americorps nccc southern heat volume 2

Southern Heat

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Inside:

Pg 2 18A Graduation

Pg 3 River 9 at HQ

Pg 4 Shout Outs

Pg 5 Breaking the Ameribubble

Pg 6 AmeriMeal

Pg 7 Spotlight on: Neal Oliver

Pg 8 STL Corner

Pg 9 Round 2


Southern Heat Volume 2 | May 11, 2012

2

Class 18 Fall (A) Graduation“Every time we reach out to another and seek to make a difference, we plant seeds in the lives of others.” Dr. Reginald Nichols

On May 1, 2012, 72 Class 18 Fall (A) members crossed the stage to receive their certificates of gradu-ation. After 10 months serving their country, it was time to bring this chapter in their lives to a close. Every member had individually completed at-least 1700 hours of service in the 11 states served by the Southern Region Campus and many completed more hours. Class 18 Fall members responded to the tornado damage in Alabama, Hur-ricane Irene in New York, and other floods and tornadoes that dam-aged Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

As a class, they completed 97,732 hours for 41 sponsors in 51 proj-ects. To give you an idea of what they accomplished, here is a small selection: managed 9,187 volun-teers, removed 382.6 tons of debris, assisted 33,518 people in a disaster area, served 25,966 meals, sorted and distributed 17.6 tons of cloth-ing and 29.4 tons of food, tutored 1,198 students, and planted 13,896

trees. Now that’s a lot of work! During graduation, two members were honored for going above and beyond the expected. Han-nah Strauss, a Corps Member from River 2, was awarded the Corps Member of the Year Award. When River Unit Leader, Neal Oliver, talked about why Hannah was given this honor, he said that Han-nah had been nominated (multiple times) by her peers for almost every other award. She is a hard worker who selflessly devotes her time to helping those around her even af-ter work hours. Team Leader Jona-than Chan, from Delta 1, received the Team Leader of the Year Award. Brendan Murphy, Delta Unit Leader, said Jonathan “was so on top of it. He even reminded me when paperwork was due.”

Several Corps Members shared their reflections with the Corps – through songs, speeches, and slideshows – and Dr. Reginald Nichols, President of Piney Woods School, gave the keynote ad-dress. Dr. Nichols spoke about how civic engagement through service plants seeds of hope in the lives of others. The following are a few excerpts from his address: “Hope is

an emotion which affirms a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. It is the ‘feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best’ or the act of ‘looking forward to with desire and reason-able confidence’ or ‘feeling that something desired may happen’.”

“As you have worked as a team this year, you demonstrated com-passion. As you have served others and made a difference, you have demonstrated compassion – a deep awareness of the suffering of others and a desire to relieve that suffering.”

“I still believe that we can change the world – not by ourselves indi-vidually, but we can tell the skep-tics they are wrong. As you have worked as a team this past year, you have underscored the transfor-mative power of teamwork. . Just as the whole is greater than the sum of its parts because the whole includes the connections between each part, high achieving teams generate more energy, will, pas-sion, and ideas than the sum of what their individual members alone could muster.”

Corps Member of the Year, Hannah Strauss of River 2

Team Leader of the Year, Jonathan Chan of Delta 1

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Southern Heat

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Goes to Headquarters

River 9+

On April 20, River 9 visited head-quarters, the Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS), to discuss the state of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) today, and to make suggestions for the future of NCCC. River 9 has been working with Camp High Road in Middleburg, Virginia leading outdoor education classes for youth. The youth learn about lo-cal Native American tribes and gain skills such as animal track-ing and fire building. River 9 has also cleared over 5 miles of trails, maintained an Eco-eternity forest, and was responsible for clean-ing and upkeeping 12-15 cabins and 3 lodges. Team Leader, Alicia Anderson, said that her team has been able to do something new every day.

River 9 arrived in Washington D.C. early and visited a local gift shop to pass time and they bumped into Erma Hodge, the Execu-tive Assistant to Kate Raftery. She exclaimed“River Nine!” when she saw them.

As the team turned to look at her in surprise, she explained “I’m Erma, the one you are supposed to meet today”. River 9 greeted her with happy faces and intro-duced themelves. When the team got to the office, they met Katrina Mathis and Kevin Jones. River 9 chatted with them until until Kate Raftery came into the office. They discussed everything from FEMA-Corps and its direction, to how to better represent NCCC in the media through social networking. River 9 enjoyed their visit and ap-



4

preciated realizing that their opin-ions mattered.

