Monday, June 29, 2009

Iowa Governer Calls for "Summer of Service"

(Press-Citizen) Iowa Governor Chet Culver said Iowa has come a long way in recovering from the fourth worst disaster in United States history. Culver said last summer’s flooding caused $1.5 billion in damages.

However, Culver said the state still has a long way to go. People are still displaced from their homes and many businesses have yet to recover. One way to continue to rebuild is through the work of volunteers, he said. “We saw the impact of volunteerism last summer,” Culver said. Approximately 50,000 volunteers helped out the 40,000 displaced Iowa residents last year, he said.

“Those volunteers were the calm within the storm,” Culver said. “They were the heroes.”

In the spirit of that service, Culver unveiled the Culver/Judge “Summer of Service” program. Culver said the statewide program will mirror President Barack Obama’s “United We Serve” nationwide volunteer campaign. “This summer, we want to encourage more Iowans to serve,” Culver said. Culver’s program has three goals: bolster civic engagement in Iowa; improve our communities in four national priority areas – energy and the environment, education, health care and community renewal; and develop partnerships with nonprofits, faith-based groups and other organizations.

Those interested in the program can log onto volunteeriowa.org to find tools and resources to match volunteers to service opportunities. “We’re going to recover from this natural disaster and at the end of the day, have a better state,” Culver said.

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