President Meehan's Proclamation for National Volunteer Week, April 21-27

04/24/2013

April 21-27, 2013 is National Volunteer Week. I would like to recognize the many JSU student, faculty, and staff volunteers who unselfishly dedicate their time and talents to improve our campus and community in a variety of ways. Volunteers have the power to drive positive change and to assist in meeting the needs of others.  For example, we saw the JSU campus mobilize to help following the devastating tornadoes of 2011.  Since that time we have seen growth in our campus Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and have provided leadership to our local Medical Reserve Corps volunteer efforts.  Our own campus was hit by severe weather in March of this year which serves as a meaningful reminder of our need to be prepared and be ready to act.

I am pleased to report that JSU was recently awarded a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service through Serve Alabama to explore opportunities for promoting disaster volunteerism and increasing the impact that the JSU community can potentially have on our region.  Over the next few months, we will work with our partners to improve collaboration and establish clear and achievable goals for our campus community.  Utilizing this year’s theme of National Volunteer Week, Celebrating People in Action, we look forward to discovering the potential within us all -- students, faculty, staff, and administration -- to proactively prepare for disaster and act with confidence when it strikes.  For further information, please contact Dr. Jeff Ryan in the Department of Emergency Management at 256-782-8334 or jryan@jsu.edu.