0509 Newsletter

May 2009 Volume 1, Issue 9

American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, 441 East 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202

Staffing Volunteers Participate in Disaster Simulation

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n April 16th, the Greater Indianapolis Staffing volunteers participated in a table top exercise which simulated a large tornado touchdown in both Morgan and Johnson Counties. The exercise tested the knowledge and skills of the volunteers and challenged the Staffing Group to make decisions to be able to deliver staffing services in support of the operation during the first three days of the disaster. The exercise required the group to be aware of what resources were available to them both internally and externally and how to access them. Volunteers and staff participating in the exericse were: Adam Ansari, Kate Ayers, Kadi Best, Mary Clifford, Rhonda Denzio, Pat Griffin, Vicki Ingersoll, Peg Mercer, Cindi Moon, Suzan Osborne, Lance Ratliff, Cindy Schroeder, Lydia Smiley, and Debbie Taylor.

www.redcross-indy.org

317-684-1441

Greetings from the FBCI Corner… By

Jillian Luttrell

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his month, we would like to welcome Mount Pleasant Christian Church into the FBCI family! MPCC has been serving the community for 125 years. In 2008, it opened the Community Life Center, which offers adult and youth fitness, wellness classes, and family recreation opportunities. 16 members of MPCC met at the Community Life Center on April 22 & 29 to learn about the role of the Red Cross in disaster relief and also how to open and operate a Red Cross shelter. This group of people will be our first Action Team in Johnson County! They have made the commitment to be the “first responders” if Mount Pleasant Community Life Center were ever needed as a shelter. We are very excited about this new partnership and give a hearty Thank You to MPCC!

Curél Shares the Gift of Caring with the Red Cross

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he Curél® Skincare team is supporting the Red Cross mission with a $250,000 donation. In addition, if you visit the Curél website and share the gift of caring with a friend, Curél will dedicate a $1 donation, up to $10,000 total, to the Red Cross to honor that friend. You can also vote on where Curél sends the additional $10,000 donation – the International Response Fund, Service to the Armed Forces, or the Disaster Relief Fund. Share the gift of caring today! Also look for co-branded bottles of original formula lotion in stores this spring.

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Safe Food Handling Training Available Free to Red Cross Disaster Workers by Debbie Taylor

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isaster Services has contracted with FoodHandler, Inc. to ensure that all our workers who handle food will know the basics of food safety. The Basic Food Safety self-study course will provide the necessary foundation in subjects such as personal hygiene, times and temperatures, and cross-contamination. This easy-to-use, online training takes about 60 minutes to complete and includes a 20-question quiz at the end. Participants who successfully complete the quiz with a score of 70 percent or better can print out a completion certificate for their records. The course is available in both English and Spanish and can be accessed through CrossNet or by sending an email to safe food handling.

Disaster Action Team Training By Teresa Cummings

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f you are interested in helping your neighbors after house fires and other local emergencies, then this opportunity is for you! The Disaster Action Team (DAT) training is comprised of the classes listed below.

Some of you have taken some of the necessary classes, but still have more to do. Others are only just beginning the process. As luck would have it, we have all the necessary classes scheduled for May, so you have the opportunity to complete your training and become an active American Red Cross volunteer by the end of May. All disaster Services classes are free, but you’ll need to register. You can sign up for these and other classes at www.indyredcrosstraining.org. Note: the classes drop off the website three days before the class date, so if the class you seek is not there, it’s not too late. Just call or email Teresa Cummings at 684-4327, [email protected]. The classes are held here at the Chapter, 441 E 10th St, Indianapolis. Please call if you need directions, since none of the online mapping services understand our intersection and all of them get it wrong. You will need: Fulfilling Our Mission. Tues May 5th, at 6 PM Mass Care Overview. Thurs May 7th, at 6 PM Client Casework. Tues and Thurs nights, May 19 & 21st, 6 PM, and you need to attend both nights. Shelter Operations and Shelter Simulation. May 11th & 13th, 6-10 PM both nights. DAT Orientation class, Wed May 27th at 5:30 PM. You must have completed all the prerequisite classes to attend the DAT Orientation. The Disaster Assessment Basics class is also required, but may be completed within the first year of becoming an active DAT volunteer. Thank you for your interest in volunteering for the American Red Cross!

