Today I am so excited to be sharing a bit about Child Life Disaster Relief (CLDR), a nonprofit organization created in 2016 by Katie Nees and Lindsey Murphy. Since it's inception, CLDR has grown in both size and recognition which has helped to further their mission:
To empower and support children and families in crises by integrating child life professionals’ services into impacted communities. Through individualized direct services, community outreach, education, and research, Child Life Disaster Relief mitigates the effects of traumatic events on children and families.
This organization thrives on volunteerism, of which they currently have a network of over 1,400 child life specialist and student volunteers. CLDR deploys trained volunteers to support children after natural and man-created disasters. Child Life Disaster Relief is comprised of a network of global and local volunteers that can be called upon when disaster happens to provide coping support to children.
There is an ever growing need for this type of support, so CLDR has partnered with Children's Disaster Services for training and support for responders prior to deployment. They are also connected with Camp Noah, an organization that runs camps for kids whom were effected by disaster. Opportunities for services through CLDR happen at the local, national, and international level.
You can become a member of Child Life Disaster Relief by completing their free membership form. This volunteerism is for both Certified Child Life Specialists and students. CLDR sends out information regarding potential deployments as well as times and locations for training through Children's Disaster Services.
I had the great opportunity to complete this training during the fall of last year and have since provided support during the recent virtual deployment to support children during the Covid-19 pandemic. This organization takes the tools we have as child life specialists and turns them into an active positive movement in the lives of children whose environment has been impacted by disaster.
This organization has not only grown my personal understanding of disaster and trauma, but has also connected me with other child life professionals that I otherwise would never have had the fortune to work with. Volunteerism is how many of us in the child life world got our start in this career field, so it feels really good to get involved in volunteering again through an organization that is led and founded by Certified Child Life Specialists. This is and organization that knows the strength of child life and the difference that child life specialists can have when working with children.
If you have interest in learning more about Child Life Disaster Relief, I encourage you to visit their website at https://cldisasterrelief.org and see how you can get involved.
-K
