southern heat - november 2013
DESCRIPTION
Here is the newest edition of Southern Heat! Check out reflections from River 3, Team Articles from River 5 and Delta 9 and lots more. Enjoy!TRANSCRIPT
November 2013
Team Leader
Reflection: Cory
Hall-Martin
2
Outside the
AmeriBubble 3
AmeriVentures:
River 5 4
Round 4
Projects: NCCC 6
AmeriVentures:
Delta 9 7
Round 1 Projects: FEMA
Corps
8
Member
Development Corner
9
Corps Member Reflection: Josh
Beam
10
Shout Outs 11
Inside this issue:
AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region
Southern Heat
Team Leader Reflection: Cory Hall-Martin
Page 2 Southern Heat
People always ask, “What is AmeriCorps?” That question to me is much more than the basic answer we are trained to give. It is learning that having hot water is a privilege, that privacy no longer exists and that the people you meet daily have the ability to change your life. I first stumbled upon the AmeriCorps program when I was 17 and my mom, so desperate for me to have some direction in my life encouraged me to go. At that point there were very few things I actually cared about so I agreed to go. I came into the program resistant to change. I always thought that I knew exactly where my life was going and even though it wasn’t in a positive and healthy direction, I didn’t care. What I failed to realize though was that in this program, change
is inescapable.
I remember the moment I felt changed. I was lying on my bunk in Lake Charles, Louisiana about to go to sleep when I realized, “I am different. I see the world different and I now know more than ever, I have the power to make a difference.” That’s the beauty of a program such as this one. You are thrown into situations you never imagined you would be in. You meet amazing people
who change your life and challenge you to think differently about the world and you grow and change into the person you were always meant to be. You realize that it is possible for you to change the world. You have the opportunity to see it everyday. It was because of that first experience that I knew I was going to come back as a Team Leader. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to give back to a program that made such an incredible and
lasting impact on my life.
My experience being a team leader has been one of the most challenging and rewarding 11 months of my life. I will never forget the craziness of Team Leader training when Nate asked if we could purchase a live chicken on our debit cards, to my birthday weekend in New Orleans where we first started our wonderful Birthday Appreciations. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunities to start off as a Support Team Leader and then become a Field Team Leader for River 3. My team has taught me that it’s okay if I make mistakes or don’t always know all the
answers. They have worked with me to solve team issues when I had no idea how to handle them and each member has taught me more than I could ever imagine. I came into this program wanting to change the minds of these young adults and instead they have changed mine. I want to thank them for accepting me as their Team Leader in the beginning with nothing but open arms, for laughing when my double chin came out to play, for putting up with my “Thank you” note obsession and for listening to my constant rants about taking bags at the grocery store. I will never forget the impact they have made on my life and there is no doubt
in my mind that we have changed one another for the better.
All this said, AmeriCorps NCCC can be very challenging. Not every day was easy and rewarding. Sometimes I felt helpless and frustrated at the program, the team and myself. Those days came and went though and in the end we all made it through. As difficult as this year has been in many ways including us losing someone very special, we have all survived it together. I don’t think I will ever fully be able to explain to someone what the AmeriCorps NCCC program really is and what it means to me. If one looks closely they will see it though. It’s a part of who I am. AmeriCorps NCCC is the people I have impacted
and who have impacted me, the trails I have worked on, the challenges I overcame, the hardy board I installed, and it’s the growth I have made throughout these past 11 months. It’s who I am and I wouldn’t change any moment of this year. Thank you to everyone who has been apart of my journey with AmeriCorps NCCC both past and present. My experience wouldn’t have been the same without you, I wouldn’t be the same without
you.
November 2013 Page 3
Outside the
AmeriBubble
Thor: The Dark World debuts at #1
Thor: The Dark World debuted
mightily atop the domestic box office
this weekend, hammering up $86.1
million from 3,841 theaters, which
gave Disney's $170 million 3-D
sequel a blazing $22,418 per theater
average.
http://tinyurl.com/pvngm87
Typhoon Haiyan leaves 1,774 dead, 'hideous' destruction
The Philippines struggled to bury the dead and get food, water and
medicine to the living Tuesday, four days after Super Typhoon
Haiyan claimed untold lives and flattened countless buildings.
