Every day, there's a call for help. Be the answer.
When you see the faces of disaster survivors, or hear about the state of the current recovery effort in the Gulf States, it hits you: That could be my family or my house that was destroyed. It's natural to want to do something for them. Now a new service, www.HelpInDisaster.org, can help you direct your energies where they'll do the most good. There are opportunities everywhere, both in the Gulf States to right here in your own community. The service will help you to connect quickly and efficiently with the volunteer opportunity that matches your interests, abilities and schedule.
All you have to do is register on www.HelpInDisaster.org. There's space to indicate your skills, levels of expertise, schedule and availability to travel. Their system will then perform a computerized match of your details with the opportunities available within volunteer organizations, which will contact you with details about their services and the volunteer role they have to offer you. Since your profile maintains your anonymity, these organizations won't have access to your identity or any of your personal information until you choose to reveal it. Your profile is stored securely, and you can update it at any time.
The majority of any disaster recovery effort (80 percent) is conducted by local nonprofits that rely on volunteer manpower. The recovery effort from Katrina and Rita might not be first-page news, but the nonprofits providing services in the Gulf States are still working hard and need volunteers now more than ever.
Sign up today at HelpinDisas ter.org. The site is powered by 1-800-Volunteer.org, so you can also use the site to find year-round volunteer opportunities at home as well.
Organizations around the country are using the same system to invite volunteers to serve locally based on their skills, interests and availability.
HelpinDisaster.org is a service of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, the Lead Agency in managing unaffiliated volunteers during disaster, and a member of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to engaging more people and resources more effectively in volunteer service to help solve serious social problems.
To learn more, visit the Web site at www.HelpinDisaster.org. With your help, we can all work to get the communities in Gulf States back up on their feet, and ensure that families who live there have the help they need.
With the help of the Internet, volunteers are helping the Gulf States rebuild. |
|
