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In This Issue
- A Message from the Chairperson
- Quarterly Meeting - 12/9 @ 10am
- NEW Maryland Business Emergency Operation Center webpage
- Join the VOAD Movement
- UPDATE: Eastern Shore Long Term Recovery
- Host the Maryland VOAD Tool Trailer
- Maryland Office of Resilience Unveils Resilience Toolkit
- Upcoming Events
- Facebook page
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A Message from the Chairperson: Highlights & Aspirations | |
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Dear colleagues:
I begin writing this note a few hours before my family arrives to share our Thanksgiving meal. I am reminded of how thankful I am for them, and how thankful I am for all of you! To turn a phrase, “I am thankful in all my remembrance of you, thankful for your partnership in this work from the first day until now.”
Our work, born out of cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration has seen many highlights this year:
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In collaboration with the Eastern Shore Long Term Recovery Committee, we completed the 10 new replacement homes for families whose homes were destroyed by the October 2021 Tidal Flooding. We also began the elevation of and repairing of 100 homes. The first two are complete, the third begun, and the next 5 are in process. These efforts will allow families to celebrate the holidays in a safe, secure and sanitary home!
- Our many responses to the collapse of the Key Bridge and the coordinated efforts to care for those individuals and families affected by this tragedy.
- Our Quarterly Meetings that build the relationships on which we rely to be effective when disasters hit. (We don’t have to pass out business cards on the day of an event.)
- The efforts of our member organizations’ houses of worship who have stepped up to support the equipping of our Tool Trailer. Through these efforts we will be able to put the trailer in semi-service during the first part of 2025.
- Seeing the expansion of our annual conference to become The Mid-Atlantic VOAD Regional Conference last April.
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A very committed Board of Directors that works as a team to have each other’s backs, as we support our participating organizations for our unified mission.
As we stand at the brink of the beginning of a New Year, I have a few resolutions for our work together:
- Securing the remaining $4.5 million needed to complete our LTR+Mitigation project on the Lower Eastern Shore
- Attaining the remaining $20,000 of our goal of $40,000 to equip the Tool Trailer.
- Offering a successful and meaningful Mid-Atlantic VOAD Regional Conference in March
- Inviting more Maryland VOAD member organizations represented at the National VOAD Conference at Louisville, KY in May
- Building relationships between our member, partner and affiliate organizations to increase Maryland VOAD’s capacity to assist residents of our State when disaster occur
During the year I have pulled the Tool Trailer to various congregations so it would be a visible prop as they received offerings to fill it with tools. To each of them I offered to make a presentation on Maryland VOAD and the benefit the Tool Trailer would bring. Two Sundays ago, I was with Wards Chapel United Methodist Church in Randallstown. After the presentation a member of the congregation came up to me and said, “Thank you for your presentation. I really think this is the kind of thing we ought to be doing—having all these diverse organizations working together to bring help to people in our State that are hurting. I’m willing to give to something like this!”
It is quite an apt description of who we are and what we do. It is the main reason why I continue to “give to something like this.” I am in awe of what our 57 participating organizations accomplish, working in unison, in cooperation and collaboration with each other, to do good for residents of our State—often at a time they have run out of other options for getting to recovery on their own.
A sincere thank you to all of you for being so committed to this movement of ours. Thank you for your time, your talent and your treasures that you have committed to our work over this past year. I look forward to continuing this amazing work together in 2025.
Happy Holidays, Hanukkah sameach (Happy Hannukka), Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
Phil
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Quarterly Meeting: Join us at the State EOC | |
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Please join us Monday, December 9th at 10am for the Quarterly meeting.
Come out and join the conversation in person. Those gathering in person will have an opportunity to visit the new State EOC. We strongly encourage everyone to participate in person for this meeting. This allows for networking and building relationships that are so crucial for our work together.
LOCATION: 7229 Parkway Drive, Suite 200 Hanover, MD 21076. (Old AT&T Building)
MEETING DOCUMENTS - 09 December Meeting Readiness
Above is the link to the folder containing meeting documents. Access the folder to find the agenda, minutes from September Quarterly Meeting, and the Treasurer’s report.
