| |
Become a Partner
Organizations We Serve
See Us in Action!
Get Volunteers!
Find Help for Your Organization
Find Pro-Bono Consultants
Upgrade Your Facilities
Strengthen Your Board
Get Emergency Response Help
Find Tutors and Mentors
Post a Volunteer Classified Ad
In-Kind Resources
Volunteer Coordinator's Council
Volunteer Management Training Board Governance Training
Issue Education and Advocacy
Support Greater DC Cares!
|
Greater DC Cares can connect your organization with volunteers who will help you respond as part of the region’s first line of defense during natural or man-made disasters.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Program. The goal of our Emergency Preparedness and Response Program is to provide nonprofits involved in disaster response with volunteers who have been trained in proper procedures and techniques.
We want volunteers to be able to help in the most effective way possible and to not hinder emergency response personnel. So we urge potential emergency volunteers to “Sign Up, Don’t Show Up.”
When do we help? Greater DC Cares and its volunteers respond to emergencies or disasters when the District government or our nonprofit partners ask for assistance.
We also have agreements with volunteer centers throughout the region that call on us during emergencies in their areas. When that happens, we recruit from our volunteer pool to help meet those needs.
What do we do? Greater DC Cares can help nonprofits:
Read about our successes. We’ve had occasion to put our emergency response and preparedness program into effect, and we’re proud of the results. We’ve been able to mobilize thousands of volunteers who provided important services during these difficult times. Read about how we were able to make a difference during the 9/11 crisis and the Hurricane Katrina response.
Become a partner! If your organization is not currently a Greater DC Cares’ nonprofit partner, we invite you to become one so you can take advantage of all our services and have access to our Emergency Response volunteers. Sign up NOW for an orientation to get the process started!
For More Information
E-mail or call 202-777-4443. We’re here to help!
What do we do?
- Prepare for an emergency. Greater DC Cares helps recruit and connect volunteers to disaster preparedness and response trainings and other efforts run by our nonprofit partners, such as the Red Cross’s Disaster Action Teams (DAT) and Serve DC’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
[top]
- Respond to an emergency. Greater DC Cares takes on several roles during emergencies. We:
- Work with local emergency preparedness and response organizations and agencies to identify volunteer-appropriate needs.
- Fill those needs by mobilizing our pre-registered EPR volunteers.
- Manage “spontaneous” volunteers — individuals not already associated with a recognized disaster response agency — who show up on site through our volunteer mobilization center and our satellite intake/registration facilities at emergency sites.
[top]
- Create emergency response plans. To help your organization prepare for an emergency, Greater DC Cares works with you to create regional and local emergency response plans and ensure that they include volunteers.
[top]
- Provide volunteers through our Virtual Intake System during emergencies. During a disaster, Greater DC Cares’ Web site switches over to a virtual intake system for volunteers. This system enables us to streamline the intake of volunteers, so you can use their services in the most efficient and effective way possible. Through the site, we let them know when and where to volunteer, and when it’s actually better to stay away from the emergency so they don’t hamper your efforts.
[top]
- Help untrained volunteers. For individuals who haven’t gone through training or connected with a disaster response agency but want to help, Greater DC Cares helps them find effective ways to provide support during an emergency.
[top]
- Work with partner organizations. Greater DC Cares works with a large number of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups and individual volunteers, both in preparation for and in response to emergencies. Our partner organizations include:
- Serve DC
- DC Emergency Management Agency
- American Red Cross of the National Capital Area
- Medical Reserve Corps
- Metropolitan Police Department
- DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services
- DC Neighborhood Corps
- DC Citizen Corps Council
- DC Emergency Health and Medical Services Administration (EHMSA)
[top]
|
|
