Get to the Point May 16, 2012
An NCCC Atlantic Region Publication
Get to the Point GET TO THE POINT ATLANTIC REGION, PERRY POINT, MD VOL. XVIII, ISSUE 8
I’m an member of the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program. N-triple-C members are 18 to 24 and spend 10 months getting things done for America while developing their own leadership. We serve on teams to help communities to prepare for and respond to disaster, build homes and help the environment. To learn more, or apply, visit americorps.gov/nccc
Moose 2, or Moose Deuce as they like to be called, are currently working in Maine, switching from plants in Baltimore to hammers in Bath.
COVER: CENTER:ET R2, MEET THE MAYOR OF PHILIDELPHIA
3 HANGING WITH MOOSE DEUCE
TOP; LEFT, R4 , AFTER REMOVING DEBRIS IN MASS.RIGHT, FF2, TL STEVE THOMAS GETS BUSY WITH THE CHAIN SAW BOTTOM; LEFT, B4 ANNA COLFESCU APPLIES A COAT OF STAIN TO A BENCH MIDDLE, M2,BACK IN THE DAY WHEN ELIAS WASN’T ON PHOENIX RIGHT, M5, HELPS PLANT A GARDEN
by Moose 2
4 KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE by Buffalo 2
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AMERICALVARY SAVES THE DAY by Sam Berkman
NEWS
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7 MEET YOUR ―AMERISTARS‖
AMERIMAP
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from The New York Times
FACEBOOK.COM/ NCCCATLANTICREGION Sam McKenzie, Community Relations Specialist, SMcKenzie@cns.gov Tristan Fowler, Community Relations Support Team Leader, TFowler.Guest@cns.gov
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8 GATEWAY TO CAREER THROUGH VOLUNTEERING
Community Relations Office
THE SCOREBOARD SHOUT OUTS
ALUNMI SPOTLIGHT
by the Health and Wellness Liaisons
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
QUICKIES
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is a full time team–based residential program for men and women ages 18 to 24. The mission of NCCC is to strength communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national & community service. For more information about NCCC Visit www.americorps.gov/nccc or call 1 800 942 2677
Get to the Point TEAM SPOTLIGHT—MOOSE 2
Hanging with Moose Deuce by Ed Schultz ―QUERCUS! QUERCUS! QUERCUS!‖ WE ALL cried in unison, loud as we could manage. ―Quercus‖ we chanted it like a war cry, a rallying call to our teammate in need, as though it made perfect sense. Common sense intervened, ―Why are you calling Tyger an Oak?‖ Tom Polk interrupted. Quercus Falcata (K-were-kis, Fell-ka-ta) the scientific title of the Southern Red Oak, a species of tree native to the Chesapeake Bay area. But to explain why we were chanting that name, or for that matter who Tom Polk was, you would need more context. It was round 1 and Moose 2 or as we like to call ourselves Moose Deuce, was stationed in Baltimore Maryland. Our project was centered on planting trees in order to ultimately help purify the water shed of the greater Baltimore area. However while we did plant trees, the majority of our time was spent in the Herring
Moose 2 Anna Francolino, pets Dagon, the “fat elderly canine” while on a high ropes course with Outward Bound. 3
Moose 2 Tyger Nunez gets a hug from her proud Team Leader Megan Lister, after Tyger successfully competed an intense challenge on a high ropes course. Run tree nursery organizing saplings. It was hard work in the sun all day lifting potted trees as heavy as 52 lbs; we passed the time by telling stories, listening to one of Kendel’s hilarious freestyles, and learning the names of the various plant species. The latter part was especially helpful in the sorting of the plants, because ―over there, by the tall green ones‖ is not actually as helpful as you might think. Cornus Floridia, Creeping Phlox, Sweetbay Magnolia, trees, plants, and perennials of all kinds. Our assistant team leader Tyger Nunez was our resident plant expert. When we weren’t working long days in the nursery we were spending our evenings lounging in the Crimea Mansion in Leakin Park, Anna was often baking something delicious in the kitchen, Jacob was always wandering around the park, and Kayla scarcely removed her nose from whatever book she was enthralled in. Fortunate enough to have our housing equipped with two showers and its own library/study we shared our dwelling with staff of Outward Bound, an organization of wilderness adventure instructors. They made interesting housemates, we even had a dog, a fat elderly canine who
loved nothing more than napping in the sun. Its name: Dagon. Her owner: Tom Polk, the senior instructor in the house. He was a short stocky man with an outrageous walrus mustache. He was our leader and instructor on the day Outward Bound gave us a lesson on their high ropes course, free of charge. Little known fact about our term in Baltimore, we all had plant-based nicknames. I was named after the Flowering Dogwood, Kendel was the Creeping Phlox, Aubrey was Mertensia Virginica, and Tyger the Southern Red Oak. Now, a little known fact about Tyger is she’s terrified of heights. So you can imagine how climbing 30 ft up a tree and walking across a narrow strip of steel wire might not sit well with her. As she walked across the seemingly perilous ―High Y‖ she emitted a high pitched squeal the likes of which we had never heard from her before or since. But we all cheered her on with that ridiculous rallying cry, quiet at first, but slowly growing louder into a maelstrom of noise. In the end she powered through it and overcame her fear, and we all learned a lot about trust and teamwork that day. And that fat dog slept through all of it.
