Cedar Rapids volunteer groups asking for help Sept. 11

Volunteer groups working in Cedar Rapids are asking for help in participating in the first-ever National Day of Service and Remembrance on Sept. 11.

---- The East Central Iowa Volunteer Center and the AmeriCorps VISTA Flood Recovery Program are calling for volunteers ages 14 and older to help in the ongoing flood recovery efforts. Projects that day will include gutting, cleaning and rebuilding homes damaged by last year's flooding.

---- Congress in March set aside Sept. 11 - the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon - as an annual day of service across the country. The designation was inserted into the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, or the GIVE Act.

---- Volunteers with AmeriCorps VISTA and the Volunteer Center have been working on flood recovery for more than a year but are using the National Day of Service to raise awareness and get others interested in volunteering.

---- “We want to get a new interest in volunteers from the local community,” said Sue Driscoll with United Way Iowa and AmeriCorps VISTA. “We're using this day to try to generate enthusiasm in local volunteers again, to get them more involved in their own community. A lot of people don't understand that there's a lot of work that still needs to be done.”

---- Those between the ages of 14 and 18 who want to help on Sept. 11 must have a signed parental consent form before participating, and all volunteers are required to sign a liability waiver. Volunteers are asked to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, close-toed shoes, safety goggles and work gloves. Goggles and gloves may be provided by the volunteer center.

---- For more information or to register, call the center, (319) 540-4814.