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What Did You Do?: Graduation Speech From The FEMA Corps Class 20 at the Atlantic Region

 
Article appears on AmeriCorps NCCC Blog. Published May 28, 2014. 
 
Jimmy served as a team leader for FEMA Corps Class 20 at the Atlantic Region. His FEMA Corps class graduated on May 22nd, 2014. Below is the text of Jimmy’s graduation speech. 

 
I’m sure many, if not all of you can relate to exactly what’s going to happen to me when I see my friends and family for the first time in a long time, some even for the first time since joining this program:
 
“Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you! How was it?”
 
“It was good, Mom! It was really good”
 
“That’s awesome! What did you do?”
 
As we all know, that is a complicated question. One that no one can fully understand until they’ve been on this incredible, intense, once-sometimes twice-in a lifetime journey called FEMA Corps. But it seems like a simple enough question. “What did you do?”
 
“Well, Mother, I traveled to and through 15 states, supervised and befriended 9 incredible people, worked over 2,000 hours, had 25,893 beneficiaries, conducted 12 outreach events, submitted 26,770 applications, shredded over 10,000 files – actually… how about I just give you a copy of my quantifiables?”
 
“Your what?”
 
“My quantifiables, Mom! I know your computer says it’s not a real word, but it has to be because I do them every day!”
 
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Jimmy’s crazy. He’s going to snap on his poor mother just for asking what quantifiables means. But you know what… Yes, I probably am. For those of you who don’t know, quantifiables are a way that our teams keep track of the accomplishments that we have had throughout our round. And Microsoft Word doesn’t recognize “quantifiables” as a real word.
 
But in all seriousness, this question is going to follow us around for months after we leave this program. “What did you do?” Those quantifiables are a fantastic way to show staff and FEMA and anyone else who is interested how many disaster kits we have assembled, how many donations the warehouse we worked in received, and how many people we assisted in disaster areas. But what those quantifiables don’t tell you are the stories that we have. And boy, do we all have stories to tell.
 
We have stories to tell about rocking out in our 15-passenger vans to 90s pop music that only two people would admit to liking, but secretly every single one of you loved it. We have stories to tell about how our Team Leaders or Health and Wellness Liaisons made us do team builders every week that we rolled our eyes at, but we knew they brought every single one of us closer together. We have stories to tell about a FEMA or NCCC staff member inspiring us to work harder, follow our dreams, and to not be afraid to reach out whenever we need help. We have stories to tell about two women, with no money, coming into the Disaster Recovery Center in Colorado following the floods, asking for food. And Adrianne from Otter 3 finding the food that was left and allowing these women to fill their bags as they wept with gratitude. We have so many stories.
 
All of these stories can make up a book; a giant, long, jumbled, confusing book that only NCCC members and alumni can fully understand and appreciate. But if we look at FEMA Corps and our experiences from the perspective of our entire lives, these stories are only a chapter; a chapter that we finish writing today. I have said this to my team several times already, but while I am more than ready and excited to begin a new chapter of my life, I know that I will be looking back at this one wishing I could live many moments of it over and over again.
 
So what did we do?
 
We graduated from a program that has prepared us for any job. “Your per diem is only going to be $60 a day.” Steak for breakfast, lobster for lunch, and both for dinner. “Do you work well in a team setting?” Let me tell you about a team setting. 
 
 
So what did we do?
 
We made networking connections unlike anyone else our age. Oh your boss from Tasty Freeze is your reference? Mine is the presidential-appointee, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate.
 
So what did we do?
 
We made friends who we know will remain friends for the rest of our lives. We explored places that others can only wish to explore. We helped people on their hardest and darkest days. We made enough memories to fill a lifetime.
 
So when you go home and you hear the inevitable question, “What did you do?” take a second to think, and instead of giving them a generic spiel about what FEMA Corps is, tell them one of your many, wonderful, important, and beautiful stories. 

If you are interested in learning more about AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA Corps, or want to apply to serve, please visit www.nationalservice.gov/nccc.

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Adventures in Service: From AmeriCorps NCCC Member to Eli Segal Fellow

Article, written by Paula Katrina Drago, appears on AmeriCorps blog. Published May 21, 2014.

AmeriCorps NCCC alum and former Eli Segal Fellow, P.K. Drago, recalls her times with AmeriCorps and CNCS.

