Business Meeting Minutes – November 23, 2021
Tuesday, November 23, 2021, 9:30 AM – 10:30 PM CDT
The regular business meeting of the Illinois VOAD was held on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, via Zoom. Butch Porter, Chair; James Zinn, Secretary/Treasurer; and a quorum of members were present. Butch Porter called the meeting to order at 9:30 AM CDT.
James Zinn provided the Treasurer’s Report. The new balance on hand is $4,222.60. Illinois VOAD has 55 full members and 30 associate members.
Butch Porter provided the Chair’s Report.
- Northeast Illinois COAD responded to the Woodridge EF-3 tornado
- PPE is available to VOAD member, if needed
- Plank flooring has been made available to VOAD members, should it be helpful to anyone
- VOAD members are supporting Afghan refugees
- VOAD members responded to flood recovery in the Bloomington and Gibson City areas
- Illinois VOAD is building relations with IEMA on VOAD roles and responsibilities and MARC responsibilities
Butch Porter nominated James Zinn to continue serving as Secretary/Treasurer. No objections were made.
Butch Porter asked for nominations from the floor to serve as Vice Chair. None were offered. Butch nominated Curt Franklin from the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church to serve as Vice Chair. Roger Dart made a motion to elect Curt Franklin as Vice Chair which Jim Plepel seconded. Voting was unanimous in the affirmative. Curt Franklin addressed those present.
Butch Porter asked for nominations from the floor to serve as Chair. None were offered. Butch has agreed to continuing serving as Chair on a month-to-month basis until a new Chair is elected.
Butch Porter asked VOAD members to share regular reports on their disaster response activities so that we can share with National VOAD and Illinois VOAD members. Joe Butkovich made a motion that Illinois VOAD members provide a monthly report of response activities, unless an emergency requires more frequent reporting, which was seconded. Voting was unanimous in the affirmative. Members were asked to use the Sit Rep function on the Illinois VOAD website to submit their reports. A summary of response activities by VOAD members will be shared on our website.
Members were invited to report on recent disaster responses.
- Joe Butkovich reported that donations provided for Afghan refugees have all been moved to Fort McCoy and distributed. Society of St. Vincent De Paul and the United Church of Christ are working together in the Gibson City flood recovery efforts. Long-term case management training is being done in support of the Woodridge and Naperville tornados.
- Joy Medrano and Harley Jones acknowledged those who assisted with the MARC operated for the Woodridge and Naperville tornados. 30-40 partners were present and over 300 family units were assisted.
- The Northeast Illinois COAD is organizing a speaker to address assistance for Afghan refugees and all are welcomed to attend.
- Harley Jones reported that Project HOPE is expanding its engagement with long-term care facilities to focus on infection prevention and control in Cook, Will, and Lake counties.
- Curt Franklin reported on the efforts of United Methodist Church to assist with clean up and recovery from the floods in Gibson City. They are collecting items for Afghan refugees in the Chicago area.
- Greg Lara reported on the Lion’s Club efforts to organize a food bank in Galesburg.
- Charlotte Hazel reported on the American Red Cross’ efforts with the Zakat Foundation and the Orland Park Islamic Center to assist with Afghan refugees arriving at O’Hare. They also supported the MARC operation in Gibson City. The Red Cross is actively establishing partnerships with faith-based groups throughout the state.
- Butch Porter reported on the efforts of Illinois Baptist State Association to support a food ministry with DOT Foods and Hands of Hope. Food, PPE, hand sanitizer, and other items are available from a warehouse in Mount Vernon. They have also supported the MARC in Gibson City.
Greg Nimmo, Recovery Branch Chief with Illinois Emergency Management Agency, addressed those present. He shared an overview of his role and of the responsibilities of IEMA and VOAD in disaster response.
The meeting adjourned at 10:30 AM CDT.
James D. Zinn, Secretary
November 23, 2021