Dr. Kimberly Mills, executive director for the Virgin Islands Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD), was awarded the Disability and Disasters Award by the Natural Hazards Center. This inaugural award was presented to Dr. Mills because of her efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
“I found her work at the VIUCEDD after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 inspiring,” emphasized Melissa Villarreal, committee member for the award and graduate research assistant. “She organized a fundraising campaign that generated more than $7,000 to purchase emergency radios for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. The award committee agreed this was representative of the type of leadership and service that Dr. Mills exhibits in the area of disability and disasters.”
Dr. Mills stated, “hurricane relief was a TEAM Effort between VIUCEDD and our DD Network Partners at the Disability Rights Center, Center for Independent Living and the DD Council. We did our best to support our community in a time that was traumatic and trying for everyone.”
She has spent more than two decades serving people with disabilities across the globe and in the U. S. Virgin Islands in several capacities, including in the context of disasters.
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI Website-www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link