Community Unity Day: A Success!

As our days here in Tucson quickly dwindle we are still leaving our mark on the community that we’ve called home for the last two months. On Sunday all of our hard work and planning finally came together in the execution of an amazing Day of Service. The team was up at 7:30 a.m. to load all of the donations we’d collected, along with all of the cleaning and painting supplies in our vehicles. With the help of Sun 1’s team leader Jordan we were able to get everything to the park in one trip and began setting things up around 8:00. By 10:00 we’d gotten booths set up for each of the sponsoring organizations, laid out several trash bags under the railings we were painting, and organized the snacks (an awfully in-depth process taken on by Ian and I which included a full cardboard display for the array of granola bars). We also were fortunate enough to have the Sheriff’s Department let us borrow their orange Hummer with an amazing sound system to play a four-hour mix that Ian worked tirelessly on the day before.

The turnout included all of Sun 1, several community volunteers, and people from each of our partnering organization. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people came out, around 30 in total and the amount of work we got done was impressive. We spent all morning picking up trash from the wash (including six shopping carts), painting over graffiti, pulling up buffle grass (which is an invasive species in the Tucson area), and painting the railing which separates the wash and the park trail. Around noon we took a break for lunch: a huge amount of pizza donated by a local pizza place and Tucson’s Sheriff’s Department.

After everyone was fed we all gathered to hear sponsors from Open Inn and Youth On Their Own (the two organizations for which we acquired donations) speak about what their groups do for the Tucson community. We were also fortunate enough to have Michael (a student involved with Youth On Their Own) share his story with us. It was so touching to hear his story of such loss and how Youth On Their Own helped him back onto a path of promise. He shared with us that he has found his life goals through the program and now wants to be a part of the Arizona Symphony after attending college at the University of Arizona as a music major. The impact of his journey made me realize just who we were helping with all of our donations and how far our help will hopefully reach.

At the end of the day we had made 36 care packages for homeless youth in the area and managed to clean up the vast majority of the park. I left feeling the accomplishment of what we did for the community and was relived at how smoothly it had all gone.

Monday started with another early morning. We were out the door by 7 a.m. and headed to Saguaro National Park East to help out with the 2010 cactus census. We met up with three supervisors from the Parks Department, split into three groups, and spent the morning counting Saguaro cacti. The groups spread out over a predetermined plot and proceeded to flag each Saguaro we came across. We determined each cacti’s height, how many bird holes it had, it’s number of arms, and any other notable characteristics. Ian, Shiny, Chris (our awesome supervisor) and I named each one of our cacti with ridiculous names, ranging from Betty to Montezuma. Overall, even despite the overcast weather and the cold (by Tucson standards) the ISP was a lot of fun.

With only a little over a week left in Tucson things are still going well. We are proud of the work we’ve done here, from taxes to Community Unity Day, and are already starting to feel the sadness that comes with the end of each project.

~ Sarah

Wrapping it up in the AZ

Finally coming up on the last week in AZ... it's crazy how time flies. Half of our year is nearly complete and, to be honest, it's kinda hard to grasp. It's going to take me some time to get used to being around plant life that doesn't plan my demise on a daily basis. Prickly Pears will be the end of me. Haha! Though in reality Arizona is a beautiful state and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to explore it thoroughly. Taxes in Arizona has been trying and rewarding at the same time, but I'm definitely looking forward to my next project in Arkansas. For me, physical activity is the most personally rewarding work that I've done thus far in the Corps... even if taxes is the most beneficial project to our economy (in my perspective). So I'm thrilled to begin at Fern Cliff.

I'm also really excited to be working with and getting to know my shuffle round team. I love Water 4 to death but getting to know and work alongside some fresh new faces is definitely something I'm looking forward to. Plus my girlfriend, Meghan, is visiting me during shuffle round... I mean... what's not to like? Haha! I don't even know if she'll get the chance to read this babble but hey... there's a shout out for yah!

I also finished designing the Water 4 team t-shirt yesterday and I'm hoping that it'll be printed and ready before our return to Denver.

And last but not least, this Sunday Leia and I get the opportunity to go interview some former CCC members, potentially with the NBC crew that was following us Round 1 for a documentary. Nothing's definite of course, but either way it was still cool to have them swing by and check up on us. Oh, and CCC = Civilian Conservation Corps, the New Deal-era organization that helped with unemployment during the Great Depression. They worked on conservation projects and the development of natural resources, and their structure was actually referenced when creating our program, AmeriCorps NCCC!