ZOOM LINK - For those who have to attend virtually you can use the link below to join the meeting. We hope you won't need it.
To Join the Quarterly Meeting by Zoom
https://zoom.us/j/8672051054?pwd=K1ZsQ05PeDhxajNZaFlJRUdSS3FLZz09
Meeting ID: 867 205 1054
Passcode: 727250
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,8672051054#,,,,*727250# US (Washington DC)
Dial by your location
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 309 205 3325 US
• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
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Maryland Business Emergency Operation Center webpage launched | |
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MDEM launches a new Maryland Business Emergency Operation Center (MBEOC) webpage. https://mdem.maryland.gov/Pages/mbeoc.aspx
The Maryland Business Emergency Operations Center (MBEOC) is a private-public partnership platform and central coordination mechanism within the SEOC structure, developed for coordination and enhanced information sharing with trusted private sector, nonprofit and faith-based organizations before, during and after disasters.
The new MBEOC webpage provides a link to sign up for updates, contact information, archived briefs for reference, the situational awareness dashboard, reporting links, and general critical infrastructure and recovery information. The volunteering section lists MD VOAD as a resource. (Woot! Woot!)
Make sure to save the page for future reference and thank you for your partnership!
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UPDATE: Eastern Shore Long Term Recovery | |
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Phase 2 - Started elevation of House #3 - Pictured here.
Phase 3 – Partnering with City of Crisfield for affordable housing project. Renters impacted by flooding who would like to be homeowners. Mayor will work with training for homeownership and qualifying them to take a mortgage of ~$115-120,000 from our costs. $104,00 costs in materials plus administrative costs. When complete, family will reimburse for the costs and take on the affordable mortgage as their own home.
Money can then move to the next property to aid in construction of the. The hope is to build 4-5 homes using this method.
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Help get the tools to outfit the Tool Trailer.
Email Chairperson@marylandvoad.org if you are interested to host the trailer in a lot near you.
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Maryland Office of Resilience Unveils Resilience Toolkit | |
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Maryland Office of Resilience Unveils Comprehensive Resilience Toolkit
Empowering Communities With Funding Information, Planning Resources, and Technical Support to Tackle Future Challenges
The Maryland Office of Resilience (MOR), which is part of the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), is proud to announce the launch of the Maryland Resilience Toolkit, available at ResilientMaryland.com. This new tool is designed to equip local governments, State agencies, community leaders, businesses, and nonprofits with access to the resources needed to strengthen hazard resilience across Maryland.
The Maryland Resilience Toolkit is a one-stop shop for resilience information and resources that can help communities across the State adapt to and overcome a wide range of evolving risks, from climate change and natural hazards to infrastructure challenges. By offering access to resilience grant opportunities and best practices, the Toolkit ensures that Maryland’s unique communities—from urban centers to rural towns—can build stronger infrastructure, protect their environments, and safeguard their people.
"The key to a resilient Maryland lies within our State’s ability to be prepared to adapt, withstand, and swiftly recover from disruptions to daily life," said Secretary Russ Strickland of MDEM. "The Maryland Resilience Toolkit offers our communities the resources they need to shape a more resilient Maryland, where communities thrive."
Who Is the Toolkit for?
- State and Local Governments: Supporting operational planners and leadership teams to create robust resilience strategies.
- Resilience Authorities: Assisting local entities with the tools to promote community resilience at every level.
- Businesses and Nongovernmental Organizations: Empowering organizations to take proactive steps in risk mitigation.
The Toolkit’s development represents Maryland’s ongoing commitment to proactive resilience planning. It underscores the belief that resilience must be collaborative, inclusive, and far-reaching—touching not just coastal areas, but every community across the State.
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Visit, Like and Share - MDVOAD Facebook Page | | |
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Be sure to visit the MD VOAD Facebook page. While there, support our VOAD members by liking and sharing their content. This helps everyone reach broader audiences with our important message.
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Newsletter Content
Do you have an update, event, or announcement to share with the rest of Maryland VOAD? Send your information and pictures to CommunicationsCoordinator@MarylandVOAD.org to be shared on our Social Media or by the 25th of each month to be included in the next newsletter issue.
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