Two Year Flood Anniversary
I’m sure to all those living in the Corridor who were affected or who are still rebuilding, it is hard to imagine the epic flood of 2008 occurred two years ago. I arrived in Cedar Rapids just a few days after the first anniversary of the 2008 flood. One year ago, I arrived in Cedar Rapids having no idea what to expect for my year of service. I wasn’t sure where the city was in the rebuilding process or what type of work I would be doing. The first few months I worked in the field rebuilding houses I saw a lot of devastation. However, there were signs of rebirth. You could see a few rebuilt houses on random blocks around the affected area. Yet, there were plenty of blocks that remain completely untouched. It was immediately clear there was still a lot of work left.
When I first arrived to work at the Community Recovery Center, the converted warehouse was bustling with activity all hours of the day. We had dozens of summer VISTAs, a new batch of year-long members and hundreds of volunteers coming in and out looking for new assignments, getting sweaty and dirty mucking and rebuilding. After the constant excitement of the summer months’ things began to calm down and we settled in to a new normal. The summer VISTAs left, the volunteers went into hibernation, and I sought shelter in the office joining the communications team. However, we had a solid group of fearless field VISTAs who braved the single digit temperatures and continued to work tirelessly rebuilding the community. Soon we all began to notice small changes in the community. There were less mucking and gutting assignments and more rebuilding occurring in the houses we were working on. Then slowly we began receiving fewer calls. We realized that we had worked ourselves out of, work.
The Linn Area Long Term Rebuilding Coalition recently announced to the public that the Community Recovery Center would be closing after this summer. This doesn’t mean the city is completely rebuilt or the work will end, but it does signify progress in the community. The closing of the CRC is bittersweet for me. I will be ending my service before the CRC officially closes but we no longer have the staff we use to, and the building once full of activity is sometimes eerily quiet. And while the work in Cedar Rapids will continue with organization such as Block by Block (we are lucky that many of our VISTAs will continue their work with this organization), it is still hard to see it all end.
On Sunday, June 13th the city will be celebrating the two-year anniversary from that devastating flood. I am hoping that everyone truly celebrates this milestone because the city while not fully recovered is a lot better off then it was even a year ago. I am just happy I was able to be a part of it.
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AmeriCorps Week 2010
This week gives us a chance to step back and thank all of the AmeriCorps members who have worked with us to rebuild Cedar Rapids and the Corridor. Our program has been lucky to work with hundreds of AmeriCorps members from all branches of service. Each of these AmeriCorps members has touched the community in a different way. We have had AmeriCorps NCCC work with flood recovery for weeks to complete one of their team projects. AmeriCorps State and National members have worked with CCIA in a variety of ways including with the VITA program. Then we have our VISTA program, which has seen numerous hard working and dedicated people filter in and out as summer associates and yearlong members.
It is hard to measure the individual successes of each of our AmeriCorps members. However, without their collective effort in all aspects of their service the Corridor would be struggling. Each person’s dedication to service and the community has shown through their efforts. Since AmeriCorps members have worked in a number of different agencies across Cedar Rapids, and worked on a variety their talents have stretched from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City and back again.
As AmeriCorps members we work everyday not expecting a thank you. We strive to make a difference in the community we are living and the lives of the members in the community. However, it has been nice this week to be on the receiving end of so much thanks and generosity.
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National Day of Service
I’m so sorry it has been a while for the blog. However, we are still very busy in Cedar Rapids. Please keep checking our website, http://www.vistacorridorrecovery.org. Our news and photos section is updated every week with new stories about our program.
In case you didn’t know this week April 19-23, 2010 is National Volunteer Week. This is a week to both celebrate the contribution of all volunteers everywhere and ask others to volunteer their time and talents.