Well that's all I have for now so... "I'll catch you on the flip side"... ("flip side" referring to blog update that'll I'll write probably a month from now. Haha!)

~Derek

Water Four meets the Tucson Roller Derby

This past week was probably one of the craziest so far here in Tucson…but ended with what was definitely a weekend to remember. Of course we did a lot of tax preparation, and then whenever we weren’t doing taxes, we were running around trying to get everything (donations, food, equipment, volunteers) squared away for Community Unity Day.

Then the weekend began. Sun 1 had their Day of Service, working at a Girl Scout camp digging out a pond that had been filled with twenty years of sediment. We had worked a schedule around our tax sites, so that we would all be able to go and volunteer at some point but unfortunately, it got rained out after about an hour of work. Some of us were still able to go though, and we got some work done and got to hang out with Sun 1 for a little while, so that was cool. Although it was too bad for Sun 1’s Day of Service, it did give us a few extra hours to pull together some last minute things for our own Day of Service.

Then Saturday night, we went to the Tucson Roller Derby! Roller Derby is an all female full contact sport on roller skates. None of us had ever been to a Roller Derby before, but I guess it’s pretty popular…there were over 1,000 people in attendance! It was a little crazy, and a very unusual experience—we were pretty much all in awe. They handed out some pamphlets on “Roller Derby 101” which helpfully explained the basic rules. We had a ton of fun trying to learn and use all of the derby lingo, like ‘bout,’ ‘pivot,’ ‘blocker,’ and our favorite: ‘jam.’ At certain points, the lead jammer is able to ‘call off the jam,’ by touching her hands to her hips three times. This phrase/gesture is one our team has taken to using all the time as a way to end conversations, arguments, activities, or even just randomly for fun. After it ended, we even got to meet and take pictures with the Tucson team! It was a truly unique experience that I think all of Water Four will remember fondly for quite a while.

~Jo

Life After AmeriCorps

I have found it very hard to even imagine what my life will be like after AmeriCorps. Part of me feels like I would be perfectly happy being a team leader forever. I have become very comfortable with this lifestyle for the past year and a half. Having all food, housing, gas money taken care of while traveling the country, helping communities, all while paying back student loans and saving money for my future. I mean…. What’s not to love?

I guess there just comes a point when your experiences lead you to new adventures and you have to jump out of your comfort zone and greet the big, wide world that’s waiting for you.

Last week I put my non-refundable deposit down for my Global Village trip to Ghana this August, and I enrolled in school for the fall to become a Holistic Health Practitioner. Since I will be attending school in San Diego I was able to go home this past weekend to take care of a few things and spend some much needed time with my family and friends. It was so nice to be home, take my dog Coby for walks, eat at my favorite vegan restaurants, and enjoy the beautiful weather. It felt good to secure my plans for after AmeriCorps and to see that home is exactly like I left it a year and a half ago.

As great as it was to be home, I really missed my team. Someone would say something that reminded me of one of them, or make me think of an inside joke we have and I would want to share it, but I realized it’s probably something only Water 4 finds funny.

It was hard for me to be away. I checked in with them everyday and Jo, my assistant team leader, did an amazing job of taking care of things while I was gone. I was sad to leave, but knowing that I’ll be living there next year made it a lot easier.

I was finally able to tell the team their third round shuffle teams and projects this morning. The Denver NCCC campus “shuffles” all teams during the third of our four rounds so that we have the opportunity to work with new people, and we get to rank our project choices individually rather than as a team. They have been patiently (that’s putting it nicely) waiting for a few days now to find out their new temporary teammates and third projects. Shawn was barely eating or sleeping. Okay, I’m lying… he was barely sleeping. He was so nervous! It will be strange for us all to split up but I think it will be good for us and help us all appreciate what we have now and when we come back together for our fourth and final project. My shuffle team will be working with The Denver Children’s Home, mentoring and tutoring children from disadvantaged circumstances in the Denver area. I could not be more excited!

I hope the team can finish out strong here and reach as many VITA clients as possible. It’s hard to believe we are more than half way done with this project. It’s going to be hard to leave Tucson. I think we have all become very comfortable here.

This Sunday is our Day of Service event and I think it’s going to be amazing. We have organized a project to clean up a park and assemble care packages for local homeless youth. The team has worked really hard, planning, making phone calls, passing out flyers, and even getting lunch donated for our volunteers. Today a group of us passed out flyers and went to hotels in the area to see if they wanted to donate toiletries for our care packages. Then we went to Youth on Their Own and Open Inn, the organizations that we are getting donations for, and got to see the client store where the care packages will go after the event. It was so nice to see our plan come to life!

