SHEBOYGAN, WI – In partnership with Sheboygan County Emergency Management and Sheboygan County Division of Public Health, United Way of Sheboygan County’s Volunteer Center will be conducting a Disaster Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) Training on September 25th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The event will be held at the Sheboygan County Health and Human Services building at 1011 North 8th Street in Sheboygan. Dinner will be provided.

 

During a disaster, there are two types of volunteers: spontaneous and affiliated. Affiliated volunteers have a relationship with a volunteer organization, such as American Red Cross, and have been trained and vetted. Spontaneous volunteers are unaffiliated and may not be trained, but may still have skills, energy and compassion to share after a disaster.

 

In the event of a disaster, any spontaneous volunteers who arrive at a disaster scene will be directed to the VRC, where they will fill out an application, be interviewed and screened, matched with a disaster volunteer opportunity, trained and fitted with a wristband before being sent back out to the disaster scene. The VRC is staffed by another group of volunteers. We are currently recruiting volunteers to join our VRC team.

 

The VRC training will consist of a lecture, where we will be discussing what happens during a disaster, what we do at the VRC and why it is important. The second half of the training will be a hands-on exercise. At the conclusion of the training, each participant will be asked to join the VRC team. Each VRC volunteer fills out an application, is screened, and asked to attend future trainings. VRC volunteers are also asked to be available in the event of a disaster.

To register for the training, please visit https://volunteersheboygan.galaxydigital.com/event/, and click on “Volunteer Reception Center Training”. Registration closes on September 18th. For more information, please contact Tom Malmstadt, United Way of Sheboygan County Executive Director at 920-458-3425 or tom@uwofsc.org