get to the point

October 17, 2012

A Special Publication by Class 19 CRSTL

Ben Dillon

Community Relations Office

Sam McKenzie,

Community Relations Specialist,

SMcKenzie@cns.gov

Tristan Fowler,

Community Relations Support Team Leader,

TFowler.Guest@cns.gov

FIND US ON

FACEBOOK

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NCCCATLANTICREGION

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

strengthen 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

I’m a 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

get to the point ATLANTIC REGION // PERRY POINT, MD VOL. XVIII, ISSUE

Above: Members of Raven 3, joined by Corps Members Justin Brammer, Tracy Tran and Cassandra Lewis, stand on their respective home states atop a blacktop mural of the U.S. at Friendship Park in Bridgeport, CT. Last month, the Corps Members participated in a playground build hosted by the non-profit organization Kaboom that brought together more than 200 volunteers for one day of construction. (Photo essay on Page 8) On the cover: (clockwise from top-left) Thane “Ox” Clamann of Raven 5 in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania; Buffalo 1 working for EIHAB Human Services in Tunkhannock, PA; members of a composite firefighting team at the Table Mountain fire in Washington; Liz Fraley and Courtney Strother of Moose 4 working with Philly Rising.

contents:

3 Deerfield: A Big Little Town / Moose 5

4 Graduation & Award Banquet Update

6 Alumni Spotlight: Colin May, Atlantic Class XVII

8 Off the Beaten Path: Working with the SCA

9 Resource Corner / CAP & Media Scoreboard

10 Team Shout Outs

11 Kaboom! A Playground Photo Essay

12 Team Project Map

Get to the Point

By Ethan Essick, Moose 5

T he entire town of

Deerfield, NH is

approximately 54 square

miles, yet has a

population of only 4,280. Mostly

populated by trees, Deerfield is

quite an anomaly in a world that is

increasingly being overdeveloped

and stripped bare.

For fourth round, Moose 5 is

working for and with the town of

Deerfield on a variety of different

projects. Trail maintenance, public

outreach at the annual Deerfield

Fair, and scouting and locating

unmarked graves will all be a part

of our work plan. Variety is the

spice of life, and by keeping our

projects fresh we hope to

undermine the evil scheming of the

fourth round slump goblins that

salivate in the presence of apathy

like starved Pavlovian dogs.

So far, we have really been

enjoying discovering all the

different trails located throughout

the town; the backwoods areas of

this community is vast and one

cannot help but feel as if they’re

going “off the grid” every time a

casual stroll into the wilderness is

taken.

While the trails in Deerfield are

vast and lush, our team has been

hard at work chain sawing and

performing overall woodland

maintenance, helping establish

harmony among the flora and the

fauna. We’ve been hitting up the

Lazy Lion, the town café, pretty

often and experiencing some really

amazing small town cuisine.

We’ve already made quite an

impact at this point in our

Deerfield campaign, as I like to call

it, and there is still a ton of more

projects to complete. The writer of

this article is personally really

excited to find and map out

unmarked graves.

Back in much simpler times,

Deerfield residents devised a

curious practice to deliver the

ultimate insult to those who would

not get in line with the town’s value

system and religion. Instead of

giving the recently deceased an

honorable burial, the town’s

residents would deliver the

ultimate insult by placing their

graves outside the walls of the

cemetery, sometimes deep into the

woods.

Hundreds of years later, we

here at Moose 5 have been given

the privilege to investigate and

shed light on these forgotten

residents.

We hope to undermine the evil

scheming of the fourth round slump goblins that salivate

in the presence of apathy like starved

Pavlovian dogs.

“

”

Deerfield: a big small town

3

Get to the Point

4

Graduation &Graduation & Awards BanquetAwards Banquet

What you need to know for your last days in AmeriCorps NCCC

Graduation Ceremony Information

Where: Chesapeake Arts Center Date: Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 Time for Corps: TBD by Unit Leaders Time for Guest: Doors open at 9 am; Ceremony will run from 10 to 12 pm; A brief reception for cake will follow. All guest must leave by 2:30 pm

Special notes: The “Arts Center” and its parking lot is a NON-SMOKING property. No smoking. Seating will be open for a general audience. Staff will conduct a parent focus group at 9 am

Awards Banquet Information Where: TBD

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

Time: 2 pm to 4:30 pm

Cost and payment: TBD

Special Notes: Corps member may wear civilian business casual attire. Guests will have assigned seating.

