Nonprofits Work Together to Stop Disasters within Disasters

As part of an awareness campaign for National Preparedness Month, five local nonprofits have registered to be part of Volunteer New York!’s Virtual Volunteer Reception Center, which is a section of their website that will only turn on in the case of an actual disaster and when there is a need to mobilize spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers.

“Too often a ‘disaster within a disaster’ forms when volunteers want to respond immediately to a crisis, but are not given enough direction about how their time and resources can be most useful. The Virtual Volunteer Reception Center is about helping to better maintain the flow of traffic during a traffic jam, and allowing for those that need help or resources to get exactly what they need as soon as they can get it,” said Jeanette Gisbert, Deputy Executive Director while advocating during a September is National Preparedness Month presentation.

The five nonprofits that have registered and are prepared to be activated if and when a disaster occurs are: The American Red Cross, St. Christopher’s Inc., Therapeutic Equestrian Center, United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s 2-1-1 Helpline, and Friends of Westchester County Parks.

If you’d like to respond or support your community after a disaster occurs, please visit volunteernewyork.org to find the latest emergency response volunteer needs for your area, and access to the Virtual Volunteer Reception Center.

Earlier this year, Volunteer New York had received a generous grant from the Westchester Community Foundation to increase their ability to mobilize spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers after a disaster. The sources of this grant are the Frank E. Wigg Charitable Fund and the Westchester Community Foundation. Volunteer New York! has been working with community organizations and nonprofits to assess their needs during and after a disaster. These needs will be posted online on the Volunteer New York! website, and spontaneous volunteers will be directed to the site to sign up and serve.

“Westchester Community Foundation has bettered our ability to build more resilient communities and direct spontaneous volunteers where they are needed,” said Alisa H. Kesten, Volunteer New York! Executive Director. “Volunteer power is the first lifeline to get switched back on after a disaster, and it is most effective when there is a clear path to finding out what is needed and where.”