Helping out with no expectations of payment or a return of the favor. Simply the giving of yourself for the sake of giving; for the sake of helping your neighbors, your community, or even a total stranger. That is a simple definition of a volunteer. But this definition does not even begin to scratch the surface of what it means to be a volunteer. Volunteers are made up of all types of people from all types of backgrounds, career fields, education levels, and belief systems. No matter what one does for a living, there is a type of volunteer position available - whether it be emergency medical assistance, providing food, water, and clothing, rebuilding a community after a disaster, or simply taking the time to collect donations for various charities. All it takes to volunteer is a little time, effort, and a good heart. The rewards will mean more than any paycheck ever will.

So where do volunteer organizations have to do with emergency management? Volunteer groups provide materials and man power both in disasters and when all is well. Volunteer organizations help communities prepare for disaster by raising money, collecting materials, such as food, water, clothing, and other materials of daily living, stockpiling medical materials such as first aid kits and blood products. They may also contribute to a community's safety by dispatching neighborhood watch groups, volunteer firemen, policemen, other volunteer emergency medical services. When disasters occur, a volunteer group provides their stockpile of supplies and their man power to the cause at hand. They may participate in tasks such as search and rescue, passing out supplies and food to victims, fellow volunteers, and emergency workers, establishing order to a community, or assisting in community rebuilding efforts to name a few. But whether in times of peace and quiet, or catastrophe and chaos, volunteers are vital to the survival of the United States.

But how does one become a volunteer? The obvious answer would be to find someone in need, and...help them. Offer to shovel an elderly neighbor's driveway, or get their groceries, join a community cleanup program, or offer to help out at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Beyond these simple selfless acts, there are various groups that allow one to become more involved with volunteer work on a more organized level. Several such organizations include Citizen Corps, Freedom Corps, Americorps, The Red Cross, and The Salvation Army (all listed below with links to their web sites). These are just a few of the organizations out there in which people can become involved in to volunteer. They all offer tasks that vary in degree of involvement, task difficulty, required training, and distance traveled. The hard part is choosing the right one for you.



 











To contribute the name of a volunteer organization, please E-mail the web master at links@emaresources.com