As exciting as it is to know what I’m going to do after AmeriCorps, I am very excited to see what the rest of my corps year brings. I hope these next 5 months go by slow because I am enjoying every moment.

~Ashley

Dinner with Jenna’s parents!

It has been a busy week thus far! And I couldn't be happier! We have been preparing numerous returns and it has been such a great feeling. My team, Team Tucson, which consists of Jo, Ian and myself, has been pretty busy at our sites. We make a great team. Jo is the super smart one, Ian is the funny one, and I am, well, I don't know exactly where I fit in there. Hmm, I'll call myself the silly one! The other day we had a 12-hour day going from tax site to tax site which was pretty long but worth it. One of our work sites, Ward III, had a great surprise; Carol and Anne! If you guys don't remember who they are, Carol and Anne were the two women who taught us everything we know during our IRS training courses in January. They were our site supervisors!

It's rather funny, every site I go to, I bring a wide array of things to spice up my desk. Items such as a water bottle, a few pens, a desk sign, a good book, and sometimes a picture of myself at my desk makes for great discussion during a tax interview. Next time you are preparing taxes for someone or for yourself, give it a try. You'll find that it lightens the mood and makes for a great conversation starter. One of my random conversations ended up being about my epi-pen! I put it on the desk for a moment to see what I had in my bag of goodies and I thought it was the perfect segway into asking tax questions!

Another highlight was meeting Jenna’s parents!!! We had a great time with them! Marshall and Alison took us out to dinner at a Chicago style restaurant where the team had different varieties of deep dish pizzas...(DEEP DISH!!) and of course, every time I go to a restaurant I order a variation of the same thing: Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Shrimp! It really is my favorite dish! I can't get enough of it! Ashley says "Oh wow Shawn! You got Fettuccine! I am sooo shocked!" We all know she isn't shocked. We had great conversation and referred to soda as 'pop' all night. HAHA! After dinner, Ian and I went and joined Jenna and Alison in the hot tub and we chatted for a while. It was really funny to see how Jenna's mom never wanted to leave the hot tub! I can understand, she came from Chicago and they are buried in snow!

Being the Service Learning Initiator for this team has been a lot of fun. “Service learning” is how we relate our project work to larger social issues; each team has a person who organizes these conversations and activities, and I am that person on mine! We have time to ourselves as a team to really get a chance to talk about the issues and praises of our project. Sometimes we will have discussions about some of the project issues and sometimes we will have fun activities such as writing poems and haikus to narrate our time in Tucson. All of our team submissions have been great. I want to do something really unique with the poems and activities. I have been collecting all of our service learning materials since round one! I wonder what type of activities I will do during shuffle round? Wow, that reminds me, we find out about our round three teams very soon! I am excited and nervous all at the same time!

As we already know, I am the king of all things food and I have a couple great dishes for you to try. I made Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina the other night and I also made a vegan version of it as well! They both came out AMAZING! I also have the recipe for 100% Vegan Fettucine and Peas Casserole which I also promised. Until next time, tootles!

~Shawn

Fettuccine and Peas Alfredo (recipes from “The Vegan Chef”)

1 lb. fettuccine (plain, spinach flavored, or mixed for extra color)
2 cups shallots, diced
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. frozen peas, thawed
2 T. garlic, minced
1 recipe of Non-Dairy Alfredo Sauce (see below)
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Non-Dairy Alfredo Sauce

1 - 12.3 oz. pkg. Mori-Nu silken style tofu, firm or extra firm
2 cups soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup soy parmesan cheese

In a food processor or blender, place all of the ingredients, except the soy Parmesan cheese, and blend for 2 minutes to form a smooth puree. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and cook over low heat while stirring constantly until warmed through. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the soy Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust the seasonings, as needed. Use as a sauce for pasta, vegetables, or grains.
Yield: 4 Cups

Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of boiling water, for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain well, return the cooked fettuccine to the pot, and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, sauté the shallots in olive oil, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the peas and garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add the pea mixture and Non-Dairy Alfredo Sauce to the cooked fettuccine and toss well to combine. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl or platter for service.
Serves 8! Enjoy!

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina (recipe from The Food Network)

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

(Shawn's personal vegan alternative: Leave all of the dairy elements out. Replace chicken with tofu and butter with extra-virgin olive oil. Since there are no dairy elements that need to bake, serve as is or top with bread crumbs and place in over for 10-15 minutes.)

