News & Events

Volunteer Agency meetings for March 2021 - all virtually

Description: March 4th....Mental Health Subcommittee from 9:30-10:30 a.m. This was Carol Baumann's (HOPE AACR member) first meeting, so it was great to introduce her to those attending this month's meeting attendees. We had representatives from Alcohol and Drug Services, Montana Independent Living Project (MILP), Community Health Partners (CHP), the HELP CENTER/211, Gallatin Mental Health Center, Bozeman Public Schools, and the Greater Gallatin United Way. Each organization had a chance to share what was new from the past month and those topics included personnel needs, stats on community related issues such as anxiety, sleep disturbance issues, suicide (ideation/actual attempts), and food/sheltering insecurities. Funding needs and/or recent successful grant opportunities continue to be a strong topics as well. March 9th...Mass Care Committee from 9:30-10:30 a.m. This monthly meeting includes report updates from: 1. Child Care (0-5/Child Care Connections and 6 and up/YMCA)...a recent Table Top exercise was shared as well as planning around summer programs 2. Sheltering - ARC has served 5 families from Livingston, Belgrade, and Anaconda for house fires 3. Feeding - Salvation Army continues to provide water and snacks for the COVID vaccination PODs (Points of Distribution)...no report from the Gallating Food Bank. 4. Mental Health - I shared details from the March 4th meeting March 17th....SW Montana COAD (general) meeting from 1-2:00 p.m.) Both Katherine Howe and Gail Richardson (HOPE AACR members) were able to attend today's meeting and share in the programs' share time as well as listen in on a table top exercise (very broad scope of a civit unrest scenario in our downtown area). Emergency Managers from Gallatin and Madison counties were able to update us today on how vaccine roll-outs were coming along in their counties. March 18th....Montana VOAD (general meeting) from 3-3:30 p.m. This group continues to work on its re-organization while dealing with COVID pandemic issues. Although our winter season has been fairly mild, the upcoming flood and fire season will be here within a couple more months. Today's meeting was thinly covered by a half dozen organizations offering up their updates. I have followed up with a person in Missoula interested in learning more about our organization. There was also a FEMA representative on today that shared out the National VOAD Conference, May 18-20th, that will be hosted on line for $100/person....quite a bargin.