Colorado VOAD Subcommittes
These committees are not tied to a particular disaster, but instead focus on their subject matter throughout the year to create guidance documents, best practices, and other resources for the VOAD membership and the general public. You can find some of those resources here.
- Who are the stakeholders? Establishing the formal subcommittee
- Assess information needs
- What impact data/information is available and where can it be found? How is ti currently tracked?
- Establish process for collecting and sharing information
- Annual Impact Reporting and Sharing
- Is this process working – how is information sharing assisting response efforts from local, state, and federal levels? (Proof of concept)
Committee Chair: Mike Acres, American Red Cross
Committee Members: TBD
Committee Mission and Details: Committee Presentation Slides
The Disaster Spiritual Care Committee mission is to foster emotional and spiritual care to people affected by disaster in cooperation with national, state and local response organizations and VOADs. COVOAD DSCC accomplishes its mission in several ways:
- Embracing the unique contribution of various mental health disciplines and faith-based groups.
- Identify specific issues of emotional and spiritual needs as a significant component of disaster response.
- Educate state and local VOADs and non-affiliated partners about emotional and spiritual needs in disasters.
- Promote best practices, standards and models to provide effective emotional and spiritual care.
Committee Chair: TBD
Committee Members: Adventist Community Services Disaster Response, American Red Cross, Colorado Baptist Disaster Relief, International Orthodox Christian Charities, Lutheran Family Services, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, The Salvation Army, United Methodist Committee on Relief
The Disaster Spiritual Care Committee’s mission is to foster emotional and spiritual care to people affected by disaster in cooperation with state and local response organizations and VOAD organizations. The idea for a ‘COVOAD Emotional & Spiritual Care (ESC) Committee’ was conceived in the summer of 2013 after disaster responses highlighted the need and desire for disaster spiritual care providers (2012 fires, 2013 fires & 2013 flood). At the same time, the statewide disaster behavioral health response network, the Colorado Crisis Education & Response Network (CoCERN) expressed a desire to complement behavioral health response with a spiritual care response cadre to address often unmet spiritual care needs. The COVOAD DSC accomplishes its mission in several ways:
Embracing the unique contribution of various mental health disciplines and faith-based groups.
Identify specific issues of emotional and spiritual needs as a significant component of disaster response.
Educate state and local VOADs and non-affiliated partners about emotional and spiritual needs in disasters.
Promote best practices, standards, and models to provide effective emotional and spiritual care.
All COVOAD faith-based member organizations adhere to National VOAD’s Disaster Spiritual Care Guidelines.
- Establishing a coordinated and aligned collective approach to in-kind and monetary donations as well as volunteer managment plans across members and partners before the disaster occurs
- In partnership & guided by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) Plans, MOU’s, and direction
- Leads regular meetings to ensure alignment across membership and response efforts in coordinaiton with government entities during the disaster
- Creates, maintains, or shares neccesary SOP’s, MOU’s, trainings and more to set the standard for donation and volunteer mangment best practices
- Social media updates
- Website updates
- Captures photos of COVOAD members and partners at events, during response efforts, in action throughout the year!
- Manages all social madia accoutns and updates (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)