The awards banquet and graduation are a time of reflection and celebration. We are excited to applaud your collective and in-dividual achievements over the past year, along with share a laugh and a tear. Please read this information carefully, so that our final days together can be stress free!

To RSVP or if you have any questions or concerns about these events, please con-

tact Sam McKenzie at smckenzie@cns.gov

or (410) 642-2411 ext 6244

Get to the Point

Directions to the Chesapeake Arts CenterDirections to the Chesapeake Arts Center Chesapeake Arts Center is located at:Chesapeake Arts Center is located at:

194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, MD 21225.194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, MD 21225.

Located in Northern Anne Arundel County, just inside the Baltimore Beltway, near the Located in Northern Anne Arundel County, just inside the Baltimore Beltway, near the

Baltimore City line and Ritchie Highway (Route 2).For more information call 410Baltimore City line and Ritchie Highway (Route 2).For more information call 410--636636--

6597.6597.

From Annapolis and Points SouthFrom Annapolis and Points South

Take 95, 295, or ITake 95, 295, or I--97 North to I97 North to I--695 East towards Dundalk/Key Bridge. Take exit 3A 695 East towards Dundalk/Key Bridge. Take exit 3A

bearing to your right and joinbearing to your right and join Route 2 NorthRoute 2 North (aka Ritchie Highway)(aka Ritchie Highway), and turn left at , and turn left at

the first traffic light onto Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 yards on the right hand side.the first traffic light onto Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 yards on the right hand side.

From North of BaltimoreFrom North of Baltimore

Take ITake I--95 South to I95 South to I--895 South (Harbor Tunnel Thruway) to exit 7 Brooklyn (Rt. 2 / 895 South (Harbor Tunnel Thruway) to exit 7 Brooklyn (Rt. 2 /

Potee St.)Potee St.)

Potee St. becomes Rt. 2. Continue for approximately 2 miles and turn right onto Potee St. becomes Rt. 2. Continue for approximately 2 miles and turn right onto

Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 yards on the right hand side.Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 yards on the right hand side.

From Baltimore CityFrom Baltimore City

Take Hanover Street South over the Hanover Street bridge. Hanover Street becomes Rt. Take Hanover Street South over the Hanover Street bridge. Hanover Street becomes Rt.

2.2. Follow Rt. 2 to Hammonds Lane. Turn right onto Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 yards Follow Rt. 2 to Hammonds Lane. Turn right onto Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 yards

on the right hand side.on the right hand side.

From Howard CountyFrom Howard County

Take Rt. 100 East to ITake Rt. 100 East to I--295 North to I295 North to I--695 East towards Glen Burnie to Exit 3A (Rt. 2 695 East towards Glen Burnie to Exit 3A (Rt. 2

North) Join Rt. 2, and turn left at the first traffic light onto Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200 North) Join Rt. 2, and turn left at the first traffic light onto Hammonds Lane. CAC is 200

yards on the right hand side.yards on the right hand side.

As you enter the parking lot from Hammonds Lane, you will pass the Hammonds Lane As you enter the parking lot from Hammonds Lane, you will pass the Hammonds Lane

Theatre on the left.Theatre on the left.

5

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ANECDOTES FROM COLIN MAY, ATLANTIC CLASS XVII

Get to the Point

N CCC has redirected my life in more ways than one. It's

gotten me to think of the work that I do in terms of service, and I'm no longer attracted to any job or career that isn't going to be helpful in some sort of way—to other people, the environment, etc. NCCC also gave me the opportunity to do a huge variety of work, making me realize that there are so many different things I can do with my life that I hadn't thought of before.

After working with The Nature Conservancy of Vermont, and with the US Fish & Wildlife Service on Phoenix 3, I realized that my passion for the environment can mean more than just camping and hiking trips. I'm applying to begin graduate school next fall to study Natural Resource Conservation. NCCC taught me that I should do

meaningful work, and work that I enjoy.

