New AmeriCorps NCCC Team at Echo Bluff and Current River state parks

Team members include, Tyrone Jones-Detroit, MI; Oluwatoyin Aje, Potomac, MD; Max Aifer, Arlington, VA; Matt Foley, Westminster, MA, Team Leader Albert Diemand, MA; Kaitlin Brew, Roxbury, NY; Talia Feinberg, Los Angeles, CA; Emma Brenneman, Eugene, OR; Rowana Winget, Salt Lake City, UT; Noah Hanke, Long Island, NY.

“The building of the new park started last year and should be open to the public by the Fourth of July 2016,” says park superintendent Jim Newberry.

AmeriCorps NCCC first served with Echo Bluff State Park from November to December 2015. That prior team served 4,092 hours with the organization, constructed two miles of hiking trail, and built 13 campsites.

The current team at Echo Bluff was originally scheduled to begin this project in January. Instead they were deployed to a disaster relief project in St. Louis and Joplin, where they helped families get back on track after the devastating December flooding.

Prior to traveling to Missouri in January, this team served with Habitat for Humanity in Divide, Colo. in late 2015. They began their term of service on Oct. 7, 2015, with three weeks of training at the Denver regional hub. They will continue to complete other 6- to 12-week projects for communities in the Central and Southwestern United States until they graduate from the 10-month program on July 19, 2016.

AmeriCorps NCCC (N-triple-C) is a full-time, residential, national service program in which up to 2,800 young adults serve nationwide annually. During their 10-month term, Corps Members – all 18 to 24 years old – work on teams of eight to 12 on projects that address critical needs. Traditional NCCC members work on a variety of different six- to 12-week-long projects related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Members of FEMA Corps, a new branch of NCCC, focus their projects exclusively on emergency management work in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Southwest Region campus in Denver is one of five regional hubs in the nation and serves eight states in the central and southwest parts of the country. The other campuses are located in Baltimore, MD., Vinton, IA, Vicksburg, MS., and Sacramento, CA.

In exchange for their service, Corps Members receive $5,775 to help pay for college, or to pay back existing student loans. Other benefits include a small living stipend, room and board, travel, leadership development, increased self-confidence, and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference. AmeriCorps NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering.

For more information about AmeriCorps NCCC, visit the website at www.americorps.gov/nccc.