As an AmeriCorps NCCC member, I had the opportunity to participate in rebuilding efforts in the New Orleans area, serve as a counselor at a camp for kids and adults with special needs, build trails on an island in the Puget Sound, support the Los Angeles Food Bank, and reduce the risk of fire in the San Bernardino Mountains. Like many other NCCC alums, I now have a collection of library cards from across the U.S., have mastered the art of parallel parking a 15-passenger van, and get irrationally excited whenever I spot someone in an NCCC sweatshirt.

I never expected to have a job that entailed working from platforms 40-60 feet in the air at a camp high ropes course, learning the best technique for building stairs into a hiking trail, or wearing a Tyvek suit, but what I expected least was how serving in AmeriCorps would change me. Being a national service member is the most empowering experience I’ve ever had and I became passionate about helping others find the same strength in themselves through service. That’s was first attracted me to the Eli Segal Fellowship.

Serving as the Eli Segal Fellow at the Corporation for National and Community Service allowed me to see what happens at the agency level to make a program like AmeriCorps possible and to give a voice to current members in the development of new programs, initiatives, and policies that impact members and alumni. My work included supporting disaster response efforts in New York and Alaska, recruiting schools to provide scholarships for national service alumni, and even tweeting for AmeriCorps. 

In ways, the fellowship was sometimes as surprising as my service terms—while providing support for a CNCS Board Meeting, I briefly found myself face to face with Richard Simmons!

P.K. Drago served as an AmeriCorps NCCC members and team leader with the Pacific Region Campus (Class XVI and XVII) and was the 2013 Eli Segal Fellow.  Learn more about the Eli Segal Fellowship and apply by visiting go.usa.gov/kYNe . The application deadline is Friday, May 23.

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Great Outdoors Colorado Board Approves Grants To Engage Youth In Restoration

Article appears on the Great Outdoors Colorado website. Published June 25, 2014.

DENVER – The Great Outdoors Colorado Board has approved a series of grants designed to engage youth and volunteers in projects that will restore 12 miles of rivers and streams and 220 acres of habitat.

The projects will also benefit imperiled wildlife species including the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, roundtail chub, Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, Gunnison sage grouse, and northern leopard frog.

The goal of the Riparian Restoration Initiative is to provide meaningful opportunities for youth and volunteers to improve and restore rivers, streams, and connected wetlands that occur on publicly and privately protected open space properties.

GOCO approved 10 grants, each worth $25,000. The program attracted 21 applications seeking $470,000 in funding.

Each of the ten projects incorporates a strong volunteer component to the restoration effort. Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, Western Colorado Conservation Corps, Weld County Youth Conservation Corps, Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation, Colorado Mountain Club, and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado are each participating in at least one funded project. Multiple schools, FFA, 4-H groups, and local volunteer groups also will be engaged in the work.

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has funded more than 3,500 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. The grants are funded by GOCO’s share of Colorado Lottery revenues, which are divided between GOCO, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Conservation Trust Fund and school construction.

 

Grant details:

GUNNISON COUNTY (2)

Peanut Lake

Grant: $25,000

The Crested Butte Land Trust will restore 1.5 miles of the Slate River adjacent to the 80-acre Peanut Lake property located three miles north of Crested Butte.  The work  will prevent the river, which has migrated west due to in-stream gravel mining and berming decades ago,  from entering the lake.  The river and the lake are presently separated by only a few feet of beaver dam. The 24-acre lake sits downstream of an abandoned mine and now contains deposited toxic coal and silver waste, which could end up flowing down the river if its banks are breached. The land trust’s volunteers, Crested Butte Community School and a locally based flyfishing camp will be involved in the work.

Upper Gunnison Basin and Wetland Habitat

Grant: $25,000

The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Gunnison Climate Working Group, will restore about four miles of the Upper Gunnison Basin, including several tributaries in state wildlife habitat areas and a privately conserved ranch. The work will raise the water table to reconnect the channel to the floodplain and increase wetland plant cover, which will benefit the Gunnison sage-grouse. Western Colorado Conservation Corps and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers will do the labor.

 

LARIMER COUNTY (2)

Estes Valley

Grant: $25,000

The Estes Valley Land Trust, in collaboration with the Town of Estes Park, will plant native, woody vegetation and seed with native grasses and wetlands species on about 135 acres of flood-damaged riparian lands along Fish Creek, Fall Creek, Black Canyon Creek, the East Fork of Fish Creek and the Big Gulch of the Little Thompson River.  The goal is to restore habitat for wildlife and reduce erosion and run-off of sediment. Land trust volunteers and students from Eagle Rock School will be engaged in the work.