Get to the Point TEAM SPOTLIGHT—BUFFALO 2
Keep your eye on the prize Buffalo 2 “targets” the city of Camden, New Jersey by James Ramiscal As we transition into a new round, Buffalo 2 undergoes a rather drastic change in scenery as they move from the dense and rural forests of Raccoon Creek State Park to the heavily urbanized Camden, New Jersey. The rolling green hills of forest have given way to urban prairies with structures of crumbling masonry and steel jutting out of concrete. The steep valleys and creeks of water have now turned into one big river with vast and towering bridges arching across the water. Upon arrival, Camden lit up its candles and fanfare as our 15-passenger van drives past an abandoned building set ablaze complete with black smoke and surrounded by the bright and flashing lights of the fire engines. Camden has once stood as a prosperous industrial city. But the city that neighbors the City of Brotherly Love across the Delaware River struggles with growing violent crimes, poverty and homelessness to the point that it was deemed the most dangerous city in the U.S. in 2004 and 2005 by Mor-
TL Tomo, left, and Sam Cass works with her team, Buffalo 2 to paint this wall. 4
The members of Buffalo 2, from left, Patrick Fontaine, Chris Moore and Alex Gutierrez, all work to paint the wall of a garage on their second round project. gan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, and has remained in the top ten ever since. As such it has been deemed a target city for the Atlantic Region of AmeriCorps NCCC. It is this time that an AmeriCorps NCCC team directly deals with the afflictions of the community. Buffalo 2 will be engaging in urban restoration by assisting the Camden County Habitat for Humanity, whose goal is to provide home ownership to those in need. Six houses are currently nearing completion, with Buffalo 2 standing as witness as well as one of many executors of Habitat’s mission. After our team completed its first— and what seemed like a lengthy— week. We had already caulked, hammered and drilled its way into the Habitat homes with the addition of installing kitchen appliances as well as fencing installation in the future. Our team has also spent time at the nearby Habitat ReStore with moving supplies and is current-
ly in the process of painting the walls of its spacey storage area. While the city of Camden provides its fair share of struggles, its location provides Buffalo 2 with proximity to fellow volunteers. Our team has already worked alongside a group of volunteers from Drexel University at the construction site and with fellow Atlantic Region Teams of Buffalo 3, Moose 1 and Raven 2 at the Point-to-Point at Winterthur Horse Race ISP, and finally a CAP event held with Moose 1. While Round 2 still spends its early days in infancy, what our team has done so far has shows promise for what our team has yet to encounter and can accomplish.
