May 21, 2025

Hello Lisa,

This week finds me in Louisville, Kentucky, attending the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) Conference with over 700 of my disaster colleagues. Mennonite Disaster Service is not alone in the U.S. disaster space. We are joined by a coalition of 70+ of the nation’s most reputable national disaster organizations (faith-based, community-based and other nonprofit organizations) and 56 State/Territory VOADs, which represent Local/Regional VOADs and hundreds of other member organizations throughout the country. The National VOAD guiding principles are our “4Cs” of Cooperation, Communication, Coordination and Collaboration.

National VOAD was founded in 1970 in response to the challenges many disaster organizations experienced following Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm that hit the Gulf Coast in August 1969. In 1970, seven national disaster response organizations convened for the first time to find a way to better coordinate responses, and more effectively serve disaster survivors and their communities. The founding organizations were Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, National Catholic Disaster Relief Committee, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Seventh Day Adventists, American Red Cross, and Southern Baptist Convention. National VOAD was formed as a forum for sharing knowledge and coordinating resources throughout the disaster cycle: preparation, response, recovery and mitigation.

In the past 55 years, NVOAD has come a long way. Take a walk with me in the exhibit hall or in the conference rooms. You will hear and learn discussions about bulk distributions, childcare, debris removal, casework, emotional and spiritual care, donations management, emergency communications, family reunification, feeding, financial assistance, laundry units, logistics, long-term recovery, medical care, sheltering, shower units, unaffiliated volunteer support, volunteer housing, and much more.

MDS remains committed to being a faithful partner with these great partners. It has been an honor to service multiple years on the board of NVOAD as well.

For we are not alone.

Kevin King

Executive Director, MDS U.S.

We are God's handiwork

Young people and “good works.” That’s the heart of a new trades program at Rosedale Bible College in Irwin, Ohio.

The first set of 11 students, through a partnership between the college and Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), completed six weeks of service with MDS during their winter term.

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A family and organizational legacy intertwine

“It was his orientation. He was always helping.”

Gord Friesen reflected on his father Cornelius (C.N.) Friesen’s volunteer history with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), a commitment that spanned more than a half-century.

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Check out the worship resources available from MDS.

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Children's book printing errors corrected;

Reprint now available

As part of our 75^th Anniversary celebration, Mennonite Disaster Service published a children’s book, Mended: A Story of Hope. After the book was released, we discovered missing text on several pages. Mended has been reprinted and we are offering a complimentary replacement to those who purchased the book at the Annual Celebration. If you purchased Mended through Masthof Press or Amazon, you will automatically receive a new copy in the mail at no cost to you.

If you purchased the book at our Annual Celebration, please contact Rebecca White (rwhite@mds.org or 717-735-3536, ext. 114). If your book was signed by the author and illustrator, email a photo of their signatures and include your mailing address. The author and illustrator have graciously offered to re-sign the new books.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unfortunate situation. Thanks also to Hillary Daecher, author, and Berrie Torgan-Randall, illustrator, for their generosity in re-signing the books. Copies of the reprinted Mended are available online at mds.org/books/