 

Campbell Valley

Grant: $25,000

The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, will begin an effort to repair longstanding erosion damage and restore the Campbell Valley watershed on the conserved Roberts Ranch.  The work will include re-grading of Leaky Creek, stabilizing 2,000 feet of bank on Campbell Creek tributaries and planting native vegetation. The goal is to restore vegetation for wildlife and provide habitat for the threatened Preble’s meadow jumping mouse.

 

CONEJOS COUNTY

Jim Creek

Grant: $25,000

Conejos County, in partnership with Trout Unlimited, will create a riparian buffer area on property along Jim Creek by building wildlife-friendly cattle fencing on 2.5 miles of each side of the creek. Long-term grazing caused erosion and sedimentation problems, damaging fish habitat and water quality. The creek currently supports native Rio Grande cutthroat trout, a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Colorado Mountain Club, Trout Unlimited and Adams State University students will be involved in the work,

 

ARCHULETA COUNTY          

Navajo River

Grant: $25,000

Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, with assistance from the San Juan Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, will restore a two-mile section of the Navajo River that runs through two contiguous conserved properties. It is part of a larger project to restore nearly 7 miles of river.  The work will include deepening the channel to benefit fish habitat, planting trees like willows and cottonwoods, and restoring or connecting to shallow wetlands. Species benefitted include the Colorado roundtail chub and the northern leopard frog, two species that both have “special concern” status in the state. Chama Peak Land Alliance will train volunteers and 4-H club members to plant trees.

 

YUMA COUNTY

South Republican River
Grant: $25,000

Colorado Parks and Wildlife will remove invasive Russian olive and tamarisk trees and restore native species along three forks of the Republican River. The grant will help secure a federal grant to remove invasive trees from 60 acres near the former Bonny Reservoir site. Future Farmers of American will re-seed treated areas and complete additional restoration work to improve wildlife habitat.

 

DOUGLAS COUNTY

East Plum Creek

Grant: $25,000

Douglas County, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation, will remove riprap and re-contour the east side of East Plum Creek on the Iron Horse Open Space. This work will undo damaged caused by flood and rechanneling due to Interstate 25 construction. The goal is to slow the water current and allow it to meander, thus creating new wetland and floodplain areas for wildlife. Volunteer gardeners will plant wetland vegetation and tree seedlings.

 

WELD COUNTY

Eagle’s Nest

Grant: $25,000

Ducks Unlimited and the Weld County Youth Conservation Corps will clear woody vegetation from a sandbar in the South Platte River. Afterward, the sandbar will be re-contoured to benefit the waterfowl and shorebirds population which has declined in recent decades due to loss of habitat.  Water level controls will be repaired or replaced.

 

LOGAN COUNTY & WASHINGTON COUNTY

DPG-Prewitt Wetland

Grant: $25,000

Colorado Open lands and Ducks Unlimited will install three water level controls on the east side of Prewitt Reservoir along the South Platte River on the Logan-Washington county line.  The Weld County Youth Conservation Corps will remove invasive plants. This will help re-establish native wetland plants to benefit waterfowl habitat and expand roosting sites.

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Limitless Vistas Receives NOLA for Life Grant to Aid At-Risk Youth

Taylor Collins adds a fresh coat of paint to the playground equipment at the sixth NOLA FOR LIFE Day held at A.L. Davis Playground in the Central City neighborhood on Saturday. (Brian Kozak Photo)

Taylor Collins adds a fresh coat of paint to the playground equipment at the sixth NOLA FOR LIFE Day held at A.L. Davis Playground in the Central City neighborhood on Saturday. (Brian Kozak Photo)

Article, written by Patrick A. Barnes, appears in The Times-Picayune as a Letter to the Editor. Published June 25, 2014.

As one of the City of New Orleans’ NOLA for Life grant recipients we are very excited to support Mayor Mitch Lan­drieu’s leadership role as a sponsor of a resolution support­ing the Land Water Conserva­tion Fund, or LWCF, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

LWCF has helped cre­ate more than 42,000 proj­ects found in 98 percent of the nation’s counties, including state and local parks, play­grounds, urban wildlife refuges, greenways, trails and other open spaces.

Limitless Vistas actively engages at-risk young adults through our programs in ser­vice learning activities in local, regional and national parks. These open spaces and recre­ational opportunities created by LWCF provide outlets for New Orleans’ young people to get outside and improves the chances that they will stay out of trouble — an important element of Mayor Landrieu’s NOLA for Life campaign.

