Countywide : Red Cross Flooded With Volunteers

The American Red Cross, which sent more than 1,200 volunteers to Laguna Beach to help victims of the recent fire, has been swamped with calls from people who want to learn how they can help.

More than 1,500 people have offered to aid the Red Cross since the Oct. 27 wildfires, said spokeswoman Kara Lakkees.

“But there’s a misconception that you can just show up at a volunteer center and start working,” Lakkees said. “We prefer to have our volunteers trained.”

A special class will be offered tonight at the Red Cross Service Center in Laguna Beach, and another will be offered Friday at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa to orient potential volunteers.

The classes will introduce people to Red Cross disaster services and also prepare them to help in other areas, such as health care.

Volunteers in Laguna Beach have distributed food, managed emergency shelters and helped assess the damage caused by the fire. The Red Cross is now helping people get clothing and other basic items.

Volunteer orientation classes are normally held at the Santa Ana headquarters, but Lakkees said a class will be held in Laguna Beach to accommodate the large number of people there who want to volunteer.

The Orange Coast College class was set up by Brad Lazarus, who worked for the Red Cross to help people evacuate Laguna Beach during the fire.

He also helped later at relief centers.

Lazarus, who plans to be a doctor, said he asked other students in his 350-person anatomy and physiology class at Orange Coast to volunteer.

In addition, he got his professor to offer a small extra credit for taking the Red Cross class and more than 150 students volunteered, he said.

“I think it’s something that really hit home,” said Lazarus, explaining that many of his classmates live in beach communities where ashes fell from the Laguna inferno.

To attend either class, call the Red Cross at (714) 835-5381, Ext. 140.