Help Wood County Prepare for Disaster By Learning How To Staff a Volunteer Reception Center-Wisconsin Rapids

For Immediate Release – February 7, 2018

Contact: Angela Loucks Volunteer Center Director, 715-421-0390

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI – In partnership with Wood County Emergency Management, United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s Volunteer Center will be conducting a Disaster Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) Training on March 6 and 8, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm both nights.  The event will be held at the Rudolph Town Hall, 6432 2^nd Ave., Rudolph.  Dinner will be provided. 

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. 

Day one of our VRC training will consist of lecture, where we will be discussing what happens during a disaster, what we do at the VRC and why it is important.  Day two will be a hands-on exercise.  At the conclusion of the training, each participant will be asked to join the VRC team and attend future trainings as well as be available in the event of real disaster.

To register for the training or for more information, please contact Angie Loucks, Volunteer Center Director at 715-421-0390 or angie@uwiw.org.  The deadline to register is March 1, 2018.  Space is limited to 30 participants.

About United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s Volunteer Center

The Volunteer Center is a clearing house for requests for volunteers and volunteer opportunities.  An online database of volunteer opportunities is available at www.volunteerinnerwisc.org.  Volunteer opportunities are announced every Wednesday morning on WFHR; and can be viewed on Wisconsin Rapids Community Media.  The Volunteer Center works on several initiatives such as Day of Caring, Stuff the School Bus, Homeless Point in Time (PIT) Count, and the Disaster Volunteer Reception Center. 

The Volunteer Center is a program of United Way of Inner Wisconsin.  Its mission is to mobilize and inspire people to utilize their talents to enhance our community.