On a more personal note, I made some amazing friends, both on my team and off. Raven 7 is a true family, and even though it's hard to keep up with everyone spread all over the country, we'll always be Raven 7. It's great to know that I have friends all over that could put me up if I needed it.

J une 24, 2011 was Raven 7 Day in Buffalo, New York, and I

can't think of a time when I've been more proud of work I'd done. Raven 7 spent two months toiling away all over Buffalo, cleaning vacant lots, parks, gardens, and playgrounds.

By the end of the round we were ready to go home, but on our last day there the Mayor honored

us in a way that we never could have expected, creating a holiday in our name and calling us “pioneers of service.” We realized that the work we were doing really mattered, not just explicitly, but in the way that we gave attention to communities that had been neglected for so long. It was truly empowering to see that the work of just 11 people could make such a big impact for an entire city.

PLEASE SEE ‘ALUMNI’ ON PAGE 5 FOR CONTINUATION OF STORY

6

Get to the Point

ALUMNI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

T ristan will love for me to tell the media reps that I still write

press releases. And it's true, I do. I'm serving an AmeriCorps VISTA term in the communications and development office of a charter school nonprofit in DC, and part of my job is to write press releases for our fundraising events. My English major has served me well, but working as Media Rep gave me some professional writing skills that have proved to be very useful.

The most important skill I learned was how to interact with people. I had considered myself a pretty diverse guy, but NCCC plunged me into such a rich assortment of people from such a variety of backgrounds that I had to find a new way of working with people. I learned how to listen, how to manage, and how to consider ten other people in my decision-making, in both the living space and the work place.

A fter graduating college, I briefly considered graduate

school, but some restlessness in me steered me away from the books toward manual labor. I was interested in working outdoors, trail maintenance type work, and while searching through AmeriCorps programs, the diversity of the NCCC experience really attracted me. I wanted to travel, meet new people, and do good work.

I applied for Fall 2011, but a spot opened for me to start in February instead, and there was nothing keeping me from starting early. Four days after I got the phone call, I was in Perry Point.

After NCCC, I was finally feeling the pressure to be a little career-minded, and eager to return to a normal lifestyle where I don't live with the people I work with (no

offense, it was fun while it lasted, but you know what I mean). But I still liked the idea of service, so I investigated AmeriCorps VISTA jobs, and landed one at the See Forever Foundation in Washington, DC, which funds and operates the four Maya Angelou Charter Schools. So I said the pledge again and am now working as a VISTA, serving our nation in a more specific, professional capacity.

I get to tell some pretty awesome

stories from Phoenix 3XL. The

Lateral West Fire was wild. The

first day, I rolled into the line on

the back of the tank-like Flex-Trac.

We emerged from the woods and

all of a sudden there was smoke

everywhere, trees torching—it

looked like hell on earth.

The next day, the wind picked

up and spot fires became fully

involved. We lost one escape route

and had to go out the long way, fire

close on both sides of us, and the

Flex-Trac moving at a slow crawl.

We backed up to indirect attack

after that and I worked on the

Snackay Mackay Engine.

One day, I happened to be

lounging in the driver's seat when

we got called to address spot fires

from the Hot Shots' burn out, and I

had to drive the engine through a

wall of smoke to get us there. Later

that evening I was eating $30

worth of Applebee's in my own

Hilton Hotel room.

7

NCCC plunged me into

such a rich assortment of

people from such a variety

of backgrounds that I had

to find a new way of

working with people.

“

”

Get to the Point

I applied to the NCCC and was waitlisted for the first time in the fall of 2009. I had applied to other positions, a few with a program called the Student Conservation Association (SCA). While waiting, I had an offer from the SCA.

Being unemployed isn't the most pleasant thing, so I went with the employer I knew for certain would hire me. Thus began my 'career' with the SCA, resulting in five different positions over the course of two years, spanning both coasts and traveling from southern California up north to the Arctic Circle.

Time commitments ranged from three months to a year and in that time I lived in and helped restore a desert (the Sonoran); spent a cold and foggy summer in the San Francisco Bay area with 900 year old redwoods and occasionally on a rather infamous

rock; hung out with some grizzlies and moose (in Alaska!); built a trail in upstate New York; and lived in the City itself planning service events for local volunteers at Ellis & Liberty Islands.

