AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps – Alumni Spotlight

Ariel from Auburn, Maine is an alumna of the NCCC Southwest Region campus from service year XIII. Read her story about overcoming physical and social challenges to get things done for America.






Ariel (L) with her team at the New Orleans Jazz Fest

At age 12, I was diagnosed with a genetic disorder similar to that of the DiGeorge Syndrome, or 22q11.2 deletion.  After I was diagnosed with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome, I knew I was different. Although I was able to keep up in school academically, I struggled socially, light years behind my peers. This followed me all the way through until college, when I suddenly realized I could make friends just like anyone else.

 

Since 2002, I volunteered at one of NCCC Atlantic Region projects – Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine.  In 2006, I had tried another AmeriCorps State program, and was heartbroken when they couldn’t accommodate my special needs.  I was volunteering at Camp Sunshine that same year and met my very first AmeriCorps NCCC team.

 

I talked a lot with the NCCC team that week- as they saw the magic of camp unfold before their very eyes.  Camp Sunshine is a retreat for critically ill children and their families.  I had had spinal surgery in 2004, followed by a year- long rehabilitation my junior year in college.

I was skeptical of trying NCCC because of my limited strength and health challenges. What really made me apply to NCCC was the bond between the team that was at Camp Sunshine while I was at the camp that week. I wanted that, and above all I wanted to serve like I had done in Kiwanis.

So I took that chance, and in 2007 my best friend and I entered Class XIII in Denver CO.  When our teams were assigned, I was petrified.  I told my best friend there is NO way I can live with these people. We are just too different.  By the end of the first round of projects, I was gaining strength, overcoming fears, and learning how to work as a team. 

I liked my teammates, but I was just starting to feel like I fit in. It would take three rounds of projects before I admitted to them what my challenges were, and once I did, they helped me to overcome them. It was wonderful to have teammates who supported me, told me the truth and are truly like siblings.  

What I want everyone who’s interested in NCCC to realize is that AmeriCorps NCCC is truly what you make of it.  I learned that I was not the center of the universe. That people had much bigger problems than what I was going through and how good it feels to help someone in need.  But this does not come right away. NCCC a unique journey for each individual, it is a team-based program with team and individual stories. Each individual writes the pages, the beginning, middle and end. 

Recently I was an intern for a foundation that helps children with brain tumors and I also lost my best friend to cancer. I learned a great deal from those experiences, part of which was that opportunities should be seized and that many people in the world are suffering under great challenges far greater than imagined.

One of the mottos of AmeriCorps is getting things done for America. It’s funny, if I was asked five years ago what AmeriCorps was, I could not have answered correctly. In the fall of 2006, I was a new graduate from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in music and not really knowing where life was going to take me. Suddenly, I felt lost, I was out of the university loop and I did not have enough experience to land a solid job.  For years school had been my life, and I was now directionless. 

AmeriCorps NCCC gave me the strength, the courage, the on the job training and the friendships I needed to succeed in my adult life, and without that I would not be the person I am today. 


 

Ariel (front left) with her team at a Habitat for Humanity project in 2007

If you are thinking about applying to NCCC and you have some social or physical challenges, I encourage you to be open, be honest, be helpful and have fun. You too can get things done for America.

-Ariel

This year, Ariel completed her master's degree in Child Life from the University of La Verne, in Southern CA. Ariel also serves on the NCCC Alumni Leadership Council representing the Atlantic Region in Maine. Since recently becoming engaged, Ariel plans to move to Sacramento, California with her fiancé. All of her teammates from NCCC are expected to attend the wedding ceremony.

The AmeriCorps NCCC Alumni Leadership Council was recently established to increase NCCC's alumni engagement. The council currently consists of 11 members including 2 alums representing each region and 1 Chair.   Alums are currently spear-heading committees related to new member recruitment, building relationships with project sponsors, fundraising, national days of service days, and 20th Anniversary planning.  Please contact Tiffany Zapico if you'd like to become involved as a Regional Rep ncccalums@gmail.com.

Introducing the Moose Unit with Moose 5

This year, in addition to the Raven 1 team, the NCCC Atlantic Region campus will also feature one team from the Buffalo Unit and Moose Unit. Watch this video to see Moose 5’s commitment, dedication and willpower.

Find out more about the members of Moose 5 by viewing their team brochure

Skylar pulls through doubts and missing life at home

Read an honest account from Skylar on the Raven 1 team about her moments of doubt and missing her life back home. Despite missing some important events in the lives of her family members, Skylar sees that there is so much good to do in AmeriCorps NCCC and her new team is inspiring her to continue with NCCC.

