About Disaster Victim Services
Real people with real time and real skills.
Our mission is to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help people through the first five days after a house fire, their own personal disaster.
How it started
It began with one person who couldn’t look away.
Our founder, Jim Rector, owns Dry Guys Restoration, a company that repairs homes damaged by fire, flood, storm, and mold. Again and again, he saw the hardship families faced in the hours after a house fire.
So he started helping, personally. He booked hotel rooms with local hotels on his own credit card and covered meals and clothing, so parents could get back to work knowing their families were cared for.
Soon, other people and businesses wanted to help too, if there was a nonprofit to direct their giving. Disaster Victim Services was founded to do exactly that, for families who have nowhere else to turn.
≤25%
our goal for administration and fundraising costs
Our promise
No more than 25% to overhead, and full transparency.
We promise that no more than 25% of funds will go to administration and fundraising. We’re honest that this may not always be possible while our resources are still limited. As we grow, we’ll work to lower that share, and we’ll always be transparent about how your donations are used.