Youth Corps makes a difference on Quantico and beyond

Members of the Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross Youth Corps’ have had a busy summer, as they logged volunteer time throughout the county and on Quantico Marine Corps base.
“You name it, I had kids basically everywhere on the base,” explained Youth Services Coordinator Brian Shaw.
On Quantico, volunteers could be found at the Naval Health Clinic, marina, pool, stables, golf course, public affairs office, provost marshal’s office and child development center. In all, they logged 2,000 hours of volunteer time on the base from June to now.
“It’s a huge thing,” said Shaw. “They didn’t start volunteering until June.”
Some of the volunteers have already headed back to the classroom, said Shaw, who added that not all military dependents live on Quantico. Many of the teen volunteers who spent time on the base this summer rode in with their parents, who work on Quantico.
The Prince William American Red Cross Youth Corps plan and provide needed services to groups and individuals in Prince William County, Manassas, Manassas Park and Quantico, continued Shaw.
“These are life skills they are learning, time management, responsibility, having to check in with a supervisor, all those work skills you’re going to use in the real world they’re learning as volunteers and it helps you prepare for life,” he said.
Volunteers age 14 and above can be trained to work at blood drives, where they greet and register donors and pass out snacks. Volunteers age 16 and above can be trained to be health and safety instructor assistants, while volunteers age 17 and above can be trained to teach the Red Cross Babysitting Course.
Volunteers age 16 and above with they’re own transportation can be trained to be junior disaster volunteers and are given instruction in how to set up a shelter. They also learn how to assist with mass care and mobile feeding. They are also trained to accompany adult volunteers on local disasters.
“We have volunteers that started out as youth volunteers at other chapters that have come to work in our disaster services,” noted Shaw. “That’s our whole intent, to start them out at a young age in volunteering and as they become adults keep them interested in volunteering and giving back to the community.”
Shaw said it takes a lot of coordination to keep the program running. Before the volunteers were sent out to the various locations on Quantico, Shaw met with the site supervisors and held an orientation session for participants where they received the identification badges and filled out necessary paperwork.
“There’s a lot of coordination that goes into it. Once they get going, the site supervisors run the show,” he said.
Off the base, the Youth Corps visits area nursing homes once a month, where the volunteers participate in different activities that all residents can take part in. Most recently, the group held a root beer social for the residents of Emertius in Manassas, said Shaw.
An application to join can be downloaded by clicking on the Youth Corps link at the chapter’s Web site at pwarc.org.