 

I love my family and would do anything for them. I love the days when we have family dinner, play a game or when we just talk and laugh so hard I cry. I can't stand being away from them and missing important moments in their lives: like my nephew's first birthday; helping my sister plan her wedding; or simply eating dinner with my parents.

  

Skylar stops mulching for a photo op at Winterthur Museum

Of course, there are hard days in AmeriCorps NCCC. There are days when I forget why I am here and just want to go home, even if it’s just for a day. Although t has been hard being away from my family this first round of projects, I have been constantly reminded why I am doing this. I want to tell you about some moments that have kept me going and encouraged me to stay with NCCC and Raven 1. While I love and miss my family dearly, I have so many reasons to continue to serve.

Some of my most memorable times were small things like enjoying the beauty of the gardens at Winterthur. Or a hard day’s work of pulling out invasive trees and the satisfaction I got when I heard the “CRACK” of the roots being broken, meaning I could finally move on to the next one.
 

I also get those reminders of purpose during a really inspiring project, like Connecticut Mission of Mercy. Having the opportunity to set up a dental clinic, and then seeing it actually up and running was such an amazing experience. After two days, 2,000 people received dental care, many of them without a chance of seeing a dentist without the clinic. I really can't do justice to the experience with my descriptions. It was quite overwhelming to see our project sponsor and all the other volunteers work just as long as we did. Everyone was in such high spirits and always made sure we were OK and everything was running smoothly. It was truly moving to see people with so much passion for their mission. I left there with memories I will never forget.  


Skylar provides dental assistance at Connecticut Mission of Mercy Dental Clinic

 Then there are those days that I look around at my team and know that I wouldn’t want to share this experience with anyone else.  I feel truly blessed to have everyone on my team as my teammates. One of those days happened on Easter Sunday. We all basically spent the day as a team making brunch, coloring Easter eggs, and we even made Easter baskets for each other and hid them around the house. The prize for being the first person to find your bag was the privilege of not cleaning for a week! Unfortunately, the person who hid my bag was quite good, and I was the last one to find it.  Later that day, we had an Easter egg hunt with Henry as our Easter bunny who hid the eggs all over the "Enchanted Garden" at Winterthur. And that night, we feasted on a delicious turkey dinner! Days like that make me realize I am exactly where I am supposed to be.



So while I would love to be back home to see my nephew, or pick out flowers with my sister, or share that meal with my parents, I realize that, for now, I'm right where I need to be. It’s rare to have a group that meshes as well as we do. My team might be a little eccentric at times, or completely awkward, and maybe kind of quirky, but together we “R1” and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

~Skylar
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach the stars to change the world” – Harriet Tubman-Skylar-

Joplin: One Year Later

As the one year anniversary of the devastating Joplin tornado approaches, we wanted to highlight AmeriCorps' significant contributions to the ongoing recovery effort. For more information about AmeriCorps' role in Joplin's recovery, click here.

This post originally appeared on the AmeriCorps NCCC Blog on February 13, 2012. 

Meg B. is a current AmeriCorps NCCC member serving with team Earth 4 at the Southwest Region Campus. 

When I found out that for Round 2 my team would be serving in Joplin, Missouri, which was hit by a devastating tornado at the end of May 2011, my immediate reaction was excitement coupled with nervousness. The main reason I decided to apply for AmeriCorps NCCC was to help the communities in our nation that needed it most, and being assigned to Joplin, I knew this was the case. After being in Joplin for just over a week, I have already been able to witness the strong sense of commitment and resilience this city contains, as well as a truly amazing spirit that runs throughout the entire community.


Earth 4 explores what the community named the "Volunteer House".  This house was donated to the city by the family who onced lived there and serves as a reminder of the miracle of the human spirit displayed after the storm.

 For the next two months, my team, “Earth 4”, will be assisting the newly established non-profit organization Rebuild Joplin. Rebuild Joplin exists to ensure that resources of all kinds are effectively leveraged to holistically address the post-tornado needs in the Joplin community and create a brighter, more vibrant future for its residents and families.

We are working directly with the staff of Rebuild Joplin and will complete the following tasks in order to assess and fulfill the needs of the community. The team will be responsible for volunteer and logistical coordination, construction, and resource management and will strategize to recruit volunteers on both the local and national level. In addition, we will assess information about identified homeowners’ ongoing needs and subsequently lead volunteers in the rebuilding of these homes.

