Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC Team Gets Down and Sandy in Nebraska

Cedar 7 member Kyla Russell assisting in painting the Education Center at the Nebraska State 4H Camp

By Maria Vaughan

AmeriCorps NCCC team Cedar 7 left Vinton on April 30, excited to serve on their second project with the Nebraska State 4-H Camp in Halsey, Nebraska.

Over the past two weeks Cedar 7 has assisted campers in various activities such as zip lining, high and low ropes courses, and initiatives. They have also done a variety of maintenance, and trail work around the campgrounds. Members have constructed several steps and repaired a railing leading up to an observation deck that looks over the Nebraska Sandhills.

Within the first week, Cedar 7 hauled 3,300 pounds of brush from the grounds of the camp. Camp Director Connie Cox said, “The experience of having the NCCC youth serving here at the camp has been one that I would recommend to any non-profit organization. The help has been extremely rewarding, and I am hoping that they have learned as much about the 4-H camp as I have learned about them.”

Cedar 7 Team Leader Eric Baker said, “Between the natural surrounding beauty and the graciousness of our sponsor, I am more excited than ever to serve all the great people we’ve met at the 4-H camp.”

In 1959, camping began at the Nebraska State 4-H Camp in the Nebraska National Forest. Later, in 1965, a forest fire burnt down most of the cabins and with the help of neighbors and volunteers, the cabins were rebuilt. The Nebraska State 4-H Camp has delivered youth camping programs at in Halsey since the late 1950s and reaches approximately 140,000 youth annually.