The Iowa Great Lakes Chapter
of the
American Red Cross
needs your help!

Have you ever wanted to help others out but did not know how you were going to do it?  Winter is the time of year when the Red Cross responds to more house fires. The Iowa Great Lakes Chapter responds to those needing immediate assistance after a personal disaster such as a residential fire with services such as food, clothing and shelter.

We are looking for volunteers in our five county area to join our Disaster Assistance Team and help those in times of disaster.

There are many ways to Volunteer

DAT (Disaster Assist Team) Member:
The DAT members are volunteers who respond to local disasters such as fires, tornados, or floods. DAT members are dedicated volunteers who are willing to be called out any time of the day to assist families that have been devastated by disaster. Team members are being sought in Emmet, Palo Alto and Kossuth Counties. Please contact the Iowa Great Lakes Chapter at (712) 262-1574 or 1-888-292-1574 and join the Team. Training will be provided. Click Here for the “Introduction to Disaster Services” video


DSHR (Disaster Services Human Resources) Member:
DSHR members are volunteers who wish to respond on a larger scale. Our DSHR members are called out to assist with disasters across the country (including U.S territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam). DSHR members give up weeks of their time to assist with the recovery from disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Specific jobs include healthcare personnel, ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) driver, and help at shelters and mass care. If you think this is for you, Please contact the chapter.

We Depend on Volunteers

Volunteers constitute 96 percent of our total work force to carry on our humanitarian work:

• Every year the Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 disasters—including approximately 150 home fires every day.
• About 11 million Americans turn to us to learn first aid, CPR, swimming, and other health and safety skills. Last year, more than 158,000 people volunteered to teach those courses.
• Half the nation's blood supply— six million pints annually—is collected by more than 155,000 Red Cross volunteers .
• Among our emergency services for the men and women of the armed forces is the delivery of urgent family messages—around the clock and around the globe.
• More than 30,900 volunteers serve as chairs, members of boards of directors, or on advisory boards for local Red Cross units - chapters, Blood Services regions, and military stations.
• As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Red Cross reconnects more than 8,000 families separated by conflicts and disasters around the world through international tracking services and Red Cross messages.

Whatever time you can give, whatever skills and talents you have, The Iowa Great Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross has a place for you.

For more information please call the office at:
(712) 262-1574 or Toll Free (888) 292-1574
The office email is: arcigl@smunet.net
Or stop by at: Gateway North, 1900 North Grand Avenue, Spencer, Iowa.