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Reach for that phone and volunteer!
The
Leavenworth County Chapter depends on volunteers to accomplish the American Red Cross
mission. These volunteers may come from all
parts of the community, vary greatly in age, and bring all kinds of skills. A telephone call to the local
chapter (913-682-6222) can set you on the road to becoming an invaluable asset to our
area. To get started, a copy of our Volunteer
Application is available on our website.
You will be interviewed
and your individual talents and wishes matched with the needs and skills required by the
chapter. You can brush up on old skills or start a new career.
Volunteers are found
throughout the community, including on Fort Leavenworth, wherever there is need. Volunteers work in disaster situations, collect
and distribute blood, drive Red Cross vehicles, teach community service courses in health
maintenance and accident prevention, and perform a myriad of other services, depending on
the needs of the community.
In addition to these operational positions, leadership volunteers
are needed for administrative and policy positions such as the chapter board and
committees.
Youth Volunteers
Since the founding of the Junior Red Cross in 1917, youth and the Red Cross have been
partners. Today, the involvement of young
people with the Red Cross is more important than ever.
Across the country
youth are involved in all Red Cross humanitarian relief work, from helping when disasters
such as floods and hurricanes ravage American towns, to working with Veterans
Administration hospitals and other facilities, to becoming HIV/AIDs peer educators, and to
instructing people how to save lives through CPR, first aid and water safety.
In the Leavenworth
County Chapter, youth volunteers participate in those same activities, but they also have
the unique opportunity to work with the International Officers Office at CGSC, the Munson
Army Health Center, Fort Leavenworth Veterinarian Clinic, the Red Cross Office, the
Natural Resources Office, and other locations.
The Leavenworth County Chapter will begin accepting applications
for the Summer 2001 Red Cross Youth Volunteer Program at Fort Leavenworth starting Monday,
May 14. The last day applications will be
accepted for the summer program is Friday, June 29.
A Youth Volunteer Application form can be
downloaded or printed and mailed to the Leavenworth County Chapter
or delivered in person.
Disaster Volunteers
When a disaster strikes families often lose homes and lives are changed
forever. The Red Cross can’t change
history, but with your help, we can make it a little easier for disaster victims to get
from today to tomorrow.
It’s not a job
for amateurs. It takes commitment. It takes training.
But if you’re in good health, and you’re willing to help, you can
become part of the elite cadre of trained Red Cross volunteers who are swiftly mobilized
when disasters strike near home.
In your first assignment you may:
 Put
worried families in touch with flood victims.
Distribute
vouchers so families can replace lost clothing.
Read to
children at a temporary shelter.
Help cook
dinner for a hundred displaced families.
As you gain experience, you may also be trained to:
Help victims meet
long-term needs by replacing lost personal and household items.
Work with reporters
to help them file accurate stories.
Make damage
assessments that will help the Red Cross and government agencies offer lasting assistance.
Disaster Services Human Resources
Some disasters so severely devastate a community that the efforts of local disaster
volunteers often are quickly dwarfed in comparison to the destruction and the number of
people affected.
When this happens,
the Disaster Services Human Resources (DSHR) System fires into action, moving highly
trained and experienced Red Cross disaster volunteers into affected areas quickly and
efficiently.
The DSHR System is actually designed to serve two functions (1)
to support the efforts of local Red Cross units in disaster-affected areas and (2) to
provide both new and veteran Red Cross disaster volunteers with a career-development path
within Disaster Services. It is an
opportunity to have more, do more, and be more on a disaster.
To become a DSHR
System candidate, you must be recommended by your Red Cross unit of affiliation. In addition, you must regularly participate in an
extensive disaster training program – administered through the national organization
– and continue to serve as a member of your Red Cross unit’s disaster team.
Whether you’re a banker or a babysitter, a carpenter or a caseworker your
special skills can help the Red Cross and disaster victims. |