The government's confirmed
death toll was 1,774 early
Tuesday, said Jose Lampe
Cuisa Jr., the Philippine
ambassador to the United
States. The storm has
injured 2,487 more, and
displaced 660,000 people
from their homes.
http://tinyurl.com/nzov2s6
Billboard’s Top 10 Songs
1. Royals - Lorde
2. Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus
3. Monster (feat. Rihanna) -
Eminem
4. Roar - Katy Perry
5. Wake Me Up - Avicii
6. Story of my Life - One Direction
7. Hold On, We’re Going Home -
Drake f/ Majid Jordan
8. Demons - Imagine Dragons
9. Counting Stars - OneRepublic
10. Applause - Lady GaGa
http://www.billboard.com/charts/
hot-100
Congratulations to our Class 20 FEMA Corps members on a successful induction.
On Friday, September 27,
2013, our Class 20 FEMA
Corps members celebrated
their induction into
AmeriCorps NCCC. The day
started with an All-Corps photo, a “Meet the Teams”
session and then cake and
punch after the ceremony.
Special guests spoke
including: NCCC National
Director - Kate Raftery, Acting
FEMA Corps Branch Director -
Joe Burchette, Director of
Emergency Mgt. for Florida
State University - Dr. Audrey
Casserleigh, Bishop Duncan
Gray from the
Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
and many others.
Page 4 Southern Heat
AmeriVentures: River 5 By: Lindsey Mancari
When River 5 heard of their next project location, every member of the team looked disappointed. “Greenwood,
Mississippi is the most impoverished and unhealthy town in
the state of Mississippi,” we were told. The project itself
sounded extremely similar to the project we were currently
working on in Memphis; trail work and some infrastructure
improvement. All members of the team started to do research
on Greenwood, finding out that the town is centrally located
between Vicksburg and Memphis and is known for cotton and
railways.
Upon arriving in Greenwood, the team was pleasantly
surprised. We rolled into a historic and quaint town that vastly
exceeded our expectations. After stopping for a bite to eat,
Hunter put the housing address into the GPS and headed
across the Yazoo River to our temporary home. Within two
minutes the van pulled up in front of an old fire station. There,
Thomas Gregory, one of our sponsors, met us for the first
time. He gave an elaborate tour of the fire station and
Greenwood, showing us AmeriCorps NCCC members our
favorite store, Wal-Mart. After the tour, we began settling into
the new digs. Every member made themselves at home, finding
a secluded place to set up their cots and unpacking for the
next six weeks ahead.
The next day, work began. The team met Thomas at a library
that was built in the early 1900s. As he explained the work
ahead, members of the team felt excited and overwhelmed with every book in need of organization. For two days,
the team worked incredibly hard in this library, finishing the goal of preparing for a book sale. Two members of
the team, Lindsey and Hunter got to help during the sale and watch as members of the community remembered
the library that had been closed for so many years. The rest of the team worked alongside volunteers from the
community and built a butterfly garden for butterflies and community members alike to enjoy. After these
projects, work on the trail began. Thomas and the other sponsor, Hart Henson, took the team through a step-
by-step explanation of their dream for the trail. Work on this trail is different from any trail River 5 has worked
on previously, in that it is an 8-ft wide flat trail, as opposed to the typical narrow hiking trails to which the team is accustomed. It is a simple nature trail
located between the levy and the Yazoo
River. River 5 members worked to clear
invasive species, groom the trail, and
remove poison ivy vines. The team is
working hard to complete Thomas' and
Hart's requests on how the trail should
look when completed. On rainy days, the
team gets a different task; Art Place
Mississippi. There, the team is painting,
organizing, and cleaning a completely
trashed upstairs living area. Working for
Thomas and Hart has been incredibly
beneficial to the team. They are always willing to get the team anything they can
to make the stay in Greenwood more
comfortable.
Greenwood, Mississippi is not the definition of the town first imagined. Within the first 24 hours of living in the
town, we were told members of the community would be bringing us homemade dinner every weeknight for the
remainder of our stay. Then, a community member entered the library, introducing herself and offering to buy
all of us lunch. The next morning, the team was given donuts and orange juice by the mayor herself.
River 5 posing for a photo in front of the Greenwood, MS City Hall building
November 2013 Page 5
Everywhere we go, someone thanks us for the work we are doing in their community by a simple “thank you” all
the way to anonymously paying for our meals at restaurants.
There is nothing better than feeling incredibly welcomed and appreciated from so many people, especially with
the holiday season approaching. Every member of River 5 has mentioned how much they are enjoying the City
of Greenwood, the community members, and the wonderful sponsors. Greenwood has definitely proven River 5
wrong!