Get to the Point Alumni spotlight
The AmeriCalvary arrives to save the day
Sam Berkman was a Unit Support Team Leader for Class XVI Blue Unit and a Composite Team Leader for Blue Tenn. in the Pacific Region. He is originally from Chicago. MY NCCC SERVICE YEAR WAS ONE OF the most profound and meaningful experiences of my life. It was a time that allowed for personal growth through service to others. I originally heard about NCCC while I was in college at Northland College in Ashland, WI. A few friends of mine had been Corps Members and Team Leaders in NCCC and suggested that I apply for the program. Needless to say, it was a great suggestion on their part! My most memorable service moment was in Nashville, TN when I was leading a composite disaster relief team after the Summer 2010 floods. My team was split into halves one day, both gutting homes. We had completed two work orders that morning, and we were now at our third house for the day. We assessed the home and concluded that all of the insulation underneath the house would need to be removed. This required us to gut a crawl space the entire length of a house packed with insulation and ventilation ducts, creating a harsh, dark, and confined environment in which to work. This was an expansive house, and it
Sam Berkman, back row fifth from the left, with his composite team, Blue Tenn., in Tennessee. He served as the Unit Support Team Leader for the Blue Team in the Pacific Region. would take a long time to complete, but we were up to the task.
the crawl space. We finished gutting the house together, ending a very taxing day. It is the most memorable moment for me As time went on, we moved farther into because it showcased the passion for serthe crawl space, weaving over and under vice that we all had, and the camaraderie pipes and wires and ducts. The more we between my teammates. This moment progressed, the more challenging the made me very proud of my team and being mission became. The insulation was itch- associated with them. ing and scratching our skin; the sweat and heat made it difficult to breathe Sam’s commitment to service extends through our masks and fogged our gog- beyond his term in AmeriCorps NCCC. gles; and the crawl space grew darker the Since his service, he has lived, studied farther we went. This started to become and worked in Washington, DC, and as not just physically, but mentally taxing as a semester-long assignment as a graduwell—with many of us flirting with the ate student at George Washington Unifeelings of claustrophobia. It grew later versity, Sam assisted our headquarters, in the day, and, not wanting to return the the Corporation for National and Comnext day, I called the other half of the munity Service, with improving the Proteam for assistance. ject Completion Report, which is used to tally all the work a NCCC team comThey were already on their way back to our pletes after a project. He and his classhousing, but they made a U-turn and came mates provided valuable information to help us. All of a sudden, the team's mo- for the Corporation. rale sky-rocketed. The task no longer seemed as daunting, and even those who Further deepening his commitment to were facing their fears ventured back into NCCC, Sam currently serves on the Alumni Leadership Council, increasing awareness of national service. He also hopes to meets with teams, speaks with applicants and helps to improve the workings of AmeriCorps NCCC.
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Get to the Point CAP & MEDIA UPDATES
The Scoreboard Shout-outs, tips and the weekly stats. All the info you need to stay on top of your CAP and Media work. From Tristan Fowler
Shout-Outs: Raven 4 - Akalia and Rachel sent press releases to six different newspapers and magazines in Massachusetts and Delaware. They are currently making a schedule to record and upload two YouTube videos. And they have been uploading pictures to the Media Hub daily. Sam Cass—Thank you for helping me with the bulletin board. Neither Sam McKenzie nor I have the talent. Chelsea Pennucci—Has completed the first application of the round at a YouthBuild. Way to go! “Sarah Sadowski is WONDERFUL!!! She has been working very hard on Capping stuff. The team has been to two cap events and has another one set up for the 16th of May at the local High School. The events of been at a local college and at a Family Fun day. We also got to meet the Mayor of Newburgh on Friday the 11th. She had not heard of NCCC so we shared with her about the program. She is currently promoting Job Corps to local youth in the area and asked for some of our brochures so she can promote us as well.‖ ~ from Moose 2 Weekly Progress Report. Also, Sarah is the first to complete a CAP event this round!
Updates of the Week: Twitter, like un-official blogs, are un-official. The username shouldn’t represent AmeriCorps in any way, and a declaration on the profile should clarify that this twitter account is un-sanctioned and unassociated with any official AmeriCorps NCCC publications
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Buffalo 1
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Alumni Event Form Update! This form will now include the alumni’s e-mail contact. Be sure to ask for it during your events. Please delete any press releases, articles or brochures from the portal after you have downloaded the approved version. We keep running out of space on the Portal. This week, vacation responders will be added to your Gmail accounts. This way, any sender will be notified of your lack of e-mail access. Don’t remove these!
Reminders:
May 14th, Media reps needed to send out press releases. Use your Gmail accounts for any e-mails you send. Sam and I will be checking in to make sure this happens this round.
