Newsline: Children's Disaster Services offers volunteer training workshops

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl

Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, 
cobnews@brethren.org<mailto:cobnews@brethren.org

>CHILDREN'S DISASTER SERVICES OFFERS VOLUNTEER

>TRAINING WORKSHOPS

(Oct. 15, 2010) Elgin, IL -- Children's Disaster Services is offering

volunteer training workshops in Los Altos in northern California on

Oct. 29-30, and in Englewood, Ohio, on Nov. 12-13.

The northern California workshop will be held at Los Altos United

Methodist Church (655 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos), organized by local

coordinators Janice Maggiora or Patricia Parfett, 650-383-9322. Cost

>for attending the workshop is $55.

The Ohio workshop will be held at Salem Church of the Brethren (6037

Phillipsburg Rd., Englewood), organized by local coordinator Carrie

Smith, 937-836-6145. Cost for attending the workshop is $45 (going

>up to $55 after Oct. 22).

Children's Disaster Services 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. The 
program

has been meeting the needs of children since 1980.

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 recent years, Children's Disaster Services volunteers have cared 
for

thousands of children affected by flooding and ice storms in the 
Midwest,

Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the Metrolink train accident in southern

California, and California wildfires, among other disasters.

A Critical Response Childcare Team provided 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.

Information learned at the Volunteer Workshop can be beneficial to 
anyone

working with children. The workshop trains participants to understand 
and

respond to children who have experienced a disaster. Designed for 
people

who have a heart and passion for children, the training 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. 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<mailto:cds@brethren.org

or 800-451-4407 ext. 5. Go to 
www.childrensdisastercervices.org<http://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 close to 125,000 members across the US and Puerto Rico, and 
has

missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Dominican Republic, Brazil, 
Haiti,

>and India.

># # #

>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