Dear members,
Your preparation for Life After AmeriCorps is an
area we strive to prepare you for in every way
possible. One of the most important areas
concerning Life After AmeriCorps is the use of your Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. In
conjunction with AmeriCorps Alums, we are proud
to announce the launch of the AmeriCorps Alums
Virtual Grad School Fair, an event that will connect
you to a wide variety of graduate schools and
programs that offer special incentives specifically
for AmeriCorps members and alumni. The event is
a great opportunity to learn about schools
committed to national service that offer financial incentives which allow you to maximize your Ed Award. The
event will occur on Thursday, December 12, 2013 from 1PM to 5PM Eastern time. Best of all, the event is FREE
to current AmeriCorps members and alumni. You can register here, or read more about the event on our Web
site.
Vets in AmeriCorps: From AmeriCorps to Afghanistan
Posted by Maj. Rebecca Lange, United States Air Force / AmeriCorps Alum on November 09, 2013
My name is Rebecca Lange and I am a proud alumna of the second class
of AmeriCorps NCCC. I served at the Central Region campus in Denver, CO, from 1995-1996, a wide-eyed high school graduate looking for an
adventure, a unique way to serve, and beyond excited to begin what I
hoped to be an awesome life.
Read the rest of Rebecca’s article at the following link:
http://www.servicenation.org/vets_in_americorps_from_americorps_to_afghanistan
Round 4 Projects: NCCC
Page 6 Southern Heat
Team City State Sponsor
Delta 1 Vicksburg MS Sherman Avenue Elementary
Delta 2 Big Pine Key FL Growing Hope Initiative
Delta 3 Delaplane VA VA State Parks - Sky Meadows State Park
Delta 4 Trenton NC Jones Middle School
Delta 5 Jackson MS Dept. of Archives & History
Delta 6 Rolling Fork MS City of Rolling Fork
Delta 7 Lafayette LA Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette
Delta 9
(Composite)
Williamson WV Williamson Redevelopment Authority
Delta 10
(Composite)
Middlesboro KY National Park Service - Cumberland Gap National
Historical Park
River 1 New Orleans LA Habitat for Humanity - New Orleans Area
River 2 Folkston GA US Fish and Wildlife Service, Okefenokee NWR
River 3 Huger SC Francis Marion National Forest
River 4 Memphis TN C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa
River 5 Greenwood MS City of Greenwood
River 6 Chalmette LA St. Bernard Project
River 7 Whitesburg KY Letcher County Tourism and Convention Commission
Page 7 Southern Heat
AmeriVentures: Delta 9 By: Julia Warden
We are Delta 9, a composite team working in Williamson, West Virginia, with the Williamson
Redevelopment Authority. The WRA is utilizing
applied sustainability to transform Williamson
into a sustainable community model for low-
income areas in the Appalachians. Of the six
areas the WRA is targeting, Delta 9 is focusing on
sustaining the local food system. Our tasks for
the project are to create a sustainable community
garden, help local farmers sell their produce at
the farmers market, and to educate the
community about creating healthy lifestyles. As a
composite team, the members of Delta 9 all
applied for this project and are extremely
motivated, not only in respect to the project, but also passionate about applying what we learn at work, at
home.
Most of our daily work is done at the community gardens. On a typical work day, we wake up around 7:30 or
8am to make coffee and eggs for breakfast. Then, at 9am we drive a few miles to the community garden, where
we work on constructing raised garden beds and preparing soil for next year’s gardens so vegetables will be ripe
for the picking! At around noon, we break for lunch and then work until 5pm. On rainy days, we work in the
office of Mingo County’s Diabetes Coalition, preparing for community events, community outreach, or designing
a Pinterest with diabetes-friendly recipes. Some of these community events include diabetes friendly cook offs,
health fairs and 5k runs. Last weekend, we hosted an event at the garden called "Greased Lightning”. Kirsten
and Armando greased up two pigs with baby oil and Vaseline, and locals tried to catch the greased pigs! We
also participated in a cook off and had the opportunity to
try barbecued squirrel.
Delta 9 has really enjoyed getting involved in the
community of Williamson; the town is extremely small, but
the community members have made all of us feel at home
by inviting us to many of the local community and church
events, and preparing home cooked meals for us. Aside
from friendly people, Williamson also has a rich history including the Hatfield and McCoy feud and the collapse of
the mining industry, two historical events that have
greatly shaped this community into what it is today.
