Fall 2011
National Service Training Roundup
AmeriCorps State Programs Update
Days of Service
ICVS Recognizes September 11th Day of Service Projects
In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of September 11th, the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service made $5,000 available to engage individuals in service to their communities as part of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. ICVS provided reimbursement grants to organizations that developed projects to honor and remember the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who served in response to the tragedy, including first responders, recovery workers, volunteers, public safety officers, and members of the military. ICVS funded five projects around the state, which engaged over 2,300 volunteers.
Central Iowa Shelter & Services presented at major community events and several schools in the Des Moines area to raise awareness of the problems facing the homeless veterans of Iowa. 900 volunteers decorated enough quilt squares to create twenty quilts that will help warm homeless veterans of Central Iowa Shelter this winter.
The Davenport Volunteer Connection organized a 9/11 ceremony and volunteer fair. Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba, Congressman Dave Loebsack, and retired Air Force Colonel Susan Kuehl, who was in the Pentagon that day, encouraged participants to stay involved in their community. The event officially kicked off the Davenport Volunteer Connection, and the fair connected 20 nonprofits to 500 citizens.
The Siouxland Volunteer Center and local RSVP program partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Regiment to host a “tribute by postcard” campaign for wounded soldiers and families. 200 community members completed postcards thanking veterans for their service. The Siouxland Volunteer Center also recruited community members as future disaster response volunteers.
The Volunteer Center of Southern Iowa organized service projects for students in Lamoni, Mt. Ayr, Afton, Wayne County, and Union County. Most schools participated in the “A Million Thanks” initiative, a letter-writing campaign supporting men and women of the U.S. military. Some students extended the project to a month-long food drive, collecting over 1,000 pounds of food.
The Volunteer Center of Story County hosted a community tribute in Maxwell, IA, engaging 100 volunteers in projects benefitting the community’s veterans. Volunteers painted the VFW building, the American Legion Auxiliary building, homes of two Maxwell veterans, and a Veterans Memorial community board.
Many other projects occurred throughout the state. The Des Moines AmeriCorps Alums chapter sponsored a two-mile community walk that engaged 250 veterans, activity duty members, military families, emergency service workers, and volunteers in a tribute reflection. The United Way of Wapello County erected a Peace Pole in a community park in Ottumwa, an AmeriCorps VISTA member with BRIGHTEN in Cedar Rapids hosted a community work day to paint area houses, and the Dept. of Natural Resources organized a park cleanup at Big Creek State Park, among other projects. All together, ICVS is aware of 32 projects and events that occurred in Iowa. Thanks to everybody who participated!