President Obama Wants YOU!...... To Serve

Last week, we shared with you our contributions to “A Day On, Not A Day Off” in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Historically, MLK Day has been promoted as a day of service, a call for Americans just like you to get out into the community and make a difference.

Today, we join President Obama in challenging you to make a commitment to service – not just one day but an ongoing effort to better your community, your peers and as a result, yourself.

Looking for ways to help?

We’d like to take a moment to discuss our program, AmeriCorps,and then we’ll share with you a few other excellent volunteer opportunities. Remember, volunteers come from all walks of life, and every effort has an impact.

Upon graduation, we both took an opportunity with AmeriCorps to answer this call to service.
AmeriCorps is a volunteer program, similar to the Peace Corps, where members devote a year of their lives to serving the needs of a community here in the United States.

Our specific program works in conjunction with the American Red Cross Disaster Services.
At the start of the program, we were trained in Disaster Assessment, Client Casework, Defensive Driving, Psychological First Aide, Disaster Response Workshop, Introduction to Disaster Services to name a few.

Our primary responsiblities include responding to residential fires and other weather related incidents within the city of Chicago and seven surrounding counties.
When we are not responding to fires, we spend quite a bit of time on the phone following up with those who we have assisted, offering various resources to organizations that assist in long-term recovery.

During our time in AmeriCorps, we also complete a special project of our choice. Sam, for example, is very excited to be working with International Services helping to create and administer presentations about the American Red Cross’s role in International Humanitarian Law at local universities and colleges.

Not only are we out in our community directly assisting those in need, but we are also given many opportunities for personal and career development.

As promised, here are a few of the many organizations found on President Obama’s new website, http://www.usaservice.org/.

Volunteer Match
MLK 365
Change.org
My Good Deed
AmeriCorps
Citizen’s Corps
Hands On Network

This site details the importance of community service and the need for all Americans to particpate. It also provides links to local opportunities.

Visitors to http://www.usaservice.org/ can find volunteer events within their communities by following the“Find an Event” application.

No matter what you are passionate about, you can find a volunteer opportunity that suits your interests.

Get out there America!
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi

- Lily and Sam

A Day on Not a Day Off!

A very happy Martin Luther King Jr. day to all! To celebrate, volunteers from Hope Worldwide, AmeriCorps, and the The American Red Cross met in the south suburbs, Harvey and Riverdale, to hand out information on fire safety.

What are you doing on your “day on?”

Since we spent the morning sharing fire safety tips with some Chicagoland communities, we would like to share a disaster services experience from this weekend.

Yesterday, we met with a man who spent a lovely weekend in Ohio, only to return home to a disaster. His attic apartment had been completely destroyed by a fire that had taken place Friday afternoon. This is where the American Red Cross DAT team comes in; we provided this man with food, clothing and shelter to ensure his safety and well being in the days following his disaster. And now back to fire safety. The man stated that his home most likely caught fire due to a malfunction in a space heater.

Do you use a space heater?

Here are some friendly reminders when operating a space heater in your home:

HAZARDS:

Fires and burns caused by contact with or close proximity to the flame, heating element, or hot surface area.

Fires and explosions caused by flammable fuels or defective wiring.

Indoor air pollution caused by improper venting or incomplete combustion of fuel-burning equipment.

Carbon monoxide poisoning caused by improper venting of fuel-burning equipment.

SUGGESTIONS:

Select a space heater with a guard around the flame area or the heating element.

When selecting a heater, look for one that has been tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.

Buy a heater that is the correct size for the area you want to heat.

Read and follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions.

Keep children and pets away from space heaters.

Keep doors open to the rest of the house if you are using an unvented fuel-burning space heater.

Never leave a space heater on when you go to sleep or leave the area.

Never use or store flammable liquids (such as gasoline) around a space heater.

Place heaters at least three feet away from objects such as bedding, furniture and drapes. Never use heaters to dry clothes or shoes. Do not place heaters where towels or other objects could fall on the heater and start a fire.

This information was found in a report on space heater safety done by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More information can be obtained at their site by following this link: http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/463.html

- Lily and Sam

Nature Unleashed. Check it out!

Right now some of our disaster volunteers are standing inside a tornado, well a simulated tornado just off Lakeshore Drive….but it’s still VERY cool. We have partnered with the Field Museum to place trained Red Cross disaster relief workers inside the Nature Unleashed exhibit to guide people around the exhibit. Many of these people have actually been to the disasters featured in the exhibit. Check it out and while you are there ask the Red Cross volunteer helping out to share some of their adventures. Check it out on WGN with Tom Skilling
I was with the Red Cross at two of the disasters featured in the exhibit: Hurricane Katrina and Greensburg, Kansas and I have to tell you the Field Museum did a great job making you feel like you were there.
We’re all familiar with Hurricane Katrina. Greensburg got less media attention but was just as devastating to those affected. In 2007, a small Kansas town was hit by a EF5 tornado that was 1.7 miles wide. 95% of the city was destroyed. Seeing this part of the exhibit really brought me back to what it was like to be there as that town began its healing process. While it was a sobering experience it was also really inspiring to see how resilient that town was and how they all came together to help each other out.
Greensburg ultimately decided to rebuild as an entirely green city. Planet Green did a television series about it http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/greensburg/
There are webisodes online if you want to check it out.
Have you ever seen the devastation from a tornado or hurricane up close? Where were you and how you would describe it?
Interested in visiting the exhibit? www.fieldmuseum.org. for more information.


Martha Carlos is a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Public Affairs team. She occasionally travels outside of the Chicagoland area to help with disaster relief and recovery efforts.