BBERT group to present training info

Students from Byron-Bergen's Emergency Response Team (BBERT) have been invited to present information about their project at the Mid-Hudson Serving Learning Institute near Rhinecliff, NY on March 16. Jim Eick, Kristin Glazier, Brendan Lougheed and Elizabeth Nagel will represent BBERT at the two-day event which draws hundreds of students from across New York state. All expenses related to their travel are paid through a Learn and Serve America grant.

Their presentation will cover the planning of the H.E.R.O. (Helping out in Emergencies, Reaching out to Others) Project, the leadership training of twenty-one team captains, recruitment of team members, and specialized training for volunteers in grades 7-12 in seven different areas pertaining to staffing an American Red Cross emergency shelter.

Over eighty students have been involved directly in BBERT since its inception last October. At least 300 students in the middle and high schools will have been exposed to the opportunities for community service that the project offers before the end of the 2003-2004 school year.

Students are working closely with adult trainers in first aid, CPR and AED, childcare, food preparation, elder care, reception responsibilities, communication skills, and logistics of operating an emergency shelter. All of the new skills they are acquiring transfer to real world applications and offer meaningful service to their community.