Get to the Point July 25, 2012
An NCCC Atlantic Region Publication
Get to the Point GET TO THE POINT ATLANTIC REGION, PERRY POINT, MD VOL. XVIII, ISSUE 7
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
The Mighty Ra-oose 1 (Raven 1 and Moose 1) team joins together for the Habitat for Humanity New Castle County dedication ceremony.
COVER: CENTER: RAVEN 1 WORKS WITH MRS. MARKELL, WIFE OF DELAWARE GOVERNOR MR. MARKELL AT THEIR “WOMEN’S BUILD EVENT”
3 THE AMERIBROTHERS AND THE WALL by Romerio Scott
4 MEMBER OF THE ROUND AWARD
TOP; LEFT, R4 ,RACHEL GONZALEZ RIGHT, FF 2 DEREK BOWERS DIGS LINE BOTTOM; LEFT, B3 MERCEDES AND B2 DEANGELO HELP PARK CARS IN DELAWARE MIDDLE, M1, IS PUTTING SOME MILES ON THEIR BOOTS RIGHT, B4 USES SOME TEAMWORK TO MOVE THOSE TREES.
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ALUNMI SPOTLIGHT
GETTING BACK TO BLACK by Phoenix 2
FROM THE VAULT—CLASS XVII TEAM SPOTLIGHT
PHOENIX 3XL AND THE LATERAL WEST WILDFIRE by Class XVII Alum Colin May
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
7 THE SCOREBOARD
FACEBOOK.COM/ NCCCATLANTICREGION Community Relations Office Sam McKenzie, Community Relations Specialist, SMcKenzie@cns.gov Tristan Fowler, Community Relations Support Team Leader, TFowler.Guest@cns.gov
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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
QUICKIES SHOUT OUTS
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NEWS
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AMERIMAP
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Get to the Point THE AMERIBROTHERS AND THE WALL Based on the true story of three men on Raven 1 and their epic saga of removing a foundation wall from the ground to make room for post holes for a fence. by Romerio Scott Three AmeriBrothers faced adversity this week. Completion of a simple task halted by a wall of stone embedded in the infinite earth. The early morning air filled the breath of the AmeriBrothers giving them life to tackle this ancient wall. They chipped, axed, and hammered, but yet the wall remained. The afternoon sun beat down its heat on their backs and faces zapping their strength from them and testing their will and still they hammered on. But yet the wall still remained. The day was done, but the battle was not. Another day came to the AmeriBrothers and with that day came the wall unmoved and unchanged. And so the fight raged on, axe to stone, and hammer to earth. With weary bones and sweaty bodies, the AmeriBrothers powered through the day
From left, Henry, Michael, and Maddi are hard at work with Habitat for Humanity New Castle County or with their constant push-up competitions they frequently do. and yet the wall still remained unmoved and unchanged.
Again the sound of metal to stone rang in their ears along with the welcome sound of crumbling rock. The AmeriThe AmeriBrothers came the next Brothers hit faster, hit harder until day drained, devoid of strength, and there was nothing left to hit the wall their muscles screaming to rest. They was gone. Nothing but dust, rubble, were motivated by only one thought: and invisible memory was to be lost in Today is the day, the day the wall the dirt. The AmeriBrothers stood moved. The day the wall will change. among the ruins of their formidable This day the wall will fall. Each enemy and breathed a great sigh of AmeriBrother gripped their axes and relief, letting the silence of their victory hammers so tight their knuckles humble their young and tired hearts. turned white. They attacked the wall They released their tools from their with a new fire and determination. aching fingers and placed them on the There was no time. There was no shoulder of the brother next to them. pain. The only sound they heard was The day was done. The battle was won metal to stone. Then they each and the AmeriBrothers stood proud. stopped suddenly at once when a marvelous sight came to their eyes. ―It takes as much courage to have tried The wall cracked. They looked at and failed as it does to have tried and Emily puts the final touches on a house each other and smiled. The unspoken succeeded.‖ with Habitat for Humanity New Castle County. Raven 1 worked with Moose 1 for thought of victory entered their several weeks of Round 2 on these homes. minds. Today was the day. 3
Get to the Point MEMBER OF THE ROUND
