February 8, 2011

ELGIN, IL – Children's Disaster Services is offering two volunteer workshops in March, one in southern California, and one in Indiana.

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.

A workshop on March 5-6 will be held in La Verne, Calif., at La Verne Church of the Brethren (2425 E St.). The local coordinator is Kathy Benson, 909-593-4868. Cost for attending the workshop is $45 (going up to $55 after Feb. 25).

A workshop on March 18-19 will be held in Goshen, Ind., at Goshen City Church of the Brethren (203 N. 5th St.). Local coordinators are John Sternberg 574-612-2130, and Betty Kurtz 574-533-1884. Cost for attending the workshop is $45 (going up to $55 after Feb. 12).

Volunteers with Children's Disaster Services 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 spent some 12,000 hours caring for thousands of children affected by flooding and ice storms in the Midwest, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, a Metrolink train accident in southern California, and California wildfires. 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 this workshop can be beneficial to anyone working with children. The workshop trains participants to understand and respond to children who have experienced a disaster, recognize fears and other emotions children experience during and following a disaster, and learn how child-led play and art mediums can start the healing process. Participants will experience a simulated shelter, sleep on cots, and eat simple meals. Once training is completed, participants have the opportunity to become a certified volunteer by providing personal references and a criminal and sexual offender background check. Although many volunteers are motivated by faith, the workshop is open to anyone over 18 years of age.

The Children's Disaster Services office may be contacted at cds@brethren.org or 800-451-4407 ext. 5. Go to 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.

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service