Leaving Your Mark Through NCCC

My name is Kaitlyn Sargent, and I have been an AmeriCorps NCCC member for just about a month. NCCC stands for National Civilian Community Corps and members are between the ages of 18 and 24. I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. I heard about AmeriCorps NCCC through my oldest sister, Megan, who works at the Michigan Community Service Commission. I graduated in December of 2010, which is not the ideal time to look for a teaching job. Also, I always knew I wanted to take a personal year to myself to do something adventurous before settling down and getting a permanent teaching job. When I heard I had been accepted into NCCC, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to have my adventure and give back at the same time!

AmeriCorps NCCC is divided into five regions throughout the country; I am serving in the Southwest Region stationed in Denver, CO. Members spend 10 months serving in teams to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters, as well as help our region’s communities as needed. Each member serves a total of 1,700 hours by the end of the 10 months, 80 of which are ISP (individual service project) hours that need to be completed on our own time. For example, I have completed about a quarter of my 80 hours so far by serving at the Denver Rescue Mission, volunteering at a local 5K, working at a couple of Habitat for Humanity ReStores, and volunteering at a nursing home.

I have been in Denver since October 12th and have been doing CTI (training) the majority of the first month. Here are a few specific examples of the kind of training we’ve gone through: First Aid/CPR, diversity, disaster, and tool safety. We also got to do a few fun things here and there throughout training, like take a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, have a Halloween Dance, and there is a Corps talent show tonight. This week is the last week before teams take off for their first projects. Leading up to this time, members were placed on temporary teams with various team leaders so they could form permanent teams.

On my permanent team, there are four boys and eight girls (including our team leader, Aly) and our first project is in Kirby, Arkansas. We will be driving 975 miles starting Saturday, November 12th and will be camping and working for the month at Daisy State Park. This week is spike prep (“spike” is a term used for when teams leave Denver for a project) and I will get a more in-depth understanding of what we will be doing there, but our team leader mentioned trail building, park repair, and teaching kayak lessons as likely possibilities.

I am slightly apprehensive about the idea of living in a tent for a month, but at the same time I am looking forward to this new adventure. We will be staying in Arkansas until mid-December, then we will drive back to Denver for one day of meetings with the whole Corps before our holiday break. We will be back in Denver the week of January 2 for a transition week before leaving for Round 2 projects. Round 2-4 are two month long projects.

From a more personal standpoint, this experience has been great so far and it hasn’t even really started yet. I have met some great friends that I already know will be life-long friends. Of course there are times when I miss my family back home like crazy, but I know this is going to be a life-changing experience that will help me grow in so many ways. I’m truly looking forward to making a difference, challenging myself, and making memories along the way!