Volunteer organizations, Washington Commission
for National and Commumity Service, Citizen Corps
and CERT, American Red Cross

In times of disaster the citizens of Washington State are asked to embrace the personal responsibility to be prepared; to get training in first aid and emergency skills; and to volunteer to support local emergency responders, disaster relief, and community safety.

Major disasters stretch county resources to their limits. It is estimated that regular emergency services will be unable to respond to most calls during the first 72 hours following a major disaster, such as a severe earthquake. Recent events have also taught us that individuals are the first line of defense when it comes to our nation’s homeland security. It’s time to get to know our neighbors and make our hometowns secure. If individuals and their neighborhoods are prepared to mutually assist each other, lives can be saved, property can be spared, and emergency services can be freed to respond to the most devastated areas.

The USA Freedom Corps was created to encourage Americans to answer the call to serve a cause greater than themselves. By matching willing volunteers with opportunities in their communities, the USA Freedom Corps brings Americans together to mentor children, assist the elderly, clean up neighborhoods, and perform countless acts of generosity. The USA Freedom Corps has helped support national service programs such as AmeriCorps, Citizen Corps, Peace Corps, and Senior Corps. Through programs like these, volunteers all across the country bring comfort and kindness to people at home and abroad.

Through the USA Freedom Corps website at volunteer.gov, all Americans can find ways to serve in our country's armies of compassion. By answering the universal call to help a neighbor, individual Americans can transform towns and cities into more caring communities and neighborhoods and make America a better place.

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