Rebuilding communities in the wake of a disaster is challenging, and moving our neighbors back to stability is an ongoing process. The ability to mobilize volunteers is crucial to our ability to help individuals and families throughout the St. Louis region and the United Way of Greater St. Louis (UWGSL) Volunteer Center is at the heart of our efforts to stabilize our neighbors after the May 16th storms. Our community’s willingness to unite with us gives us hope for a brighter future. Since our storm relief efforts began, over 5,000 people have answered the call to serve, and as we continue to work together, we will see the power of united impact. We spoke with Rick Skinner, Vice President of the UWGSL Volunteer Center, about our efforts to unite the community behind our efforts to uplift our region during this difficult time.
What was your reaction when you first found out about the devastation from the storm, and as the leader of United Way’s volunteer efforts, what were some of the first steps you took to ensure United Way was involved in the community’s recovery process?
When the tornado happened on May 16th, I was personally on my way home from the office and I had to stop my car because the clouds were getting dark, the wind was picking up, and my brain was saying, ‘This is a significant weather event that’s happening, this could be bad.’ As soon as the tornado passed, I continued to drive towards Forest Park, and I saw so many trees uprooted and streets blocked off because of the debris. My first thought was to check on my neighbors to see if they needed help and to make sure to connect them to United Way 211, then I thought about our St. Louis region as a whole and the potential devastation.
So, what we did in the Volunteer Center was connect with partners and post opportunities for volunteers to lend a hand when it was safe to do so. In partnership with Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) we began to conduct daily phone calls to assess how many households were affected, what were the immediate needs, and how we could work together to help.
For those who don’t know, can you explain how important the Volunteer Center is during times like these and how people can access it?
People can access the Volunteer Center at STLVolunteer.org, and the Volunteer Center is a great resource for our community because it will connect individuals, families, and companies to quality opportunities to serve.
The Volunteer Center will of course work with our safety net of 160 nonprofit partners to discover volunteer opportunities, but we’ll also work with municipalities, arts and cultural organizations, parks and recreation centers, and hundreds of others to find ways to support our communities. We rely on volunteers during times of immediate need such as disaster recovery or ongoing needs to help these wonderful organizations thrive and deliver helpful programs for our community.
How were companies and employees helping through the Volunteer Center?
In response to the storm, companies across the region mobilized their employees – ranging from small teams of two to large groups of 100 to meet critical community needs through the United Way of Greater St. Louis Volunteer Center. Their efforts included everything from hosting supply drives to clearing debris, boarding windows, tarping roofs, cleaning streets, sorting and distributing supplies, and assisting with feeding, sheltering, and wellness checks.
Many companies continue to actively promote volunteer opportunities to their staff and are aligning their corporate disaster response plans with the coordinated efforts led by the Volunteer Center. By doing so, they help ensure that volunteers are deployed where the need is greatest.
United Way has had success with mobilizing lots of volunteers. Can you elaborate on that a little bit and tell me how fulfilling it is to see the community unite behind United Way’s volunteer efforts like that?
It is so inspiring to see the community unite every day to help other people and sometimes they may not even realize how much of a difference they’re making. The outpouring of support since the tornado has been overwhelming, we’ve been able to connect over 5,000volunteers, some of whom have volunteered more than once, and that number continues to grow. People are wanting to have a continued positive impact beyond the storm relief efforts. There’s still going to be programs for volunteers to engage in as we head into the summer and the holiday season. It is so wonderful to know that there’s a trusted resource through United Way where so many people can find an opportunity to make a difference based on their own skills, availability, and interest.
Despite the success we’ve had so far in galvanizing volunteers, there’s still an immense need for even more people to get involved, isn’t there?
Yes, absolutely. We will continue to post current needs for volunteering that are specific to disaster relief at STLVolunteer.org/disaster. We have local organizations that still have opportunities for people to get involved, and we also have groups that are coming in from out of town to set up operations for people to contribute to and that’ll help a lot with our recovery efforts. There will be volunteer opportunities long after the media leaves and the disaster is no longer the main story of the day. There are still going to be long-term needs and opportunities for people to engage in.
Obviously, these recovery efforts will be a long-term process, but from what you’ve seen from our volunteers, do you believe that there’s hope?
There is hope for a brighter future, in fact, I can site a specific story:
I remember a volunteer coming into the volunteer reception center and she was not physically able to clear debris or anything like that, but she just wanted to get involved and make a difference somehow. She asked a couple of people to help her unload her vehicle because she had some treats for the volunteers that were there just looking to get some rest and take a break from all the volunteer work they were doing.
This volunteer had pans and pans of cookies, fresh-baked breads, and various other treats for everyone to enjoy, and that really warmed my heart because it just exemplified the power of one. I carry that story with me each and every day because it can inspire all of us to believe that we have the power to touch someone’s life even if it’s just a small, simple act of kindness. Each of us can find a way to inspire hope for a brighter future for our region during this difficult time.
Take action now:
- Sign up to volunteer to help with disaster relief efforts.
- Share this story with family and friends.
