The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA ) this week became a founding member of the COVID-19 Community Corps, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control to encourage Americans to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.

The recently launched program at a now pivotal point in the crisis relies on trusted community leaders and organizational messengers such as BVA to share science-based information regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations with friends, families, and networks.

Corps members will receive weekly online toolkits and resources to help them organize communities and networks. The resources will include regular updates on the latest scientific and medical developments, frequently asked questions about the vaccine, social media suggestions, infographics, factsheets with timely, accurate information, and tools on ways to help people register for the vaccine and then obtain it.

BVA members and their families will be the primary beneficiaries of the organization’s involvement in the initiative as additional information and resources will be distributed in the weeks and months ahead via email and bva.org.