AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region Newsletter Volume 3

Southern Heat Inside: Pg 2

A Look at FEMA Corps

Pg 3

Goonies 9: Boys and Girls Clubs

Pg 4

Shout Outs

Pg 5

Breaking the Ameribubble

Pg 6

AmeriMeal

Pg 7

Spotlight on: Tasha Butler Brianne Connelly Te’Ambreya Moore

Pg 8

Just for Fun

Pg 9

STL Corner

Pg 10 STL Corner Pg 11 Team Locations Pg 12 Contact us

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Southern Heat

Volume 3| June 27, 2012

A Look at FEMA Corps What is NCCC FEMA Corps?

FEMA Corps, part of the AmeriCorps NCCC program and similarly structured, is also a full-time, team-based, residential program for people ages 18 to 24. Like in NCCC, FEMA Corps members will serve 10 months on teams with 8 to 12 of their peers.

Members will each receive training in a specific disaster recovery role, and their teams will exclusively support FEMA on disaster response and recovery projects throughout their assigned region. Teams can expect to complete 4 to 6 projects during their term of service. NCCC FEMA Corps projects will range from working directly with disaster survivors to supporting disaster recovery centers to sharing valuable disaster response and mitigation information with the public.

Duties and Responsibilities A member of FEMA Corps will be trained to perform specialized tasks in the field of emergency management and disaster recovery. Members will be dedicated to FEMA deployments in areas of logistics, community relations, individual and public assistance, and recovery.

Members must be able to serve effectively with a team of individuals from, and in , diverse cultural, ethnic, economic, geographic, and educational backgrounds.

Members must be able to communicate effectively in the English language with peers, supervisors, staff and other individuals. They must be willing and able to perform physical labor in stressful environments and adverse weather conditions, serve long hours beyond an eighthour workday, live in a communal living space, be flexible to sudden and unexpected changes, be drug free and maintain a drug free environment, and participate in activities that improve their own personal skills.

Team Leaders AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team Leaders supervise and lead 10 to 12 Corps members in all aspects of their service projects. They serve as role models, facilitators, educators, and safety managers while encouraging high standards for their 18 to 24 year old Corps members. Team Leaders report directly to a Unit Leader on the NCCC staff. They maintain order, develop positive team morale, foster teamwork, monitor standards of behavior, ensure the safety of the members, including the proper use of equipment, model a good work ethic, and work alongside members to set the work pace. They plan team schedules that result in the timely execution of project objectives and activities. They support

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

member development through regular assessment and goal setting, They also ensure the development of good work habits on-site, as well as career and interpersonal skills off-site. They coordinate project logistics with NCCC Unit Leaders and FEMA staff, participate in staff and member meetings, and serve as programmatic and administrative liaison between Corps members, FEMA, and NCCC staff. The application process for Team Leaders is similar to that of Corps members, though application deadlines are typically one to two months earlier.

Benefits of Service All AmeriCorps NCCC members are provided with housing, food, healthcare, transportation to their assigned campus and project sites, and qualified student loan forbearance. Corps members earn a modest living stipend of about $200 every two weeks, before taxes, while Team Leaders receive a living allowance of about $500 every two weeks, before taxes. Upon successful completion of the program, all members earn a $5,550 education award that can be applied to future schooling or to pay off student loans.

To learn more about NCCC or NCCC’s FEMA Corps, visit www.americorps.gov/nccc

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Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

+ Goonies 9

Extra Hands at the Boys & Girls Club

Tiffany Segura and Payton Wright Monroe County–It has been 5 years since the Monroe County Boys and Girls Clubs have had an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community (NCCC) team, due in part to the devastation caused

by Hurricane Katrina that pulled the focus of funding to help communities along the Gulf Coast. The NCCC composite team “The Goonies” are in Monroe County from May 21st through July 20th to help out at each of the six Boys and Girls Clubs and Monroe County is really thrilled to have them there.

The Boys and Girls Club provides students with a safe place after school and during the summer; as well as a chance to play, have fun, laugh and learn. Club kids are offered opportunities to learn new skills, maintain ongoing relationships with caring adults, and

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form connections with new friends.