A lot of what I learned with the SCA has translated well in the work I do with NCCC. For instance, the trail work was useful while at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maine and while partnering with the Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. Planning service events has been great as a Service Learning Initiator, and working with volunteers was helpful last round with the New Hampshire Food Bank's vegetable garden.

Living and working in teams, be that a full on corps program or not, is also integral to most SCA programs. What's more, there's travel and adventure, friends to be made and stories to be gathered; to whit, the two programs share a common bond (as well as origins in the original Civilian Conservation Corps) and I would strongly hope that anyone looking to continue serving, albeit with a environmental focus, would consider working with the SCA.

Off the Beaten Path

One Corps Member’s previous experience with the Student Conservation Association offers a glimpse into a unique opportunity for life after AmeriCorps.

SCA Quick Facts www.TheSCA.org Service Opportunities:

Conservation Internships Corps Programs National Crews Community Programs

Areas of Service:

Environmental Stewardship Energy Conservation Environmental Education

Age Limits:

Interns: 18+ Corps Members: 18-24 Crew Members: 15-19 Crew Leaders: 21+ Program Members: 15-19

Locations:

Internships, Corps Programs, National Crews: United States & Territories Community Programs: Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Connecticut; Houston; Manchester, NH; Milwaukee, WI; New Jersey; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Seattle; SF/Bay Area; and Washington, D.C.

Benefits of Service: Travel expenses to and from service site, housing (unless otherwise specified), weekly living stipend, training/certifications where applicable, education award upon completion of service.

Hannah Wells, Raven 3

8

Get to the Point

Composite Team Leaders returned

Corps Members to their prospective

teams. All Corps Members with travel

receipts (bus ticket receipts, travel

food receipts, etc.) upon return to

project site, must return those

receipts to their Composite Team

Leaders ASAP.

Composite Team Leaders have to

account for each dollar spent during a

project; all receipts are needed. If you

do not have your receipts, please

complete a “Missing Receipt” form

(Team Leaders have the form) and

mail/email to former Composite Team

Leaders.

If there are any questions please

do not hesitate to contact me at (410)

642-642-2411 ext. 6868 or via email,

cjohnson@cns.gov

Charese Johnson

Resource Manager

RESOURCE CORNER: CLEAN UP & CLOSE OUT!

9

Shout-Outs: Bobby and Lindy—I want to thank you for all your hard work with “Get to the Point” these past few weeks. Your works has been wonderful and I know the rest of the Corps appreciated seeing it in their mail every week. Additionally, thank you for support Sam in my absence. I know he kept you both very busy. Excellent work! Ben Dillon—Terrific job with this week’s “Get to the Point.” I can tell you put a lot of hard work into this, and your design experience really shows through. I loved your added content ideas and the overall look and feel of the newsletter is fresh, clean and very well done.

Moose 3 Media—You have been rocking the media hits this round! Including a great TV piece that circulated around the CNCS office. Very well done! Moose 3 CAPRs— Even without one of your CAPRs you have put together six CAP events this round! That’s a total of 210 contacts. Moose 5 CAPRs—Great job with your 100+ CAP event plus an application! You are the only team to score an ap-plication this round! Good job! Reminders: This is your LAST CHANCE to make a difference as a CAP or Media rep. Last chance to spread the word about AmeriCorps NCCC. Young people and av-erage Americans need to know about YOUR hard work. Tell them. Share your stories. Time is running out. Make it happen.

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.

