The William Averette Anderson Fund (BAF), a nonprofit organization focused on increasing African-American and other minority representation in the fields of hazard and disaster mitigation, is seeking volunteer involvement in its Program Councils. Founded in honor of Bill Anderson, a former board member of the Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence (which preceded the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence), the BAF has traditionally supported graduate students, and is now increasing its scope to include undergraduate students. The Fund offers several opportunities to those who wish to continue the legacy of Dr. Anderson.
The BAF has openings for volunteers in the following areas:
- The BAF Workshop Development Subgroup of the Feeder Council needs volunteers to assist in designing the Student Council Workshops. Activities include:
- Plan three workshops per year for BAF Student Council Members
- Recommend workshop locations
- Identify and invite workshop speakers and panelists
- Develop and assess workshop evaluations
- BAF is seeking 3-4 volunteers who are not currently serving as part of the Receiver Council to assist with the BAF Mentoring/Mentee Program scheduled to begin this spring. These individuals will work with BAF Student Council Members to match mentees with mentors using interest requests submitted by both groups. BAF expects 6 mentee/mentor matches to be made per month and will require approximately four hours of time each month until all matches are completed. Activities include:
- Review submitted mentor requests
- Match mentee requests with mentors based on mentor-submitted skill strengths
- Recommend assigned mentor /mentee match
- Categorize volunteers to serve in the mentee network
If you are interested in volunteering or participating in any other capacity, please visit billandersonfund.org/get-involved.