But LWCF is frequently shortchanged by Congress — funded at a small fraction of its full level of $900 million. With funding coming from offshore oil and gas development, rather than taxpayers, there is no excuse for Congress not fulfill­ing its promise.

Patrick A. Barnes

Founder and chairman

Limitless Vistas

New Orleans

Outdoor Alliance for Kids Celebrates Great Outdoors America Week at Bladensburg Waterfront Park

By Bobby Tillett
The Corps Network, Government Relations Intern

Yesterday, June 25, 2014, The Corps Network, along with other partners from the Outdoor Alliance for Kids (OAK), joined over 300 local youth at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park to celebrate Great Outdoors America Week. The event included a wide variety of activities such as canoeing, mountain biking and rock climbing, as well as outdoor exhibits and learning experiences to help connect youth with the outdoors. As a member of OAK’s steering committee, The Corps Network aids in OAK’s mission to increase quality outdoor opportunities for youth and families across the U.S.

Overlooking a beautiful stretch of the Anacostia River(complete with osprey soaring overhead), non-profit organizations, foundations, and federal agencies gathered to teach youth from a variety of backgrounds about the importance of having fun outside and protecting our environment. Earth Conservation Corps, a D.C.-based member organization of The Corps Network, showcased two birds of prey as part of their Raptor Education Program. Mr. Hoots, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, and Sky, the Red-Tail Hawk, were a big hit and garnered much attention from youth and adults alike. Our hope is that these types of outdoor experiences provide children with great memories and an interest in creating a life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors.


 

The event concluded with a presentation on the importance of Great Outdoors America Week in raising awareness about the need to provide outdoor opportunities to all young people. Speakers included Gina McCarthy, Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency; Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); Chris Coleman, Mayor of Saint Paul, Minn. and President of the National League of Cities; Peter Rogoff, Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; Peter Martin, Executive Director of the Sierra Club Foundation; Greg Lais, Executive Director of Wilderness Inquiry; Jamie Williams, President of the Wilderness Society, and David Jayo, Chief-of-Staff for Sally Jewell, the Secretary of the Interior.

Mary Ellen’s Blog: Celebrate – and Protect – the Great Outdoors All Year Round

 

June 26, 2014

It’s been a busy few weeks here at The Corps Network – but busy in a great way. As many people in the conservation world know, June is Great Outdoors Month: a celebration of nature and outdoor recreation, as well as a call to action to protect the parks, trails and waterways we love.

The Corps Network recognized GO Month this year by trying something new; hosting a Day of Service right here in Washington, DC. It was exciting to see our partners, as well as Corpsmembers and Corps staff from so many different programs, come together to volunteer. Teams painted fences at the FDR memorial, collected litter along the Tidal Basin and the Potomac River, and readied Fort Dupont Park for new exercise equipment. In other words, we got outside, got our hands dirty, and did a small part to improve the community. Our service symbolized the great things Corps do every day to protect public places.

Out in the Corps world, young people paint, clean and build every day!   They paint outdoor murals and freshen up historic and culturally significant structures. They run recycling operations for large cities. They construct homes, build bridges, and cut new trails in our most beloved parks. Corps programs connect young people with the environment and the community in a way few other experiences can offer. Corps projects are tangible and meaningful, leading Corpsmembers to feel empowered by what they can accomplish. When Corpsmembers work to protect and improve a place, when they spend many hours making a place cleaner and safer, they develop a sense of responsibility for keeping other natural spaces clean and safe, too.  

GO Month is a time to reflect on the way we interact with nature. It’s a time to think about the future of our natural spaces, and consider what we can do to make our relationship with the great outdoors stronger and more sustainable. Working to expand Corps programs is one way we can help ensure that America’s parks and waters stay beautiful and healthy for future generations. 

This Wednesday, as part of the GO Month events, a panel of thought leaders from the conservation world gathered on Capitol Hill to discuss ways to “build the next generation of diverse nature-smart leaders.” As several experts mentioned, Corps are an excellent tool for cultivating the next cohort of conservation champions. The next generation of Americans is largely urban and consists of people representing a huge diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities. Corps programs are important for how they offer all young people the opportunity to get outside and feel ownership over our country’s public lands. While the environmental movement has historically been led by white men, the modern environmental movement includes all of us. Last year, 28% of the Corpsmembers enrolled in programs of The Corps Network were African American; 11% percent were Asian, American Indian or Pacific Islanders; 9% percent identified as “other” and 21% identified as Latino. The next conservationists definitely won’t all be male; 35% of Corpsmembers enrolled in 2013 were women. 