Beyond the project and
the community, our
youthful team has
flourished surprisingly well. As a team, we committed this entire round to
practicing good health; we feel we must practice what we preach. We have cut
sugar and refined starches out of our diet, and we exercise six days a week
doing Insanity Workouts. We take turns cooking healthy meals, and use fresh produce from the community garden. We also incorporated an intellectual
component to our project by watching Ted Talks every Tuesdays, and having
a beefy Monday night "Stew" Topic which the team researches beforehand.
Thus far in our project, we have had an amazing experience in Williamson, WV,
and have made some great progress. It has been wonderful to inform the locals
about the importance of eating well. In working in this community garden, we
hope to give the people of Williamson the resources and information they need
to lead a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, our contribution to this project will
strengthen the local food system, and help create a sustainable community model for this hopeful Appalachian community. We are optimistic about the
weeks to come and are excited to see the outcome of our project.
Round 1 Projects: FEMA Corps
Page 8 Southern Heat
Team City State Sponsor
Bayou 1 Jefferson City MO FEMA Joint Field Office
Bayou 2 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office
Bayou 3 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office
Bayou 4 Fort Worth TX FEMA Distribution Center
Bayou 5 Denton TX FEMA Region VI Annex
Bayou 6 Urbandale IA FEMA Joint Field Office
Gulf 1 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office
Gulf 2 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office
Gulf 3 Denton TX FEMA Federal Regional Center
Gulf 4 Chicago IL FEMA Region V Field Office
Gulf 5 Denton TX FEMA Federal Regional Center
Ocean 1 Jefferson City MO FEMA Joint Field Office
Ocean 2 Conover NC FEMA Interim Operating Facility
Ocean 3 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office
Ocean 4 Denton TX FEMA Federal Regional Center
Ocean 5 Washington DC FEMA Headquarters
Ocean 6 Chicago IL FEMA Region V Field Office
Summit 1 Jefferson City MO FEMA Joint Field Office
Summit 2 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office
Summit 3 Atlanta GA FEMA Region IV
Summit 4 Atlanta GA FEMA Region IV
Summit 5 Washington DC FEMA Headquarters
November 2013 Page 9
Life AFTER AmeriCorps: Now Hiring
VISTA Fellow, The Bonner Center at Carson-Newman University. Eastern Tennessee.
Address educational, economic, and social disparities in Eastern Tennessee. All VISTA Fellows are
matched with a local non-profit partner where they connect the resources of Carson-Newman University
and the community to further strengthen their work in addressing educational injustice.
For more information, visit www.cn.edu/bonner. Interested candidates should apply by December 1 at
www.americorps.gov or email Anya Piotrowski with questions at [email protected].
AmeriCorps Program Supervisor - St. Bernard Project, New Orleans
https://worknola.com/st-bernard-project/americorps-program-manager
Member/Caseworker, Children’s Corps. NYC & Westchester, NY
Children's Corps offers child welfare pre-service training, places them in full-time salary jobs, and
supports their professional development throughout their two years. Applications are posted online in
mid-December. To learn more, go to: www.fosteringchangeforchildren.org
Job Hunting Sites:
International Volunteering:
Schools with Free Tuition:
1. Deep Springs College, Inyo County, CA
2. Cooper Union, NYC
3. Curtis Institute of Music, NYC 4. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO
5. Berea College, Berea, KY
6. Webb Institute, Glen Cove, NY
7. Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York (CUNY), NYC
8. Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passe, KY
9. Barclay College, Haviland, KS
http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2012/12/10/20-colleges-providing-free-tuition/
Member Development Corner
Back Door Jobs http://backdoorjobs.com Big variety of interesting jobs-
seasonal, fulltime & temporary.
Cool Works http://www.coolworks.com Lots of temporary and seasonal
jobs.
Idealist http://www.idealist.org Lots of nonprofit & service options
Xanterra http://www.xanterra.com/ National Parks jobs.
Barefoot Student www.barefootstudent.com Post college jobs. Look by city.
A Broader View https://www.abroaderview.org/ 1,000-1,500 per month. Various
countries.
Safe Passage http://www.safepassage.org/ Guatemala Garbage Dump. Super cheap.
Work Away http://www.workaway.info/ Housing & food for work.
WWOOF http://wwoof.org/ Housing & food for work.
