When a disaster strikes in South Carolina, your local American Red Cross responds, providing food and shelter to those who have lost everything. Now, the Red Cross is looking for members of the community who want to be trained now to quickly take action to help their neighbors should a disaster strike. 

During the one-day Disaster Responder Bootcamp, volunteers will learn the essentials of responding to a disaster. In just under eight hours, participants will become qualified to feed and shelter members of their community during a disaster. In addition to classroom instruction, the boot camp features interactive case studies, with volunteers learning how to help individuals, families and communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. 

“When people come to a shelter they are usually upset and worried about what awaits them at the shelter,” explains Red Cross volunteer Becky Bowie. “As a shelter manager it is my job to reassure them, keep them safe, feed them, make them as comfortable as possible, and sometimes wipe away the tears.  When it's all over and that one person comes to me and hugs me or says thank you for everything I know I've done my job.” 

The Bootcamp is also the first step to becoming eligible to deploy to large disasters across the country. Red Cross volunteers from South Carolina have recently traveled to Mississippi, Georgia, West Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, California, Iowa, and Canada to help families affected by floods, wildfires, and tornados.  

“As a Red Cross volunteer, you can help your own community during a disaster, said Rebecca Jordan, executive director for the Red Cross of Central SC. “We never know when or where the next disaster will strike but we do know that the Red Cross will be there with care, comfort and hope.”

Disaster Responder Bootcamp

Wednesday, March 29, 2017
9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
American Red Cross of Central SC
2751 Bull Street, Columbia, S.C. 29201

Register: erin.tyler@redcross.org or 803-540-1242

Due to the limited number of spots available for the Disaster Responder Bootcamp, pre-registration is required.

For people interested in volunteering with the Red Cross but unable to attend the bootcamp, visit redcross.org/SC to learn more about the many volunteer opportunities and how to submit a volunteer application. 

Volunteers make up more than 90 percent of the Red Cross workforce. These volunteers represent a variety of backgrounds and receive free training. Volunteers with the Red Cross can set flexible schedules in volunteer positions that appeal to their specific skills or interests. To learn more about volunteering, visit redcross.org/southcarolina.