For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD — United Way is looking for individuals to join the Volunteer Reception Center Response Team for the north Wood County area.

When natural disasters occur, people often come from all over to offer their time and skills to help rebuild communities affected by the devastation. With people’s diverse levels of skills and ability, sometimes there is confusion as to how and in what ways volunteers can help.

A Volunteer Reception Center screens and organizes volunteers during this time to keep communities safe and to maximize the productivity of the individuals offering to help.

Marshfield Area United Way will be facilitating a two-part training series on April 18 and April 25 for individuals interested in becoming part of the response team for the northern part of Wood County. Both of the training dates will offer sessions at 12 p.m. or 5 p.m.

The training session on April 18 will be in a classroom setting as the how and why of a Volunteer Reception Center will be explained. The April 25 training session will be a hands-on exercise where volunteers are given a scenario, and a Volunteer Reception Center will need to be established within a certain amount of time.

Meals will be provided during the training sessions on April 18, and snacks will be provided at the sessions on April 25. Register for the training by calling 715-384-9992 or by sending an email to [email protected]. For more information, call Marshfield Area United Way or visit marshfieldareaunitedway.org.

Current members of the Volunteer Reception Center team for northern Wood County are strongly encouraged to attend both training sessions but are only required to attend the hands-on exercise.