Amanda, Rebuild Joplin’s volunteer coordinator and our supervisor, expressed her enthusiasm about working directly with us for the next two months. "We are very excited to have the Earth 4 AmeriCorps NCCC team with us assisting our office as we begin to manage the volunteers and construction efforts to rebuild Joplin. The team will initially help us hit the ground running by completing various tasks to get our office organized. I am looking forward to getting to know them better as we begin construction for the many individuals in our community who need help getting back into their homes.”

My team and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of rebuilding Joplin into the bigger, better and stronger community we know it will be.

~Meg


In a related story, AmeriCorps members, like Meg, were recently honored by the Missouri House of Representatives, who passed a resolution honoring AmeriCorps members from across the country who have played an indispensable role in helping the city of Joplin recover from the devastating tornado that struck the city on May 22, 2011.

To read more, go here.

AmeriCorps: The “Life Experience” I Was Missing

Today’s guest post comes from Eddie Murray, an AmeriCorps NCCC alum who served two years. He is now a technology trainer position in the Technology Based Learning Systems department at New York Institute of Technology.

Like many of my friends who I served with in AmeriCorps, and I am sure many others, the events in the Gulf coast in August 2005 had a profound impact on my life.  During my junior year at Mercy College I traveled to New Orleans for an alternative spring break.

We arrived at a familiar site to those who have served in the recovery effort: Camp Hope.  Our task for the week was to gut homes and our supervisors all had the same clothes, a gray shirt with an “A” on it.  I had never heard of AmeriCorps and had no idea such an amazing program existed.  I’m sure that the NCCC Corps Members were glad to see me go after all the questions I had for them.

After my week aiding in the recovery effort I returned to class and entered my senior year of college.  During my senior year I kept my experience in New Orleans and the idea of doing NCCC in the back of my head.  As college was coming to an end I knew that I wanted to work in the education field, but I didn’t feel I was ready to begin a graduate program or start a career.

I was a little burnt out from college and I didn’t want to jump right into pursuing my graduate degree.  Also, there was something terrifying about settling down and starting a career.  I didn’t feel like I had enough “life experience”.  At the same time, if I wasn’t going to start a graduate program or my career, I wanted to do something productive.

I applied for NCCC hoping it would provide the “life experience” I felt I was missing.


I loved my projects as a Corps Member and found them extremely fulfilling.  In Slidell, LA my team and I worked as teachers’ aids in schools.  In Denver, CO I was a Crew Leader in the Summer of Service program and worked with at-risk youth in the area completing community service projects.  While these education projects helped to reassure my career goals, I wasn’t ready to leave AmeriCorps yet.

I decided to apply to become a Team Leader to improve upon the skills I learned as a Corps Member.  One such skill that continues to help me today is the ability to be flexible and adapt to different situations.  This was something I had to do everyday during my first project as a Team Leader.

Almost all the NCCC teams from my campus were sent to Texas first round to work with FEMA in the immediate recovery effort from Hurricane Ike.  My team was assigned to access the needs of a small county just east of Houston.  I was in charge of creating everything from community outreach and advertising our presence, to creating surveys for assessment of homes and deciding which areas to begin canvasing.  It was an extremely demanding project, but my team stepped up to the challenge and we were able to lay the groundwork for accessing the needs of the county.

By the end of my AmeriCorps program I felt I had the “life experience” I was missing leaving college.

Like many people in 2009 (and still looking today), I struggled to find a job after AmeriCorps.  I had an advantage though, the skills I learned in AmeriCorps.  I remained flexible and adapted to jobs that were available while I was working on my graduate degree at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).  I worked in several schools as a per diem substitute teacher and was a permanent substitute assigned as the supervisor of the in-school suspension room.  There were difficult days and it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing, but I adapted, stayed positive, and kept applying to other full-time positions.

As I completed my graduate program at NYIT there was also an opening for a technology trainer position in the Technology Based Learning Systems (TBLS) department.  NYIT TBLS provides technology related professional development to teachers in New York State.  Like AmeriCorps, my position as a technology trainer involves several different projects that require me to be flexible to meet the needs of my audience.

My experience in AmeriCorps helped to shape the person I am today and develop skills that I use every day as a technology trainer. 

This post originally appeared on the AmeriCorps Alums Blog on May 16, 2012.

by Ken Tran

Smiles and Tears

Raven 1’s first round project was a “split round,” which means the length of the project round was split over two (or more) locations. Raven 1 started in Winterthur, Delaware and then went to Danbury, Connecticut to work on a short term assignment with the Connecticut Mission of Mercy (MOM).

