Dallas BBers---can you help?

[little_bopeep]

I belong to a bulletin board group for parents of Bipolar children, and one of the directors of that group sent the following email out to the members. If anyone in the Dallas area is able to help, please email Amy Sosa at amy.sosa@verizon.net, or PM me for more info:


I need volunteers in Dallas NOW. If I do not get volunteers - children will be possibly unattended and in dangerous and unacceptable conditions in the Convention Center.

I have been contacted just now and we HAVE to get as many volunteers together that are available tomorrow and days forward to work with the children in the Convention Center/Reunion Arena. We have Lost Children and those that are with others in the shelters that need to be in a structured child care setting. There has been near to nothing for these children and if I do not get volunteers to work with these children -- they will be left to wander the shelters with no structure and no therapeutic services. They are not safe.

I need volunteers than can work different shifts from 8 am to 9 pm. Just tell me what you can do and I'll make it work. I have to have names and commitments to how much time you can offer to get everyone on a list to get in. I need this NOW to get everyone on a list to get in to work with the children.

Email me ASAP. Tell everyone that you know that we have to have help. These children and babies will be left out in the general population in the shelter if we do not do something. The POWERS THAT BE are not concerned about it. We have to do this.

I cannot relay some of the things that I have been told about what is going on there in the shelters. I will only say that it is life threatening. Children are going to suffer and we will never be able to change the outcome.

If you volunteer, the CDC is making everyone wear shoe covers if you wear sandals, you will have to wear gloves, sanitation requirements are strict. Children that soil their clothes have to have replacement outfits to replace them because the soiled clothing is thrown away/discarded/destroyed. Games, toys and anything that cannot be decontaminated is discarded after it has been touched. Nothing can be taken in for the babies and other children. They may have a TV and very little else.

Please let me know that you can help. This will likely go on for a while until we can get the child care situation resolved. Only the volunteers can make a difference. Please email me immediately and let me know when you can be there and how long you can commit time.

I am in so much awe by what you have all offered but now we need bodies at the Convention Center in Dallas tomorrow first thing in the morning.


Thank you,
Amy A. Sosa, Principal Consultant
asosa@allaboutachievement.com

Do what you can, for whom you can, with what you have, and where you are. ~Author Unknown~

All About Achievement Consulting
110 W. Sandy Lake Road
Ste 102 - PMB195
Coppell TX 75019

Office - 972-462-9265
Fax - 972-462-1002
Cell - 469-358-7347

I plan on being there all day Sunday, and then I'll work up a schedule with Amy for additional days. Thanks everyone!!!

[gabbyh]

Susan,

How I wished I lived close so I could help out! My heart goes out to these kids...as a former child & adolescent psych nurse, they hold a very special place in my heart.

~Gail

[sage]

Hi.

Lil BoPeep---after you get through with your shift can you post back? I went down last weekend and volunteered---but it appeared that if you were not a RedCross "certified" volunteer they were not letting you work in the convention center/reunion arena.

There was an area near Reunion where they were dropping off clothes and stuff and they had volunteers sorting and folding clothes---but there were no Red Cross people and it was my understanding this was being done by non-Red Cross people. There were a ton of people there last weekend folding clothes, sorting donations, etc. But it did not appear that any of their services were required in the Convention Center/Reunion.

I asked someone that had a Red Cross sticker name badge on if I was able to come back if they needed people in the evenings---they essentially said I could come back and fold clothes at night...no one indicated that there was a need of bodies in the Convention Center or Arena.

So---I'm just trying to figure out what is "real"---do they really need help in there and will they accept help from someone that is not Red Cross certified or with the Salvation Army, etc. I'm just a regular person who is able-bodied and good with kids (IMO). I work in downtown Dallas.

Let us know what you find out about whether they do need more bodies and if they'll take "regular" citizen bodies.

Thanks for volunteering and thanks in advance for any information you can send this way.

