UMCOR Shares Process for Applying to Volunteer in Puerto Rico 

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s (UMCOR’s) efforts to support its partner, the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico (MCPR), as they work to rebuild after Hurricane Maria.
 
UMCOR has received a formal invitation from Bishop Hector Ortiz of MCPR requesting volunteers to support reconstruction following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Potential volunteers, please note that it is imperative that all individuals and teams go through the channels described below before making plans of any kind to deploy to Puerto Rico. This request comes from Bishop Ortiz and is affirmed by UMCOR as MCPR continues to prepare to receive and host teams. Teams or individuals who arrive in Puerto Rico without going through the appropriate channels may cause further difficulties for our neighbors in Puerto Rico and/or put volunteers at risk because the proper infrastructure may not be in place to accommodate them. 
 
At the invitation of UMCOR’s U.S. Disaster Response leadership, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission of the North Central Jurisdiction (UMVIM-NCJ) is cooperatively engaged in supporting UMCOR’s partnership with MCPR to collaborate, establish, and implement a centralized volunteer coordination mechanism for Puerto Rico.
 
To that end, UMVIM-NCJ is pleased to announce that Jason Frazer has stepped into the new position as Puerto Rico volunteer coordinator – Mainland. Jason’s expertise in disaster response provides an easy steppingstone for team leaders seeking to serve in Puerto Rico. The uniqueness of the recovery efforts requires an additional awareness of the way God moves through us in the most challenging of places.
 
Letty Damian, who speaks both English and Spanish, will serve as the assistant volunteer coordinator. Jason and Letty will work collaboratively with UMCOR, UMVIM, and MCPR’s volunteer coordinator.
 
If you are interested in applying to schedule a volunteer team visit to Puerto Rico to help with their reconstruction efforts, please visit HERE. 
 
UMCOR Early Response Teams will signal their availability through their conference disaster response coordinators. For guidelines click here.
 
Thank you again for helping UMCOR and the people of The United Methodist Church support our neighbors in Puerto Rico.