Units honor outstanding CMs The Raven Unit would like to award Ashley Peoples for “Corps Member of the Round” for her positive attitude, sense of humor and her genuine caring nature. "The team and myself have voted and we have decided that Ashley Peoples is extremely deserving of CM of the round. Ashley challenged herself each day at Habitat this round, leading volunteers in areas that she was not completely comfortable in, reaching out to members in the community, staff, and, of course, within our team. Ashley is not only extremely hardworking and assertive, but she developed her ability to lead others in a respectful manner. Ashley brings a special energy to the team that is contagious, whether this occurs in her uncontrolled bursts of laughter, her sense of humor, or her genuine interest she puts into individuals. Ashley's actions speak much louder than her words; Ashley is always willing to step up and lend a helping hand, but also recognizes when she needs to let others The Moose Unit awards Sarah Sadowski for “Corps Member of the Round.” S- Sassy. Sarah‘s first nickname in the Corps was "Sassy Sarah" and is a very important part of who she is on Moose 4. A- Available. Sarah is always around to help with anything, whether it is something I need, the team needs, or a specific CM needs, she is always available and wants to help. R- Radiant. :) A- Accountable. Sarah is always accountable she is always 5 steps ahead. H-Humor. No matter what the team is doing there never is a dull moment when Sarah is around. D-Dedicated. Sarah dedicates herself to everything that she does and doesn't stop until it is done. O-Observer. Sarah watches things on the team and sees where she can benefit most. W-Wisdom.—She has a lot of knowledge about things that she is always willing to share. S-Silent Leader. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy" Martin Luther King, Jr. K-Kind hearted. Sarah always puts others before herself. I-Inniative. Sarah is never without something to do because she sees what needs to be done and does it. ~ TL Casey Ashlock 4
lead. Ashley's non-judgmental and authentic attitude draws others to confide and trust in her. Ashley is much more than a deserving, hardworking member, but she has taught us all the value of loving others without restraint and the power of a positive, determined attitude." ~ TL Crystal Keiper The Buffalo Unit awards Lydia Boote for “Corps Member of the Round,” for her constant leadership, humble attitude, and her ability to continue to ask to do more when others ask to do less. ―To be a ‗Member of the Round,‖ it takes the ability to take on the demands of your supervisors, your team and your sponsor, and above all, produce results. It takes the ability to teach people how to live, how to work and how to learn. Most of all it takes the ability to seek responsibility instead of avoiding it. This Corps Member reminds us that most of the leaders in the Corps probably wear grey. Humble quiet leaders who posses integrity and perseverance. Whatever problems she faces on her team, she steps up. Every task assigned to her, she responds with immediate action. She leads from the front. She leads by example. She leads through selfless service. I am proud and humble to name Lydia Boote ‗Corps Member of the Round.‘‖ ~ TL Taft Barnett
Get to the Point Alumni spotlight
Getting back to Black Jordan Black is a Class VII alum from the now closed Washington, DC Campus. During his 10-months of service, he trained as a wildland firefighter, and now assists the Atlantic Region firefighter program with fire training and in the field. He now works at Mackey Island National Wildlife Refuge. Jordan Black is an alum of NCCC and was a part of the now extinct Washington, DC campus. He originally joined NCCC in order to gain new experiences and go to new places, reasons many Corps Members can relate to. At the Washing- Jordan Black, seen here with a Flex Trac, is a Class VII NCCC alum. He served at the now closed Washington, DC Campus, where he was trained in wildland firefighting. ton, DC campus he was part of He currently works at the Mackey Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Class VII and became part of their fire team, Fire team 5 Skrats. interpersonal skills, and how to saw his old bike, Through his NCCC experience, build houses. Jordan says he will always remember Jordan not only gained fire trainthe smile on the boy‘s face. ing, but also learned how to work During his time in NCCC, Jordan parwith people in a team setting, ticipated in several projects. Jordan NCCC impacted Jordan‘s life in other deployed on two wildfire assignments ways as well. Without NCCC and its in northern Virginia and Maryland. fire program, Jordan may never have He also worked with the Salvation Ar- become a Wildland Firefighter and my Toys for Tots in Washington, DC ; joined the fire team. His experience Habitat for Humanity in Danville, VA; led him to get a career in fire and has Shenandoah State Park in VA building been doing it since. Jordan‘s favorite trails and campsites; tutoring kids and part of his job is getting to travel to all developed after school programs in parts of the country. He also enjoys DC; Susan G Komen three-day breast working with really great people (like cancer walk and other little projects AmeriCorps NCCC members, he loves along the way. However, his