Mar 17, 2011 10:33 AM
What a great opportunity for us—the Indian Community in Middle Tennessee—to get together and promote volunteerism and display a sense of loyalty and responsibility in making Middle Tennessee the most prepared and the safest place in the country.
What an opportunity to be a part of one of the greatest humanitarian organizations, the American Red Cross! (ARC)
Yes! We can and we should form the Indian Community Red Cross Club (ICRCC), and we should train, empower, and prepare our community with life-saving training from the American Red Cross. When we come together for a common cause, we become part of something bigger than all of us!
Why the American Red Cross?
The American Red Cross is where people mobilize to help their neighbors—down the street, across the country, and around the world—when the unexpected or the unimaginable happens. The ARC’s mission is to provide relief for the victims of disasters and help people prepare for and respond to emergencies ranging from house fires and winter storms to the regional or national devastation resulting from hurricanes, earthquakes, and other catastrophic events.
The Red Cross is a non-profit organization funded by private donations, not by the government. It operates under the following fundamental principles of service: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Volunteerism, Unity, and Universality.
All of us, depending on age, physical health, and professional background, can find fitting opportunities to be proud Red Cross volunteers. Let’s help by translating our personal mission of compassion into active community service.
“Red Cross Ready” training will help us handle emergencies in the home, at work, in our places of worship, in our schools, and just about any other place some of the most common emergencies occur. Red Cross training prepares people to practice and teach house fire safety, first aid and choking prevention, and the correct methods of administering CPR or using automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
All emergencies are just that: emergencies. By definition, an emergency does not allow time to think things through, time to plan and execute the best response. When we must act immediately, good emergency training means effective and appropriate action from volunteer responders and better outcomes for victims.
Training and Service Opportunities
Some of the numerous opportunities available at the Red Cross are listed below. You may engage in relatively simple activities and training or take advanced classes and assume more responsibility, depending on your interests and the amount of time you have to devote to the cause. The services below are roughly arranged in three categories according to the volunteer’s level of available time and choice of commitment.
I)
Learn fire safety for your own home.
Prepare a family disaster plan for other disasters such as tornado's, floods, and lightning strikes.
Train for medical emergencies including first-aid, CPR/AED, and helping choking victims.
Become a member of a Disaster Action Team (DAT); members are on call 24 hours a day and help victims of house fires.
Be a blood donor.
Help families of men and women in the armed services contact their loved ones.
Take life-saving swimming classes, including lifeguard training.
Train for pet emergencies.
Take babysitting classes.
Volunteer in the Vision and Hearing Program for Metro Schools.
II) Take a basic orientation class to “Join the 10,000.” This class provides an overview
of the Red Cross and how it functions and prepares you to move on to future disaster training.
III) Become a disaster service human resources (DSHR) volunteer with additional special training in one or several of the following eight divisions:
Individual Client Service (CLS), which includes health services and mental health care.
Mass Care (MS)
Partners Service (PS)
Information Management Support Services (IMS)
Material Support Services (MSS)
Staff Services
Organization Support (OS)
IV) Be an instructor for any of several courses such as “Join the 10,000,” CPR/AED, DSHR, or Metro Middle School Disaster Preparedness Classes.
V) Investigate the opportunity to be a Red Cross Board Member or to be a paid staff member.
Being a volunteer can lift your spirits and actually improve physical health. You may find enjoyment and networking opportunities working with other volunteers and clients, and, on a more practical note, volunteering improves your resume.
Finally, you will enhance your standing in the Indian Community and be respected and admired by all of us.
Membership in the Indian Community Red Cross Club is open to all Indians, and non-Indians are welcomed. There are no membership dues. The only requirement is that you take at least one training class and attend at least two meetings per year. Though open to people from 18 to 85 years old, we are hoping that young adults, 18 to 35, will participate actively. We feel that this group has a wealth of knowledge; they have good ideas and have excellent communication skills. Also, they will be our future leaders, and all of us will benefit from their involvement.
We are looking for 8 to 10 members who will work as an Advisory Committee to help in organizing and streamlining the process. Please contact me at pwasudev@aol.com or call me at home, 615-376-5160, or on my cell, 615-210-2319, if you are interested in working as an advisor. We will be meeting every other month.
