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.

“Working in a shelter, you are able to help people during what could be one of the most stressful times of their lives,” says Red Cross volunteer Jim Jamieson. “By being trained to help in a shelter, you could positively impact the life of someone in your own community.”

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 Louise Welch Williams, CEO for the Palmetto SC Region of the Red Cross. “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

Saturday, July 1, 2017
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
American Red Cross
1601-A West Lucas St., Florence, S.C. 29501

Register: Herdie.mathews@redcross.org or 843-945-3034

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/volunteer 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.