There are only a few days left in June, but we can – and must – celebrate the great outdoors throughout the year. Corps programs certainly work all-year-round, and they absolutely don’t stop for things like rain or snow, but they can’t work without us. GO Month is an excellent way to raise the visibility of conservation issues and promote initiatives like the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps and the 50 for the 50th campaign, but we can’t let this visibility fade. For our parks and our young people, we need to keep the momentum going. 

The Wilderness Society and the Partnership for 21st Century Conservation Corps Launch “Fifty for the 50th Campaign”

Washington, DC (June 24, 2014) – The Corps Network joined The Wilderness Society today to launch the Fifty for the 50th Campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. This campaign will, through the Partnership for the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), employ youth and veterans across the country in 50 conservation projects in 50 wild places. Project locations include places such as Gates of the Mountains Wilderness in Montana, Candlestick Point State Park in San Francisco, and Bladensburg Waterfront Park, just outside of Washington, DC.

The launch event featured a series of prominent speakers, as well as personal testimonies from various corpsmembers. Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society, kicked-off the event, calling the campaign a “chance to give back to wild places.” Other speakers included Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Liz Close, Intermountain Region Director of Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness with the US Forest Service, Mary Ellen Sprenkel, Present & CEO of The Corps Network and Co-Chair of the Partnership for 21CSC, Jono McKinney, President & CEO of Montana Conservation Corps, and corpsmembers Michael Richter (MCC), Anthony “Chako” Ciacco (SWCC), Agnes Vianzon (CCC), and Priscilla Flores (CCC).

The Corps Network’s Mary Ellen spoke about the creation of the 21CSC and its “special effort to engage the next generation to care for these wild places.” The Corps Network’s membership currently includes around 100 programs that engage approximately 25,000 individuals a year. With 21CSC and campaigns such as the Fifty for the 50th Campaign, the goal is to increase that number to 100,000 people serving on public lands annually. Although ambitious, partnership is key and as Robert Bonnie of USDA mentioned, “the challenge is in the next 50 years where we must build the next generation of stewards and leaders.”

The Fifty for the 50th Campaign is the perfect way to promote the goals of 21CSC; when completed, the 50 projects will have improved or restored more than 40,000 acres, built 887 miles of trails, planted 325 acres of trees, and corpsmembers will have spent nearly 200,000 service hours on public lands.

The Fifty for 50th event was part of Great Outdoors America Week (GO Week), an annual event in Washington, DC that draws hundreds of people to celebrate, advocate, preserve, and enjoy the great outdoors! A list of events going on this week can be found here.

While celebrating the outdoors, be sure to take part in the Wilderness Society’s We Are The Wild campaign. This campaign is designed to promote and share a collective wilderness experience and inspire preservation. While at GO Week take a photo or video and post it to your social network with the hashtag #WeAreTheWild. The Wilderness Society will launch a digital hub in July at www.wilderness.org/wearethewild to share all the posts. Together we can build the next 50 years of wilderness!

The Corps Network’s 1st Annual Great Outdoors Day of Service in 11 Pictures


The volunteers!


Corpsmembers from Groundwork and Civic Works serving in Fort Dupont


Mary Ellen, our President and CEO, painting at the FDR memorial.


Corpsmembers from New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipsburg helping beautify the Potomac riverfront.


Our leaders, Mary Ellen and Marie, with volunteers from Guest Services, Inc.


Tina Terrell of the USFS, Butch Blazer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bill Basl of AmeriCorps and Joe Gersen of The Corps Network


Bill Basl of AmeriCorps with The Corps Network’s Carolyn Benard.


The Corps Network’s summer intern Bobby Tillet holds the Day of Service shovel as it is signed by a Corpsmember from Harpers Ferry Job Corps.


The shovel, signed by volunteers, is presented to David Jayo (DOI) by representatives of LA Conservation Corps


As the rain comes down, New Jersey Youth Corps finds shelter by the FDR Memorial with Ranger Pierce.


We hope to see you at the 2nd Annual Day of Service!

Click here to read the event recap!

In recognition and celebration of Great Outdoors Month, The Corps Network (TCN) hosted the first annual Great Outdoors Day of Service in the Nation’s Capital on June 13, 2014. The event featured speakers such as Butch Blazer, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources; Bill Basl, Director of AmeriCorps; Tina Terrell, National Forest Service Job Corps Director; Derrick Crandall of the American Recreation Coalition; and Mary Ellen Sprenkel of The Corps Network. 

