We want YOU to volunteer

Being part of the American Red Cross means that we need to help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.  At this point in time, the southern states recently ravaged by tornadoes and flooding are in a state of emergency. 

Early estimates have shown more than 13,000 homes across the six states have been destroyed or damaged, which means many of those inhabitants have nowhere to go.  This is why the American Red Cross is launching a massive recovery operation and has already deployed over 4,500 Red Cross staff and volunteers, 3 of which come from this Chapter.  They’re helping to provide food, shelter, emotional support and relief items to those affected by the devastation. 

It’s clear that as this operation continues to unfold, we are going to need more volunteers to help with recovery.  We welcome everyone to volunteer, but at this time we’re in a specific need for medical and mental health professionals to donate their time and talents.  Because of this, we’re offering training for new volunteers next week that would allow them to be eligible for deployment as early as Sunday, May 15^th**, and Red Cross volunteers will also be eligible to respond to disasters here in Western New York.    

**Deployment is dependent on the completion and acceptance of all background checks and paperwork.

Upcoming training schedule for medical professionals only:

Disaster Health Services Training

When: Thursday, May 12th, 11am-2pm

Where: American Red Cross, 786 Delaware Ave, Buffalo

Contact: Mary Walls at 878.2140

Disaster Mental Health Training

When: Thursday, May 12th, 6pm-9pm,

Where: American Red Cross, 786 Delaware Ave, Buffalo

Contact: Mary Walls at 878.2140

Upcoming training schedule for all volunteers:

Disaster Services Overview/Shelter Operations Training

When: Saturday, May 14th, 9am-3pm

Where: American Red Cross, 2079 Sawyer Dr, Niagara Falls

Contact: Mary Walls at 878.2140

For more training opportunities, please contact Mary Walls at 878.2140 or wallsma@usa.redcross.org, view our Disaster Training schedule online, or visit our website to learn more about what other volunteer opportunities we have available.

Don’t currently have time to volunteer? Make a donation to help with the relief efforts, learn more by visiting us online.