Sevice as a Strategy: Wisconsin's Emergency Volunteer Initiative

Jul 23, 2008 Posted by rgoodwin

Over the past few months central Wisconsin has received record rainfall, resulting in enormous floods destroying homes, businesses and entire towns.  Because of this rain Lake Delton, located in the tourist destination of the Wisconsin Dells, essentially exploded.  The dam at Lake Delton held so well, that it forced the rising waters out, through a roadway destroying many homes and  spewing its more than 600 million gallons of water into the neighboring Wisconsin River.  What had once been Lake Delton is now nothing more than puddles and mud, Lake Delton no longer exists.  There are plans to rebuild the lake, but for now the businesses that relied on the lake for tourism and visitors must find other ways to survive the summer.

Within this disaster a movement of volunteerism was found, Wisconsin’s Emergency Volunteer Initiative.  WeVolunteer worked within the aftermath of the flooding to provide shelters, food, cleaning supplies, safety patrols and counseling help.  WeVolunteer is an organization that was formed across the state of Wisconsin to integrate all volunteer organizations into emergency response plans.  Volunteer groups and individuals are trained in emergency response scenarios, so that should a disaster like Lake Delton occur, volunteers can provide aid to professional first responders and other citizens.

WeVolunteer has established an online registry of volunteer organizations from which municipalities or other agencies including the American Red Cross needing emergency volunteers can find contact information.  WeVolunteer is hoping to ensure that all volunteers are placed with an organization that fits their skills, helping both the volunteer and the coordinating organization.

WeVolunteer is evidence of the need for service and volunteerism.  Service can act not only as a way for citizens to get involved in their communities, but also can provide solutions to many problems facing society today.  What if there had been some sort of WeVolunteer response program in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?  The possible solutions provided by national service are endless.  As citizens we need to change our perspective on service from one in which it is viewed as a duty, to one in which it as viewed as a solution, as a strategy.

Read more

Wisconsin, National Service, WeVolunteer (all tags)

ServeNext In Action

Recent Tags

Blogroll

• National Service Express Tour '08
• 
• Social Citizens
• 
• Change Wire
• 
• America Forward
•