Et cetera : NCCC Cedar 1 helping at the C.R. Science Center

Max Krohe helping the children with a project.

annah Davis playing with the kids in her class

By Zackary Hall

The NCCC team Cedar 1 has thoroughly enjoyed working with the Science Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Science Center is a summer camp program that lasts about eight weeks and presents many opportunities for children to learn and grow while having some fun at the same time. The program focuses on STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This camp helps further push education in science and math. The Science Center also looks to raise the test scores in these subject fields that are lower than the national average.

The team has been completing independent service project (ISP) hours throughout the project round. ISP’s are required hours that each member of the Americorps NCCC has to complete. Some of the ISP’s that Cedar 1 has done are working with Habitat for Humanity by applying a coat of primer to a home in need, working with Feed Iowa First by weeding a strawberry patch, helping Relay for Life by set up and take down an event and working at Wyalusing State Park where the team hand pulled several large bags of the invasive species garlic mustard weed. Cedar 1 is on their way to completing the required amount of ISP hours and looks forward to gaining many more experiences through those service hours.

The team is almost half way through their service year now and has worked with several different organizations up to this point. Some include invasive plant species removal with Effigy Mounds National Monument, working alongside Lutheran Disaster Response in Minot, N.D. to repair flood victims’ homes and helping the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge in river and boat dock clean up. The team is looking forward to what other projects come their way.