The Boys and Girls Club also promotes generation-changing programs that support a commitment to learning, positive values, healthy habits and high expectations for success as an adult.

During this round, the team is creating and strengthening different types of clubs within each club including math, science, geography, creative writing, art, drawing, cooking, fitness, dance, music, and video games. Team members also facilitate existing programs like Triple Play, Healthy Habits, Torch Club, and Daily Challenges. At some BG clubs, Corps members are pioneering programs to be chartered at the beginning of the new school year.

The Goonies supervise numerous weekly trips to the local community

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Southern Heat pool and also have the privilege of chaperoning a snorkeling trip for Torch Club members. The Goonies, donned in their very impressive wet suits and snorkel gear, forged the freezing waters of the Tellico River this past Thursday to help the kids discover the crawfish hiding beneath rocks and identify local fishes. Andrew, Jai, Michelle, and Team Leader Tiffany will partake in the snorkeling adventure this week.

Tiffany and Andrew met Mayor Doyle F. Lowe of Sweetwater on Tuesday, June 19th while leading 15 kids in beautification efforts at the local Duck Park. Picnic tables in desperate need of a little TLC were painted a beautiful white, although the kids got most of the paint on themselves! A local photographer snapped a few pictures of the finished project that will be featured in the newspaper in the next few weeks. “Working with kids is incredibly challenging, but when you see their eyes light up and the grins on their faces each day when they see you, it makes it all worth it!”

Corps member Jai Stroleny.

Shout Outs & • River 7 really pushed forward with their Tip the Block project.

“We did the impossible and reached our goal for sign ups in the Tip the Block neighborhoods. We are still installing light bulbs and scheduling people for installs. We got a new member to our team, Janee, who has been a wonderful addition to our family.”

• Liz from River 8 is expanding her many talents and tapping into cooking...she constantly volunteers to cook to improve her already improved upon skills.

• Madi Nickoloff would like to tell on Steve from Delta 9 for being there when she needed a friend. She would also like to shout out to him from Baton Rouge, Louisiana!

• Sam Brown would like to shout

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

Highlights out to Daniel Olds.

• Delta 9 completed its work for Mississippi Children’s Home Services. We coordinated the youth as volunteers to clear spaces for the ropes course that they plan to build for the use of the youth and built 12 birdhouses to decorate the property.

• River 8 is experiencing the vast difference between a place like New Orleans and the southern country side. Nonetheless, they’re taking advantage of the team time and enjoying themselves!

• River 7 reached out through a bingo lunch, and community meeting.

• Delta 9 already finished their day of service in which they created and painted a mural for a local school. They also all became addicted to cheesecake balls on a stick and chocolate covered strawberries at a capping event.

• Shout out to Erica from River 8.

She is doing a wonderful job transitioning into her new role as the team ATL! • Delta 9 completed their first project and now have moved to Virginia! They are ready to tackle a new challenge.

• Nathan and Angela lived without coffee for 3 days--it was awful. They both went out and bought a coffee maker and are slowly getting back to their normal selves.

• Mustache 7 (composite team) is packing up their tents and heading back to their teams after a successful composite round on the Cumberland Gap trail.

• Thanks to River 10 and Christy for storytime and hosting. Love, Aunt Ruth and Uncle Seth • Also thanks to River 9 for trying to teach Nicole to play Mario

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Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

+ Breaking the AmeriBubble News from Around the World Darth Vader has heart surgery CNN.com - Max Page, the 7-yearold who played a mini-Darth Vader in a Super Bowl Volkswagen commercial, Monday left a hospital in Los Angeles where he had undergone heart surgery.

Asked what he was planning to do next, he said: “Well, I’m excited about a lot of things -- especially having a milkshake.”

Max was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that in this case affected the function of his pulmonary valve, which helps the flow of blood through the heart.

After a number of measures to preserve his pulmonary valve, doctors replaced it last week with a porcine valve that should last 10 to 15 years, according to the website of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Benefits of aging CNN.com - Research details a

number of ways in which the brain actually improves with age. And what’s even more interesting is that many of these advanced abilities correlate with key conceptual elements of innovation and creativity.

