On Monday, March 11, a disaster relief and recovery memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) and the state service commission, Serve Virginia. The signing ceremony took place at the new offices of the Virginia Department of Social Services, located in Glen Allen, with representatives from AmeriCorps NCCC, Serve Virginia, the Virginia Department of Social Services, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Under the leadership of Serve Virginia, this marked the renewal of an MOU with AmeriCorps NCCC to streamline the process for Virginia agencies and organizations to utilize AmeriCorps NCCC as an integral part of recovery and relief efforts in times of disaster. AmeriCorps NCCC members are deployed in teams of eight to twelve individuals to complete service projects around the country, which are typically three to thirteen weeks in duration. This MOU empowers a streamlined approach to deploying AmeriCorps NCCC teams across the Commonwealth in times of disaster.

Virginia is one of only a few states to have an MOU in place for disaster relief and recovery with AmeriCorps NCCC and is the first state to host an MOU signing event engaging leadership from the Department of Emergency Management and state service commission in the NCCC partnership.

Serve Virginia Director Kathy Spangler noted, “It is an honor to convene this group of state and federal leaders to lay the groundwork for ensuring Virginians have access to timely and robust disaster recovery and relief support through AmeriCorps NCCC.”

AmeriCorps NCCC Assistant Program Director Stephanie Chan added, “We are excited to work with Serve Virginia, the Virginia Department of Social Services, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, as they set this standard on best practices when utilizing AmeriCorps NCCC as a resource for whole-community response and recovery.”

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is an AmeriCorps program founded in 1993 that engages 18- to 26-year-olds in team-based, residential community service projects across the United States. Teams live in the communities they serve to better understand the culture, participate in service-learning, and build leadership and life skills. Learn more at americorps.gov/partner/how-it-works/americorps-nccc.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management works with local government, state and federal agencies, and voluntary organizations to provide resources and expertise through the four phases of emergency management. VDEM develops and maintains state emergency plans and assists communities in developing localized emergency operations plans. Learn more at vaemergency.gov.