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that residents in the greater age categories may have lived in the community for more years than residents in • the younger categories and hence, feel more socially connected on account of stability in their neighborhood. Communities with more educated residents have also been positively linked to greater sense of community and community participation (Perkins and Long, 2002). While this sample had high levels of educational attainment, the study did not identify any significant association between connectivity variables and education. The current study identified that being socially connected was associated with hearing about and participating in community events. This finding is similar to that of Perkins et al (1996) who identified that informal neighboring behavior was one of the strongest predictors of community participation. It is no surprise that the Neighborhood Liaison plays a particularly important role in promoting events like emergency preparedness training programs. Residents who reported knowing their Liaison were more likely to hear about emergency preparedness program opportunities than residents who did not know their Liaison. Likewise, almost all residents who participated in the programs reported knowing their Liaison. Of the residents who heard about the emergency preparedness opportunities in their community, a majority reported "hearing things • from neighbors" and "hearing things from Liaisons" as sources of information about Falcon Heights. Since this personal or "word-of-mouth" method of information sharing results in hearing about and participating in emergency preparedness programs, establishing stronger social connections with neighbors and Liaisons may influence the number of residents who hear about and participate in citywide emergency preparedness efforts. Interestingly, although Neighborhood Liaisons play a significant role in community engagement and social connectivity, only a modest segment of the sample reported the Liaison as a source of information about Falcon Heights. It must be noted that since such a small percentage of the sample get information from their Liaison, those who heard about and participated in the programs as a result of their Liaison's influence represent an already highly connected sub-group of the population. This sub-group does not necessarily reflect the c haracteristics o f the g eneral p opulation.Nonetheless, t he p otency o f a ssociation b etween k nowing t he Neighborhood Liaison and hearing about and participating in emergency preparedness programs indicates that this is a worthwhile method of disseminating information and promoting emergency preparedness efforts in the city. • 48