 

For our second project of our first round spike, my team and I traveled to Danbury, Connecticut to help CT Mission of Mercy (MOM) set up, run, and break down a free dental clinic. I arrived expecting just another project with long days, hard labor, and great company. I left MOM with tears of joy and gratitude, and a thorough understanding of why AmeriCorps NCCC is such an important program to so many individuals.



Raven 1 poses for a quick picture in the gym they transformed into a dental clinic



This adventure began in a large, empty gymnasium that required much heavy lifting of oodles and oodles of tables, chairs, food, and dental equipment. The physical strain was felt by not only me, but many other team members.

The sense of accomplishment at the end of the set up was quite rewarding. Our sweat and pain had turned an empty gym into a fully functioning dental suite, complete with areas of registration, triage, cleanings, fillings, root canals, sterilization, oral surgery, a pharmacy, and child care. This feeling in itself brought me much elation and great joy resonating from my heart.  The thanks from sponsors and volunteers made it seem already complete, but as we left and saw the line of people lined up to spend the night camping out awaiting dental treatment, the reality of what the next two days entailed really hit me.

We awoke Friday morning at a brisk 2:00 a.m. That early hour, plus a malfunctioning coffee brewer, left many of us in a grumpy mood. We got to the work site around 3:00 a.m. to start directing traffic. I never fully comprehended how big of a deal this was until the droves and droves of cars arrived.  They filled up every parking lot available, overflowed into a quickly filling parking garage, and once reaching max occupancy there, formed a single file line down the side of the road for what seemed like forever. The people then exited their cars and made the long trek uphill to the beginning of the line.

Around 9:00 a.m. we then made our way into the clinic itself. After a quick crash course in how to run the thing, we divided and conquered at several different stations that needed help. The almost superhuman feat of pulling off such an event was not the most rewarding experience however. The stories from the patients and their friends and family became my only source of energy and drive to continue at max power for such a long work day. Positive energy was everywhere. Despite sore feet and bodies and heavy eyes, we completed the day with enthusiasm and a newfound dedication and respect for the work MOM does.

Raven 1 Team Leader, Keiper supports a dental clinic procedure

Saturday was by far the toughest day I have yet to encounter in my AmeriCorps NCCC experience. It started the same as Friday, early and without a proper amount of coffee. However, the cause itself towards the end of the day took a much more personal stance in my mind and heart. Through a chain of events I cannot go very much into detail about, I realized just how poorly the care of my teeth has been.

It dawned on me how much an organization such as this actually affects those it helps, and gave me great pride and humility to be a part of such a wonderful event. I was not the only team member who cried that day. These people became more than just patients to me and everyone else involved. They became brothers, sisters, friends, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and lastly equals. I gained many new friends, of which I intend to keep in touch with for many years.



Raven 1 member Skylar assists with dental treatment at the CT MOM

The long days, arduous labor, and emotional strife of MOM left our Raven 1 team in awe of what we had accomplished together. I felt it very difficult to actually digest the mass amount of thanks that I received from countless masses of individuals, until we began to slowly drive away for the last time only to look out the window and see our sponsor crying, overcome with gratitude for the work we had done, for the people we helped, and most of all for the people we are. 



Raven 1 takes a picture with the project sponsors of the CT MOM project



I learned a lot about myself through this experience. I learned to love a stranger, to help a friend, to be a team, to trust myself, and most of all to soak in the little things. At the end of the day, it wasn’t the over 2,000 people we helped, or the over $1,300,000 worth of free dental work we helped supplied. It was seeing someone walk out, finally able to smile for the first time in their life.

It was being able to cry on a teammates shoulder, overcome with emotion, and feeling the sense of security that only a true team can understand.  My teammates understand little things like supplying a homeless man with enough granola bars and water he can possibly carry, only for him to give you a hug with a face overcome in tears. They also understand what it’s like to see such wonderful people crying as you leave after a mission accomplished. I tear up as I write this, with countless amounts of thanks for such a priceless experience, and sincerely hope everyone who put forth any time or effort into this opportunity of a lifetime the best and brightest futures.

Smiling often and forever,

Henry

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

― Mother Teresa

For more information about Raven 1’s first round project including photos of their housing check out their project debrief presentation. 

My first holiday away from home

This was the first year I have EVER been away from my family and friends on Easter (or really any period of time longer than a few weeks). I was almost dreading Sunday to come because homesickness was kicking in and I was imagining my family spending Easter together without me.  Needless to say I wasn’t expecting this Easter to be more than any other Sunday…who would’ve thought that this would probably be the best Easter I have ever had?! I feel that by the end of this weekend it brought our team closer together and makes me feel grateful for the sponsors we have at Winterthur.

