DISASTER RESPONSE

As has been the practice in recent years, the Illinois/Wisconsin District has agreed to provide up to eight volunteers for the week following Thanksgiving, Nov. 26–Dec. 2, 2023 . That week of volunteering again will be shared with the South/Central Indiana District. A major change from recent past Brethren Disaster Ministries assignments, is that the project site, Dawson Springs, Kentucky, is a relatively nearby “neighbor,” just 70 miles south of Evansville, Indiana. This provides a great opportunity for those who want to serve with BDM but hesitate to travel hundreds of miles to a project site.

Dawson Springs was in the path of the devastating outbreak of tornados that swept through eight states in December 2021 with Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri the most heavily impacted. Estimates are that around 75 percent of the town of Dawson Springs, which was home to around 2,500 people, was leveled by a tornado. More information about the Dawson Springs BDM project is at www.brethren.org/bdm/rebuild/projects.

Click here to access a complete schedule for the Dawson Springs project. In addition to the week of Nov. 26, there are openings in other weeks with the opportunity to join other districts. To register your interest in joining this year’s Illinois/Wisconsin group, contact our district disaster coordinator, Loren Habegger. To volunteer with other groups for the listed openings, contact Kim Gingerich at kgingerich@brethren.org.

Two Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) teams recently assisted in the response to the wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii. CDS is seeking to increase the number of trained and certified CDS volunteers to respond to future needs. Volunteer training workshops will be offered Oct. 21-22 at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren and Oct.27-28 at Skyridge Church of the Brethren, Kalamazoo, Mich. Cost is $55 postmarked three weeks before the event, $65 thereafter. Meals and camp-style accommodations are provided. To learn more, visit www.brethren.org/cds. York Center member Carolyn Neher is CDS’ associate director.