wfn.org | Newsline: Children's Disaster Services helps staff CJ's Bus

["COBNews Newsline" <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- June 19, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

CHILDREN'S DISASTER SERVICES HELPS STAFF CJ's BUS

(June 19, 2008) Elgin, IL -- A certified team of care givers from
Children's Disaster Services on June 16 relieved the exhausted
volunteers who have staffed CJ's Bus since the recent storms, tornadoes,
and flooding began in Indiana. CJ's Bus volunteers had been working to
care for children of families affected by the disasters since June 6 in
Indianapolis, and then in Martinsville after flooding there.

Kathryn Martin, founder of CJ's Bus, knew of Children's Disaster
Services' expertise and volunteer base because the program provides
training for CJ's Bus volunteers. The board members of CJ's Bus also
are required to become certified with Children's Disaster Services.

When Martin realized that CJ's Bus would have to close down due to the
lack of volunteers, she called the Children's Disaster Services offices in
Maryland. Could a team from CDS staff the bus so it could stay open for
children whose parents were using harsh chemicals to clean up after the
flooding?

"It is not a safe environment for the children," Martin emphasized.

Judy Bezon, associate director for Children's Disaster Services, agreed.
"Since we already had a team in the area working with the Red Cross
and additional volunteers 'on alert' for the entire midwest, it is no
problem to deploy a team," she said.

The team of Children's Disaster Services volunteers was working at CJ's
Bus within 24 hours of the request. The team will stay for up to two
weeks, then be replaced with a fresh team of new volunteers. With a
volunteer base of 500 certified volunteers, Children's Disaster Services
can assure that child care be provided to children of disaster victims for
as long as it is needed.

Children's Disaster Services is a Church of the Brethren ministry and the
oldest and largest nationwide organization specializing in children's
disaster related needs. Since 1980, it has maintained a nationwide
volunteer base. To be certified with Children's Disaster Services,
volunteers require 27 hours of training and a rigorous certification
process.

Go to www.childrensdisasterservices.org to learn more about Children's
Disaster Services or for more about becoming trained as a volunteer.

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. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and
Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches.  It
celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren General Board
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org

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