Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC Paints the Town of Flandreau

Rod and Liz paint the bleachers at the Flandreau Pow Wow Grounds.

AmeriCorps NCCC Paints the Town of Flandreau

By: Caitlin Greig

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team Cedar 5 has been up to their knees in paint in Flandreau, SD for their second project. Cedar 5 has been working with not one but four sponsors in Flandreau in an effort to clean up after recent Spring flooding hit the town and to help clean up the school grounds over the summer at Flandreau Indian School.

During their time in Flandreau, Cedar 5 has had the opportunity to learn about the culture of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, as well as the culture and history of many different Native tribes. This has been incorporated into the work they have been doing for the Turtle Island Learning Circle (TILC), a non-profit organization started by Adrienne Brant James, the person who initially worked to bring the team to Flandreau. They have also worked for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe cleaning up and painting bleachers at the pow wow grounds and the Flandreau Indian School, where they have been doing maintenance work and landscaping.

In addition to all of their work with the Tribe, the School, and TILC, Cedar 5 has also been working with the City of Flandreau at the Flandreau City Park helping to clean up the debris from the spring flooding, the worst flood in Flandreau since 1969. The team will also be doing landscaping work at the City Park in the coming weeks as the flood waters recede.

Cedar 5 has also been keeping busy doing Independent Service Projects with the Flandreau Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the Wholeness Center, and exploring the local area. They will head back to Vinton on June 30 for summer break before mid-service training and their third project of the year.