The end of the year brings us many wonderful things to celebrate, but for some of the people we serve, the holidays can be a very difficult time.

We hope that you can continue to share your love with those that need us the most and help them have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
A message from Russ
Merry Christmas!!
Happy Hanukkah!!
Happy Kwanzaa!!
Feliz Navidad!!
 
We are coming to end of 2021 and the Lord continues to bless Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolina! This is the season to be grateful for all that the Lord has given to us during the year. 
Most of all it is important to recognize the incredible work that VOACC is doing to support our regions most vulnerable individuals and families. Because of our work, our impact is wide and deep in our service region.

We are serving in very challenging times where homelessness, poverty, mental illness, substance use, civil unrest, and conflict are prominent in the daily lives of so many. However, through our church without walls and our organization, we are doing as Jesus provided examples of when he walked this earth.

Jesus taught us how to serve all God’s people and meet them wherever they are in life. He taught us to have faith and trust in God who promises to give us all eternal life, peace, joy and a future. Jesus taught us how to serve others in love and kindness….a selfless love that places other’s needs above our own. He taught us equality and inclusivity in a diverse world that continues to be challenged by our enemies.

I am grateful for each of our employees, volunteers, and all members of the VOACC Family this past year for their sacrifices and hard work to care for those in our homes, in our properties and in our communities where we are located. We are serving onearly 12,000 men, women and children every year and they have you to be thankful for fulfilling the mission of VOACC and transforming their lives for the better. Our church without walls has been serving others for over 125 years.

Reflect on this during this Advent Season and know that our co-founders are proud of your service. And thank God for the opportunity to be chosen to serve our region’s most vulnerable people.
 
Most of all, during this Advent Season, spend time resting and enjoying time with your family, friends and those that you love!! You are all are amazing and I am grateful for each and every one of you.
 
May God bless you richly during the Advent Season and into the New Year!!
 
Peace,
Reverend Russ Snyder
President/CEO
End Of Year Giving
Right now, thousands of our neighbors are dreading the holiday season, for fear that they’ll still be alone and struggling. But, with your generosity today, they won’t have to. Your donation will go toward meeting their needs immediately—sending hope, love, and compassion to our nation’s most vulnerable.

There are many ways you can help. We hope you choose one and give the gift of love today. 
Donate Your Car
Planning to get rid of your car? You can make a difference in the lives of those we serve by donating your vehicle. Pick up is free and easy and you'll receive a tax deduction if you are an itemizing taxpayer.
Sign Up For Amazon Smile
Select Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas as your charity of choice when you shop on Amazon Smile and Amazon will donate 0.5% of all your purchases to us. This does not add any cost to your purchases. To learn more, follow the link below.
Donate to Leola Dorsey
The community room at our Leola Dorsey Community Resource Center in Jessup, MD needs updating and you can help. We are in need of $6,000 from the community to make that transformation a reality. Thanks to a $3,000 matching donation from one of our Board Members, your donation will have 2x the impact!
Adopt-A-Family
VOACC’s Adopt-A-Family program gives hope to many local children and families in need. Our mission is to connect families in need of assistance with those within the community who have a desire to make a difference – helping to make the holiday season a little brighter for our local neighbors in need!
There are plenty of ways you can get involved with VOACC this holiday season. To learn more, visit our website or make a donation.
This fall we partnered with our VOA Delaware Valley affiliate and Glaxo Smith Kline for a special Warm For The Winter Coat Drive.

Employees from GSK's offices in Durham, NC and Philadelphia, PA banded together to donate coats, hats, gloves and other warm weather clothing to the families and individuals we serve.

Sharron Jackson, HCP Engagement Manager at GSK, said,

"The feedback, outpouring of support and excitement from the GSK Team surrounding this event has been overwhelming."
Jackson (l) and another GSK employee drop a coat
in one of our collection bins.
GSK employees were given the option to purchase and drop off warm clothing at our collection sites, or purchase and ship items using our Amazon Wish List.

And as Sharron pointed out to us, this new relationship has opened up many more opportunities and insights for her colleagues.

"We have received so many messages from our colleagues saying how hearing about the services VOA has and the impact you have on the local communities touch them in such a profound way and open their eyes to the world around them."
Interested in becoming a corporate partner like GSK? Learn more about our Corporate Year of Service program by clicking here.
Dayena Corcoran is a retired corrections professional with the State of Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services. She began her 30-year career as a correctional officer in 1988 and worked her way to the head of the Division as the first female Commissioner of Correction via numerous appointments as head of Case Management, Facility Administrator, Warden and Assistant Commissioner.
Although Dayena has many accomplishments, she takes the greatest pride in mentoring others.

She earned her bachelor's degree in Management from Morgan State University and a master's degree in Management from Johns Hopkins University’s Police Executive Leadership Program.

Now retired, Dayena has shifted her focus to supporting her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, and VOACC. 
"When I'm not devoting my time to the community, I enjoy reading, traveling and taking advantage of the outdoors in sunny Florida."
WE ASKED DAYENA A FEW QUESTIONS...

What about VOACC inspired you to first join the Board of Directors?

"I had some knowledge of VOACC through my career in corrections. Then I had the opportunity to learn more about the services offered, the mission and values. The thought of joining a group of individuals whose passion was to help others succeed, excel and just survive was exciting to me. The concept of a Church Without Walls made me feel that I could grow spiritually too. What a bonus!"

