Blog | Delaware Behavioral and Emotional Support Team (DE BEST)

IMPORTANT VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: SERVDE 6.0 Is Here! Important Information About the New Volunteer System Launching October 16

Oct 8, 2025 by RespondDE Admin

ALL DE BEST volunteers must access their new SERVDE profile. SERVDE 6.0 Is Here! Important Information About the New Volunteer System Launching October 16 is contained.

FREE! CPR Courses - Registration Link

Sep 23, 2025 by RespondDE Admin

Link for different CPR courses. DE BEST volunteers are required to maintain CPR certification. Please consider attending a training soon! Here's a link to review upcoming sessions by Beebe Healthcare

Psychological First Aid (PFA) for Children Quick Reference

Aug 1, 2025 by Celeste Peart

Learn how to recognize trauma and grief in children and youth, and how to provide age-appropriate Psychological First Aid (PFA) during and after a crisis. This quick reference includes signs, support strategies, and critical contact resources. Adapted from National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN.org)

DE BEST Deployment Ready & Coffee Meetings Recap — July 2025

Jul 24, 2025 by Celeste Peart

In July 2025, DE BEST leadership and volunteers gathered across New Castle, Dover, and Lewes for a series of Deployment Ready & Coffee sessions. These meetings strengthened team connections, shared deployment experiences, and prepared volunteers for upcoming initiatives - including a collaborative Table Top Exercise with Nemours. Discover the key highlights, staffing updates, and next steps that will keep our volunteer corps ready and confident for future challenges.

Committee Meeting Minutes: May 2025

May 31, 2025 by Skylar Washington

This report summarizes the key discussions and updates from the May 2025 DE BEST Committee Meeting. Highlights include volunteer introductions, recent deployment activities, progress on upcoming training exercises, and staffing changes. The meeting reinforced team collaboration and preparedness as we continue to build a resilient volunteer network dedicated to behavioral and emotional support during emergencies.

April 2025 Preparedness & Self Care Tips

Apr 18, 2025 by Skylar Washington

The Preparedness Theme for April is Severe Weather Safety. See information below on why Financial Preparedness is included in this safety plan. When preparing for tornadoes, floods, and thunder/lightning often times in a traumatic event we must rely on finances to recover. Creating a financial plan can aid in security, safety, and less stress.

Committee Meeting Minutes: March 2025

Mar 31, 2025 by Skylar Washington

This was a brief Committee Meeting due to scheduling and cancellations. A special thank you to, Committee Board Lead, Anthony Policastro and Co-Chair, Jim Deel. We are so grateful for the dedication and support you bring to our team. DE BEST Committee meetings are meant for member discussion and feedback about program activities and suggestions for growth. If you were unable to make the meeting and have suggestions, questions, or concerns please reach out to Celeste or Skylar at DEBESTVolunteers@gmail.com

Spring and Flood Safety

Mar 20, 2025 by Skylar Washington

Happy Spring DE BEST Team! We are excited to enter the spring season and you will soon see an increase in outreach opportunities. Please check out some helpful tips for the Spring Season and Flood Safety.

Committee Meeting Minutes: January 2025

Jan 31, 2025 by Skylar Washington

This was the first Committee Meeting of the year and we are so grateful for the dedication and support you bring to our team. DE BEST Committee meetings are meant for member discussion and feedback about program activities and suggestions for growth. If you were unable to make the meeting and have suggestions, questions, or concerns please reach out to Celeste or Skylar at DEBESTVolunteers@gmail.com

Quarterly Meeting Minutes, January 2025

Jan 13, 2025 by Skylar Washington

Check out the January Quarterly Meeting overview and Minutes. We focused on our progress this quarter and had a excellent PFA Refresher/Team Building Exercise by Celeste Peart. We concluded with upcoming outreach/training reminders. Thank you again to everyone that joined in! Happy New Year Everyone!

Committee Meeting Minutes: November 2024

Nov 30, 2024 by Skylar Washington

Happy Holidays to our DE BEST Team! This was the last Committee Meeting of the year and we are so grateful for the dedication and support you bring to our team. DE BEST Committee meetings are meant for member discussion and feedback about program activities and suggestions for growth. If you were unable to make the meeting and have suggestions, questions, or concerns please reach out to Celeste or Skylar at DEBESTVolunteers@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays from the DE BEST Staff

Nov 28, 2024 by DE BEST Admin

This Thanksgiving, We're Thankful for Our Volunteers. Please see below a special thank you message to our beloved DE BEST Volunteers. We appreciate you all!