Statements
Mission
Volunteers of America Mid-States creates positive change in the lives of individuals and communities through a ministry of service.
Background
Volunteers of America Mid-States creates positive change in the lives of individuals and communities through a ministry of service. Established in 1896, Volunteers of America Mid-States is one of the region's oldest, largest, and most diverse not-for-profit organizations. Our team of over 600 paid and trained professionals operates nearly fifty human service programs in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Clark and Floyd Counties in Indiana. Our programs are diverse and address the urgent needs of the communities we serve. We provide housing for families, veterans, and low-income seniors. We provide substance use disorder recovery services for men and women, and our Freedom House program is a national model for pregnant and parenting women overcoming substance use disorder. We provide care and support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We provide healing and accountability that brings people together with restorative justice. We provide free, convenient, and confidential HIV testing and education. We provide grassroots outreach designed to address the root causes of health disparities and inequities and connect clients with high-quality healthcare through our Determined Health program.
Impact
1. Volunteers of America has earned accreditation from the Council on Accreditation, a nationally recognized accrediting body of health and human service organizations. By meeting and maintaining COA's rigorous standards, we ensure quality program services and sound fiscal management.
2. We served 30 individuals with developmental disabilities in Middle Tennessee throughout 11 homes in the Nashville/Murfreesboro areas. Based on a 2018 survey, on average, 100% of family members or legal guardians indicated that their family member benefited from the services received through our Developmental Disability Services.
3. Our annual Tennessee vs. Alabama Charity Golf Tournament raised nearly $127,671 to support our Developmental Disability Services in the state and engaged new donors in the work of our organization. Our goals for the current year and the next three years include:
-To be an employer of choice, providing fair and competitive compensation and benefits and a culture that attracts and allows us to retain the best and the brightest.
-To be an innovative and high quality provider of services; to be seen as an ideal partner for collaborations, to identify and build on our core areas of expertise, to engage volunteers and advocate
for clients.
-To have a strong financial position with a strong infrastructure to support mission-based growth with clear parameters for growth and clear financial goals.
-To successfully create an understanding of our mission and the effectiveness of our services so that individuals, corporations and foundations are engaged to support that mission.
-To be approved by MCOs to provide employment and community first choices (ECF) programming. In doing so, this program can utilize its years of expertise working with this population and
assist non-residential participants throughout our service area to assist with finding employment in a community setting.
-To ensure that each service recipient will spend at least 5 hours each week participating in community engagement activities outside of their home.
Needs
The most pressing needs for VOA Community in Tennessee include:
1) Addressing staffing shortages in Middle and Western Tennessee
2) Upgrading computers and technology in our supported living homes and administrative offices
3) Improving transportation in our service areas, including purchasing additional wheelchair-accessible vans
4) Developing long-term partnerships within the communities we serve
5) Working with the state of Tennessee to ensure our staff have the most up-to-date training in the areas of person-centered support, advocacy, comprehensive oral care, and nutrition for those we serve.
CEO Statement
Volunteers of America Mid-States is unique in that our care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities treats each person as an individual, and respects their individual needs and wishes. Our program is designed to give those we support the grace, love and care they deserve as human beings. Each supported living home is designed to make each person comfortable and able to receive the highest quality of care available. Those we support have to be helped with every area of their life by our excellent staff. Many of of those we support are in the last stages of their life and VOA ensures that each is given every opportunity to make those years as comfortable as possible.
Board Chair Statement
Our Tennessee advisory board chair realizes: 1) the difficult task to see that all of our homes are adopted by local supporting partners, 2) improve our board with new faces of support, 3) to secure new individual and business donors for financial support.
Our board chair is addressing these issues with the following: 1) moving board meetings to quarterly meetings, 2) promoting community partner work projects at our homes, and 3) representing our organization in our community to encourage new board support.
Our board chair has 15 years of service to our organization and has served our organization in many different areas of service. She has adopted two of our homes for the past 9 years, served on various committee's of support, and brought new donors into the Volunteers of America family.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Volunteers of America |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Supportive Housing for Older Adults |
| Tertiary Category: | Health Care - Home Health Care |
Areas Served
Tennessee: Middle Tennessee / Nashville / 37211 Memphis / 38134 Knoxville / 37917
Kentucky: Louisville / 40202
West Virginia: 25801
Ohio: 45680
Indiana: 47150
| KY |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Rutherford |