IVHQ http://www.volunteerhq.org/ Lots of countries. Super Cheap.
Page 10 Southern Heat
Corps Member Reflection: Josh Beam, River 3
Over the past year that I have served in AmeriCorps NCCC, my life has been
influenced exponentially by the beauty found in simple acts of
humanitarianism. I’ve been given the chance to benefit others with my
actions in ways that I never would have thought I’d be able to. From
reconstructing damaged areas due to natural disasters, to tutoring school
children in low income areas, I have touched the soul of this nation as my
forefathers intended, for the improvement of others.
Though there were the occasional challenges, such as personality conflicts
and occasionally poor living conditions, my team has been able to overcome
these challenges and prosper in an area that is known to break down
communities much larger than our own. I find a lot of pride in my brothers
and sisters in the AmeriCorps NCCC program, not just because they
understand how stressful it can be to shadow your own wants and needs for
the improvement of others, but because we have all found and understood
deeper parts of ourselves due in part to such conditions. Ironically, it was in
one of these very troubling moments of my experience that I have my
fondest memory.
During a Habitat for Humanity project my team was working with in Atlantic
Beach, Florida, my team was prone to disagreement quite easily. During one
of these moments, I was better able to understand the way in which my fellow Corps members’ feelings and
personalities play into the team dynamic. From this point forward, I was better able to gauge my own input into
conversations and to better read the input of others. The amount of times we disagreed was having a definite
decline. I’m happy to say that my team is working extremely well now. I personally find that because we came to
these troubles earlier on and found conclusions much earlier than other teams with the same issues, we had
more time to promote the positive team dynamics of our multiple personalities. I feel that my team is so close now that we have reached this point, that I will without a doubt, find that saying good bye to my team will be
the hardest part of leaving this program.
To all those who wish to join
AmeriCorps NCCC, the only
bit of advice I can offer is to
understand that this
program focuses on the
teams’ capabilities to
improve communities, not the individual’s, though one
can work harder than others.
It is the team that makes the
impact; the individual seems
to only make ripples.
November 2013 Page 11
SHOUT OUTS!!!
River 3: I'd like to give a shout out to Lindsey
Mancari and Amanda Gamaldi, this experience
would not have been as memorable without you
two. This year has had a lot of challenges for all
three of us and I am so grateful to have you girls
as my support system! Our jokes will last a lifetime along with the bond we have formed I love
you best friends -Taylor Lawrence
Thank you Marlisa for being such a kind and
loving friend. For never physical hurting me or
making fun of my freckles. One day I will learn how to punch but until then I'm content with
punching like "a dadlion!" I love you mar mar!!
-Cory Hall-Martin
Shout out to everyone. It takes a lot of perseverance, honesty with ourselves and to
others, dedication and hard work to make it this
far! Go Class 19!! -Mike Miller
Delta 10: Shout out to DBT and my fellow
Luxury, Leaf Wiper, Watcher, Holder and Scaredy
P's. Nosferatu and 80's music. WHOOOOW
Earlier this year, the Appalachian Coal Country
Team received its 6th NCCC team, River 6.
River 6 put in over 3,600 hours between 8/21
and 10/15. Shout out of River 6 for your
amazing work with ACCT! Below, you will find
a summary of their accomplishments.
CHECK US OUT!!!
River 7: Shout out to Jonathan for being an
awesome Unit Leader. Shout to Alex Mace, Kyle
Quigly, Cory Hall-Martin and Corbin Beastrom for
being some of the best friends anyone could ever
ask for. –Ana Rea
AmeriCorps NCCC
A Unique Way to Serve your Country
AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community
Corps) strengthens communities and develops leaders
through direct, team-based national and community service.
In partnership with non-profits—secular and faith based—
local municipalities, state governments, federal government,
national and state parks, Indian tribes, and schools,
members complete service projects throughout the region
they are assigned.
FEMA Corps
The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and the Corporation for
National and Community Service (CNCS) joined forces to
establish a FEMA-devoted division of 1,600 service corps
members within AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community
Corps (NCCC) solely dedicated to disaster readiness,
response, and recovery.
AmeriCorps NCCC
Southern Region
2715 Confederate Ave.
Vicksburg, MS 39180
601-630-4040
Community Relations
Department:
Erika Roberts, CRS
Kevin Jones, ACRS
Tanner Shepherd, CRSTL
Claire Smith, Unit STL [email protected]