CAP

Events

Media

Hits

Alumni

Events

Elected

Officials

Buffalo 1 5 0 0 0

Buffalo 2 1 0 0 0

Buffalo 3 4 10 2 0

Buffalo 4 2 2 1 0

Moose 1 3 1 0 0

Moose 2 1 1 0 0

Moose 3 6 42 1 0

Moose 4 2 6 1 0

Moose 5 4 0 1 0

Raven 1 3 7 2 0

Raven 2 1 0 0 0

Raven 3 0 3 0 0

Raven 4 0 1 0 0

Raven 5 2 8 0 0

Phoenix 4 0 1 0 0

Raven 1’s Henry meets the Mayor Jonathan Mitchell of New Bedford, MA

Get to the Point

BUFFALO 2 “Rain, rain, go away! We are about to enjoy our last week (rain or shine) in Maine before heading to Delaware!” “Goodbye, COLD Maine! We are now off to Arden, DE!” BUFFALO 3 “We miss you, Rocky!” “B3 rode on the Gondola at a ski resort, having a glorious view at the ever-changing leaves in Vermont and her mountains!” MOOSE 1 “Moose 1 had fun working the Pettengil Farm Day and enjoyed seeing some Buffalo 2 members.” “Working with Preble Street Soup Kitchen was a very eye opening experience for our team.” MOOSE 2 “FEMA Corps has taken over our house!” “...we have our house back!” MOOSE 3 “To Jason Cangelosi: Thank you for James’ birthday card that reminded you of me (Jason Babcock) To Robert Russo-Tucker: Hurry up and get here!” “To Laura Tuck: Thanks for bringing Bobby back to us!” MOOSE 4 “It is great to have the team back together for the last 4 weeks of the project. We miss you, Steve, and wish you were here with us. We hope you enjoy fighting fires with Phoenix 4!”

MOOSE 5 “We are glad to have Justin and Porche back on our team! YAY!!! Congratulations to Tierra and Laura for finishing their 1700 hours! Besides the rain, the weather is beautiful! To Jessi, From Justin: Only 3 more weeks! You can do it!” RAVEN 1 “Maddi is in charge of the chickens and getting the eggs.” “Oh does that mean she pulls the eggs out of their butts?” - Michael “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not. Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for” - Epicurus RAVEN 2 “Raven 2 is ‘Luvin’ my crew.’ We have completed siding our first house and are heading into the home stretch with finishing work indoors. Less than 2 weeks until dedication time!” “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” - Kelcy RAVEN 3 “True love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops.”

RAVEN 5 “After a musical renaissance and a gathering of kin, Raven 5 is flying high in the deep woods of Penn.” “Raven Five wants to remind everyone to have fun before the approaching apocalypse. Be safe, you screw balls!”

SHOUT OUTS!

10

Raven 3 arrived at their first Bridgeport job site on the cold, quiet predawn of Sept. 15 and quickly began arranging dozens of shovels, pitchforks, rakes, sledgehammers and an assortment of strange, colorful building materials throughout the vacant, grassy lot. The calmness of the morning setup gave little indication of the organized chaos that would soon follow:

by mid-morning, more than 200 bustling volunteers crowded the courtyard of an adjacent elementary school, and after a mere five

hours of work, they had raised a new playground from the bare grass of the vacant lot. Friendship Park was born.

Get to the Point

11

KABOOM! A PLAYGROUND PHOTO ESSAY By Ben Dillon

Top: Mickey McGlasson, Ishmeal Mitchell and A.T. Holder finish installing the lattice covering of a pergola at Friendship Park in Bridgeport, CT during construction of the playground. Above: Helica Correia assists a student from a nearby elementary school in identifying Connecticut on a freshly painted blacktop mural of the United States.

Top-Right: Avery Engle poses with a piece of the playground’s rocking “horse.” Middle: Raven 3 members dig a hole. Bottom: Helica Correia and visiting Corps Member Justin Brammer help school children select flowers for a new raised garden bed.

Get to the Point

Buffalo 1 Taft— Tunkhannock, PA

Buffalo 2 Tomoyo— Wilmington, DE

Buffalo 3 Tony— Berlin, VT

Buffalo 4 Tiffany— Reisterstown, MD

Moose 1 Patrick—Portland, ME

Moose 2 Megan— York, PA

Moose 3 Jami— Schoharie, NY

Moose 4 Casey— Philadelphia, PA

Moose 5 Toby— Deerfield, NH

Raven 1 Keiper— Marion, MA

Raven 2 Davey— Newburgh, NY

Raven 3 A.T.— Bridgeport, CT

Raven 4 Millena—Kennett Square, PA

Raven 5 Dan— Brownsville, PA

Phoenix 4 Jessica— Suffolk, VA