Monday, August 11, 2008
Vinton
I gave the keynote address at the induction ceremony for Iowa ’s new National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) facility in Vinton today. I worked hard to have the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School designated as the site for Iowa’s only AmeriCorps NCCC facility after learning about how perfect of a fit the campus would be from my wife Ruth. Ruth serves on the Iowa Board of Regents, which oversees the school. The campus is close to numerous highways, and it ’s residential and recreational facilities were the perfect match for the NCCC’s needs. I secured $2.5 million to transform portions of the Braille and Sight Saving School into the NCCC campus, so it was great to see the results!
The AmeriCorps NCCC members based at the Vinton campus will work in teams to undertake a variety of community projects, including building and rehabilitating low-income housing, responding to natural disasters, tutoring students, cleaning up waterways, and helping communities develop emergency plans. I worked with Governor Culver to make sure that in the campus ’s first year, half of the teams and resources would be dedicated to helping Iowa and the Midwest recover and rebuild after the historic flooding.
Seeing this new group of volunteers living and learning in Iowa was quite a sight. My message to these young people was simple - Over the coming 10 months, never underestimate the importance of the work you are doing. These skilled volunteers showed up in Iowa just in the nick of time to help us rebuild and recover from the floods and I am thrilled to have them in our state.