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Volunteer Spotlight: Rhonda Denzio by Adam Ansari

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his month we decided to focus on a volunteer who performs most of her work behind the scenes. She is an intricate piece to the Disaster Volunteer Management Team while also participating on the Staff Services Team and a Johnson County DAT Team. Her name is Rhonda Denzio and I am so lucky to be sitting down with her today to ask her a few questions. Rhonda has been volunteering with the Red Cross for over five years now and has been a wonderful asset to our volunteer team. Rhonda has helped participate in disaster relief efforts in Katrina, Hurricane Ike, and was a huge help during the floods of 2008. I hope that you learn more about Rhonda from this article and are encouraged in your own Red Cross service.

ES: What is your favorite book/movie? Rhonda: Well, my favorite book is the Bible. Every time I read it I am able to learn something that I previously hadn’t known or understood. Movies, I guess I like dumb movies like Forrest Gump and Grease. ES: Those aren’t dumb movies. Forrest Gump is one of my all-time favorites also. What do you wish other people knew about the Red Cross? Rhonda: I think there are a lot of instances where people do not understand the full role of the Red Cross. There are so many caring individuals that are associated with the Red Cross and if people knew that, I think they would be better helped during times of disaster.

ES: So, how did you first get involved with the Red Cross? Rhonda: Several years ago I was part of Lowe’s community outreach program, Lowe’s Heroes. The program was partnered up with the Red Cross and I began volunteering out of Perry Township. We would help install and replace batteries for smoke detectors in lower income neighborhoods. After that, I continued to volunteer with the Red Cross and haven’t looked back since.

ES: What do you like most about volunteering? Rhonda: I like the feeling of being able to help people. It is a great feeling when you can walk away from something and leave it better than when you got there.

ES: What is your most memorable experience at the Red Cross? Rhonda: The floods of last year were probably the most memorable for me. The morning the floods started to really crest I received a call from Beverly in Johnson County asking if I could come into the office. The Johnson County Red Cross had just begun to set up a series of shelters for clients and needed someone to man the office. When I arrived at the office I began to realize the extent of the damage. Water was rising within the building, the phone was ringing off the hook, and I actually had to wade out into the water to get supplies to and from the ERV. Everything was pretty hectic that day and the next several days, but it also made it interesting.

ES: What might your fellow Red Cross volunteers be surprised to know about you? Rhonda: Um… I am a licensed cosmetologist, so I could give them a pretty cool haircut. I could also hook them up with a pretty good stock broker. Oh, I run a lot. I’ve ran the minimarathon here in Indianapolis for the past ten years.

ES: Wow that is dedication to be able to consistently run long distances for that many years. Alright, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Rhonda: I would totally go to Italy. My husband is Italian so I would want to go there for him, but also just the history and heritage factor would be so interesting to see. I think I would want to visit Israel too. I would love to see the land of Christ, to see the places where he lived and walked.

ES: If you could give one piece of advice to new volunteers, what would it be? Rhonda: Be flexible. Don’t be afraid to try new things. There are so many different opportunities and people do not realize all the different facets of the organization. Wherever your interests may lie you can probably find something that you will enjoy. Thank you, Rhonda, for your dedication and excellent service to the Red Cross.

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New Law to Enable More to Serve Red Cross Life-Saving Mission (portion of article from www.redcross.org)

Congress. “Because of this legislation, millions of Americans at all stages of their lives will have new opportunities to serve their country. From improving service learning in schools to creating an army of 250,000 Corps members a year dedicated to addressing our nation's toughest problems. From connecting Monday, April 20, 2009 — The American Red Cross and AmeriCorps both provide people an opportunity to serve their working Americans to a variety of part-time service opportunicommunities and the nation, and scores of AmeriCorps mem- ties to better utilizing the skills and experience of our retirees bers work for the Red Cross and help the organization fulfill its and baby boomers.” mission. The president also made a call to service: “I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communiThose opportunities will be increased by a new federal law. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, expected to ties, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country.” be signed into law by President Obama this week, expands opportunities for people wanting to become engaged in community service. The legislation will authorize 13,000 addiThe American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis currently has tional AmeriCorps positions in 2010 from the current level of one Americorps State member and five Americorps*VISTA 75,000, with a dramatic expansion to 250,000 positions by members. 2017. Americorps*VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) member Adam Ansari has been working with the Red Cross for a “AmeriCorps has been of great value to many Red Cross oflittle less than five months now. During that time, he has been fices across the country,” observes American Red Cross Presiintricately involved with the Disaster Volunteer Management dent and CEO Gail McGovern. “The Red Cross relies on nearly 500,000 volunteers to perform extraordinary acts in the Team (DVMT), which oversees and evaluates all disaster activities within Emergency Services. He has also been involved face of emergencies, so we are particularly pleased that the on the Staff Services Team. Serve America Act will authorize additional AmeriCorps Bipartisan Serve America Act will expand AmeriCorps and promises to enhance American Red Cross service delivery in every corner of the nation.

