Et cetera : NCCC Team Maple 6 Helps to Revitalize a City

By Tarsis Gotay & Heather Whitney

For the second project, the AmeriCorps NCCC team Maple 6 is serving with a local non-profit neighborhood development organization, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) in their efforts to revitalize the city of Youngstown, Ohio through multiple projects.

One of the challenges the city of Youngstown faces is the amount of vacant properties throughout the city. The NCCC team works with YNDC to respond to this challenge by painting, boarding up, cleaning up and securing vacant properties. The team will also clear debris and brush from overgrown vacant lots, spruce up community gardens as well as work at an urban Farm, Iron Roots Urban Farm.

Since their arrival to Youngstown, Ohio Maple 6 has gotten their hands dirty sprucing up six community gardens and making planting beds at the urban farm. The team has been very excited to integrate with the community in attending neighborhood association community meetings and speaking and working alongside residents who live near the various gardens.

The team has enjoyed an independent service project with the Rescue Mission of Mahoning County, serving meals and cleaning the food pantry. As part of the AmeriCorps NCCC program, members seek out organizations in the community that they are serving in to lend a helping hand, which is termed an independent service project. With a few weeks to go, the team is looking forward to more independent service projects and doing a community service day in the city of Youngstown.