Harkin Announces Americorps Team to Be Dispatched to Northeast Iowa to Help Tornado Recovery Effort
Press Release
Harkin Announces Americorps Team to Be Dispatched to Northeast Iowa to Help Tornado Recovery Effort
11 person team to reach Iowa today
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that more help was on the way for the communities ravaged by aggressive tornadoes and storms in Iowa. The AmeriCorps program's National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) base in Denver will dispatch an 11 person team this afternoon to assist with debris clean up and donations management for the next thirty days. The team will be based out of the University of Northern Iowa campus.
"Iowans have come together to support the communities and people affected by this natural disaster from the beginning - their commitment knows no boundaries. Northeast Iowa has welcomed the support of people across this country who have sent their donations, well wishes and prayers," said Harkin. "And now we welcome the expertise and the determination of this AmeriCorps service team coming. I am thankful for the impact these skilled volunteers will have on our communities."
As Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Americorps program, Harkin worked to designate Vinton as the site for an AmeriCorps NCCC facility, and secured $2.5 million to transform portions of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School into the new campus.
Continued Harkin, "the service team coming from Denver's NCCC program will no doubt help rebuild Northeast Iowa. I am proud to have been able to secure Iowa's own NCCC center located in Vinton so that when disaster strikes our residents, we'll have the tools, workforce and quick response necessary to rebuild our communities."
The new facility in Vinton will open next month and is one of only five centers in the nation. In addition to the volunteer opportunities the new facility will offer, the Vinton campus will employ 160 individuals, 25 percent of which will be locally recruited. Additionally, all of the campus' first-round service projects will serve Iowa communities. Harkin argued in favor of Vinton because of its proximity to I-80 and I-35, and its safety and disability access.
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