Islander serves in FEMA Corps
Published 11:17 am Saturday, May 14, 2016
Hugh Houghton of Bainbridge Island is one of 130 men and women who have committed to 10 months of national service as part of the Southern Region’s 22nd class of the National Civilian Community Corps, as a member of FEMA Corps.
As part of his service, Houghton spent 10 months serving with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the administration of emergency management and long-term recovery activities.
“I think it is important to give back to the community since they helped me grow and become the person I am today,” Houghton said. “It is even more important to help those in need.”
Houghton completed his service on April 21 with an education award of up to $5,775, which can be used to continue education or pay back qualified student loans.
This 22nd class of members served a total of 186,519 hours during their 10 months of service. The estimated value of a volunteer hour is roughly $23, which means these 130 members provided $4.3 million worth of service back to the community.
The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps and its FEMA Corps units engage up to 2,800 young Americans in a full-time, 10-month commitment to service each year.
AmeriCorps NCCC members address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, and urban and rural development; FEMA Corps members are solely dedicated to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery work. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
