Former Cassidy VP Betsy Ide Helps with Vermont Irene Clean Up

Former Cassidy & Associates Vice President Betsy Ide has been hired by the Vermont state Government to help coordinate the state-wide clean up effort in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. Betsy has been heading up the Office of Community Affairs for the Vermont Recovery Effort. She and her colleagues are tasked with coordinating State, Federal and community resources across Vermont to repair the damage caused by Irene.

As part of this ongoing clean up effort Governor Shumlin has declared October 22^nd the first ever “Vermont Clean Up Day.” This initiative is designed to mobilize residents and augment the community level efforts that have been going on since day one. At the Clean Up Day kick off event Gov. Shumlin said,

“I want to start by saying thank you for everyone’s outpouring of support, incredible generosity and patience at this difficult time. None of us imagined the magnitude of damage Vermont would sustain but all of us knew that once the rains eased, we would all join together to begin the response, recovery and eventually rebuilding of our state.”

Clean Up Day is being coordinated through www.vtcleanup.org. The site allows residents, volunteers and donors to help in three ways:

1. Make a monetary donation to the VT Disaster Relief Fund or other charity of your choice. Details for organizations involved in the relief and rebuilding effort can be found on the web.

2. Sign up to volunteer on Clean Up Day by joining a volunteer team designed to tackle a project in one of our affected communities, or organize a volunteer effort in your town if you are aware of a need. In addition to volunteer labor, we are also looking for skilled laborers like plumbers, electricians, and heavy equipment operators who are willing to donate their time on this one day to help their neighbors in need.

3. Donate to a specific need for a Vermont family through the "goods exchange" or through your local volunteer coordinator or food shelf. This list and your local coordinators will match needs with goods to help families who lost their homes and belongings get reestablished.