wfn.org | Newsline: Children's Disaster Services offers workshops to train volunteers

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl Brumbau gh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

CHILDREN'S DISASTER SERVICES OFFERS WORKSHOPS TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS

(July 22, 2009) Elgin, IL -- Children's Disaster Services is offering sever al workshops to train volunteers to work with the program. Children's Disas ter Services has been meeting the needs of children since 1980, and is a Ch urch of the Brethren ministry working cooperatively with FEMA and the Ameri can Red Cross to provide care for children and families following disasters .

The Level I Volunteer Workshops are scheduled for August 10-11 in Milwaukee , Wis.; September 25-26 in Virden, Ill.; October 9-10 in McPherson, Kan.; a nd November 6-7 in Sykesville, Md. Cost for participants is $45 for early r egistration, or $55 for registrations made less than three weeks before the  workshop begins.

The August 10-11 workshop will be at the Native American Ministry United Me thodist Church in Milwaukee, Wis. (1738 S. 11th St.). Lorna Jost is the loc al coordinator (605-692-3390). This workshop is part of the United Methodis t Volunteers in Missions "teachUM" conference and requires an additional ch arge of $20 for meals.

The September 25-26 workshop will be held at Virden (Ill.) Church of the Br ethren (334 W. Dean St.). Charlot Cole is the local coordinator (217-370-53 82). 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, fol lowing 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.

The October 9-10 workshop will be at First Church of the Brethren in McPher son, Kan. (200 N. Carrie). Elva Jean Naylor is the local coordinator (620-2 41-3123).

The November 6-7 workshop will be at Wesley Freedom United Methodist Church  in Sykesville, Md. (961 Johnsville Rd.) Mary K. Bunting is the local coord inator (410-552-1142).

Children's Disaster Services volunteers provide a calm, safe, and reassurin g presence in the midst of the chaos that follows disaster by setting up an d operating special child care centers in disaster locations. Parents are t hen 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 th e Midwest, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the Metrolink train accident in south ern California, and California wildfires.

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

Information learned at the Level I Volunteer Workshops can be beneficial to  anyone working with children. The workshops train participants to understa nd 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 he lp participants recognize and understand the fears and other emotions child ren experience during and following a disaster. Participants also learn how  child-led play and various art mediums can start the healing process in ch ildren. 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 person al references and a criminal and sexual offender background check.

Although many volunteers are motivated by faith, Children's Disaster Servic es workshops are open to anyone over 18 years of age.

The Children's Disaster Services office may be contacted at cds@brethren.or g 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 continu ing 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 t raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 125,000 members across the Unit ed 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
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org