This is particularly true for the human-centered design process -- empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test. “There are neuro-circuitry factors that can favor age in terms of innovation,” observes Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry and director of the UCLA Center on Aging.

First there is empathy, “the foundation of a human-centered design process.” Empathy is critical to design because of the need to understand the people for whom you are designing. Older people have a greater capacity for empathy because empathy is learned and refined as we age.

Older people are also highly capable when it comes to the “define” aspect of human-centered design -- that is, the unpacking and synthesizing of empathy findings into compelling needs and insights. An aging brain can better tease out patterns and see the big picture, Small says. Whereas younger people may have better short-term and get-to-the-pointquickly memory, older folks have had a greater variety of experiences and are better able to build a wider image out of a lot of different parts of memory. They can make more connections because they have more things that have happened to them.

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Kid survives 3 foot spear CBS.com - Sixteen-year-old Yasser Lopez is currently recovering from a freak accident in which a spear longer than 3 feet discharged through his head. Yasser and a 15-year-old friend were hanging out June 7th, when the friend loaded a spear gun that accidentally deployed. The spear struck Yasser about one inch above his eye, his doctors said, with three feet protruding from his forehead and the other end penetrating the back of his head. Yasser was awake during the incident and could communicate with doctors.

Fires in Colorado CNN.com - The High Park Fire had consumed more than 58,700 acres of woodland by Monday evening, but it was about 50% contained.

More than 1,700 personnel were battling the blaze.

Lighting ignited the fire that started on June 9 and has destroyed 189 homes. Elsewhere in Colorado, firefighters are battling a fire near Pagosa Springs that broke out last month. That blaze, also blamed on lightning, had grown to more than 13,000 acres by Monday night and was 30% contained.

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Southern Heat

Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

Double-Cheese, Spinach and Chicken Pizza 3 12-inch ready-to-serve pizza crusts 1.5 cups shredded motzerella cheese 9 cups washed fresh baby spinach 3 cups diced cooked chicken 1 cup chopped drained roasted red bell peppers OR 1.5 cups fresh bell pepper griled in frying pan 2 teaspoons garlic salt 1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese Directions: Heat oven to 425째F. Place pizza crust on ungreased pizza pan or cookie sheet.

Top with Motzerella, spinach, chicken, bell peppers, garlic salt and Cheddar cheese.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is lightly browned.

This recipe can be made veggie friendly by leaving out the chicken.

You can also experiment with other toppings - like bacon or mushrooms!

If you have a favorite team recipe to share, just email: nicole.wojcik@ncccdelta.com

Math Fun

1. Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen 2. Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra 3. Payphone by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa 4. We Are Young by fun. featuring Janelle Monae 5. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction 6. Starships by Nicki Minaj 7. Wild Ones by Flo Rida featuring Sia 8. Where Have You Been by Rihanna 9. Wide Awake by Katy Perry 10. Boyfriend by Justin Bieber

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Numbers 1-9 are used to complete the equations.

Each number is only used once. Each row is a math equation. Each column is a math equation. Remember that multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction.

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Southern Heat

+Spotlight On:

Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

Tasha Butler, Brianne Connelly, & Te’Ambreya Moore

Name: Tasha Butler

By letting our own light shine we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.” -Marianne Williamson

Title: Program Associate Hometown: Vicksburg, MS College: B.A. in Anthropology from Mississippi State University and Master of Liberal Studies from Indiana University South Bend Before AmeriCorps NCCC?: I was the Regional Family Readiness Coordinator with the Mississippi Valley Division- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Looking forward to?: I’m looking forward to getting to know all of the Corps Members and Staff. I’m also looking forward to hearing about the great projects you’ve been working on and contributing to future projects!

Favorite Color: Green Favorite Sports Team: Mississippi State Bulldogs Favorite Song of the Moment: “Stronger” -Kelly Clarkson Favorite Quote: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche Life Advice to the Corps: Try to enjoy every moment, journal when you can, and my biggest advice is to write people’s names on your photographs (or tag them in Facebook) now while you can still remember them!

Life Advice to the Corps: Same as quote. Let your light shine!