At VISTA Corridor Recovery we are constantly astounded by the generosity from our volunteers. Since the flood in 2008 we have coordinated just under 7400 volunteers who have accumulated over 204,000 hours. This is over just a 22 month period. Volunteers who have traveled to Cedar Rapids have worked on a number of different projects around the city. They have helped to restore damaged houses into homes, from cleaning up from the flood through the rebuilding process. They have come from all over the country with a variety of skills and touched the hearts of Cedar Rapids residents.
Since the flood we have sponsored a number of volunteer events including two Martin Luther King days of services, 9/11 day of service, Harvest of Hope, United Way’s Day of Caring and National Volunteer Week. At each event we had dozens of volunteers attend willing to do anything to help. Without their energy and enthusiasm our events wouldn’t have been the successes we’ve had.
In fact without our thousands of volunteers the city of Cedar Rapids wouldn’t be in the current state of rebuild. So for National Volunteer Week we would like to THANK every volunteer who has come to Cedar Rapids to help the rebuild process. Also we encourage everyone to spend some time this week volunteering in their community.
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Alternative Spring Break
Spring Break is generally a time when people pack their bags and migrate to warmer weather to soak up the sun. However, a few college groups are skipping the stereotypical spring break for an alternative one. Luckily we received about five college groups who spent their alternative spring break in Cedar Rapids, rebuilding after the flood.
For the past two weeks the VISTA Corridor Recovery program welcomed students from Emerson College, Iowa State University, Rutgers University and Westminster College over their Spring Breaks. Each group brought around 15 students and staff to work on a variety of tasks in Cedar Rapids. While here the groups, whose skill varied, worked on multiple jobs. During week 1 of spring break, Emerson completed a muck and gut job, but they were also broken up to work on other smaller jobs. These jobs included chipping paint from a house and mudding and sanding a basement. On a personal note I was thrilled to see my alma mater’s ASB program come work with us. I had participated in a number of ASB trips during my college years and I loved being able to spend time with some old and new friends. Westminster College was also here during the first week of spring break and while they were in town they also worked at various sites including preparing a basement to be mortared.
During the second week, Iowa State brought in highly skilled crews. Because of their talent we were able to give them a lot of technical jobs. They worked on stairs, handrails, porches and framing jobs. This helped to knock out many of the smaller jobs that our volunteers don’t generally have the skill for. The Rutgers group spent much of their time here mortaring the basement that Westminster prepped. They also did a little work at a muck and gut site on their last day.
While the college groups were working with us, we received numerous phone calls from homeowners saying how much they appreciate the students coming in on their break. They also praised the volunteers for how courteous they were and on the quality of their work. We second those homeowner’s thank you and praises. We enjoyed working with all of the groups over their breaks.
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Super Tax Saturday
On Saturday February 13 the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program hosted Super Tax Saturday at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The community was encouraged to come and get their taxes prepared and attend the financial education fair that was also occurring. Local institutions such as Veridian Credit Union, Edward Jones and AmeriCorps*Green attended the fair. The event, which was held from 9 am until 4 pm was hugely successful and only a handful of VITA volunteers were able to complete over 90 returns.
Program specialist Bonnie Sorensen organized the Super Saturday Event, but many VISTAs had a role making it a success. VISTA Mary Alice O’Connor organized and recruited the vendors for the fair. She also coordinated the donations for the door prizes and arranged for free give-aways. Visitors who attended the fair and spoke with three vendors were entered for a chance to win one of 11 different door prizes. VISTA Kody Thompson was in charge of marketing the event, which was broadcast on both the radio and local TV. A number of VISTAs, along with community volunteers, also spent the day preparing taxes and checking in appointments. Congressman Dave Loebsack even showed up to Super Tax Saturday. He walked around viewing the 16 different vendors who lined the walls of the Gage Memorial Union.
After spending a few hours at Super Tax Saturday I saw many people leaving feeling more relaxed and happy. They left with bags full of financial SWAG and hopefully some money in their pocket. Luckily for those who were unable to attend Super Tax Saturday the VITA program will be running for the duration of the tax season. Just call 211 to schedule an appointment at one of our four convenient locations.
