AMERICORPS NCCC
y r a n i d r o e h t e p a c s
E
Volume 3, Issue 5 August 2012
A member from the Pacific Region putting her chain sawing skills to work
Atlantic Region’s Buffalo 4 working in Bridgeport, CT with Habitat
FEMA Corps Team Leaders from the North Central Region
Team Leaders from the Southwest Region after graduation
The Southern Region’s River 8 posing for a team photo
ESCAPE
THE ORDINARY
All about us AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women ages 18-24. NCCC members are assigned to one of five campuses and organized into teams of 10-12 members. Campuses are located in Perry Point, MD; Vinton, IA; Denver, CO; Vicksburg, MS; and Sacramento, CA. NCCC teams serve approximately 4-6 projects throughout their ten months of service. NCCC serves every state, responding to pressing local needs that are identified by organizations in the community. Projects are focused on the following five categories – Natural and Other Disasters, Infrastructure Improvement, Environmental Stewardship and Conservation, Energy Conservation, and Urban and Rural Development. 100 percent of members are certified in CPR, first aid, and disaster response; approximately 9% are firefighter trained by the National Park and U.S. Forest Services. NCCC teams also support local disaster relief organizations to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural or man-made disasters. Since September 2005, NCCC members from all campuses have served more than 9.6 million hours on 5,035 projects.
Inside this issue: An Inside Look: The Southwest Region
1
W13 Update/ Benefits of Service
2
Getting Things Done: Catching up with River 9 Where Are We Now? Leave Your Mark: A Corps Member Spotlight The Application Process
3
4 5
6
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 An Inside Look: Southwest Region Continuing with our “Inside Look” series, this issue of Escape the Ordinary will highlight the Southwest Region, located in Denver, Colorado
PAGE 1 About the Denver campus The Southwest Region campus is about nine miles southwest of downtown Denver. Located at the highest point in the city and boasting a spectacular panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Heights University is a landmark in the Denver area. Originally founded as Loretto Academy in 1891 by the Sisters of Loretto as an all women‘s Catholic college, and changing to Loretto Heights College in 1918, the campus is full of history. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year, it's easy to enjoy being outside in Colorado - whether you're working on a service project or hiking, biking, or skiing during your time off. Just miles from the Rocky Mountains, there are outdoor activities available during any season. Though you will most likely only spend about 10-25% of your time as a Corps Member actually on campus (the balance of your time will be spent on projects at other locations throughout our eight-state region, or elsewhere for a disaster), you will certainly never mind "coming home" to Denver.
An outside view of one of the dorms
Getting Around
Inside view of a dorm room
Pool
The Denver metropolitan area is spread over more than 150 square miles, but a personal automobile, while convenient, is not an absolute necessity. During CTI and transition weeks, shuttles will run between campus and nearby locations, including Wal-Mart and the Light Rail station. Denver does have an adequate public transportation system, as well. There is a bus stop (Route 36) at Federal and Cornell, next to the campus on Federal – you would transfer at the Federal/Evans hub (about one mile north of campus) to Route 30 to go downtown. There is also a Light Rail station only about one mile east of the campus, at Hwy 285 and Santa Fe. The Light Rail is essentially an electric train, and it is a great, safe, comfortable way to get to downtown Denver. Bus and Light Rail fares within the Denver metro area begin at $2.25. Public transport schedules are available in the dormitory, or online at www.rtddenver.com. However, if you are the type of person who likes to explore, take weekend trips, or go hiking, camping, and skiing, then you may want to bring your car. If you do bring your car, you must present proof of insurance, registration, and a valid driver‘s license upon arrival. Corps Members may not use personal vehicles to drive to project worksites.
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THE ORDINARY
A wi nt e r 20 1 3 updat e
Winter 2013 applicants: Thank you for your continued interest in AmeriCorps NCCC. Within the next few weeks, we will start inviting applicants to serve for our Winter 2013 cycle. If invited to serve, you will receive an acceptance packet in the mail that will include the Medical/Mental Health Information form and the Fingerprint Card. These will need to be returned to us within ten (10) days in order to ensure that your medical and legal clearance paperwork are processed in a timely manner. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at ANCCC@cns.gov. Thank You!
A m e r i C o r p s n c c c : b e n e f i t s o f s e rv i c e
Uniform—includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, BDU pants, shorts, steel-toed boots, fleece vest, coveralls and more
Housing—campus residences are co-ed floors with same gender roommates; spike housing is provided by the project sponsor
Health Care—limited coverage includes payment for most medical and surgical costs, hospitalization, prescription drugs, and certain emergency dental, vision, and maternity care. However, these benefits may be affected by restrictions on payment for pre-existing conditions as well as other exclusions.
Child Care—up to $400 per month may be available for a custodial parent of a minor child
Personal Days—Corps Members are entitled to 3 paid personal days off from service, as well as 2 paid Life After AmeriCorps days (subject to approval).
Transportation—NCCC will cover the cost of a Corps Member’s travel to a campus at the start of a service year and back home at the end of a service year.
