The veteran-led disaster relief nonprofit that’s celebrating its 16th year of serving communities and survivors around the globe is launching an elite new youthful unit designed to double its volunteer—or Greyshirt—base. On April 1, 2026, the Team Rubicon RubiTots Response Corps opens to the general public and begins training toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years to serve as heavy equipment operators, sawyers, and incident commanders in disaster zones around the world.
A first wave of tiny Greyshirts enrolled in Team Rubicon’s RubiTots earlier this year. Those GreyTots have already completed TR101, as well as Core Ops, where they focused on debris management, muck-outs, and expedient home repair.
“Their height, with them being so low to the ground, and wealth of experience picking things up and putting them down makes these toddlers an incredible asset to the volunteer corps,” said Deputy Director of Mission Support, Traci Rankin. “We’ve never seen a cohort so adept at tearing things apart. I can’t wait to get them into the roofing program.”
According to Jacob “Junior” Nilz, who heads up advanced skills training for Team Rubicon, onboarding the Greyshirts at such a young age is expected to have a huge impact on existing programs.
“It’s as if we’re giving them a second language—like sawyer talk—while they’re still mastering the first well,” Junior said. “As long as we can get them to pull the sleds we use to haul debris, not try to ride in them, this is going to be incredible.”
Launching the RubiTots Response Corps wasn’t without some bumps, like working around nap time. For Team Rubicon, it was an exceptional learning opportunity.
“Greyshirts regularly work in austere environments,” explained Vice President of Operations, Mike Watkins. “We learned early on that every RubiTots Go Bag needs to include a special blankie that can be thrown down at a disaster site for impromptu naps.”
In addition to those blankets, Team Rubicon has developed a specialized line of PPE, including deployment-ready bibs, toddler hard hats, and safety vests in sizes 18–months to 5T.
Toddlers and their families aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the new program. Veteran-led Team Rubicon gets a serious boost from the new toddler-teers. Not only are the instructors leading RubiTots training getting a whole new kind of workout, but disaster relief has never had so much youthful energy.
The Team Rubicon RubiTots Response Corps isn’t only open to the children of existing Greyshirts. Anyone looking to train their tot for disaster relief and recovery work can sign up for the new training events in Roll Call, now.