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A New VITA Season Is Here
It is that time again when you start receiving your W2 form your employer and you start to gather all those important documents you need for your taxes. Welcome to the stress of tax season. Luckily in Cedar Rapids we have a free program that is here to help. For households who worked in 2009 earn less than 49,000 you are eligible for VITA services.
VITA, which stands for volunteer income tax assistance, is a free program staffed by volunteers who have been trained to prepare taxes, 43 this year alone. 17 VISTAs have spent the last few months studying to be able to prepare taxes and providing support for the program. Since the Cedar Rapids VITA program began in 2006 $2.75 million in Federal Refunds and $1.2 million in EITC refunds have been returned to families in Cedar Rapids. 2008 was a record breaker for the VITA program with over 900 returns filed and this year is already on tap to break the previous record.
The volunteers have been hard at work for the last couple of weeks at the VITA locations around Cedar Rapids. Participants can get their taxes prepared at three places, the Wellington Heights neighborhood center, Moundview, and Matthew 25’s headquarters. For Mercy Medical employees there is a special location for you conveniently located in Mercy. There are plenty of available appointment times. The appointment slots are scheduled for 45 minutes but most appointments only take about 15-20 minutes depending on the specific tax return. To schedule a VITA appointment all you have to do is call 211 and they will set everything up for you. The VITA program will run for the length of the tax season so there is still about two and a half months for you to schedule an appointment.
Another opportunity to get your taxes prepared will be on Super Saturday, which will occur on February 13, 2009 at Coe College. Super Saturday is an all day event where you can get your taxes prepared, visit a number of local vendors, take financial education classes and bring your children to play and learn more about responsible money management.
The VITA program will make preparing your taxes one less stress in your life. To make an appointment with tax preparers call 211 or participate in the Super Saturday event. For more information please visit http://www.volunteertaxassistance.com/.
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MLK Day 2010
The VISTA Flood Recovery program was busy celebrating Martin Luther King Day over the long weekend. In honor and remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. the day commemorating his life is celebrated with a national day of service. In Cedar Rapids we celebrated the day with two days of service both on Saturday and Monday. One of our VISTAs, Alex Lyon organized and planned the whole two-day event.
The celebration started on Saturday when volunteers and VISTAs worked at various sites around the city including Block by Block, Aid to Women and Mission of Hope. Volunteers engaged in a number of jobs at these agencies ranging from painting, to flood recovery and baking. In total over 120 volunteers served in Cedar Rapids and Johnson County over the long weekend.
On MLK Day the VISTAs attended a ceremony honoring the day at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. A presentation was given, which included a speech from the Mount Mercy President, the local NAACP President and the new Mayor of Cedar Rapids. The mayor issued a proclamation declaring it MLK Day in Cedar Rapids. After the morning presentation it was time for the volunteers to get to work. On Monday our volunteers headed to multiple sites again. These sites included a few non-profit agencies in and around Cedar Rapids. They included, Aide to Women where volunteers donated their time to help paint the offices. We also partnered with another flood recovery agency, Block by Block for MLK Day, so some of our volunteers and VISTAs worked with them for the day. For the afternoon most of our VISTAs went over to Taylor school to spend time with the Tiger Cub Kids Club. Representative Loebsack also joined them to help the kids prepare soup, read stories, color and make crafts.
Throughout the day VISTAs and community members actively participated in the ideals Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life for. They showed the community tolerance while donating their time, treasure and talent. Overall the weekend was a great success for both VISTA Alex and MLK Day.
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New Year, New Goals
Hi all! I just got back from the east coast after a holiday vacation, and after a few weeks catching up and relaxing with family and friends I am ready to dive back into helping the community of Cedar Rapids. I know that I am a few days late on wishing everyone a happy new year, but I wanted to take this opportunity to while we are still in the first week of the new year to reflect on all that we accomplished in 2009.