I woke up Sunday morning, not expecting much.  I knew we had planned to make Easter baskets for each other, but other than that I was just planning to catch up on extra sleep I didn’t get throughout the week. When I went downstairs the first thing I saw was the dining room table with all of our bags plus Easter baskets, candy, and Edgar (the Raven unit mascot) chilling on the table with some ‘Peeps’.



Easter bags and candy with Edgar, the Raven Unit Mascot




Apparently our sponsor told all the staff that we weren’t able to go home for Easter, so they all chipped in to bring Easter to us at the Butler House where we stay.



Part of the lovely Easter spread Ashley and the Raven 1 team received



Rob, one of the supervisors of the garden department we work with here, stopped by the house to wish us a Happy Easter with a dinner for us to eat that night. This really meant a lot to me and made me grateful to be part of such an amazing team. It was one of those moments where all the days of hard work, some that I honestly thought went unnoticed, seemed to be worth it at this moment. For Rob to stop by and for all the staff to go out of their way to make us feel at home is something that wasn’t required and I could tell came from a sincere place. Actions go a long way, and all the staff at Winterthur really made the Easter I was dreading for weeks into a positive experience.



Dyed eggs from Raven 1's Easter day



The day I expected to catch up on sleep turned into a fun filled day of dying eggs, playing board games, and probably every child’s fantasy Easter egg hunt at the enchanted woods (decked out with a troll bridge, cool looking mushrooms that steam up, and miniature cottages for little people). I felt like I was at the Cornucopia at the hunger games. Cool stuff. Thank you Raven 1 and thank you Winterthur for making my Easter one of the most memorable experiences first round!

~ Ashley

A Wonder of Winterthur: Wild geese are my alarm clock

Keiper, Team Leader of Raven 1, created this reflection during her final week at Winterthur Garden and Museum in Delaware.

I wake up each morning to the sound of wild geese. I leave my window open at night so that they wake me up, rather than the droning noise of my alarm clock. It used to require more of an effort warming up my bones to go indulge in coffee, but stillness has entered into my soul since being here, and flourished within me, kind of like the English Ivy we pulled today.

Now I allow myself to be attentive to the sounds of the morning, and the fresh air that creeps in through the window. No cars, no trains, just the sound of an untouched morning. No effort required in getting out of bed- it happens naturally. 

Now I could write to you about the challenges I have faced as a Team Leader, or tell you the impact NCCC has made on the surrounding community, and I could definitely elaborate on the cohesiveness and personality of our team- but I will save that for another time. For today, I think I’ll just share with you a very simple response my entire being has experienced since serving here: there is no rush.

Being surrounded by beauty day after day seems to have sunken into my bones, the simplicity of it all is what is most striking- nothing here is elaborate or forced. Henry Francis du Pont, who left the Winterthur legacy, did not want a lot of structure in his gardens. This basically means he wanted things to grow naturally. When we prune trees here, they are to look like they were not pruned. Although a lot of effort and detail is invested in the care of the gardens, it looks effortless, it appears natural.

Such genuineness is reflective upon those with whom we served. The horticultural staff at Winterthur, who supported, taught, and guided us, understood the importance of the stillness. They were all patient with us when teaching new skills (and you would have to be to teach me how to operate a front loader) but they never frowned upon our team's curiosity or whimsy. They supported our quest for knowledge, but did so in a way that allowed us to discover it on our own terms. I am at a place where I wonder two things: How did I end up here and  how could I be so blessed?

Of course it is critical to grow as a team, and Raven 1 did, but I also believe that it is important for each person to grown individually, to be challenged, to be inspired, to be aware. Many of us have that puzzling question of “what to do after AmeriCorps NCCC!?” but…not here, not at Winterthur.

Things are too beautiful to be preoccupied by such thoughts. I was able to enjoy the present moment here better than I have in a long time. I was able to explore my center of gravity again, something I had longed for since I started AmeriCorps NCCC.

They say just being outside in nature relieves stress- now imagine working outside everyday- digging your hands in the soil, tending to the flowers, letting the vitamin D soak in and the ancient trees rustle around you.

I allowed myself to be open to and connect with Winterthur’s wonder. I hope that its magic continues to flow through the team and myself as our journey moves ahead. I hope someday again, somewhere, I can wake up to the geese.

~ Keiper

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
~ Mary Oliver ~