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VISTA Flood Recovery and Cedar Rapids Neighborhoods
Over the past month, VISTA Flood Recovery has had a chance to work and develop a partnership with Cedar Rapids Neighborhoods (CRN), headed by CRN President Greg Stokesberry. The goal of the CRN is to better provide the 12 neighborhoods of Cedar Rapids the resources needed to serve their constituents. Much of the AmeriCorps*VISTA involvement holds true to the goals of AmeriCorps*VISTA, serving to help establish the infrastructure needed for CRN to have the greatest impact.
One of these projects is in the development of the CRN website. AmeriCorps*VISTA members involved in this project include Lauren Yergeau, Daniel Young, and Blake Christenson. The main focus of the website is to better inform the public as to which neighborhood association is representing their interests. Contact information for each Neighborhood president will also be available on the website.
The website isn’t the only aspect of CRN AmeriCorps*VISTA are involved with. AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader Curtis DeVetter is compiling a neighborhood business directory, to facilitate good neighbor businesses support of their neighborhood association. Other projects involve some groundwork to be done before full time staff are needed. Experienced in grant writing for neighborhood associations, AmeriCorps*VISTA Renae Hyronimus has leant her skills to assist with gathering the tools for a grant writer, whether that be another AmeriCorps*VISTA, or otherwise. AmeriCorps*VISTA Nathan Tohro is doing much of the same with financial planning and preparedness plans for CRN.
I encourage all to learn more about Cedar Rapids Neighborhoods and all 12 neighborhoods of Cedar Rapids, and check out crneighborhoods.org when it goes live on February 11, 2010.
By: Blake Christenson
VISTA Daniel creating maps for CRN