2009 was a big year of the residents of Cedar Rapids and the VISTA flood recovery program. In June, just before I arrived, the city celebrated the one-year anniversary of the flood. It has been about a year and half since the flood of 2008 and the city has come a long way. Numerous families and businesses are back to their pre-flood condition, and the city is healing and rebuilding. Our VISTAs have spent the past year continuing in the effort to improve the community of Cedar Rapids and Johnson County. Our program has grown to include members from all walks of lives and areas of the country who focus on a number of areas in the communities. We have a robust flood recovery program who are out everyday even on the coldest of winter days rebuilding the city. We also have members working in the areas of youth, housing and community cohesion.
During the past year we conducted a visual assessment of the city to determine how much work is left to do in the city. We also canvassed the neighborhood to help with the Tenant Assistance Program. Among other projects we hosted a Flooded Art Show to raise money and awareness and Harvest of Hope to get volunteers to the area. There are too many projects we have worked on to list here, but it has been a very busy year.
In the New Year we will continue to service the community. On January 16th and 18th we will be celebrating Martin Luther King Day with two days of service opportunities. To register for this event you can check out website http://www.vistacorridorrecovery.org. Check back often for new program updates and I hope you all had wonderful holidays and a happy new year.
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Thanksgiving is a time for us to remember our blessings. We sit down for a large and delicious meal with family and friends and give thanks for all that we have. This past weekend community volunteers and VISTAs spent their holiday weekend giving thanks for what they have while helping flood affected families. The Harvest of Hope event, which occurred this past weekend on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, brought about 50 community volunteers to Cedar Rapids to help the rebuilding process. The event, which was organized by VISTA Casey Westlake was a huge success.
VISTAs who participated in the event brought volunteers to the field to teach them how to hang drywall, finish drywall and muck and gut a house. While others coordinated job sites and documented the event with photos and video. On Friday I worked with a group of VISTA
s who typically work in the office, some in Cedar Rapids and some in Iowa City. This event gave them a rare opportunity to spend some time in the field. The VISTAs I worked with on that day said it gave them an appreciation of our field VISTAs who spend everyday rebuilding houses for residents. So not only was Harvest of Hope a great opportunity for volunteers, but also for some of our VISTAs.
The event brought a large number of volunteers into the city at a time when our volunteer numbers are low. The summer brings in a lot of volunteers since the weather is warmer and many people have the time off, however as the weather gets colder it gets tougher for people to volunteer. Harvest of Hope was the perfect excuse for many volunteers to come rebuild Cedar Rapids.
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Flooded Arts A Success!
This past weekend, VISTA Corridor Recovery hosted the Flooded Art Show at the Cherry Building in downtown Cedar Rapids. On Nov. 20-21 97 people attended the fundraiser and many bid on the 24 items up for sale. At the conclusion of the show 22 of the 24 pieces at the event sold.
The Cherry Building large and airy space was filled with artwork from a local artist, T.S. “Thor” Anderson, and VISTAs, Matthew Aswegan, Luisa Sondie and Tina Michaud. Attendees walked in to find Luisa Sondie’s photos taken after the flood, suspended in mid air, floating in frames constructed with wood rescued after the flood. Various other paintings and photographs were carefully staged around the room on top of levels, hammers and plywood. Visitors were made to feel as if they were stepping into a construction zone. Food for the event was even presented on a plywood tabletop and sawhorse base.
I attended the show on Friday, the opening night, and when I left the place was so packed you had to weave in and out of people to find the exit. The photos, which were in mostly in black and white where so powerful against the plain glass and black frames it was hard to choose a favorite. Many VISTAs who attended the event bid on photos that depicted houses or sites they had personally worked on. Many felt an emotional connection to both the photo and the house.
VISTA Matthew Aswegan, who created the Flooded Art Show said, “All the preparation and hard work paid off, and of course, the photography turned out beautifully — overall, the event was a great success for CCIA and the VISTA Corridor Recovery program.” The night was truly a success for Matt and the VISTA program.
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