You can read all of Dayena's responses and learn more about her by visiting our website. You can also find her article and so much more
at our LinkedIn page.
HAPPENING THIS MONTH
Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas serves over 11,000 individuals and families across multiple states. Our affiliate is broken into four regions, Washington D.C, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. As we look ahead to 2022 our regional Vice Presidents reflect on 2021 and look forward to the new year.
As we quickly approach the new year, we want to take a moment and reflect on the accomplishments of the last 12 months. Last spring we were excited to be awarded a grant from the Department of Behavioral Health to open a Peer Operated Center which focuses on support to individuals in recovery from Opioid, stimulant use and those struggling with mental health issues. During this time all of our behavioral health programs were re-certified to deliver individual and quality services at the highest level.
 
This fall we were awarded a five year, 2.6 million dollar MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) grant. This award will allow us to provide services to hundreds of individuals who suffer from Opioid Use Disorder and who may be chronically homeless and mentally ill.
 
In 2022, we hope to expand our Medical Respite Program by adding two additional homes for female clients who are homeless or experiencing unstable housing; and those struggling with a medical condition that need additional support outside of inpatient care. We’re also working to expand our menu of service and support to children, youth and families.
 
As we work hard to ensure that we at VOACC have the kind of integrated services our clients need, we’re wishing you a blessed and hopeful year ahead.

Nicholette Smith-Bligen
VP, DC Programs
VOACC Maryland Programs has celebrated many successes throughout the 2021 year. Our biggest highlight is bringing on a five million dollar SAMSHA funded grant to develop a Child and Family Trauma Center within the VOA Hope Center. This grant will not only enable us to build our capacity of clinicians to serve our population, but it will also establish five tele-health sites throughout Maryland and Washington DC. We will be able to increase access to services to underserved populations by providing behavioral and primary care services virtually.

We also had the opportunity to pilot a new smartphone technology in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This program aims to eliminate the stigma of wearing an ankle monitor and replacing it with a smartphone to improve the quality of supervision of men and women on home confinement. Finally, we launched our Anti-Stigma campaign where we produced a video and delivered monthly webinars to discuss how to combat the stigma of mental health and how to take steps towards receiving services.

In 2022, we look forward to partnering with the local department of health to present a mental health convention during Mental Health Awareness month in May. We are excited about the many opportunities that await us in the upcoming year and welcome the support from all of our community members and stakeholders. 

From all of the staff at VOACC in Maryland, we wish you a Happy Holiday Season and New Year!

Sheryl A. Neverson
VP, Maryland Programs
The Virginia region is proud of the many successes that happened in 2021 and is excited for new opportunities and blessings that 2022 will bring through expanded service delivery. In addition to the hiring of some key strategic new leadership, in spite of the national and local staffing crisis, the Virginia I/DD has continued to provide stable, supportive and therapeutic services to our residents to enable them to learn and practice life skills to reach their goals and dreams.
 
Our YouthBuild program has continued to both develop and expand community partnerships and recruit and serve youth in the Newport News area with the goal of encouraging every young person through classes focused on attaining their high school diploma or its equivalent; providing construction and other career pathways; advancing leadership development; and giving needed support services. Our Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) received additional funding through the Shallow Subsidy program, which enables our program to provide long-term rental subsidy to veterans in order to help them achieve housing stability and prevent homelessness. We have also continued to provide counseling and permanent supportive housing support through our homeless services programs.
 
As we look toward the blessings of 2022, we look to continue the focus of our core programs and services but we also are focused on expanding our programs and service delivery. One of our main priorities is to expand our behavioral health program throughout the region both through our existing Compass Program as well as new opportunities. The Virginia Region wishes everyone a happy holiday season and a blessed 2022.

J. Caprice Brown
VP, Virginia Programs
I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate some of this year’s accomplishments and where we are headed in the Carolinas. The team has done an outstanding job continuing to serve those in need in our current programs and far exceeding the goals and expectations.

We are continuing our behavioral health expansion efforts and happy to report that we have been approved as a Medicaid Provider for Targeted Case Management. This will allow us to begin the work launching our first behavioral health fee for service program. Most recent we were awarded a contract to provide housing support services through the Healthy Opportunities Pilot. This is a groundbreaking program that will begin in spring 2022 to cover the cost of approved services related to housing, food, transportation, interpersonal safety and toxic stress that directly impact people's health outcomes and health care costs.

This year we expanded our SSVF program to assist Veteran households in need with longer term housing assistance through the Shallow Subsidy program. We were able to increase the services in our Coordinated Entry program through Emergency Services Grant award as a part of CARES Funding. We developed a new collaboration with our Grant and Per Diem Case Management program to support the VA’s HUD VASH team. 

These undertakings are just some of the many achievements the team has made. While we are proud of these successes, we are excited for what’s to come in 2022! We will continue our behavioral health expansion efforts, explore Residential Reentry services and any additional opportunities to do Gods work in serving those in need. Happy Holidays and praying for you and your loved ones peace, health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming New Year.

Tiana Joyner
VP, Carolinas Programs
To learn more about our regions, their programs and all of the things VOACC does please visit our website, and make sure to follow us on social media using the icons at the end of this email.
Healing Conversations are back. VOACC's spiritual development and growth targets are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is our desire to grow spiritually and produce that kind of fruit. To learn more about our upcoming Healing Conversation topics, click here.
Finding mental health support can be difficult even if you have a support system and insurance. People Like Us is a community-wide campaign led by VOACC to give hope, break the stigma and support recovery for underserved community members in Prince George’s and Baltimore Counties in Maryland. To learn more, visit voa-plus.org.