The Power Of Volunteerism 

Voluntary Agency Liaison Profile: Elizabeth Stover

Release Date: April 18, 2007
Release Number: 1604-538

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. -- Elizabeth Stover embodies the kind of bright-eyed, unabashed enthusiasm that is infectious. Quiet strength, intelligence and most noticeably, a passion for her work radiates from her as she speaks about the plight of hurricane survivors and what drove her to the Gulf Coast.

Stover grew up with three siblings far from the Gulf Coast in Ottobine, Va., a few hours southwest of the nation's capital. After graduating from Ball State University, she became an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer and was sent to Bayou LaBatre, Ala., in the aftermath of Katrina. She figured while she couldn't make a financial contribution to the recovery effort, she could give something more - her time. Stover describes VISTA as a "domestic version of the Peace Corps" with the primary goal to eliminate poverty.

"The VISTA system also gives recent graduates a fabulous opportunity to get involved in the community," said Stover. "Volunteers get experience; corporations can fill their positions. It's a great payoff."

Stover completed her work in Alabama and became a volunteer for the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service (MCVS) and lived in the Pass Christian tent city. She made a decision to leave the VISTA program when she met a Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL) for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He suggested she transfer to FEMA rather than leave the recovery effort completely.

"I've been able to work three levels of service: at the local level with Volunteers of America Southeast, at the state level with MCVS and the federal level with FEMA as a VAL," said Stover. "I feel fortunate. Especially as a VAL, I need to be able to understand all three interests. I've had the opportunity to do that."

Stover's unique outlook on the recovery effort, the plight of survivors, and even her role, wasn't fully realized until she recalled her mother's words around the family dinner table the night before she left for Bayou LaBatre. 

"My mother told me I didn't fully understand the perspective I was about to gain. And she was right. It took everything I believed in life, everything I thought I knew and turned it on its belly. It made me re-examine everything - what I was doing with my life, where I was going. It allows you to look at life in its most basic form. It's so fleeting."

Stover participated in a new partnership between AmeriCorps and the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee that was implemented following Katrina. The partnership used unconventional thinking that allowed traditional volunteer organizations to harness the vigor of young volunteers and accomplish more for response and relief efforts. She and two other Mississippi VALs are attending the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) Conference in New Mexico where she will give a presentation entitled "The Energy of Youth and Long Term Recovery." The presentation examines the effectiveness of the new venture.

"Elizabeth has been an excellent VAL to our organization," said Mary Ellen Calvert, board member of the Harrison County Long Term Recovery Coalition. "She is diligent in keeping us informed with FEMA information, grant opportunities and other valuable information. Her advice and counsel have been on-target and timely. Elizabeth is what a FEMA VAL should be."

While her energy seems boundless, Stover admits she gets tired like anyone else. After sitting in countless meetings with long term recovery committees to find money, manpower and materials to make a difference in the lives of so many, her resolve wavers - but only for a moment. 

"Every time I think I want to walk away I'm reminded of a story I heard about someone who held onto a tree for eight hours during the storm. His hands got ripped up and he had to keep ripping his shirt and wrapping the shredded pieces of fabric around his hands because they were bloody from holding on to the tree so tightly. He lost everything but he's still going on and he's still rebuilding. He's still moving, so can I."

She continues to move and enthusiastically notes, so do volunteers in Mississippi. Despite an unprecedented disaster and less-than-ideal situations, Stover says volunteers, especially within youth service programs, are not signing up for one tour of duty. They're accepting permanent staff positions. Stover attributes this amazing shift in support to the power of service.

"People are coming back. It speaks to the perspective volunteering gives. They're coming back and doing it for humanity," said Stover. "Change in humans means change in thoughts not just in actions. Any foundation we can establish now will help us in the future. Youth especially are learning the lessons - maybe before the next disaster. That's a huge blessing."

Currently, Stover works with the Harrison County Long Term Coalition. In her spare time, she volunteers with Hands On Southwest Alabama to help with their youth volunteer group. If all volunteers match Stover's zeal, it's no wonder the Gulf Coast owes a significant part of their recovery to volunteers like her.

"I'm an idealist junkie. People say no one person can change the world. But I completely disagree. I absolutely, unequivocally believe one person can change another person's life. We're all intricately woven."

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 18-Apr-2007 14:54:13