Et Cetera

Vinton-Shellsburg High School student Caitlin Martin, the daughter of Dave and Cindy Martin, was among the 500 students from Iowa and throughout the nation who were recently invited to be honored at The University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center's Recognition Ceremony. Additionally, recognized students were given the opportunity to honor a teacher they credited for having a profound influence on their lives.

The Vinton VFW Ladies Auxiliary supported Operation Backpack by having Riley Ries come to our meeting and presenting him with 60 new tooth brushes and 60 tubes of toothpaste. We also presented him with a  check and one of our members Donna Barnard also gave  him a check. We are glad to help support this great cause.

By: Sarah Williams Marquis Franklin, from Laurel Maryland, is serving on team Oak 5 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. He arrived in Vinton on February 11, to start his 10-month service term. Oak 5 is made up of seven people from across the country who will serve together across the Midwest. Marquis says, “I want to make a change in my life and explore a different opportunity.

Written by Ashley Burgess From September 24 to November 7, AmeriCorps NCCC team Oak 5 will be doing some hands on tasks with Habitat for Humanity in Marquette County, Michigan. With their hands, hammers and knowledge of power tools, the team has been partaking in building a house from the ground up. Oak 5 has been engaged in multiple other tasks such as installing baseboards, painting, flooring, carpeting, insulating, sheeting, roofing, door installation and helping in the Habitat ReStore.

Amber Sproles, from Acton, Indiana is serving on team Cedar 3 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. She arrived in Vinton on February 11 to start her 10-month service term. Cedar 3 is made up of eight people from across the country who will serve together around the Midwest. Amber says, “I chose to join because I want to make a difference and leave a mark in the lives of others.

The Eastern Iowa Honor Flight today received a donation of $85,000.00 from the employees of the Quaker-PepsiCo Companies.  A group of employees who are veterans and known as the Valor Group have spearheaded ongoing fundraising programs among employees of the company, and then those funds raised are matched by PepsiCo.  Quaker sponsored one flight last year, and is sponsoring two flights this year, including the upcoming flight on Tuesday, October 21, 2014.

NCCC Maple 3 Cleans Up the Streets of Flint  By Andrew Johnson  AmeriCorps NCCC team Maple 3 was serving with the city of Flint, MI until October 1. The team had been assisting Flint in beautification of the streets, safety, and disaster preparedness.   Maple 3 cleaned up streets and abandoned homes in the North side of Flint, as well as repainted an old playground.

  By: Sarah Williams    Brecon Richmond, from Friendship, Ohio is serving on team Maple 3 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. She arrived in Vinton on February 11 to start her 10-month service term. Maple 3 is made up of nine people from across the country who will serve together around the Midwest.

Iowa American Legion Hawkeye Boys State is for young men who have just completed their junior year of high school. It is a week long "Hands-On" experience in the operation of our democratic form of government. Through the Boys State objective of "learning by doing", young men will learn more about city, county and state government in one week than they would in an entire semester of high school.

Zach Young, from Vashon, Washington is a corps member for Maple 4 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. He arrived in Vinton on February 11 to start his 10-month service working with a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Maple 4 is made up of six people from across the country and they will serve together around the Midwest. When asked why he decided to serve in the NCCC program, Zach says, “I like the variety of service projects I will be doing, I like the idea of serving my community and learning new skills that I might want to pursue after the program.