Events and Activities : FEMA leaders to gather in Vinton for first Iowa FEMA Corps induction Friday

Two-hundred forty young adults from across the nation will be sworn into service as members of the inaugural class of FEMA Corps at an induction ceremony at the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) North Central Region Campus in Vinton, on Friday, September 28. FEMA Corps, a new unit within AmeriCorps NCCC, is an innovative partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) for 18 to 24 year-olds to provide 10 months of full-time service in disaster response and recovery projects. FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino, CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer, and other officials will provide remarks and swear in the FEMA Corps members, who have completed one month of training and will be deployed on their first assignments mid-October. Media are invited to attend the induction and a press availability prior to the ceremony. WHAT: Induction of first class of 240 FEMA Corps members in Iowa to begin 10 months of service in disaster response and recovery WHO: FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer, FEMA Corps members WHERE: Vinton-Shellsburg High School Auditorium 210 West 21st Street, Vinton, Iowa 52349 WHEN: Friday, September 28, 2012 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm CDT: Media availability: Interview opportunities with Richard Serino, Wendy Spencer, and FEMA Corps members 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm CDT: Induction Ceremony in auditorium FEMA Corps will enhance the federal government’s disaster capabilities, increase the reliability and diversity of the disaster workforce, promote an ethic of service, expand education and economic opportunity for young people, and achieve significant cost savings for the taxpayer. Iowa is home to one of only five AmeriCorps NCCC campuses in the country, and is the second campus to host FEMA Corps. Additional information about FEMA Corps is available here.