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East Central Iowa Volunteer Center Opens
United Way of East Central Iowa, the Community Corrections Improvement Association and AmeriCorps/Vista have established a coordinated point of contact for area residents looking to volunteer and people needing help with flood recovery. The East Central Iowa Volunteer Reception Center is located at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, 1700 B Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids.
Individuals, groups and organizations wishing to volunteer should call 319-540-4810. Individuals and organizations looking for assistance should call 319-540-4815. The Center’s normal business hours will be 8:00 am – 6:00 pm, Monday-Friday.
This effort will take the place of calling Serve the City to volunteer or seek assistance. The Volunteer Reception Center will be collecting information already submitted through a number of groups and work in conjunction with Churches United, Serve the City, CorridorRecovery.org, businesses and others to help match those able to help with those most in need.
“We’re aware that many people have been interested in volunteering and many people have been looking for help,” said Leslie Wright, Director of Community Impact for United Way of East Central Iowa. “Coming together, and utilizing the AmeriCorps/Vista team, we should be able to more effectively meet community needs.”
Wright added, “Serve the City did a great job deploying people in the midst of the flooding and helping a lot of people, but we needed to develop a long-term solution to volunteerism. We will be working with all concerned parties to help through the recovery and rebuilding.”
Serve The City, a continuing partner with Corridor Recovery, is transitioning from the disaster phase into the Long Term Recovery phase. According to Serve The City Executive Director, Charles Daugherty, “Effective immediately we are wholeheartedly supporting this new volunteer center. We are handing off volunteer deployment to the community-led resources of which we are part. We extend a heartfelt thank-you to every volunteer who has served their community in these first three weeks.”
Volunteer opportunities are also still available on www.corridorrecovery.org. Interested individuals and groups can register online. If you have questions about how to become involved please contact the Volunteer Center.
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