TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Southwest Indiana chapter of the American Red Cross will host Disaster Action Team (DAT) training in Terre Haute to train volunteers to go from “Zero to Hero.”
“Our DAT team is made up of volunteers who go out to the scene of a home fire or other disaster to help families directly who have been displaced from their homes. There’s no better way to connect to the mission,” Beth Sweeny, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Southwest Chapter said.
Members of the community can become DAT team members during an in-person one-day program. The training is scheduled for November 18 from 9 A.M. until 3 P.M. at the American Red Cross in the Meadows Shopping Center in Terre Haute.
Sweeny said it’s a great way to give back, “If you come to the ‘Zero to Hero’ training you will receive all of the training that you need to become a disaster action team member, right there on that day. There is no better way to connect directly to the mission of the Red Cross which is to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.”
Volunteers have the choice of volunteering in their own community, selecting other nearby counties, or even the opportunity to deploy to other parts of the country, but are required to be on-call for a couple of shifts each month. The choice of shifts and the locations served are up to the individual.
“To be able to respond right here in your own backyard, in your own community, you’re helping those families that you know and love. You also get to help those families here, you can choose which counties you’d like to respond to, but you can also deploy to other parts of the country,” Sweeny said. “We recently just had two Terre Haute volunteers who deployed to Hawaii to help people who were impacted by the wildfires,” Sweeny added.
To register for the training, click here.