members. AmeriCorps members working for the Red Cross help communities in so many ways—responding to national disasters, supporting our military communities, teaching lifesaving courses and recruiting new volunteers to serve.” Red Cross Support for the Serve America Act The Serve America Act provides for a nationwide Call to Service campaign, with emergency preparedness and disaster response also integral parts of the legislation. The Act directs the agency responsible for the AmeriCorps program, the Corporation for National and Community Service, to engage in outreach activities to bolster the public awareness of national service opportunities, including engaging AmeriCorps alumni organizations and a reserve corps of former national service participants trained in disaster response. Once signed into law by the President, the legislation will encourage citizen service in emergencies or disasters. The American Red Cross joined 412 non-profits in actively supporting passage and full funding of the Serve America Act. “It is absolutely crucial that the nation invest in service, social innovation, and the non-profit sector,” the non-profits wrote in a joint letter. “The Act will strengthen the non-profit sector, empowering it to respond to rising needs in communities across the nation.” “This legislation will usher in a new era of service in America,” President Obama said when the bill was approved by

As an Americorps*VISTA, Kate Ayers is involved in various volunteer management projects. Kate has been focusing on building the Disaster Action Team and organizing the overall volunteer program in Madison County. She is also developing our chapter’s spontaneous volunteer plan and serves as a DVMT member. Americorps*VISTA member Katie Burkhardt is serving as our chapter’s volunteer coordinator, and is currently very involved in Emergency Services and the DVMT. Katie has standardized the overall chapter’s volunteer intake and interview process and has created a volunteer handbook for ARCGI. She also coordinates groups of volunteer and special projects, such as Holiday Mail for Heroes. Jonathon Cook is serving ARCGI as an Americorps State member. Jonathon’s major tasks are to assist with daily casework (both Disaster Casework and Service to Armed Forces Casework) and developing the Disaster Training Schedule. He is also an active member of the Hendricks County DAT team, Shelter Manager Team, and the DVMT. Justin Gray and Jillian Luttrell are Americorps*VISTAs who are developing and coordinating a program at the Red Cross called the Faith-Based Community Initiative. The FBCI is designed to build stronger relationships between the Red Cross and faith agencies in the Greater Indianapolis area by engaging them in disaster response. Jillian and Justin partner with faith-based organizations and train a group of their members in Red Cross shelter operations so that this “Action Team” will be ready to open and operate their facility as a Red Cross shelter during a disaster.

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Interested in Disaster Services Technology (DST)? DST Mission Statement: Response Technology will provide technical solutions and services to the National Disaster Operations Center, Disaster Relief Operations, Service Areas, and Chapters. This is accomplished by providing technical guidance and support within our areas of concentration, Networking and Computers and Communications, while rendering excellent customer service. DST activity is split in to 4 areas of support. Communications (RCM) Install COMM equipment (radios, repeaters, hard lines, cell phones, IP phones, sat phones, etc.), provide ECRV operation support , repair and maintain COMM equipment in Red Cross vehicles, and act as a radio operator and liaison to the Amateur Radio groups supporting affected area. Using design by RNT, install wired infrastructure (to support computers, IP phones, hard lines, etc.). Network Operations (RNT)

nected/disconnected environments (computers, printer, network hook-up, application support, etc). Manage deployed servers, e-mail and user accounts, and system administration support. Customer Service (RCS) Serves in a Resource Management role. Receive and inventory all DSTT equipment, personnel management of activity, check out and receive equipment to DRO staff, and provide single point of contact for user support issues on a DRO (handles the DSTT help desk, routes and tracks support issues, directs support issues, and provides user orientations). Disaster Services Technology offers basic, instructor-led online workshops to introduce the technology deployed on disaster relief operations. There are five workshops in the Disaster Services Technology 101 (DST 101) series: Disaster Services Technology Overview Workshop 4/30/2009 8 PM-10 PM Customer Service Workshop - 5/7/2009 8 PM-10 PM Networking Workshop - 5/14/2009 8 PM-10 PM