Living Allowance—approximately $4,000 per year (or $200 every two weeks) before taxes
Training/Skills—CPR/First Aid and Disaster Relief certification training from the Red Cross, leadership skills, conflict management, team-building and lots more Education Award—Once a Corps Member has completed 1700 hours of service and successfully completed the program, they are eligible for the Education Award. Currently, the award is $5,550. Loan Forbearance—If Corps Members have Federal Education loans (Perkins, Stafford, or Direct Loans) they may be placed in forbearance. Once a Member earns an Ed. Award, NCCC will pay the interest accrued on these loans while the Member was in service. College Credit—We currently offer, through the American Council of Education, undergraduate credit for the following three-credit-hour courses: Introduction to Service Learning and Diversity in Service (available to both Team Leaders and Corps Members); and Supervisory Skills (available only to Team Leaders). Certification from American Humanics in Non - Profit Employment and Management—NCCC alumni may enroll in this online program offered by the University of Montana and LSU-Shreveport.
For more detailed information about benefits, please click here. If you have any further questions, please contact us at (800) 942-2677 or anccc@cns.gov
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5
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Getting Things Done: Catching Up With River 9 River Nine was a part of the summer feeding program for the Second Harvest Food Bank in New Orleans and the Greater Acadiana. The goal was to serve over 3,000 meals daily to at risk youth in summer programming. We helped to prep for the meals as well as cook and serve them. During the eight weeks we led about 150 volunteers who we helped train in the kitchen. Our team was also a part of the administrative side of the program where we helped to keep up with the count of meals received, served, and eaten on a daily basis. By the end of the project, our team served over 137,000 nutritional meals to at risk youth. The team also supported the food bank, receiving and sorting over 1,856 tons of food. I spoke with River 9’s Team Leader, Alicia Anderson about their 2nd round adventures and more.
What were your team’s thoughts as you arrived at your spike location for your 2nd round project? That this project is a great experience for us and that it will be tough with long hours but none of that mattered when we considered the fact that we were feeding over 3,000 meals daily to children who without this program may not have a healthy meal to look forward to while they were out of school.
Team Divine River Nine (L to R) Cameron Smith, Brittany Bieber, Tiffany Smith, Rebecca Buchannan,Byron Anderson, Alicia Anderson, Jourdan Scott, Robert Cummins, and Julie Hill
volunteer with camp while discovering how to conquer your fears of heights and spiders. You may not have experienced New Orleans and what Katrina was portrayed to be on TV versus seeing it in real life and how people don’t give up on their city; it just makes them stronger and makes them want to work harder for what is theirs, “The Who Dat” nation. NCCC helps you to discover your future, your present, the love of your life, your best friend, or just you.
Bathroom Demolition in Lumpkin, GA
What has been the most surprising moment of your project thus far? No matter how long the hours had gotten and how tough the SPIKE was the motivation to wake up everything morning never dwindled; that what we were doing was bigger than us.
And finally, what is one piece of advice you would give to prospective Corps Members? To take full advantage, write it all down, take lots of pictures, take it all in, and be thankful for the opportunity that’s been given. Get to know as many people as you What has been the most trying moment? can in and out of the field because you When two of our teammates had to leave never know when they can help you and our team due to personal reasons; they last but not least “Get Things Done!” were the glue and we had to find another way to stick together. We will miss them.
Rebecca Buchannan getting training on the Table saw
What was the most rewarding or memorable moment? The most rewarding moment was when we got to go visit the sites we cooked and plated meals for on a daily basis and saw how the children really appreciated what we had done for them. We discovered how rewarding and motivating it is just too see those smiling faces. Would you promote NCCC to other young people? Why? Most definitely! NCCC helps you to learn and see things that you may not have seen in your lifetime. You would have not thought to go to Camp Highroad and
Robert Cummins helping to box the plated meals for the Summer feeding program Julie Hill picking up algae out of a pond
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5
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Where Are We Now?
Click these links to visit each campuses’ Facebook page. Note: You will have to be logged in to access each page.
Atlantic Region
Perry Point, MD North Central Region
Vinton, IA
Pacific Region
Sacramento, CA Southern Region
Vicksburg, MS
Southwest Region
Denver, CO
Tuscaloosa, AL—Delta 10, representing the Southern Region is currently working with Habitat for Humanity—Tuscaloosa. The team is leading volunteers through various stages of home construction and rebuilding in an area that was affected by tornadoes. Carmel, IN—The North Central Region’s Maple 2 is currently working with Hamilton County Parks and Recreation. The team is renovating park structures and completing general maintenance on grounds to enhance community parks and provide housing for park visitors. New Orleans, LA—River 6, from the Southern Region, is currently working with Project Homecoming. The team is rehabilitating homes and leveraging volunteers in the Hurricane Katrina affected community. Oscoda, MI—Oak 2, representing the North Central region is currently working with YMCA - Camp Nissokone. The team is assisting in camper activities such as high ropes courses, horses and paint ball. They are also providing painting and landscape maintenance. ******************************************************************************************************************* ***Teams from the Atlantic, North Central and Southern Region have been deployed to areas in Mississippi and Louisiana in response to Hurricane Isaac. These teams are providing support to the American Red Cross, United Way and other organizations during this time.*** ******************************************************************************************************************* **No projects are listed for the Atlantic Region as teams have returned to campus to start their 3rd round transition.** **No projects are listed for the Southwest or Pacific Region. Team Leaders for the Pacific Region will arrive on campus this week and early next week. Corps Members will arrive in October. Team Leaders for the Southwest Region will arrive early next week and Corps Members will arrive in October.**
Want to Serve for a Day?
