Advisory Board Member from Edmonton Volunteers During Wildfire Recovery Efforts

Robert Baldauf has a long history of volunteering with The Salvation Army. He has been the chair of the Calgary Advisory Board for many years, and after recently relocating to Edmonton, he has become a member of the board there as well.

While in Edmonton, Robert was interested in becoming a volunteer for Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) and completed the necessary training. Shortly after the wildfires in Jasper led to the complete evacuation of the town on July 22, he received the call to assist with the EDS response and was deployed as a cook. He was responsible for preparing hot healthy meals, sandwiches, and snacks for evacuees, workers, staff, and volunteers.

It was an opportunity for the long-time advisory board member to witness Salvation Army officers, staff, and volunteers in action, and observe the opportunities and the challenges involved in an EDS response.

“Our advisory board members have always been very engaged and ‘hands-on’.”

“When I heard Robert had volunteered and been deployed, I was excited that a member of the board was able to make the time to support and serve in this way,” says Major Al Hoeft, divisional secretary for public relations. “Our advisory board members have always been very engaged and ‘hands-on’, but this is another level, and hopefully it inspires other members to explore volunteer options with us.”

The Salvation Army’s Prairies & Northern Territories Division was proud to serve during the emergency response in Jasper this past July. The EDS team was on site for over 2,900 hours and served over 10,870 meals.