Name: Brianne Connelly

Name: Te’Ambreya Moore

Title: Member Development Specialist

Title: Regional Resource Manager

Hometown: Oshkosh, Wisconsin College: University of MinnesotaTwin Cities, B.A. Sociology Before AmeriCorps NCCC?: I was the executive director of a small nonprofit in Eudora, Arkansas. We planned after school and summer activities for youth.

Looking forward to?: Meeting and building relationships with the corps members and other staff.

Favorite Color: Orange Favorite Sports Team: Hmmm, I’m not really into sports. Maybe the US gymnastics team. It will be fun to watch them during the Olympics this summer.

Favorite Song of the Moment: Good Life by One Republic Favorite Quote: “It is not our darkness that most frightens us, it is our light. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be gorgeous, talented, brilliant and wonderful?” Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve this world.

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Hometown: Vicksburg, MS College: Master of Work Force Educational Leadership Before AmeriCorps NCCC?: Contracts and proceedures for the state of Mississippi Looking forward to?: Trying to get settled in and learn all aspects of my new position.

Favorite Color: Chocolate Brown Favorite Sports Team: The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Heat Music: Jazz & Easy Listening Favorite Quote: Life each day as if it is your last.

LIfe Advice to the Corps: Don’t be scared of failure because it’s part of life. Continue to aim high and reach and stay true to your dreams.

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Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

Olympic Preview The Games:

27 July - 12 August The Website:

london2012.com

Shawn Johnson retires from gymnastics due to recurring knee problems.

Follow the Torch:

london2012.com/torch-relay Watch:

NBC Affiliate

The Queen of England’s granddaughter to compete in the Olympics for the UK

nbcolympics.com/liveextra

Opening Ceremony:

Friday, July 27 at 3pm

+ Ameri-Olympics Sneak Peak

In honor of the 2012 Olympic games, AmeriCorps NCCC will be hosting its own Olympic Games! We are so excited about the games that we can’t keep it all a secret. So, here are some previews of the fun that will be coming your way-soon!

• Talent Show: Do you have what it takes to wow the

judges and walk away with the gold?

• Dodgeball tournament: Join forces with your team and battle for the number 1!

• It’s not all just games - join us for a relaxing pool night.

• Put on your thinking hats

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

and bust out the pens, paints, and sequins! We want to see some team pride...flags? shirts?! banners?! Get ready for the opening ceremony.

Watch your SPIKE mail for more previews to the Olympics.

COMING SOON TO THE SOUTHERN REGION!! Get ready, CLASS 18 WINTER!!!

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Southern Heat

STL Corner This weekend, I get the scary, yet wonderful experience of going to visit the campus where I was birthed as an NCCC Corps Member. (Perry Point) I decided to share with ya’ll a few selected memories and pictures of myself as CM. (Is this shameless self-promotion or am I giving you guys ammunition?)

You decide!

February 7 - I arrived! This was the day that I met my best AmeriFriend - she was my rock! Tip #1: Find Amerifriends who you can call when every (little) thing seems to be going wrong. They will help you through it all and they understand!

Mid February - Met my permanent team - Moose 7! It was scary. I had only talked to three of the people on my team before. Tip #2: Take the time to get to know the people on your team. I met another one of my best friends on my team - so, you never know! Only regret about my year was not taking more time to get to know them better. It’s only 10 months.

March 11 - Induction! I became an official NCCC member! This was a crazy day because we all said goodbye to our friends and roommates who had been with us for a whole month. (To be honest, it felt much, much longer!) There were

Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

alot of tearful good byes, but on the whole - everyone was excited to start Round 1! Tip #3: Make sure to stay in touch with your non-team friends. Don’t start Ameri-drama, but it is nice to have people not on your team to talk to. Another big plus, Ameri-mail is pretty awesome.

Round 1 - First project with Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County in Wilmington, Delaware. I learned so much about construction this round it was pretty unbelievable!

I loved it - the site supervisors we worked closely with were both patient and kind. Moose 7 did live on campus and commuted every morning which was hard on the team. Tip #4: If you have the space in your housing to have your own room, take advantage of it but not too much advantage of it. Try to spend some time with your team when you don’t have to - these are usually the best times anyway.

We started a team journal and did team dinners, which helped.