most us!). In his career, Jordan has worked memorable project was when his team in various places including the Great went to Wheeling, WV to work at a Dismal Swamp in Suffolk, VA, the site summer camp. As a camp counselor, of our campuses current fire round. he really enjoyed his time playing with He currently works at Mackey Island the kids there. His favorite memory National Wildlife Refuge located in during this time also happened in West North Carolina. He is the only fireVirginia. While stationed there doing fighter there and asks for help from flood relief work with FEMA, his team surrounding communities for help was mucking and gutting houses that with his fire management duties. He is were damaged. While working on the leaving Mackey Island in September to house, the team found a bike, which go to the Great Smokey Mountain Nabelonged to one of the kids. Jordan tional Wildlife Refuge to work on their and his team returned the bike to the Fire Use Module, Jordan, at the Lateral West wildfire in the young boy, and who had thought the Great Dismal Swamp in Suffolk, VA gives BLACK—CONTINUED ON pg. 6 bike was lost and gone. When the boy a thumbs-up to a Class 17 Corps Member 5
Get to the Point FROM THE VAULT—CLASS XVII TEAM SPOTLIGHT
Phoenix 3XL and the Lateral West Wildfire by Class XVII Corps Member Colin May The Lateral West Fire on The Great Dismal Swamp covered less than ten acres when it was discovered on Thursday, August 4. The wildfire had grown to 100 acres when members of Phoenix 3 rode out to the fire line two days later to assist with direct attack. Kiera and Chelsea joined members of the crew from the Black Water Wildlife Refuge in Maryland; Tristan found himself sitting in the office of the fire compound working the radios as dispatcher; Mike, Pat and Andrew worked logistics, mostly in charge of refueling bulldozers and waiting around for something to do. Ben climbed into the copilot seat of a GX-7 FlexTrac, a tank-like transport with wide, flexible tracks capable of riding over the rough dozer line that led to the fire line from Interior Ditch. The operator was Jordan Black of the Mackey Island Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Any member of this year‘s Phoenix class will remember Jordan as the NCCC alumnus turned Hot Shot turned engine boss who taught us how to operate pumps back at fire training in March. Megan and Colin climbed on the back of the FlexTrac with Steve Hubner and held on. The loud, bumpy ride through a mile of forest lasted thirty minutes— then all of a sudden they emerged from the woods, and they saw the
BLACK—CONTINUED FROM pg. 5 which he is very excited about. While in his firefighting career, Jordan has done various trainings to improve in his work in the field. He has become an airboat operator, a helicopter crew member, and has 6
Jordan Black, center with black hat, performs an After Action Review with Corps Members of Class XVII Phoenix 3 at Lateral West Wildfire. smoke covering the barren hellish landscape, a reburning of an old fire scar. Phoenix 3 was finally fighting a wildfire. A week into the Lateral West Fire, the blaze has grown to over 6,000 acres and the incident has over 400 people working on it. The entire team is out on the fire line, working on three different type 6 engines, mostly involved with protecting Interior Ditch, the road that leads to Lake Drummond, the source of water that will keep Lateral West at bay until a hurricane puts it out. The soil in the Swamp burns persistently and with fire on both sides of Interior Ditch, the road was in great danger of being eaten away. After days of mop up, hoses and hand tools, the road is fully protected, thanks to Phoenix 3. The most inspiring moment happened the week before, while the fire was still just 150 acres. Ben, Megan and Colin were back with Jordan on the FlexTrac, patrolling for spots to put out with water from their tank. After patrolling their half of the line once, they found a spot fire in the brush across the fire line. So Jordan suited up, and the Hot Shot appeared before them like a timeless hero, his black fire pack like a cape, his aviator sunglasses reflecting the developing flames as he marched fearlessly into the thick smoke, charged hose in leather hands.
even been a firing boss. Jordan met his fiancé while at an airboat training course at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach, FL. They will be getting married in October of 2013.
ment with him this year and beyond‖ by training new AmeriCorps NCCC firefighters, which is something that he will miss when he leaves for his new position at Great Smokey Mountain, although he will try to make it up. He also never misses a chance to talk up Although he graduated from the NCCC AmeriCorps to people who are looking program he still ―carries this commitfor something to do.