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AmeriStars Each week, the Health and Wellness Liaisons will submit members to feature, giving everyone a chance in the spotlight.
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Get to the Point
A Gateway to a Career Through Volunteering by EILENE ZIMMERMAN Q. You are a new college graduate without a job or concrete career plans. You might be interested in doing public service work for a year or two. Could that help you find your way to a career?
A. Public service work for organizations like AmeriCorps, Teach for America or the Peace Corps can be a gateway to a variety of careers, including those outside public service. Some organizations provide a stipend or salary, although the benefit of public service is not money — it is the time it allows new graduates to consider their options and learn about themselves, says Roberta Cross, director of career services at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. The work can also build selfconfidence, she says, and it can show graduates career paths they may not have known of or considered. John Coleman, a management consultant in Atlanta and co-author of ―Passion and Purpose: Stories From the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders,‖ says public service work also provides an opportunity for mentorship and coaching from senior-level professionals, which you aren’t likely to receive in an entry-level corporate job. Q. How do you decide what kind of work to pursue? A. Take an inventory of your strengths, weaknesses, skills, interests and values, says Susan Jewkes Allen, a career counselor and co-founder of LifePlusWork, a career counseling and coaching business in San Francisco. ―Take stock of yourself, writing down things like what you’re good at, not good at, your natural communication style, level of adaptability and aversion to risk,‖ she says. This will give you a heightened awareness of the kinds of jobs and tasks that could be a good fit in your public service work. Q. While volunteering, how do you keep in mind what you are learning about yourself? A. Keep a journal of what you do each day, including the skills you learn and your reactions to what’s happening, says Donna Goldfeder, director of career services at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. ―At the end of the year you can look at the journal, and if you see that you wrote down 20 times you got a lot of satisfaction from helping people, 8
Get to the Point maybe you should consider a helping profession,‖ she says. Q. Are there things you can do to develop yourself professionally while volunteering, even if you’re not sure what profession you will ultimately pursue? A. Young people working for a public service or nongovernmental organization usually have the chance to take part in activities that would not be open to them in the corporate world. ―You may be teaching, managing finances, marketing to the local community, recruiting or managing people. You can explore all of these,‖ Mr. Coleman says. Look for opportunities to interact with senior-level people at your organization and other nonprofits, or in the community. ―One of the toughest things for a 22-yearold coming out of college is to understand how to relate to senior-level people,‖ he says. The only way to learn to do that and build up confidence is to immerse yourself in it. ―Watch them and learn from them,‖ he says. Ask senior colleagues if they would serve as references for you after your volunteer service, Ms. Cross says. They can also be resources, giving feedback on your résumé or connecting you with others who can help you professionally. Q. When you have completed your public service, how do you connect what you’ve learned and enjoyed to a specific career and begin that professional transition? A. Much of the information you need is already in your journal, Ms. Jewkes Allen says, and those bits and pieces are part of a puzzle about yourself that you are assembling. Research shows that for college graduates, ―a fit between their interests, talents and market opportunity is one of the best determinants of career happiness,‖ she says. You will very likely need help in putting that puzzle together. Ms. Goldfeder suggests consulting a career coach or a counselor at your alma mater for help in connecting your findings to a possible career path or job. ―They have databases and tools that can be used to evaluate your new skills, interests and experiences and see where they match up with a professional career,‖ she says. Once you have identified possibilities, seek alumni from your college in fields you are considering and ask what they like or dislike about what they do. It’s O.K. to change your mind, she says. ―We often start our professional lives with a dream of where we will end up, yet very few of us end up there. That’s not failure; it’s that we continually adapt and adjust to the information we learn about ourselves.‖ 9
Get to the Point Moose 2 - DON‟T DRIVE THROUGH THE SOGGY GRASS IN MAINE!!! Buffalo 2 - “Shout out to Moose 5 for taking me to a baseball game and Buffalo 3 for hanging out with us at the point to point ISP” ~ Deangelo Adkins. Thanks Moose 3 for the food. Cody Moose 1 can‟t wait to do more CAP Events with you and have fun some time. Moose 5 - Thank to our wonderful Sponsors, Mike and Val, we got to attend a Camden Riversharks baseball game on Friday, complete with Fireworks!
