold, Team Rubicon) response at home and abroad. Since the organizations founding in 2010, Team Rubicon [Large aid organizations] do what they do well, but what they do takes them a long time to get going, Dr. Dave Griswell has carried out 50 missions in 11 countries around the world, according to a press release. And in the Philippines, their said in the organizations Genesis Video. Thus, bridging the gap between when a large natural disaster largest international operation to date, they proved yet again strikes and the time it takes conventional aid organizations to that their new model for disaster response is working. Within 48 hours of Typhoon Haiyans landfall, 18 volunteers respond became Team Rubicons primary mission. They arrive from Team Rubicon were on their way to the Philippines, quickly, render care to the acutely injured, and get out of the and dozens more followed. More than 2,000 patients were way once other relief organizations start rolling through. treated or vaccinated during the response, according to a press But the organization also serves another purpose. release, before it transitioned long term medical care to a When they initially went over [to Haiti] it was just a larger organization. thought that we need to go and help people, Team Rubicons While increasing its volunteer ranks and donations are Public Affairs Ofcer Sam Kille tells Townhall. But while they were there, they soon discovered that by helping other crucial for Team Rubicons continued growth, another way the organization is looking to expand its ability to respond to people, and being around like-minded individuals, veterans disaster is by replicating their model in other countries. were getting back that sense of service that they didnt feel The war that weve been in since 9/11 isnt an only American after leaving the military. war, weve had many other countries who have fought along According to Team Rubicons website, 44 percent of veterans report no longer having a mission, while 92 percent of recently with us, Kille explains. They suffered through the same type of things American veterans go through, the problems returned veterans say continued service in their community is with reintegration, and weve actually been talking with other important to them, a 2009 Civic Enterprises report found. countries about replicating Team Rubicon. Most people who are drawn to the military, they do it to Even though Team Rubicon is a veteran-focused disaster begin with because they feel inclined to support something bigger than themselves, Kille says. So when you no longer relief organization, volunteers dont have to be veterans to join the team. Kille recommends that rst responders, physicians, have that anymore, it can make life difcult. Team Rubicon changes that equation by giving veterans a nurses and anyone that feels they have skills to bring to the new mission, restoring that lost sense of purpose, and allowing table should visit their website, teamrubiconusa.org, and sign up to become a volunteer. them to build camaraderie with other like-minded individuals. Natural disasters and crises arent going away, but Team Disaster is our business, but veterans are our passion, Rubicons unique model is helping make relief efforts more Kills explains. Since the initial relief effort in Haiti, Team Rubicon has seamless while simultaneously giving veterans a renewed sense of purpose. grown from a team of eight to more than 14,000 volunteers across the United States. From Alaska to New Jersey, and Pakistan to the Philippines, volunteers have participated in Leah Barkoukis is Assistant Editor of Townhall Magazine. relief efforts all over the world.
February 2014 TOWNHALL

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