Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Class 19 Member Spotlight: Mackenzie Spears

Mackenzie Spears of Byfield, Mass.,  is serving as a member of the NCCC FEMA Corps team Hickory 1 at the Vinton Campus. She chose to participate in AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps because she wanted to grow as a person and to have the opportunity to change lives for the better. 

Mackenzie graduated from Sparhawk High School in 2011 and attended Cazenovia College before joining NCCC FEMA Corps. After her service term ends she plans to attend Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island to complete her degree.

Service has been a driving force in Mackenzie’s life. During her senior year of high school her school worked with Lucy’s Love Bus, an organization founded by the mother of a girl that past away from Leukemia, to host a carnival to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Her school was tasked with making thousands of origami butterflies to hang from the pathway to the carnival and Mackenzie threw herself into the task. She says, “What I remember the most is the days preparing for it and the look on Lucy’s Mom’s face when she saw all of the butterflies my school made. This is simply one memory of how a small act of helping someone can make a huge difference.”

Mackenzie and her team wrapped up their final project in Denver after spending the last two rounds in New Jersey working on the Hurricane Sandy response with FEMA. They returned to Vinton in June and graduate from the program on June 13.

Fun Facts about Mackenzie:

Q: What is your favorite movie? Catch Me If You Can

Q: What is your favorite book? The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Q: What is your favorite candy? Reese’s

Q: What is your favorite food? Spinach or Greek yogurt

Q: One place in the world you really, really wish you could visit? Great Barrier Reef in Australia

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? Bake, work out, read and listen to music