Get to the Point CAP & MEDIA UPDATES
The Scoreboard Shout-outs, Tips and the weekly progress report. All the info you need to stay on top of your CAP and Media work.
Shout-Outs: Thank you to the great team Macho Meer Kats for all their amazing help with the video of the Atlantic Region Campus. Your flexibility , creativity, and passionate acting truly made the video a HUGE success. Thank you to the members of Moose 3 (Jared Karp and Heather Gorman) who took the time out of the last hours before summer break to download pictures of your team for the Advisory Board meeting in Washington, DC. And a big shoutout to Heather Mann for having patience with me while putting the slideshow and voiceovers together. All of your efforts did not go unnoticed!
Reminders: Mickey McGlasson is the Scramble Round CAP Coordinator. This means that he will be assisting all teams with reaching their unique focus goals, and helping to coordinate CAP events with new sponsors such as military installations. He will focus his attention on the following teams: Moose1, Buffalo 1, Buffalo 2, Raven 4 and Moose 2. This round is almost over! No, I‘m not crying wolf, and the sky isn‘t falling, but seriously, we are two weeks into a six weeks round. You only have 30 days to reach your CAP and Media goals. End of round paperwork is due August 27 and teams return August 29.
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Focus on HOMETOWN PRESS RELEASES! All media reps should be working on their project press release (unless otherwise communicated—you know who you are), and then begin sending out Hometown Press Releases to alumni, club or other organizations, such as faith-based newsletters, high schools and college newspapers, alumni magazines, etc.
Get to the Point Raven 3: Woot, woot! to Ishy for GEDing things done. Also to Ben and P3 for doing a tree-mendous job on their first fire! Raven 4 - Raven 4 had some very special guests on the worksite and in housing this week! Thanks for visiting and helping us out at work today, Jen and Amelia! We loved the company; come back and demo with us again soon!!
Moose 3 - Moose three loves our staff mascots, Aaron and Laura! You guys are the best of all possible mentors! Raven 2: Moose 5: Raven 4 got our first taste of “wuder” ice in Camden, NJ, today! Thanks for the tip, Toby! Raven 5 & Buffalo 2: Thanks for leaving us with a sweet house, guys! We’ll take great care of it! Moose 1 - Not to brag but MOOSE 1 is Living the Life with 4 televisions all with cable, blue ray players, dvd players, wireless internet, I pads, air conditioning, and a RED CROSS Vehicle to drive! What more could we ask for! Moose 1 has been hooked up with beach passes so we will be taking full advantage of the wonderful beaches that Rhode Island has to offer!!!!!!! Phoenix 3: Phoenix 3 traversed a raging river into the Great Dismal Swamp for the initial attack of the Insurance West Fire, achieving 100 percent containment within mere minutes. Shout outs to our permanent teams: Bobby: Hey Moose 3, What the crap nana? Liz: Moose Money, I hope you are getting your fair share of Skittles Emlayyy: Cheers to you all, Moose 1 Erick: Hey Raven 2, Go away, I do not want to see your face. Maddi and Andrae: Hey Raven 1, You’re talking about stuff…why? Ben: Raven Threedom, How’s Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh NEW HAMPSHIRE!? Rebecca: Buffalo 3, Enjoy the beach and the temperate weather.
