The Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center is seeking volunteers through Friday to help staff its 24-hour crisis hotline and provide support to survivors in the area.

BRCC volunteers are available around the clock to offer basic crisis counseling to survivors as well as meeting them in person to provide personal support and help if they are seeking help in filing police reports or leaving a dangerous situation.

According to BRCC volunteer coordinator Alexandria Sehon, the only requirements for people looking to volunteer are that they be older than 20 and take part in a 40-hour training program.

“About half of that training is in a classroom,” Sehon said. “The other half is sort of homework.”

The training teaches volunteers how to appropriately reach out in a compassionate way and communicate with survivors who may be in crisis. The second half of the training includes learning about the resources available to survivors that they may request, such as talking to law enforcement, speaking to a counselor or leaving an abusive living situation.

In Clark County, classes will be at George Rogers Clark High School and Clark Regional Medical Center. Sehon said the deadline to register for training is Friday.

Training dates are 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 4, 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 17 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 18.

Sehon said once training is complete, volunteers are asked to be available between 20 and 30 hours a week. Some of that time may be used answering calls to the hotline, or being on call in case someone in the area needs help.

Sehon said statewide, BRCC responds to about 1,000 calls on the hotline per year.

To register for training, contact Sehon at 859-253-2615 or alexandria.sehon@bluegrassrapecrisis,org.