CHILDREN’S DISASTER SERVICES OFFERS VOLUNTEER WORKSHOP IN VIRDEN

Children’s Disaster Services is offering a workshop to train volunteers in Virden on September 25-26. The workshop will be held at Virden (Ill.) Church of the Brethren (334 W. Dean St.). Charlot Cole is the local coordinator (217-370-5382).

Macoupin County Public Health has given Virden Church of the Brethren and the Church of the Brethren's national office consent to host and train volunteers to provide childcare in the event of a disaster in the area. This action follows on the National Center for Disease Control (CDC) contacting all county Public Health Departments alerting them of a possible bio disaster sometime in the next five years. The CDC has further advised counties to develop a plan of preparedness.

Children’s Disaster Services has been meeting the needs of children since 1980, and is a Church of the Brethren ministry working cooperatively with FEMA and the American Red Cross to provide care for children and families following disasters.

Cost for attending the workshop is $45 for early registration, or $55 for registrations made less than three weeks before the workshop begins.

Other Children’s Disaster Services Volunteer Workshops are scheduled for August 10-11 in Milwaukee, Wis.; October 9-10 in McPherson, Kan.; and November 6-7 in Sykesville, Md.

Children’s Disaster Services volunteers provide a calm, safe, and reassuring presence in the midst of the chaos that follows disaster by setting up and operating special child care centers in disaster locations. Parents are then able to apply for assistance and begin to put their lives back together, knowing their children are safe.

In 2008, more than 140 Children’s Disaster Services volunteers spent 11,124 hours caring for almost 3,000 children after flooding and ice storms in the Midwest, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the Metrolink train accident in southern California, and California wildfires.

Earlier this year, a Critical Response Childcare Team that is a part of Children’s Disaster Services provided child care for families of airplane crash victims following the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in which 50 people were killed near Buffalo, N.Y. The Critical Response Childcare Team also stayed on to care for children during memorial services and calling hours, as requested by the parents.

Information learned at the Volunteer Workshops can be beneficial to anyone working with children. The workshops train participants to understand and respond to children who have experienced a disaster. The training is designed for people who have a heart and passion for children, and will help participants recognize and understand the fears and other emotions children experience during and following a disaster. Participants also learn how child-led play and various art mediums can start the healing process in children. Participants will experience a simulated shelter, sleeping on cots and eating simple meals.

Once the training is completed, participants have the opportunity to become a certified Children’s Disaster Services volunteer by providing two personal references and a criminal and sexual offender background check.

Although many volunteers are motivated by faith, Children’s Disaster Services Volunteer Workshops are open to anyone over 18 years of age.

The Children’s Disaster Services office may be contacted at cds@brethren.org or 800-451-4407 ext. 5. Go to www.childrensdisastercervices.org for more information about the program.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. It is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Peace Churches. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Haiti, and India.