Members of the Three Angels Church in St. Joseph recently joined with Kansas City area churches for a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) exercise.
The purpose was to demonstrate what takes place at a MARC in the event of a disaster. A tornado event was simulated, and community members role played various individuals impacted by the disaster. National and local agencies participated, including The Salvation Army and American Red Cross, and Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACSDR) was also present.
In Missouri, ACSDR has been asked to help with a very important role: Crisis Care Ambassadors. This role entails assisting clients through each part of the MARC. They greet clients, help with the check-in process, and guide them through the various stations, ensuring the client receives all the assistance available to them.
For the volunteers from St. Joseph, this was their first such exercise. It helped our volunteers understand the valuable service ambassadors provide in the event of a real disaster and created opportunities to build relationships with area agencies and members of the community. Especially exciting was the positive feedback from local and state agencies about Adventist Community Services and our role in helping with disaster relief.