-Shannon

[little_bopeep]

Hi, Shannon....thanks for your interest! I have to say that for our "area," we were way over-staffed. Plus, we had an outbreak (1 verified case so far, but that's all it takes) of RSV, so they closed us down. I ask you: Where is a child more safe--A) in a sanitized, well-let, well-staffed area or B) in the general population where germs abound and stressed-out parents abuse their children at night when they think no one will see? So now what they have is 3 diaper-changing areas that they want the moms to use so the diapers can be properly disposed of.

We didn't have to be Red Cross Certified to be on the floor. I suspect that if you went through Red Cross or the Salvation Army, they'd insist on having you educated somehow. But other groups have sent their volunteers in without a problem. If you have a church group or anyone else that is scheduled to have folks there, you can go with them quite easily. But the RC and SA will more than likely only let you sort clothes. :(

[little_bopeep]

Bumping up to send out the request for help again. Here's the email I received on this today:

Today when I was at the shelter, there were much fewer families. The school
age children were for the most part not there but at school. It was
quieter, had a smaller population but there is a sense of uncertainty.
Understandably so!

I should have been more clear in my email last night that even though they
have closed down our childcare areas that we are still needed to wander the
areas and interact with the families and entertain the children. We can
play games with the kids, take them for walks, get them snacks and so much
more. I did not get to meet those of you that may have been there today.
It is hard to connect without our areas as we had designated. We received
help from the Red Cross in that they were asking volunteers to help staff
the diaper changing stations. I was able to walk around and work with some
of the families. We are still having issues with overwhelmed parents and
physical aggression towards the children. I had to ask CPS to intervene and
get someone to give a Mom a break. CPS was very receptive and understand.

I did identify a child today that has begun suffering emotional problems.
She is 7 years old, 1st grader and has begun wetting her pants. In talking
with her Mom, I find that they were in the Superdome and the little girl
witnessed two men having sex and is having nightmares. She is also having
separation anxiety. Understandably. I was able to convince Mom to go with
me to the Pediatric MHMR and talk with them on how they should address this
when the girl got "home" from school. Mom is very educated and understands
the importance of this intervention.

Please if you can continue to come to DCC until that is closed and then we
have work to do at Reunion Arena. At DCC, the best place to meet is at the
diaper changing area that was the baby area next to the food/eating area on
the southwest corner of the shelter. If you are there and cannot get in or
are trying to locate me, give me a call at the cell number below. I am only
able to be there until around 2:15 to 2:30 since I have to pick up my
youngest at school but am always available.

If you are planning on volunteering at DCC in the next few days, please
check with me to make sure you are current on the shelter status and to let
me know what time you will be there. I have appt. with clients on Wednesday
morning and Thursday afternoon and will be hit and miss at the shelter but
available by cell phone.

Thank all of you for all your emails offering to help, taking time away from
your families and jobs and most importantly your support for the efforts we
are providing. If you are there, it has been so wonderful but for those
that have not been able to work directly with the families - the other
things that your are helping with are invaluable. Just to let everyone here
know - we have volunteers doing all kinds of work from all over the US. I
cannot even say how overwhelming the response has been.

I hope that we can continue our volunteer efforts even though they have
taken away our primary intervention with the children by shutting down of
the childcare and baby areas. But now it is more important for us to be
there since there is no structure or support for the families. Hope to see
you there tomorrow and hope that some of you can be there to cover the times
when the rest of us cannot. I am so proud to be involved with everyone of
you. We really have made a huge difference. But this will have to continue
even when the families are placed outside of the shelters. We need to be
there as family liaisons and mentors.

Thank you,
Amy A. Sosa, Principal Consultant
asosa@allaboutachievement.com

Do what you can, for whom you can, with what you have, and where you are.
~Author Unknown~

All About Achievement Consulting
110 W. Sandy Lake Road
Ste 102 - PMB195
Coppell TX 75019

Office - 972-462-9265
Fax - 972-462-1002
Cell - 469-358-7347

Anyone?