Serve with a current team of NCCC members at a project in your area! Contact ANCCC@cns.gov for more information.
**Please note, we may be unable to accommodate all “Serve for a Day” requests due to sponsor restrictions.**
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THE ORDINARY
Leave your mark: a Corps member spotlight Giorgi Mitchell Sprow is a Corps Member at the Southern Region campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He is from Frederick, MD but originally from the Republic of Georgia. He graduated from Tuscarora High School in 2011. After high school, he started attending Frederick Community College and began working on his associates degree in Environmental Studies. He then joined AmeriCorps NCCC in February 2012. Giorgi is a member of Delta 4 and his specialty role is Corps Ambassador Member (Capper). I spoke with Giorgi about his NCCC experience thus far and his future goals. Tell us about some of your projects thus far. Which has been your favorite and why? My team, Delta 4 and I were in Hattiesburg, MS for 6 weeks doing construction work for R3SM (Restore, Rebuild, Recover Southeast Mississippi), a non-profit organization that helps individuals get back on track from the Katrina disaster. My second project was in New Orleans, LA and we served with the Recovery School District (RSD). For this project, we performed variety of duties around the community for the first month. During the last week, we hosted about 36,000 volunteers that came from all over the country to renovate two high schools in a matter of 3-4 days. Out of these two projects, my favorite project so far was working for the Recover School District in New Orleans, LA. I liked the work we performed and it helped me engage with people in communities that are still recovering from Katrina. It helped me become more aware of how society today is functioning by the individuals who impacted others towards the communities.
how getting the job done for one community can light up the whole community. Wearing the AmeriCorps uniform properly showed me how respect and service to others is an appreciation to the whole community and representing the nation. What has been one of your favorite memories thus far? My favorite memories thus far have been spending time with my team, Delta 4. I have felt attached to each individual on my team and have become part of the family. I have shared personal experiences and bonded with them. I realize meeting each individual from my team and having come from all different places and backgrounds, we have constructed a vision and shared commonalities with one another.
During NCCC, you learn a lot about yourself and others. What are a few things that you’ve either learned about yourself, your teammates or other members at your campus? There are two things I learned about myself. One is, I have put a smile on another individual’s face and have brightened his day. I have also improved my communication skills in the way I present myself to a stranger in formal attire by reppin’ the “A.” I’ve Why did you choose to apply to learned from my teammates to do the AmeriCorps NCCC? work you love, but have fun while doing I chose to apply to AmeriCorps NCCC it and also love your teammates as you because I wanted to make a difference in love your own family. communities that are under difficult situations. I feel that serving in You’ve completed half of your ten months AmeriCorps NCCC has not only improved of service. What are some of your goals my basic daily life skills but it has improved for the remainder of the service year?
Some of my goals for the remainder of my year in AmeriCorps NCCC are to always and faithfully be willing to accept the challenges that arise. I also plan to continue to take advantage of all that the program has to offer. And lastly, please share any advice that you might have for prospective Corps Members. Take the challenge you’re willing to accept. If you can’t take it, don’t go along with the journey. The challenge you accept is the journey you take time to exhilarate yourself and keep moving to far exceed your outcomes. The journey does not control you. You have to control it.
Check out the link below for an awesome story about Delta’s 4 work with R3SM in Hattiesburg, MS.
http://www.wdam.com/story/1824 6199/r3sm-house-gets-help-fromamericorp-volunteers
What does my NCCC status mean? You’ve heard about the amazing things that AmeriCorps NCCC members do and now you’re ready to be a part of this great program. You apply but then you ask, “What does Assessment Complete mean”? Well, we’re going to break down
AMERICORPS NCCC 1201 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20525 Phone: 800-942-2677 Fax: 202-606-3459 Email: ANCCC@cns.gov http://www.americorps.gov/nccc http://my.americorps.gov Follow NCCC Online:
How does placement work in NCCC? NCCC employs a “rolling admissions” process, similar to many colleges. We have a few rounds of placements during the application period and additional rounds of placements once our application period closes. We continue to fill slots as they become available, including up to the day before a campus opens. All selections and placements are random. We have far more qualified applicants than positions available, and unfortunately cannot guarantee a position to all qualified applicants.
Notes From the Author
Congratulations to those of you who have been selected to serve in Class 19 of AmeriCorps NCCC this fall and our inaugural FEMA Corps class this summer! You’re going to have one amazing journey and I wish you all the best during your year of service.
Additional invitations for our Fall cycle are coming soon!
We will begin inviting for our Winter 2013 cycle REALLY soon!
Thanks to River 9 and Delta 4, both from the Southern Region, for your contributions to the newsletter.
If you have any suggestions on other topics that you would like to see covered in future editions, let us know by emailing us at NCCC. Yours in Service, Kevin