As the country watches and waits for BP to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, frustration mounts. If you have the time and energy there are ways to become part of the solution. Volunteer opportunities are available in Florida. Go to Volunteer Floridato become active in the process of protecting Florida’s beaches and coastal wildlife.
There has been a tremendous response from Floridians who have volunteered already. According to Volunteer Florida, as of Monday, June 28, 3,250 volunteers have served 19,467 hours on oil spill response activities.
When you register with Volunteer Florida you will be contacted via e-mail to acknowledge your registration. You will also be updated every week or two with the current need for volunteers. Unfortunately, you may not be offered the opportunity to help right away. The Volunteer Florida site emphasizes this point – “Please understand, registering does not mean that you will be deployed to volunteer. You will be contacted only if the need arises. Local volunteers will be contacted first.”
By monitoring the Deepwater Horizon Responsesite you will get up to date information about other ways to become involved on the progress of the clean-up. The Florida Department of Environmental Protectionis posting daily updates about what is happening and how to become involved also.
Because of the unknown possible health issues associated with handling the oil and the complex nature of the problem, volunteers will not be engaging in activities involving coming in contact with oil-contaminated materials.
Volunteer Florida has announced a conference call with The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service to which everyone is invited. Here are the specific details:
DATE AND TIME: Thursday, July 8, 2010, 8:00 a.m. – until all Committee business is complete
PLACE: Conference Call: 1(888)808-6959, Passcode: 1918015#
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED:
Committee meetings as follows:
9:00 a.m. Volunteer Service
10:00 a.m. Finance
11:00 a.m. Communications
1:00 p.m. Grants/AmeriCorps
2:00 p.m. Legislative
3:00 p.m. Disability Outreach
4:00 p.m. Emergency Management
5:00 p.m. Executive
No one knows when this will end or what the eventual consequences will be. The impact on Florida will be measured for years to come. It’s clear that BP is not going to be able to handle this mess by themselves. If you want to become involved consider volunteering today.
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