americorps afterschool nationalservice bacr education napavalley nonprofit volunteer whycalserves afterschoolactivities afterschoolcare afterschoolclub afterschoolfun afterschoolprogram americorpsncc americorpsvista bayarea bayareaafterschool bayareacommunity children community getthingsdone makeadifference makeadifferencetoday makebetterhappen oakland oaklandcalifornia oaklandunifiedschooldistrict sanfrancisco sanfranciscobayarea nowhiring
Crazy to think I lived in this city 15 years ago, during my first stint in #AmeriCorps. Here in Jacksonville, I built houses with HabiJax...and forged some amazing friendships along the way.
If someone had told that starry-eyed daydreamer that someday she’d be living in #dallas, earning a master’s degree, hoping to publish a completed novel, married to an awesome finance dude, flying on airplanes for a living, and mom to three adorable furbabies, she would’ve laughed hysterically. My only goal at age 19 was to make people smile. Oh...and save the world, one HabiJax house at a time.
Things have changed drastically in the last decade and a half. I still enjoy seeing people smile. I still love the thrill of a good adventure, and I’m driven by idealistic visions of a better world. My life has unfolded in a way I never could’ve predicted, but I’m proud of my quirky/free-spirited path.
Cheers to remembering exactly who we are at our core, while simultaneously scaring the hell out of our weirdly wonderful teenage selves! ❤️✈️ #travel #jetset #crewlife #flightcrew #jetsetter #fly #flightattendant #stewardess #southwestcrews #adventurer #frequentflyer #gradschool #uniform #dress #skirt #skylife #catmom #cabincrew #freespirit #florida #flightattendantlife #welcomeaboard #aviation #stewardesslife
CCC |
Could you CCC what we were holding up to our AmeriCorps jackets? While we were in Bryce Canyon we picked up these patches! The Civilian Conservation Corps, also known as the CCC, was established in 1933 and put many young men to work doing worthwhile projects across the nation. .
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They restored more than 3,900 historic structures, developed an excess of 800 state parks and worked on countless projects in national parks. In fact, in 1933, they built this Canyon Overlook Trail we’re standing on in Zion National Park! .
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Though the CCC was disbanded after the start of World War II, in 1993, a new form of the CCC was created into what we know today as the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). Unlike the original CCC, the NCCC was not created to be a public work relief program, but designed to help communities meet self-identified needs through service projects and develop leadership skills in its participants. It was really neat to find this piece of history, because Erika and I actually met during our year of AmeriCorps NCCC in the FEMA Corps program!
Sol and her 27-year-old son Angel possess every trait we’ve seen time and time again in the Puerto Rican people - they are warm, welcoming, thoughtful, and generous, just to scratch the surface. Most of the conversation was channeled through Angel, a strong English speaker, who would pause occasionally to translate for his mother.
It began as our conversations with homeowners normally do - details about the family, careers and so forth. However, a discussion that was initially aimed at unfolding the events of their own story quickly changed focus. When asked about the damage to their home, they assured us it was minimal compared to what many other Puerto Ricans had experienced and continue to live through. More concerned with the well-being of others, Angel spoke empathetically of neighborhoods still dark at night due to hurricane damaged street lights that have yet to be fixed, and families who continue to live in tarped homes. Deceived by their humility, we were shocked when we finally saw the damage to their house, which was much more significant that expected - they had received major blows to the roof and windows, and many of the rooms on the second floor were damaged. Sol enthusiastically expressed her gratitude for our help with this and said paying for it on her own would have been impossible.
Speaking with Sol and Angel provided an interesting first-hand perspective of life in Puerto Rico, the effects of being a US territory and the ongoing difficulties of receiving disaster relief assistance. Our Staff met Sol by canvassing her neighborhood looking for people who needed help. In her words, she “saw the heavens” when our volunteers arrived their first day.
As Angel kindly walked us out to our car at the end of the day, he said, “I’ve lived here 27 years, and I want to live here for the rest of my life. If I hit the Powerball, I’d buy the neighborhood and create an organization to take care of the people.”
#nechama #nechamacommunity #Puertorico #volunteer #hurricanemaria #thisiswhywedothis #disasterrelief #nccc #americorps
Story @paulklapp