Following the opening ceremony, volunteers spread throughout the National Mall and Washington, DC to complete service projects. While some teams stayed at the National Mall to paint fences at the FDR Memorial and collect litter along the Tidal Basin and Potomac River, other teams headed to Fort Dupont in Southeast DC to assemble recreation equipment. Volunteers included staff and Corpsmembers from the following Corps programs 

  • American Conservation Experience – Arizona
  • Earth Conservation Corps – Washington, DC
  • Civic Works – Maryland
  • Groundwork – Anacostia – Washington, DC
  • Harpers Ferry Job Corps – West Virginia
  • Los Angeles Conservation Corps – California
  • Maryland Conservation Corps – Maryland
  • Montgomery County Conservation Corps – Maryland
  • New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipsburg – New Jersey
  • The Student Conservation Association – Nationwide
  • The Work Group – New Jersey 
  • Washington Parks and People – Washington, DC

…as well as people from organizations including Guest Services, Inc. and The Corps Network. 

Click here for more photos and to read a recap of the day’s events, written by The Corps Network’s Judith Rontal. 

Click here to see even more photos on The Corps Network’s Facebook page.

Click here for the Day of Service invitation information. 

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American YouthWorks Celebrates The Graduating Class of 2014

Article appears in American YouthWorks Newsletter.

I’m so excited about our amazing, 2014 graduating class and I wanted to share our milestone with you.   

Many students in our Service Learning Academy say that they would have dropped out without the school.        

These students came from difficult, non-traditional backgrounds and overcame significant challenges to walk across the stage.   

101 graduates! 

25% of students in the class are parents.

Over 90% of these students were at-risk of dropping out of high school (or had already dropped out).   

Only 5% were on track to graduate when they enrolled with us.   

They’ve beaten the statistics.  Not only have they finished high school, but they’re graduating ready to continue their success in college or careers.    

By participating in our jobs training programs, these graduates have learned skills that prepare them to get meaningful, stable jobs in a broad array of fields.  Additionally, many have been placed into paid internships where they are gaining work experience.  They earned over $30,000 in scholarships to further their education in college or trade school.  And each graduate has completed service projects that benefit our community!   

I hope you’ll take just two more minutes to read the story of Gabe below.  At age 20, he almost dropped out.  Instead, he graduated with the 2014 class, has found a meaningful career path, and is already employed!

It’s an honor to be a part of such an important mission to build brighter futures and better communities through job skills training, education, and service opportunities.

 

With kind regards,

Parc Smith

CEO, American YouthWorks 

 

Graduate Highlight
Gabe’s inspiring story

 

Gabe was attending Cherokee Christian Academy where he wasn’t getting enough help and felt like he was going nowhere.  Upon turning 20, when most students would have already earned their diploma, he enrolled at American YouthWorks.   

 

Gabe participated in both our Service Learning Academy Charter High School and YouthBuild programs, meaning that while earning his diploma, he was learning job skills in green construction and home repair.      

 

In addition to learning construction skills, he participated in our Automotive Technology program, which is run through a partnership with Austin Community College (ACC).  He didn’t realize that automotive repair was something he would be so interested in until he was given the opportunity to try it.  Gabe ended up loving it and doing so well that his ACC instructor recommended him to the Toyota dealership.  I’m happy to report that Gabe is now gainfully employed in their service department.   

 

If it hadn’t been for American YouthWorks, Gabe feels like he may never have finished his diploma and he definitely wouldn’t have found such a great opportunity to pursue a job he loves – right out of high school.  Gabe intends to keep working at Toyota while he pursues an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Technology.

 

 

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Los Angeles Conservation Corps Kicks Off “Paddle the LA River” Program

Article appears in CBS Los Angeles Local News. Published June 16, 2014.

VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Conservation Corps Monday kicked off this year’s Paddle the LA River program.

The program began at 9 a.m. with a kayak ride down a 1.5 mile natural-bottom stretch of the LA River. Two more launches took place at 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The guided trips will be offered for 15 weeks Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through Sept. 13. Wednesdays are reserved for youth trips.

Paddle the LA River represents the collective efforts of several environmental organizations — including Pacoima Beautiful, the River Project and Urban Semillas — uniting to enhance public perception about the LA River.  By paddling this scenic stretch, people experience first-hand that our urban River is part of an ecosystem that is both beautiful and significant to Los Angeles’ past and future.

The LA Conservation Corps’ primary mission is to provide at-risk young adults and school-aged youth with opportunities for success through job skills training, education and work experience with an emphasis on conservation and service projects that benefit the community.