Raven 2 - Raven 2 enjoyed building a community garden in Swampoodle and are excited for Love Your Park Week events citywide this week! Moose 3 - (While at the Point) “Was that thunder or a bomb?” –Bobby “No worries, just a bomb”- Jami Fire Fox 2 - We‟re creating a firebreak right now that‟s big enough to drive a truck through, which means there‟s been a lot of saw work and a lot of heavy lifting for everyone on Firefox 2. We also just completed a 2-day ISP at the Tulip Festival in downtown Albany, which gave us a chance to see the city and interact with the community. We‟re loving the project and missing our teams dearly – we hope you‟re all having a great time on your spikes as well!
Moose 4 - „Ey NCCC, greetings from NY! How are ya‟s? How‟s that coughee with your morning baygill? USTLs: The USTLs would like to should out to our faithful mini, Rhoda M. Miles. It‟s been a long journey but you‟ve been with us through every turn. May your pistons always fire, your tires tread lightly and your stereo never fail. Raven 1: “Dave Beach: Where is our grill?” Buffalo 4 - We are having a great time with Cradle Beach Camp…looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls (on the American side, of course) with the CBC Staff. Keep burnin‟ it up Derek!! We miss you!! Thanks Laura for the cookies and Sharon for the special delivery…it‟s greatly appreciated!! Thanks Patrick!! –Tiffany 10
Get to the Point
49 decapitated bodies found in Mexico Monterrey, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexican authorities found at least 49 decapitated and dismembered bodies along a highway in a northern border state Sunday morning, officials said. The remains were left along the road in Nuevo Leon state, between the cities of Monterrey and Reynosa. A message written on a wall nearby appeared to refer to the Zetas drug cartel. "This continues to be violence between criminal groups. This is not an attack against the civilian population," said Jorge Domene, Nuevo Leon's state security spokesman. He said it appeared as though the victims were killed a day or two ago, somewhere else, and that their bodies were then dropped off. More than 47,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence throughout Mexico since President Felipe Calderon announced a crackdown on cartels in December 2006. Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas are among the most violent, according to government statistics.
JPMorgan reveals shock $2bn trading Dalai Lama Awarded 2012 Templeton Prize By Press Release, John loss on investments Templeton Foundation
(BBC) JPMorgan Chase, the biggest US bank, has revealed a surprise trading loss of at least $2bn on complex investments made by its traders. Chief executive Jamie Dimon blamed "errors, sloppiness and bad judgment" for the losses and warned "it could get worse". The risky hedging strategy could cost the bank an additional $1bn, he added. JPMorgan shares dropped 7% in after-hours trading, and other bank shares also fell. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Bank of America suffered heavy losses in electronic trading after the market close on Wall Street. At its annual shareholder meeting in Tampa, Florida, 91% of those who voted backed the head of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon's $23m pay packet for the last year.
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The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader whose longstanding engagement with multiple dimensions of science and with people far beyond his own religious traditions has made him an incomparable global voice for universal ethics, nonviolence, and harmony among world religions, has won the 2012 Templeton Prize. For decades, Tenzin Gyatso, 76, the 14th Dalai Lama – a lineage believed by followers to be the reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist leader who epitomized compassion – has vigorously focused on the connections between the investigative traditions of science and Buddhism as a way to better understand and advance what both disciplines might offer the world. Valued at £1.1 million, the prize is the world's largest annual monetary award given to an individual and honors a living person who has made exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.
Get to the Point
Buffalo 1 Taft— Williamstown, NJ Buffalo 2 Tomoyo— Camden, NJ Buffalo 3 Tony— Schwenksville, PA Buffalo 4 Tiffany— Angola, NY
Phoenix 2 Emily— Suffolk, VA Fire Fox 2 Steve—Albany, NY
Moose 1 Patrick—King of Prussia, PA Moose 2 Megan— Bath, ME Moose 3 Jami— Hamden, CT Moose 4 Casey— Newburgh, NY Moose 5 Toby— Camden, NJ
Raven 1 Keiper— Wilmington, DE Raven 2 Davey— Philadelphia, PA Raven 3 A.T.—Wells , ME Raven 4 Millena—W Springfield, MA Raven 5 Dan— York, PA
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