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Rewey woman volunteers for new FEMA corps
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Katelyn Enloe of Rewey is one of 177 Denver-based young people serving in the nation’s first class of FEMA Corps, a new unit of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps solely devoted to disaster preparedness and response.

During her 11-month term of service, Enloe, 24, is serving as a team leader by providing important support to disaster survivors and gaining significant training and professional experience in emergency management.

Leading a team of 10 to 12 members, FEMA Corps team leaders both travel to disaster-affected communities and support longer-term recovery operations across the country by supporting the operations of the team. Projects range from working directly with disaster survivors to administrative disaster management tasks to sharing disaster preparedness and mitigation information with the public.

“Enloe is part of a historic new chapter in the history of national service that will enhance our nation’s disaster capabilities and give thousands of young people the opportunity to serve their country and gain valuable skills and experience for their future careers,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “I commend Katelyn for answering the call to serve and making a difference for people and communities affected by disasters.”

“FEMA Corps will strengthen the nation’s disaster response by providing a dedicated, trained and reliable workforce to support disaster survivors and impacted communities during their greatest time of need,” said FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino. “We have seen first-hand the value they have brought in assisting survivors following Hurricane Sandy and other disasters.”

Enloe arrived at the AmeriCorps NCCC Southwest Region campus in Denver Jan. 14 and completed four weeks of leadership training followed by six weeks of specialized training in the area of Community Relations. Enloe is nearing the end of her first project round, spanning from April 1 to June 14, during which she traveled to Lincroft, N.J. to help external affairs including writing press releases and reports, producing videos, and working on field photography. Enloe will lead several more projects before graduating from FEMA Corps on Nov. 19.

FEMA Corps, a new unit within AmeriCorps NCCC that launched last fall, is an innovative partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). People ages 18 to 24 from around the nation provide 10 months of full-time service on emergency management projects; while team leaders serve 11 months and are not age-restricted. The program will engage 1,600 members annually when fully operational next year.

All 42 FEMA Corps teams that started last fall deployed to New York and New Jersey immediately after Hurricane Sandy and provided vital support to disaster survivors. In their first 10 weeks, FEMA Corps members conducted more than 11,700 case reviews, collected or distributed more than 400,000 gallons of water, distributed more than 14,000 education materials or preparedness kits, answered more than 4,500 FEMA registration or helpline calls, and assisted more than 261,000 disaster survivors.

Enloe graduated from Iowa–Grant High School in 2007 and UW–Platteville in 2011 with a degree in Communication Technologies and Business Administration.

“I have always enjoyed volunteering and giving back; I was particularly involved with service projects within my high school youth group,” said Enloe. “When I graduated I wanted to stay involved and eventually took over as the Youth Director at my church. When I went to college I wanted to find a career that would give me a greater purpose than my own personal benefit. I feel that the AmeriCorps/FEMA Team Leader position is just that.”

Katelyn is the daughter of Richard and Linda Enloe.

After completing 1,700 hours of service, FEMA Corps members will receive a $5,550 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for tuition or student loans. FEMA Corps operates out of five regional NCCC campuses: Sacramento, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Vinton, Iowa; Perry Point, Md.; and, Vicksburg, Miss., but deploys teams nationally wherever the disaster-related need is the greatest. For more information about FEMA Corps or AmeriCorps NCCC, or to apply online, visit www.nationalservice.gov.