Brittany, a Corps Member, said, “I really enjoyed River 9’s trip to D.C. and the Ameri-quarter! It was great, not only to see a new and historic city, but also to gain con-tacts and insight into how head-quarters operates. I hope to keep in touch with the people we met and take their advice with me this year and beyond.”

And Jourdan added “It was very informative and entertaining, I was surprised the National Direc-tor (Kate Raftery) was so down to earth. It was a cool trip.”

The team also made several sug-gestions for further advertising. Including a larger focus on televi-sion advertising, which was consid-ered, but found to be too harsh on the budget, and accounts on the popular picture-blogging site Tum-blr. The most popular idea was the suggestion of an Ameri-app. That had been worked on in the past, but was abandoned due to lack of interest. Now that apps are far more popular, this idea might be resurfacing! So when you see the Ameri-app, remember River 9!

• River 8 coined Skills POC--each week one of our members teaches the team a new skill. Angela taught us “Head, Shoul-ders, Knees and Toes” in Japa-nese. Liz taught us the begin-ning process of writing music. Anna taught us some stretching movements that she learned during her time in theater and dance. And Jamaica is going to teach us his dance moves.

• Delta 7 participated in the Swamp Rabbit 5k in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. A Corps Member was asked to wear a rabbit costume for the race; he successfully ran the whole way wearing the rabbit head and

paws on his hands!• Team Leader Timothy Hairston

would like to tell on Kimmy Mauldin for skipping her lunch last Saturday to continue help-ing volunteers with the deck we were working on.

• Through the work of Macxx, we were able to get Lowe’s to provide much needed supplies to the R3SM house.

• Shout out to Peaches (Talia Hopkins) for her 19th birthday on May 9th!

• Slater would like to shout-out to Harry Sanders, Martha, Sharaud, Steve, Vanessa, Kat-era, Ceira, and everybody else. “Stay focused, work hard, and have a great productive Ameri-Corps year.”

• Delta 5 threw a block party on our street in Magnolia for our neighbors. We boiled hot dogs, played basketball, and had water-balloon fights.

• Lacey from Delta 5 would like to give a shout out to Cheryl, Anthony, and Christiane from Delta 6 for their epic 20 hour ISP for Relay for Life.

• Shout out to Adam Edwards our Team Leader for being a great leader and peer!

• Shout out to Team Leader Angela for doing a great job keeping the strong personalities of River 8 in check.

• Wendy Thomas and Tara Ogunde would like to shout-out to Caitlin Bueller.

• Delta 4 found a stray puppy a new home.

• Delta 10 had fun exploring Memphis and hitting up hot spots like Graceland and Brooks Art Museum!

• Chelsea Reese and Nathan have been doing an awesome job finding us new ISP opportu-nites to get involved in.

• River 8 iheaded downtown together for a free concert in City Park! Good times for team night out!

• Delta 4 was educated on the uses of the house we were working on. We invited a local entrepreneur over to our house for dinner, and listened to the various stories he had about the house.

• Delta 5 worked on the 2,000 Habitat Home and discovered that this house is going to a refugee family from the Congo.

Shout Outs &

Highlights

Volume 2 | May 11, 2012


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Maurice Sendak dies at 83

CNN.com - Maurice Sendak, author of the classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are,” has died. He was 83.

Sendak illustrated nearly 100 books during a 60-year career, winning dozens of ac-colades as he endeared himself to gen-erations of children reared on his fanciful stories. One critic called him “the Picasso of children’s literature.” Former President Bill Clinton called him the “king of dreams.”

Born in Brooklyn the son of Polish immigrants, Sendak grew up to take a few night classes but largely taught himself as an artist. He is best known for “Where the Wild Things Are.”

International Oreos

CNN.com - Russians prefer their Lay’s po-tato chips dusted in caviar and crab flavors. The Chinese like their Oreos stuffed with mango and orange cream. And in Spain, Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal is served floating in hot coffee instead of cold milk.Americans might get squeamish at the thought of their favorite snacks being tweaked. But what works in the U.S. doesn’t always work everywhere. After noticing sales of Oreos were lagging in China dur-

ing the summer, Kraft added a green tea ice cream flavor. The cookie combined a popular local flavor with the cooling imag-ery of ice cream. The green tea version sold well, and a year later, Kraft rolled out Oreos in flavors that are popular in Asians desserts — raspberry-and-blueberry and mango-and-orange.

Hollande President of France

CNN.com - The calm and cautious François Hollande, who dramatically wrested the French presidency from Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday, faces immediate foreign policy challenges, analysts say.