Computer Operations Workshop - 5/21/2009 8 PM-10 PM Design and install wireless infrastructure (to support computer, IP phones, hard lines, and VSAT systems), provide net Communications Workshop - 5/28/2009 8 PM-10 PM ops troubleshooting, monitor network traffic, and maintain network security. Technology Information Management System workshop – 5/27/2009 7 PM-10 PM Computer Operations (RCO)

To register for the DST classes, send an e-mail with your name, DSHR number, chapter code, chapter city/ Install and support computer workstations and network applications in both fixed connected/disconnected and mobile con- state, personal address, phone number, course code, and date to [email protected] by the day before the class.

Volunteer Dispatcher Needed

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he Transportation Department is seeking a volunteer dispatcher. This is a part-time position, 4 hours/day (typically 9 AM-1 PM), up to 5 days/week. While training will be provided regarding use of the transportation scheduling software, some computer skills are necessary. Candidates must also possess strong people skills, telephone etiquette, and knowledge of the city of Indianapolis. Duties include dispatching volunteer drivers via radio, imparting general information to clients, intake of appointments from medical facilities, and entering intakes into scheduler software. Anyone interested in this position should contact either Katie Burkhardt at extension 346 or Terri Held at extension 338.

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Red Cross Links and Resources Be Red Cross Ready! Learn the three steps to be prepared for emergencies. http://www.redcross-indy.org/BRCR/Default.aspx Learn more about the Disaster Courses available from ARC of Greater Indianapolis. https://www.indyredcrosstraining.org/Classes/Group.aspx?GID=8 Check out the Red Cross Store. http://www.redcrossstore.org/

For information about emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, visit: Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs (FEMA) http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/pfd_all.pdf Interactive Map of Disability & Emergency Preparedness Resources http://www.nod.org/EPIResources/interactive_map.html Employers' Guide to Including Employees with Disabilities in Emergency Evacuation Plans http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/emergency.html

American Red Cross Volunteer Survey Emergency Services volunteers with e-mail addresses should have received a Volunteer Survey Invitation on April 20th. If you have completed the survey, the department thanks you and hopes you found your discount to the Red Cross Store useful. For any volunteers who haven’t had the opportunity to complete the survey or did not receive an invitation directly please take a look at the invitation below and complete the survey as soon as possible. Remember, this survey is for our volunteers only. If you are a staff member or not a volunteer we thank you for your interest but this survey is for volunteers.

American Red Cross Volunteer Survey Invitation The Emergency Services Department at the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis is interested in learning about your experience volunteering with us. We invite you to go to the following website: www.redcross.org/ surveys/capss/volunteer to participate in an evaluation of your experience. Your feedback is appreciated as it will help us improve the quality of our volunteer experience.

In Question #1, please use the following Survey Code to complete this survey: 14164 Please answer the following question in the “Local Chapter Question” box at the end of the survey: Did you have any problems completing this survey? As an expression of our appreciation for your time, we would like to offer you a special discount at our Red Cross online store. Details on this discount will be available at the end of the survey. THANK YOU! The Emergency Service Department of the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis

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Madison County DAT News

New Shelter Manager in Henry County

By Kate Ayers

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he Madison County Disaster Action Team has GROWN!

Fourteen new volunteers have joined the team. Pamela Beeler, Gina Bronnenberg, Cheryl Carter, Vera (Simon) Davis, Casey Grant, Mark Hosier, Sue Houseton (Messer), Gary McCaslin, Judy McFadden, Diana Ockomon, Skip Ockomon, Mary Swinford, Eula Townsend, and Bradley Warner completed training in April. Welcome to all of you! Thanks to these new volunteers, we will have more people to cover evenings, days, and weekend shifts. In fact, Casey Grant has already gained some experience when she helped fellow daytime DAT Bev Graddy on a fire last month. In other news, our very own Vera Simon became Vera Davis on April 20. Congratulations on your marriage, Vera!

By Kelly Sare

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enry County would like to welcome Karen Burke as a new shelter manager for the American Red Cross. Karen has been volunteering for the ARC in Henry county since October of 2008. Thank you for your service, Karen!

ARCGI Emergency Services Newsletter Published by our Emergency Services Volunteer Newsletter Team Jenny Davidson and ES Staff

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