West Virginia VOAD Conference

10/9/2024 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of North Kanawha Valley and Teays Valley was pleased to sponsor the 2024 WV VOAD conference.

"Throughout our history of natural disasters, West Virginians have learned to be resilient. Perhaps our friendly nature makes partnering during times of great difficulty so easy for West Virginians- Mountaineers are never afraid to lend a hand." -Adola Miller, Executive Director WV VOAD

These words ring so true! When we were asked to be a sponsor and have an exhibit at the West Virginia VOAD Conference that ran September 24th thru September 25th this year we were a little hesitant. At first, we wondered if we really belonged there.

The back story is this: WV VOAD is an acronym for West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. WV VOAD collaborates with local, regional, and national partners to coordinate disaster relief, response, and recovery efforts in times of disaster. Find more at their website here https://www.wvvoad.org/about-us.

So why would an entity such as SERVPRO of North Kanawha Valley and Teays Valley team up with a non-profit like WV VOAD?........ ; bottom line; PEOPLE.

SERVPRO®, WV VOAD, along with their partners are all about helping people recover from disasters. Some families do not have the resources, or physical capabilities to restore their property on their own after a disaster. This is where these non-profit organizations come into play. They can facilitate relief in many ways; one would be pairing people up with other agencies that can perform task like temporary housing, medical assistance, bridge building, counseling, and countless other services: services someone like SERVPRO does not offer.

Through the years we have worked around agencies like WV VOAD during disasters, but we may not have fully understood what all services they offered. During the conference we were able to network with various relief agency personnel and hear firsthand how they were able to meet people’s needs during some very tragic and trying times. Now, when we see a need for a service that we do not offer we know who to call to get these families the assistance they so desperately need. We now understand better how to help and steer our customers in the right direction thus helping in all facets of recovery.

SERVPRO of North Kanawha Valley has a rich history of supporting our communities by giving of our time, talents and finances to those in need over our 34 years of existence and this conference has confirmed to us that we need to continue to support agencies like WV VOAD so we can all share in helping our fellow humans during their time of need.

If you would like to learn more about how you can help, and what services are offered at WV VOAD please visit the resource section of their website by following this link  https://www.wvvoad.org/resource-center