Hollande strides onto the world stage with major events over upcoming days and weeks -- the Group of Eight meeting at Camp David, Maryland, and the NATO summit this month and a G-20 meeting set for Mexico City, and a European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, in June. Hol-lande became France’s first Socialist presi-dent since François Mitterrand left office in 1995 as he swept to election victory over the incumbent Sarkozy, one of the most America-friendly French presidents in de-cades.

News from Around the WorldBreaking the AmeriBubble+



6

4 packages of Ramen noodles4 lbs of chicken breast, cut into strips1 Tablespoon of salt2 teaspoons of pepper2 teaspoons of ginger1 Tablespoon of garlic powder1/2 Cup of orange juice1/2 Cup of Rasberry Vinigrette 1 Cup of soy sauce1/4 Cup of sugar2 Tablespoons of oil6 Cups of coleslaw mix3/4 Cup finely chopped onion

Mix salt, pepper, ginger, garlic powder together and sprinkle over chicken breast strips. Turn the strips and sprinkle on the undersides. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet and brown the chicken strips. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cook untill liquid is absorbed. Remove from pan and shred with 2 forks. Set chicken aside. Mix orange juice, soy sauce, rasberry vinagrette, and sugar until the sugar disolves. Set aside. Toss coleslaw, chopped onion, chicken, crushed ramen noodles, and dressing and serve. Sprinkle remaining ramen over each serving.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Maze & Message Find

This recipie can be made veggie friendly by leaving out the chicken and adding additional veggies and toasted nuts.If you have a favorite team recipie or want to see certain types of foods - email [email protected]

Volume 2 | May 11, 2012


Southern Heat

7

River Unit Neal OliverSpotlight On:+

Favorite Memories?Too many! 6 CTIs, 5 TLTs, lots of spikes. I don’t even know where to begin: Setting up this campus, seeing our first class graduate (and many more after that), really just goofing around with members and Team Leaders.

What will you miss the most?Site visits with teams. There is nothing like the experience of being on spike and it always is fun to see teams. The best part of this experience is the bonds that you form with those who go through the experience with you.

What did NCCC teach you?It taught me that I know very little about this world, but also that some truths are universal. Treat others with respect, do more than your share of the work, be inclusive, leave a place bet-ter than you found it, think and reflect – do these things and you will find success.

Who/what inspired you to service?Many people. I have been lucky to have great mentors in my life. My grandfather served in the mili-tary. I learned a lot about service through becoming an Eagle Scout and getting involved in the Order of the Arrow – the “brotherhood of cheerful service.” I had a friend in college tell me about her plans to join NCCC. I applied as soon as the listing opened for the following Fall. I was accepted by Decem-ber and assigned to the Capitol Region campus for the following October.

Words of wisdom to leave behind?You never know where your path will take you in life. Treat those you encounter with love and respect. Learn from them. Surround your-self with good people. Be thankful for what you have, but always strive to do better, and never stop learning.

What was your job with NCCC?I was a Unit Leader. I supervised Team Leaders.

What did you do before NCCC?A number of things. I taught a leadership class at a university, worked in residence life at a college, and worked on a ship traveling around the world with 700 students for a semester. I was also a Corps Member (Class XI) and a Team Leader (Class XII).

What are you going to do after?I am going to move to Califor-nia, have twin boys, and start an MBA program at the USC Marshall School of Business in L.A. Those are my short term goals (3-6 months). Long term, I plan to create a Social Entrepreneurship Business Incubator that involves young people learning about business and creating compa-nies that address pressing social issues. Think of it as NCCC but in-stead of going on a project, you create the next TOMS shoes.



STL Corner

As I sit typing this on my lap-top, I am in the back seat of a pickup truck headed to Alabama. The Support Team Leader position becomes really busy - it requires you to be able to drop every proj-ect that you are working on to go support a team in the field. Currently, two STLs are on a site visit with a potential new sponsor and the other three of us are going to pick up vans in Alabama. I find it crazy that technology has advanced to a point where I can continue to work - even when I am in a truck.

Although I am not quite old enough to pull a “back in my day”, I still marvel at the huge leaps that technology made in just a few years. My dad believed in early adoption of computers, so I don’t remem-ber when computers were introduced into our family. Apparently, my dad once had a $200 calculator- with only basic calculation fea-tures. In my time, I personally remember when MP3 players (quickly followed by ipods) overcame CD players. I re-member when most people would only have 1 desktop computer (if they even had a computer) and when even getting a cell phone was a special priviledge.

