They hired me!!!! :O :) WHEN: Start tomorrow from 11PM till 7AM WHERE: Belgrade Arena DOING WHAT: I will be helping care for the 500 residents from Obrenovac that are still calling it home.:( PAY: $0.00 an hour! My buddy from the Serbian Red Cross took me to the Belgrade Arena today. This massive arena is still filled with around 450-500 residents from Obrenovac who have no place to go. They have the whole 2nd level exterior hallway packed with mattress after mattress. The head guy walked us around and showed us the whole process. All the seats in the arena are packed with donated clothes, towels, soap, diapers, food, shampoo, etc. They have the kitchen fully staffed and serve breakfast , lunch and dinner for the residents. They can also have water, apples, and smaller snacks throughout the day. They have free wifi, clean showers, lots of bathrooms, and cable tv in many areas. They have a make shift nursery for the infants too. I got to play with one little Roma child that was all smiles. The young kids in the place seem to really be enjoying themselves, while the older ones are just laying around on the beds. They also have an infirmary for the ill residents that shouldnt be among the healthy ones. They are given a medical screening and lice check prior to getting into the arena. The security guards and the leader told me that pictures and video are strictly forbidden in the center. :( We are going to try to get permission for me to make a little video of it tomorrow, but it wont be easy. I really dont know why they wont allow because i was TOTALLY IMPRESSED!! The volunteers are younger high school and college kids that really care and treat the residents with smiles and respect. They keep it clean, hot food, warm showers, and put up with the demands of some of the not so nice residents. ;) Serbian disaster relief organizers get a big A+ from me. The leader said that the problem now is finding enough volunteers to help. They need 30 volunteers for each shift and have about 1/2 of that. They said the first two days this happened around 2000 folks came to volunteer, but now very few stop by. This disaster is FAR FROM OVER!! Check with the relief organizations in your area to see how you can help!
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 19:21:00 +0000