Kiwanis Luncheon Speakers: When the Help Needs Help

They are always the first to run to the trouble.

Responding to Sandy Hook Elementary or Northern Illinois University.  Running into a burning home. Working at the scene of a horrible wreck on the Eisenhower Expressway.

We duly recognize the Emergency First Responders for the heroes they are, but the fact is that they are more than heroes.

They are human.

Maybe it is the memory of a victim’s face that won’t fade away.  Perhaps it is the horror of encountering a child similar in age or traits to their own.   The emotional carnage is often no match for a bullet proof vest, or an oxygen mask.    

Elmhurst Police Commander Dan Terry recently visited the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst to talk about his volunteer work with the Northern Illinois Critical Incident Stress Team (NICIT).

The NICIT is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization made up of trained volunteers from the mental health and emergency professions. Peers from law enforcement, fire service, dispatch, emergency medical services and hospital emergency room staff are all represented on the team.

They provide Emergency Service Professionals (and family members) with support and guidance in the aftermath of critical incident stress.   The support includes on scene defusing, education on the effects of such incidents and signs of trouble, professional referrals much like an employee assistance program might.

Some times, as Commander Terry has often done, it is being that someone that who can just sit and listen to another professional.

To be that person who understands the struggles and the reluctance to share them.  To know that beneath the hero, there is a real person with real feelings and real pain.   A fellow human.

When the help needs help the NICIT, steps in and The Kiwanis Club is very grateful for the time Dan spent with us, and for sharing his passion for helping other professionals.

Commander Terry has been with the Elmhurst Police Department for nineteen years.  He head’s the department’s K-9 unit and Crisis Negotiation team.  Dan and his wife have five kids.

You can learn more about the NICIT and how to support them at http://www.ni-cism.org/index.asp.

If you see him around town, thank Dan for his service to Elmhurst, but be sure to also thank him for his service to his fellow professionals.

The Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst does welcome guests to attend our regular luncheon meeting and speaking events, but we do ask that you contact us ahead of time.  Regular meetings (with speakers)  are held at noon on the first, second and fourth Tuesday each month.  Meetings are held at Francesca’s Amici, 174 N. York.

Upcoming Luncheon Speakers:

 May 14th – Dr. Michael Litow – Making Schools Safe

 May 21st -  Board Meeting, no program scheduled

 May 28th – Jerry Kowalski- Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Gettysburg, with a first hound account from the battle field.

 If you are interested in attending an upcoming meeting as a guest, please e-mail ted.barnhart@barnhartadvisory.com