Now, I type on a computer that can easily fit in my back-pack and listen to music on my ipod that can also surf the internet and take pic-tures. And I wonder where technology is going. Remem-ber, before 2000, when we were promised jet packs and flying cars and refrigerators that made food just appear? Instead, we got phones that can do anything so that we can take work with us any-where we go, cars that run on electricity and gasoline, and tiny devices that play lots of movies and videos.

What will be important in the next 20 years? I envision personal health technology, something that keeps your body in shape, but that al-lows you to be personally lazy (maybe a micro-version of the vibration band?)

I also see super micro phones/music players. I re-ally, really want projection

phones and music players to become more popular - but I’m not sure if that is in the cards yet. Will we have per-sonal aircraft cars that will turn us into James Bond look a-likes? Or the jetpacks that will enable us to rise above traffic? Check back with me in 20 years.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, in the backseat of a pickup truck, talking about “back in my day” things. Ap-parently, being an STL turns some people into someone much, much older. How, you ask? Well, I very obviously went on a “back in my day” rant and I may have been this close to talking about walking uphill both ways. I also get done with work and enjoy my supper, do some laundry, and fall asleep on the couch to TV or reading a book. An exciting evening for me might include a trip to the grocery store or the library. I also look fondly at Corps Members and think or say, “Back when I was I Corps Member...” and actually for-get that it was only last year. Please hurry back to cam-pus before I start growing a beard and start resembling Rip Van Winkle!

Volume 2 | May 11, 2012


Southern Heat

Delta 6

River 11

River 5

Delta 10

Composite-‐Jocelyn Simpson

River 8

Delta 10

Delta 4

Delta 8

River 6

River 7

River 9

Delta 9

River 10

River 8

Delta 7

Composite-‐Tiffany Segura

Delta 5

Delta 7

River 8

Delta 9

River 10

Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Fairhope AL DR 5/21 5/22 7/19 7/20

Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham

Birmingham AL DR 5/21 5/22 7/19 7/20

Habitat for Humanity Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa AL DR 5/21 5/22 7/19 7/20

The Redbud Project: Model for Green Space Preservation

Gainsville GA ENV 5/21 5/22 6/3 6/4

National Park Service-‐ Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Middlesboro KY ENV 5/21 5/22 6/21 6/22

Camp Habitat/Habitat for Humanity-‐ Simpson County

Franklin KY URD 6/11 6/12 7/6 7/7

Rebuilding Together New Orleans New Orleans LA DR 6/4 6/5 7/19 7/20

Louisiana Dept. of Education, Recovery School District

New Orleans LA DR 5/21 5/22 7/21 7/22

Habitat for Humanity-‐ Greater Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge LA DR 5/21 5/22 7/19 7/20

St. Bernard Project Chalmette LA DR 5/21 5/22 7/21 7/22

Green Light New Orleans New Orleans LA EC 5/21 5/22 7/21 7/22

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana

New Orleans LA URD 5/21 5/22 7/17 7/22

Mississippi Children's Home Services Saucier MS ENV 5/21 5/22 6/19 6/20

R3SM Hattiesburg MS DR6/17-‐6/18

6/19 7/19 7/20

Vicksburg Main Street Program Vicksburg MS INF 7/7 7/9 7/20 n/a

Habitat for Humanity-‐ Cape Fear Wilmington NC URD5/21-‐5/22

5/23 6/186/19-‐6/20

Boys & Girls Club of the Monroe Area Madisonville TN URD 5/21 5/22 7/19 7/20

VECA Memphis TN URD 5/21 5/22 7/19 7/20

Wolf River Conservancy Memphis TN ENV6/19-‐6/20

6/21 7/19 7/20

WellSpring Lifestyle Retreat Goodspring TN URD 5/21 5/22 6/10 6/11

Hobson Artesian Well Association, Inc. Suffolk VA INF6/20-‐6/21

6/22 7/197/20-‐7/21

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Lorton VA ENV5/21-‐5/22

5/23 6/166/17-‐6/18

Round 2 Projects



AmeriCorps NCCC Southern RegionContact+

2715 Confederate Ave, Vicksburg, MS 39180

Phone: 601-630-4040

Twitter: @nccc

Web: americorps.gov/nccc

Facebook: AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

americorps nccc southern heat volume 2

Documents

corps members

year award

fall members

river unit leader

team leader jona

hours of service

delta unit leader

past year