AmeriCorps Team Here to Help Community

Three of the 10 AmeriCorps team members who arrived Saturday in Sequoyah County to work on service projects are, from the left, Brittney Donovan, Kristina Ferrara and Julian Harris.

Ten young people from throughout the United States arrived in Sequoyah County Saturday to help the community.

They are with AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps).

They are Julian Harris from Milwaukie, Wisc., Jacob Gendusa from Florida, Eric DeCamp from Wisconsin, Kristina Ferrara from Washington State, Rebecca Smith from Georgia, Tamara Schlossenberg from Maryland, Joanna Planck from Texas, Christal Flavious from the Virgin Islands, Elizabeth Huxoll from Maryland and Brittney Donovan, who serves as team leader, from New York State.

The 10 will be working on three projects during their six-week stay in Sequoyah County. They are building a disaster preparedness building near the Brushy Community Center, they will build a fence around the Webbers Falls Cemetery and will be cutting back the brush around Vian Lake. The three projects were submitted by Tony Stayathome through the Cherokee Nation.

Three of the group explained how they came to be AmeriCorps NCCC team members.

Kristina Ferrara, 20, said, “My mom came up with it.”

Kristina said she isn’t sure what major she wants to pursue in college. She needed some time, and experience, to make her decision. So she joined AmeriCorps.

“I wanted to do something different,” Kristina said. And she loves her service to AmeriCorps.

“I like meeting different people,” she said, “learning their backstories, learning new skills. I really like helping people.”

All three team members admitted they love helping others.

Kristina even confessed, shyly, “I even cry sometimes,” when people let her know how much they appreciate her efforts.

Julian Harris, 24, has a background in public service.

He explained, “I was in the Job Corps in Cherokee, N.C. I was in forestry. A counselor came to me and recommended AmeriCorps.”

Julian also likes helping people, but his passion is the environment.

“I already liked helping people. I like adapting to other people. I like the diversity and meeting people from other countries. I will probably go on to the Peace Corps.”

The Peace Corps is the world-wide version of AmeriCorps, which is only in the United States.

Julian likes the learning too.

“I like learning trades. I learned a lot of skills in forestry. I want to go into an environment-related career,” Julian said.

Brittney Donovan, 25, is the team leader. She has a degree in music education from the State University of New York in Potsdam, N.Y., but she wants a career in occupational therapy when she concludes her AmeriCorps service. This is her second year in the program

“I was so inspired by the program I decided to be a team leader, so here I am,” she said. “Volunteering is part of a lifestyle.”

Brittney explained candidates fill out a long application to join AmeriCorps, and, when accepted, go to one of five campuses in the United States for three weeks of training before setting off on their first assignments.

This team is from the “Denver campus.”

Brittney said the first assignments are for six weeks. The second and third assignments are for 12 weeks each. Service members commit to a 10-month tour with AmeriCorps.

Kristina said the three-week training includes safety and skill training and team building.

Julian said, “They teach you what to expect and how to adjust to new experiences. It pays off. I enjoyed it.”

He said, as a member of AmeriCorps, service members “strengthen the community and the community leaders.

“You want to be a positive role model,” Julian said.

Kristina said it is important to “help with disaster relief,” but being an AmeriCorps member also means you may do anything and everything, from picking up trash along the road to tutoring students.

“It’s also a resume builder,” she said. And she likes the service so much, Kristina added, “I’ll probably go for another year.”

Brittney explained the team members are not called volunteers because they receive a small stipend for their service – “Enough to buy toothpaste and a bar of soap,” she said.

That amount is $5,775.

AmeriCorps picks up the tab for travel and other costs.

But there are additional awards. The service members may get some money for college, may get college credit, and service awards are also handed out.

But all agreed one of the greatest awards is meeting people at their projects. And staying in Vian has been great, the young people said. They are staying at The Peace Center in Vian.

“They are honestly spoiling us,” Kristina admitted happily. “There’s so much food, and space, and we get to sleep on air mattresses.”

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) strengthens communities and develops leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. In partnership with non-profits—secular and faith based—local municipalities, state governments, federal government, national and state parks, Indian tribes, and schools, members complete service projects throughout the region they are assigned.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women age 18-24. Members are assigned to one of five campuses — Denver; Sacramento, Calif.; Baltimore, Md.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and Vinton, Iowa.

Drawn from the successful models of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs.

Founded in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, AmeriCorps also includes VISTA, a national service program designed to alleviate poverty. President John F. Kennedy originated the idea for VISTA, which was founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965. VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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