Round 2 - This project was with Groundwork Hudson Valley. We lived in an old camp in Beacon, NY and worked in Newburgh, NY. We did alot of street/stream/town clean ups and worked for a week in the Black Rock Forest (my favorite part of this project). In the Black Rock Forest, we worked with a Master Forester to plant native

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

trees, develop trout habitats, make leaf catchers, and saw a Eastern Timber Rattle snake in its native habitat! About halfway through, we got our first disaster call. Flooding over Memorial Day weekend sent us to Barre, Vermont for mucking and gutting. Long days of shoveling mud and working with volunteers from Virginia, Texas, and Florida. It was one of the hardest jobs (physically and mentally) I’ve had to do, but also very rewarding.

Tip #5: Disaster deployments are tough - physically and mentally.

But take a step outside yourself and really see the impact of your actions, it will give you the strength to carry on.

Composite - Between Round 2 and 3, I was deployed on a disaster composite team, Oz 1. We responded to the tornados that hit Sipsey, Alabama. Most of the work was heavy physical labor (moving tornado debris) - June/July in Alabama! It was interesting being on a composite team, it helped me appreciate my own team a little bit more. Tip #6: If you get the opportunity to be on a composite team, take it! It helps you get perspective on your team and you have the opportunity to serve with other people you would not have had the chance to work with otherwise.

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STL Corner (cont) Round 3 - Another teammate and I joined this round late, since we had been on disaster composite teams. Moose 7 got sent back to New York, this time to work with the town of Newcomb and the US Forestry Service. Did I mention that Newcomb is in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains and over an hour away from grocery stores, cell phone reception, and (in the words of some of my teammates) “civilization.” This was a challenging round - we hiked miles into the forests/mountains and carried in supplies. We also struggled with the lack of cell phone coverage.

But we persevered and may have even enjoyed it! Tip#7: Make your own fun. I chose this picture because of how ridiculous it is! But even without internet and cell phones - you can find fun. We had a scavenger hunt PT session with dollar store prizes, scary movie marathons, and dance parties.

Round 4 - This round we worked with two groups of amazing volunteers who will forever hold a place in my heart. We worked on the removal of tornado debris in the towns of Brimfield and Monson.

Along the way, we worked on a TV show (Steve the Disaster Guy) and were caught in a freak snowstorm.

While the work was very tedious at times, the fact that we worked with incredible people, made it all worth it. Looking back, it was a great way to cap the year. While the work may not be glamorous, it was needed. And, hey - it’s what I signed up for! Tip #8: Look for the

Volume 3 | June 27, 2012 positives. In life, there are many many opportunities to choose to focus on either the negatives or positives. For your personal happiness and growth, I’d suggest to try to focus on the positives. This is a life tip that I have to constantly remind myself about, but it is one worth pursuing.

Learning I was a TL - Near the end of 3rd round, I submitted my Team Leader application. I did interviews at the end of 3rd round and over transition. The beginning of 4th round, I got a phone call from the Southern Region offering me the Community Relations Support Team Leader role. That was an exciting and odd moment at the same time! I was excited to travel to a new region, but it would be a whole new experience. My team was all very excited for me. It was odd in the fact that I had step 2 planned but wasn’t quite done with step 1 yet.

November 17 - Graduation DAY!!

The emotions leading up to and on this day were indescribable. Nothing can prepare you for the moment when you realize that these people who you’ve worked alongside, bickered with, went through everything with, and worked with for over 1,700 hours, you are not

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

going to see every day. The plane ride home was a quiet and empty ride. You get so used to having other people around you that it feels like you are missing a part of yourself! But the moment when you get to put on your white and blacks, put on your medal, get your pins for service, and receive your certificate of graduation - its worth it! It means that you have made it!

You survived, thrived, and grow - in ways that you won’t even begin to realize until later. It is something that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

– Alexander Graham Bell 10

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Volume 3 | June 27, 2012

Southern Region Teams

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

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+ Contact

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region 2715 Confederate Ave, Vicksburg, MS 39180

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Phone:

601-630-4040

Twitter:

@AmeriCorpsnccc

Web:

americorps.gov/nccc

Facebook:

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region