Et Cetera

Andrew Burns, from Canal Winchester, Ohio, is the field team leader for Hickory 1 in NCCC FEMA Corps’ Class 20. He arrived in Vinton on July 22, 2013, to start his 11-month service term leading a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Hickory 1 is made up of 11 people from across the country and they will serve together on emergency management projects, performing administrative and logistical support for FEMA.

By Jill Ament, Maple 4  Maple 4 left early on the morning of August 2 from Vinton along with the many teams involved in the great NCCC migration to their project locations for round four. "To be honest I'm nervous about camping for three weeks straight," said member John MacKinnon from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before they began their journey to Manderson, South Dakota, where the team would be serving with the Oglala Lakota Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation for an organization called Earth Tipi.

  By Trent Roberts AmeriCorps NCCC team Cedar 3 is working with the Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) in Minot, N.D. until September 26. The team is assisting LDR with gutting, sanitizing and rebuilding homes, delivering materials and organizing the supply trailers and warehouse. To date, Cedar 3 has prepared and sanitized three of the four assigned homes.

Xzavier Wilson, from Cleveland, Ohio, is a member of Maple 1 in NCCC’s Class 19. He arrived in Vinton on February 5, 2013, to start his 10-month service term on a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Maple 1 is made up of 10 people from across the country, and they are serving together in a number of service projects across the North Central Region throughout their term.

An AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) team is working with Benton County Conservation from September 9 to 27. The team is going to be helping with removal of invasive plant species, beautifying trails and developing the Nature Center.  The NCCC team of nine from the Vinton campus is assisting with trail and Nature Center development – expanding on outdoor classrooms and hiking trails, doing painting and staining maintenance on buildings, removing unwanted, invasive plant species to allow native grasses and flowers to spread, and cutting and removing damaged trees.

By Heather Whitney, Maple 6 Maple 6 is serving with Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) in North Manistee County, Benzie County and Antrim County from August 10 to September 25. The team is trail building for six weeks. For the last week of the project, the NCCC team is doing grassland restoration while serving with staff, volunteers and community leaders.

Vincent Beyer, from Bloomington, Ind., is a member of Oak 1 in NCCC’s Class 19. He arrived in Vinton on February 5, 2013, to start his 10-month service term on a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Oak 1 is made up of eight people from across the country, and they are serving together in a number of service projects across the North Central Region throughout their term.

Austin Burke, from Fenton, Mich., is a support team leader for the Pine unit in FEMA Corps’ Class 20. He arrived in Vinton on July 22, 2013, to start his 11-month service term of providing administrative support to the Pine unit in addition to leading teams when needed. He chose to serve in the FEMA Corps program because he wanted to volunteer in the unique field of emergency management, travel the country, earn an education award and develop his leadership skill and serve with a diverse and eager group of young people.

By Jessica Beck Over the past two weeks, Oak 4 has been working with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint at the Haskell Youth Center in Flint, Mich. Since day one, the NCCC team has been welcomed by the staff with open arms, treated like family and given much praise for the work being done. The mayor of Flint, Dayne Walling, even came out to show his support and greet the NCCC team during their first week of work.

Alyse Cheyne, from Hudsonville, Mich., is a member of Cedar 6 in NCCC’s Class 19. She arrived in Vinton on February 5, 2013, to start her 10-month service term on a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Cedar 6 is made up of nine people from across the country, and they are serving together in a number of service projects across the North Central Region throughout their term.