In January 2016, about halfway through her second year as an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team leader, Brittany found herself in St. Louis, MO working alongside NECHAMA in response to the unprecedented winter flooding. Her energy and passion to assist those affected by the floodwaters was contagious, and we knew she was someone who we would like to see again in the future. Just a few weeks after her July graduation ceremony, much of southern Louisiana, including the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, was underwater. Brittany immediately answered the call to volunteer and originally planned on staying for one week – she hasn’t left NECHAMA since.
From the time she arrived in Baton Rouge last year, Brittany has helped train and lead over 650 NECHAMA volunteers in providing assistance to over 165 families affected by disasters across 3 states. Not only has she lead teams in the field, she has managed an entire response deployment, helped organize and inventory our warehouse, written a grant application for us, and lead a service learning trip to New Orleans for college students on their alternative spring break. She approaches everything with enthusiasm and is able to find the positive in even the most difficult situations and circumstances. Brittany has made numerous sacrifices to help others including canceling a vacation, missing out on holidays, and being away from her friends and family for extended periods of time. It’s for this and so much more that we thank Brittany for her service and dedication to NECHAMA. We look forward to many more years together!