Mississippians Band Together in Hurricane Isaac Response
I Want to VolunteerAs federal, state and local officials are working with residents to assess damages and determine specific needs for each area, MCVS, in coordination with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), is assessing volunteer needs and opportunities to support recovery in Mississippi. MCVS and its valued partners are currently registering volunteers and managing financial and goods donations for disaster relief throughout the state.
Please do not try to enter disaster-stricken areas. Individuals and groups without proper credentials will be turned away until Emergency Management officials authorize volunteers for entry.
Isaac was a slow-moving front, affecting much of the Gulf region with heavy flooding and high winds. Response efforts span state lines and organizations: state agencies, Mississippi VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) and South Mississippi VOAD, 
state service commissions throughout the southeast, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Points of Light and its HandsOn Network affiliates, and the countless faith-based and community organizations who lend their skills and time to bring relief to affected areas.
"Disaster relief is a cooperative effort. Federal and state emergency managers are assessing the damage so that organizations and individual volunteers can quickly and effectively respond to the individual needs of affected communities," said Susan Gregersen, MCVS Emergency Operations Manager.
Related Links
This 9/11, Join Mississippians in Acts of Tribute and Remembrance
In observance of the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, MCVS has issued a call to citizens and organizations in Mississippi to join in activities of voluntary tribute, solemn remembrance and charitable service on the September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance.
"In the aftermath of September 11th, we came together as a country to show that we are there for each other," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). "The National Day of Service and Remembrance is an opportunity to rekindle that same sense of compassion for the victims and heroes of that day. Volunteering can be a life-changing experience that reminds each of us of the power we have to help out our neighbors and improve our communities."
See Also: 9/11 Tributes Scheduled Statewide
Wendy Spencer Visits Oxford, Ole Miss Campus
On a tour of southern AmeriCorps program sites, Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), attended the University of Mississippi Service Roundtable. Oxford and Ole Miss are no strangers to civic engagement and volunteering. Spencer said. "There is a great partnership here with volunteerism and national service, and that is something very special. It comes from the heart of this community and that’s why this is such a wonderful town and wonderful community." Continuing, Spencer noted, "What I love about seeing young people in service is that it’s going to create a culture of service activities as they grow with their families, colleagues and friends. You are also fostering future alums who will be involved in the community for decades to come."
September is Preparedness Month
Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count. Visit Ready.gov to prepare your family and community for the next challenge. Text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) to receive monthly preparedness tips. (msg/data rates apply)
Shelter Team Training for DeSoto County Churches
Volunteer Northwest Mississippi is partnering with the Midsouth Red Cross and DeSoto County Emergency Services to train volunteers on how to be a SHELTER TEAM!
This one-day training event is scheduled for Saturday, September 8, at a location yet to be determined. All teams will be trained to assist in sheltering people during times of disaster. This training does not commit your church to becoming a shelter location, but rather teaches a team how to assist in staffing an active shelter.
YouthBuild "Dream Team" Efforts Allow Displaced Homeowner to Return Home After Seven Years
In July, 32 Gulf Coast YouthBuild AmeriCorps members worked long hours to complete a significant housing rehabilitation project for an elderly man with disabilities who had not been able to return to his home since Hurricane Katrina. Program Manager Neisha McElveen said, "They sought no personal incentive; but came together as a dedicated team and completed the project, so that the homeowner and his sister could return to the residence."
Inaugural AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team Leaders Arrive in Vicksburg
The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Southern Region is making history as the first campus to receive and induct the nation’s first AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps. Twenty-one AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team Leaders have been training in Vicksburg and Wiggins since mid-July, and the remaining 219 Corps members will be inducted September 13. The Southern Region campus is maximizing its capacity–400 members annually–by rotating NCCC and FEMA Corps member classes.
Read more: Inaugural AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team Leaders Arrive in Vicksburg
Senior Corps Hosts Virtual Conference
Registration is now open for the Senior Corps 2.0 Virtual Conference, August 14-16. The virtual conference is free and open to the public. highlighting new performance measures for Senior Corps programs – RSVP, Foster Grandparent Program, and Senior Companion Program – providing information to help organizations create effective measures to demonstrate impact in communities.
The conference is open to current directors and sponsor organizations of Senior Corps programs, and to new organizations interested in sponsoring or partnering with Senior Corps programs. All sessions listed on the conference agenda will be available for on-demand viewing shortly after they conclude to accommodate a range of participants from different time zones and with different commitments. These on-demand sessions will be available in the virtual environment to all registrants until November 16, 2012.
Residents prove 'volunteers matter'
Mississippi is known for its generosity. Year after year the state leads the nation in charitable giving per capita. But Mississippians also give generously of their time. Leading the state in this important work is the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service. As the commission's 2011 annual report puts it, "Our mission is to promote service as a way of life." One vehicle for implementing that objective is AmeriCorps. You may have heard of it. It's patterned after the Peace Corps, which places knowledgeable, energetic volunteers in developing countries abroad to assist them with improving their public health, agriculture and education. As Gov. Haley Barbour said in applauding AmeriCorps and the other tireless volunteers who have worked in Mississippi, "Volunteers matter. Period."MCVS Commissioner Richard Conville: "Residents prove 'volunteers matter'"