#serve.gov

Over the last several days many of us, across the country, have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the devastation in West Virginia.

We’ve seen the flooding render death and destruction on this great state. And we’ve seen the power of Mother Nature as she continues to bring additional rain. Too many lives were lost, homes destroyed, and towns were completely washed away. Many areas remain underwater and homes that were not destroyed remain without power.

But West Virginia is resilient and communities across the U.S. are opening their hearts.  Many have given generously to support the ongoing efforts.  I would encourage anybody who wants to lend a hand to go to www.volunteerwv.org and wvvoad.communityos.org to learn more and find out how you can be helpful.

It is critically important that individuals not self-deploy. Please register to volunteer at West Virginia Volunteer.  A financial contribution to a recognized disaster relief organization is the most effective donation to make. When the public supports these voluntary organizations with financial contributions, it helps ensure a steady flow of important services to the people in need after a disaster. If you need help in determining who to give to, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website has a list of major organizations or you can contact your FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison for guidance.

Heather Foster, Executive Director of Volunteer West Virginia, in coordination with West Virginia VOAD and the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has been a leading force in responding to this crisis. There are over 60 local AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers assisting with establishing emergency shelters, call center support, operating cooling centers, setting up volunteer reception centers and managing donated goods – among other tasks. Additionally, two teams from AmeriCorps NCCC Pacific Region have been dispatched to assist the Red Cross in the hardest hit areas.

As the water begins to recede we anticipate the deployment of additional AmeriCorps-Disaster Response Team (A-DRT) members, VISTA members and Senior Corps volunteers to begin the lengthy process of recovery to included mucking and gutting homes.

Above all, I am confident that West Virginia will recover and rebuild because of the strength and spirit of West Virginians.  Over the last few days, they’ve opened up their homes to one another.  They’ve shared scarce resources of food and water. They’ve organized shelters, provided free medical care, and looked out for their most vulnerable citizens.  When hard times hit, we have to help each other and in West Virginia, this is clearly understood.

I encourage individuals and organizations that want to help to visit wvvoad.communityos.org and www.volunteerwv.org for details on volunteer opportunities. 

Additional details for those interested in assisting: 

Communities across West Virginia are experiencing severe losses related to flooding. Please stay safe and continue to take care of each other. If you’d like to help, financial donations are best at this time. As the situation stabilizes over the next few days, other supplies and volunteers will be needed. Here are some ways you can help now.

INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers should not self-deploy, please stay safe until contacted by a volunteer coordinator. Please register to volunteer at www.volunteerwv.org.  If you are already volunteering at a local shelter or response operation but are not already registered with another disaster response agency (like the Red Cross), please register using the link on our website and comments with your current volunteer location.   

GROUP VOLUNTEERS: For agencies with groups of volunteers ready to help (including church groups and student organizations), please register your team on the website at www.volunteerwv.org. You only need to register your team once.

AGENCIES WHO NEED ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER SUPPORT: If your agency needs additional volunteer support to staff shelters, conduct damage assessments or is anticipating other volunteer needs, please contact [email protected] or 304-558-0111 to complete a volunteer request.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Financial donations are the best way to support the effort at this time. West Virginia has a statewide disaster relief fund managed in cooperation with a network of West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WVVOAD) and the United Methodist Church. You can donate to this fund at https://wvvoad.communityos.org/cms/home.

Financial donations can be mailed to:

WV Disaster Relief Fund PO Box 3811 Charleston, WV 25338

As a Nation, our greatest resource is our people.  We each have the power to strengthen the fabric of our society and make the world a better place.  Every day, Americans across the country realize this enormous potential through service to others and by giving back to their communities. During National Volunteer Week, we recognize those who embrace a life of active, energetic, and engaged citizenship, and we reaffirm our belief that all people have something to contribute to the American story.

This spirit of service is deeply embedded in our culture and vital to our national character.  It reflects the idea that we are each our brothers' and our sisters' keepers, and it is a core part of being an American. Through service, ordinary people can make an extraordinary impact. In times of tragedy, volunteers are a source of comfort and resilience; in places of great need, they offer hope and renew our faith that a brighter day lies ahead; and in small neighborhoods and bustling cities, these dedicated individuals help build ladders of opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds.  Volunteers -- often with few resources and little recognition -- make enormous sacrifices to lift up the people around them as well as those they may never meet.  As they do, they give new life to the values that bind us together as Americans and to the promise that those who love their country can change it.

My Administration is working to empower more Americans with opportunities to give back to their neighborhoods and to our country, and we are committed to supporting those who already do. That is why we created a task force to find new ways to expand and improve national service. And last year we launched the Employers of National Service initiative because we know those who are passionate about making a difference in their communities have the talents and experience to bolster our Nation's workforce. Through the Corporation for National and Community Service, we are investing in programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, and we have expanded the scope of these opportunities -- initiatives such as School Turnaround AmeriCorps, justice AmeriCorps, and STEM AmeriCorps are focusing on some of our country's most pressing needs.

The unending task of perfecting our Nation does not fall to any one person or to our Government alone -- and the solutions to the problems we face do not lie beyond our reach. We must enlist all Americans in the effort to build a better future for the next generation, and we should each make service a lifelong commitment.  Together, we can work to meet our Nation's challenges, not just for one day, but every day.  This week, let us renew our commitment to this important cause and rededicate ourselves to the work ahead.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 12 through April 18, 2015, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by volunteering in service projects across our country and pledging to make service a part of their daily lives. To find a service opportunity nearby, visit www.Serve.gov.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

Today, President Obama and the First Lady will mark the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches by visiting Selma, Alabama.

During their visit, the President will deliver remarks from the Edmund Pettus Bridge commemorating that event and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Many attribute the 1965 violent attacks on marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which became known as “Bloody Sunday,” as a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. The widely reported events of that day changed the minds of many, leading to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a huge step in the quest for a more equitable and just nation.

As we remember these moments in our country’s history, we are also reminded of President Obama’s remarks at his first inauguration calling us to serve others.

“What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.” 

The heroic citizens who marched in Selma 50 years ago and all the others who joined together in the civil rights movement embody that call to service.  They lived up to their duties as citizens and left us with a powerful example that is just as relevant a half century later.

Now it is our turn to step up to make a difference.