Et cetera : NCCC FEMA Corps Team Pine 7 Assists at the Glo Run in Washington, D.C.

John Tamariz, Kaitlin Lofgren, Derrick Panning, Sean Page, and Michael Clouse III at the Glo Run.

By John Tamariz

To take a break from their NCCC FEMA Corps service activities with FEMA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Pine 7 members joined the FEMA Corps teams Pine 1, Spruce 4, Spruce 6 and Hickory 5 to volunteer with the exciting Glo Run event, sponsored by Playworks. Playworks is a national, non-profit organization that focuses on educating children about fair and healthy play through recess, coaching, out of school, and sports leagues programs.

The Glo Run is a 5K night fundraising event where participants run, jog, skip or walk using glow gear and fluorescent wear through a luminescent course. The money raised will be used to meet the organization’s goals to build a safer and healthier community through education and healthy physical activity.

All five NCCC FEMA Corps teams helped at the event by unwrapping 4,000 glow sticks, painting the faces of over 500 people, registering over 175 participants, distributing shirts and cheering and even dancing for the 3,400 participants during the race. As Pine 7 member Michael Clouse III noted, “Not only was it a new way to serve the community for our team, we helped an organization whose motives are to help children socially and nutritionally through exercise.”

It was an exciting experience for volunteers, NCCC FEMA Corps members and participants alike.  Pine 7 enjoyed witnessing the direct impact of the work they provided and this event exemplified just how positive independent service projects are for a team’s morale and sense of achievement.