Fun with Sun 1

This weekend was amazing. Friday started off with Jenna, Shiny and me going to do taxes at our first self-run mobile site. When we showed up to Outer Limits School we were greeted by the director who was extremely helpful in getting us set up. He had also formed an appointment list for those wishing to get their taxes done, which proved to be awfully helpful in keeping the day running smoothly. We recruited Leia at some point during the day to give us a little extra help and then in total we completed 11 tax returns. It was really the first day that I felt fully comfortable with preparing the returns and I found myself really enjoying not only the work, but also the people we met throughout the day. Seeing the look in a single mother’s eyes when you tell her she’s getting $7,000 back on her return is a definite reminder of why we’re here.

After we finished up at the site we went home and packed to go camping with another NCCC team in the area. Sun 1’s Team Leader Jordan, and two other Corps Members came and picked up the majority of the team and we headed out on a long ride to their housing site. We drove all the way out of the Tucson city limits and into Saguaro National Park. The last 15 minutes of the drive was on a dirt road through the desert landscape. When we finally got to the campsite we put our stuff in tents and immediately went exploring up the wash. We spent some time walking up the wash, which was actually filled with water due to the recent rain. We then stopped and sat for a bit around a little pool in the rock. Shawn, while trying to retrieve my shoe, which he accidentally pushed into the water below, became wedged between two large boulders. He spent a good five minutes trying to wiggle himself free while both teams had a good laugh at his expense.

As the sunset and the desert around us became increasingly darker, a few Sun 1 members began chopping firewood. Of course our resident lumberjack Derek had to give it a try. After a few “warm-up swings” he was successful in his attempt. Both teams then had dinner together around the campfire. Grilled chicken and vegetables followed by more s’mores than I could count. We socialized around the fire for a few hours before bed; telling stories about our projects, playing games, and telling riddles. Then it was time for bed. We all piled into their tents and I slept surprisingly well. We woke up the next morning to rain, which foiled our plan to go hiking up the mountain trail behind them that they had been working on during their project. Instead we ate a quick breakfast and all 21 of us piled into their two vehicles.

Once we made it back to our apartments, everyone had a chance to shower and get ready for the day. Then everyone kind of did their own things for a while; some people went to the mall, to yoga, to T.G.I. Fridays to watch the Super Bowl, or out to sushi dinner. By around 7:00 we were all back together at Friday’s to watch the end of the game together. It was especially fun to watch the Saints win since our last round project was in Louisiana. We called Miss Pat (one of the homeowners in Lafayette) after the game was finished so that we could celebrate with a real New Orleans fan.

All in all the weekend was unbelievable. From camping in the desert to watching the Saints win the Super Bowl we had an amazing time, not only with our team, but especially with Sun 1.

~Sarah

Taxes and Fun in the Sun

The past weekend was by far the most exciting since we have been here. The hike at King Canyon to Wasson Peak was an amazing experience and I was so happy to make it to the peak of a mountain. It was quite a sight that I will never forget. A few of us also went to the Arizona v. California basketball game which made me realize how much I miss playing competitive sports. It has always been a major part of my life and this is the first year that I have been without it. I have been going crazy not having to wake up and worry about going to a practice or preparing for the next game. That has really been the only thing I have had to struggle with so far in AmeriCorps.

Yesterday we went on a hike at Bear Canyon/Seven Falls. When we finally reached the climax of the hike, a seven tier water fall was waiting for us. We spent about an hour enjoying the amazing view. We were able to do some climbing and exploring in the area.

After the hike we dressed up and went out for a team dinner. Long story short, the group “consisted of” doctors, pilots, Hawaiian tourists, an 80s workout team, and a trio of business professionals wearing pinstripes. As you can imagine we received some funny looks. However, we had a really good time with it and hopefully we will do that again.

Well it has been a whole week since we have done taxes because of the tax program being down, but today we got back to it. We split into two groups: my group went back to Flowing Wells Community Center while the other group went to a nearby high school to do taxes. While we still got a lot done during the past week, I think everyone was excited to get back to the work we were trained to do. My group of four was able to do a total of 20 tax returns which was very fulfilling for us. The only negative part so far is our schedules are off a bit and are making the other things we have to do throughout the day more difficult. However, that is the typical life of an AmeriCorps NCCC member and you have to be ready for anything.

~Jeremy