Moose 5 - Moose 5 has really been enjoying the work in Bmore, conducting work at scrimmages and seeing kids compete against other robots has been absolutely amazing, Not to mention helping ‘em build ‘em too! Buffalo 4 - Buffalo 4 is having an amazing time working with Coastal Fairfield County Habitat for Humanity! Shout out to Jessica, we are all looking forward to you rejoining the team soon! 8
Get to the Point Raven 5: Garmin GPS is way better and cooler, smarter, more hip, sexier, and just plain better then iPhone GPS THE COOLEST TEAM IN THE WORLD LOVES THE BEST STATE IN THE REGION AND THE COOL WEATHER AND THE COOL TRAILS AND THE COOL CORPS MEMBERS AND THE COOL PROJECT AND THE COOL WAY WE BOAST. Buffalo 1: Greetings from the Breakabeen Cemetery, the only place in town with enough cell phone service for our aircard to work. Buffalo One is eating healthy with plenty of fresh veggies and meat from the food pantry at our housing.
Buffalo 2: Connecticut Crew (Buffalo 4 & Raven 1): Let’s hang out! Mat – Wish you were here with us… Get well soon! Buffalo 2 is sweating hardcore on the Appalachian Trail!
As a team we got to Demo a house. It was both sad and a great stress/anger reliever.
And the number of ‘vegetarians’ on the team is at its all-time high (3)! Buffalo 3: MAINE!!!!!!!!!!!! B3 is working with kids, eating mostly veggie meals (thank you Tanglewood!), and we are within walking distance of the beach! Shout out to our caravan buddies, Raven 5! Tony has discovered wild blueberries. BLUEBERRIES!!!!!!!!!! Moose 2 - Miss everyone already! R.I.P. Ed’s Pony 9
Get to the Point
N.H. officials expand hepatitis C testing probe to more Exeter Hospital patients (CBS/AP) New Hampshire health officials want to expand hepatitis C testing to more patients of Exeter Hospital who may have been infected from an outbreak of the liver destroying disease tied to a former employee's drug use. Thus far, 30 patients of Exeter Hospital's cardiac catheterization lab have tested positive for the virus. Traveling lab tech David Kwiatkowski, 33, stands accused of stealing syringes of the powerful anesthetic fentanyl, injecting himself with them, then putting back the syringes with a different liquid for use on catheterization patients. Dr. Jose Montero, New Hamphsire's public health director, announced that health officials wanted to cast a wider net on testing, expanding it to include anyone who had surgery or was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Exeter Hospital between April 1, 2011 and May, 25, 2012. Previously officials had only recommended testing for anyone treated at the cardiac catherization lab between October 1, 2010 and May 25, 2012. That amounted to fewer than 1,300 people while the new recommendation may cover about 6,000 former patients. The testing recommendation doesn't include patients of the hospital's ambulatory surgical center. "As health care providers, our focus is first and foremost on our patients' care and safety," said Nancy Baese, president of the hospital's medical staff. "We would rather that thousands of our patients be tested by the state even if they all turn up negative than to miss one patient who might have been infected by this alleged criminal."
James Holmes Bought Rifle After Failing Oral Exam Accused movie theater gunman James Holmes purchased a high-powered rifle hours after failing a key oral exam at the University of Colorado, ABC News has learned. Holmes added the weapon to his already growing arsenal June 7, hours after he took a key oral exam at the college. ABC News station KMGH-TV in Denver reported that he failed the exam. Three days later, he dropped out of the neurosciences program with no explanation. Holmes, 24, is being held without bond in connection with the shooting, which left 12 people dead and 58 injured July 20 during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."Experts say it's possible Holmes had an underlying mental illness that was triggered by the stress of failure. "All of those things could actually make dormant schizophrenia come out, and come out relatively quickly," said Marisa Randazzo, a psychologist who studies targeted violence.
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North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un Gets Married
Get to the Point
Buffalo 1 Taft— Breakabeen, NY Buffalo 2 Tomoyo— Torrington, CT Buffalo 3 Tony— Linconville, ME
Phoenix 3 Ben— Suffolk, VA
Buffalo 4 Tiffany— Bridgeport, CT Moose 1 Patrick—Warwick, RI Moose 2 Megan— Rutland, VT Moose 3 Jami— Wilmington, DE Moose 4 Casey— Kingston, NH Moose 5 Toby— Baltimore, MD
Raven 1 Keiper— Hamden, CT Raven 2 Davey— Newcomb, NY Raven 3 A.T.— Manchester, NH Raven 4 Millena—Camden, NJ Raven 5 Dan— Bangor, ME
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