November 2013

Team Leader

Reflection: Cory

Hall-Martin

2

Outside the

AmeriBubble 3

AmeriVentures:

River 5 4

Round 4

Projects: NCCC 6

AmeriVentures:

Delta 9 7

Round 1 Projects: FEMA

Corps

8

Member

Development Corner

9

Corps Member Reflection: Josh

Beam

10

Shout Outs 11

Inside this issue:

AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region

Southern Heat

Team Leader Reflection: Cory Hall-Martin

Page 2 Southern Heat

People always ask, “What is AmeriCorps?” That question to me is much more than the basic answer we are trained to give. It is learning that having hot water is a privilege, that privacy no longer exists and that the people you meet daily have the ability to change your life. I first stumbled upon the AmeriCorps program when I was 17 and my mom, so desperate for me to have some direction in my life encouraged me to go. At that point there were very few things I actually cared about so I agreed to go. I came into the program resistant to change. I always thought that I knew exactly where my life was going and even though it wasn’t in a positive and healthy direction, I didn’t care. What I failed to realize though was that in this program, change

is inescapable.

I remember the moment I felt changed. I was lying on my bunk in Lake Charles, Louisiana about to go to sleep when I realized, “I am different. I see the world different and I now know more than ever, I have the power to make a difference.” That’s the beauty of a program such as this one. You are thrown into situations you never imagined you would be in. You meet amazing people

who change your life and challenge you to think differently about the world and you grow and change into the person you were always meant to be. You realize that it is possible for you to change the world. You have the opportunity to see it everyday. It was because of that first experience that I knew I was going to come back as a Team Leader. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to give back to a program that made such an incredible and

lasting impact on my life.

My experience being a team leader has been one of the most challenging and rewarding 11 months of my life. I will never forget the craziness of Team Leader training when Nate asked if we could purchase a live chicken on our debit cards, to my birthday weekend in New Orleans where we first started our wonderful Birthday Appreciations. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunities to start off as a Support Team Leader and then become a Field Team Leader for River 3. My team has taught me that it’s okay if I make mistakes or don’t always know all the

answers. They have worked with me to solve team issues when I had no idea how to handle them and each member has taught me more than I could ever imagine. I came into this program wanting to change the minds of these young adults and instead they have changed mine. I want to thank them for accepting me as their Team Leader in the beginning with nothing but open arms, for laughing when my double chin came out to play, for putting up with my “Thank you” note obsession and for listening to my constant rants about taking bags at the grocery store. I will never forget the impact they have made on my life and there is no doubt

in my mind that we have changed one another for the better.

All this said, AmeriCorps NCCC can be very challenging. Not every day was easy and rewarding. Sometimes I felt helpless and frustrated at the program, the team and myself. Those days came and went though and in the end we all made it through. As difficult as this year has been in many ways including us losing someone very special, we have all survived it together. I don’t think I will ever fully be able to explain to someone what the AmeriCorps NCCC program really is and what it means to me. If one looks closely they will see it though. It’s a part of who I am. AmeriCorps NCCC is the people I have impacted

and who have impacted me, the trails I have worked on, the challenges I overcame, the hardy board I installed, and it’s the growth I have made throughout these past 11 months. It’s who I am and I wouldn’t change any moment of this year. Thank you to everyone who has been apart of my journey with AmeriCorps NCCC both past and present. My experience wouldn’t have been the same without you, I wouldn’t be the same without

you.

November 2013 Page 3

Outside the

AmeriBubble

Thor: The Dark World debuts at #1

Thor: The Dark World debuted

mightily atop the domestic box office

this weekend, hammering up $86.1

million from 3,841 theaters, which

gave Disney's $170 million 3-D

sequel a blazing $22,418 per theater

average.

http://tinyurl.com/pvngm87

Typhoon Haiyan leaves 1,774 dead, 'hideous' destruction

The Philippines struggled to bury the dead and get food, water and

medicine to the living Tuesday, four days after Super Typhoon

Haiyan claimed untold lives and flattened countless buildings.

The government's confirmed

death toll was 1,774 early

Tuesday, said Jose Lampe

Cuisa Jr., the Philippine

ambassador to the United

States. The storm has

injured 2,487 more, and

displaced 660,000 people

from their homes.

http://tinyurl.com/nzov2s6

Billboard’s Top 10 Songs

1. Royals - Lorde

2. Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

3. Monster (feat. Rihanna) -

Eminem

4. Roar - Katy Perry

5. Wake Me Up - Avicii

6. Story of my Life - One Direction

7. Hold On, We’re Going Home -

Drake f/ Majid Jordan

8. Demons - Imagine Dragons

9. Counting Stars - OneRepublic

10. Applause - Lady GaGa

http://www.billboard.com/charts/

hot-100

Congratulations to our Class 20 FEMA Corps members on a successful induction.

On Friday, September 27,

2013, our Class 20 FEMA

Corps members celebrated

their induction into

AmeriCorps NCCC. The day

started with an All-Corps photo, a “Meet the Teams”

session and then cake and

punch after the ceremony.

Special guests spoke

including: NCCC National

Director - Kate Raftery, Acting

FEMA Corps Branch Director -

Joe Burchette, Director of

Emergency Mgt. for Florida

State University - Dr. Audrey

Casserleigh, Bishop Duncan

Gray from the

Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi

and many others.

Page 4 Southern Heat

AmeriVentures: River 5 By: Lindsey Mancari

When River 5 heard of their next project location, every member of the team looked disappointed. “Greenwood,

Mississippi is the most impoverished and unhealthy town in

the state of Mississippi,” we were told. The project itself

sounded extremely similar to the project we were currently

working on in Memphis; trail work and some infrastructure

improvement. All members of the team started to do research

on Greenwood, finding out that the town is centrally located

between Vicksburg and Memphis and is known for cotton and

railways.

Upon arriving in Greenwood, the team was pleasantly

surprised. We rolled into a historic and quaint town that vastly

exceeded our expectations. After stopping for a bite to eat,

Hunter put the housing address into the GPS and headed

across the Yazoo River to our temporary home. Within two

minutes the van pulled up in front of an old fire station. There,

Thomas Gregory, one of our sponsors, met us for the first

time. He gave an elaborate tour of the fire station and

Greenwood, showing us AmeriCorps NCCC members our

favorite store, Wal-Mart. After the tour, we began settling into

the new digs. Every member made themselves at home, finding

a secluded place to set up their cots and unpacking for the

next six weeks ahead.

The next day, work began. The team met Thomas at a library

that was built in the early 1900s. As he explained the work

ahead, members of the team felt excited and overwhelmed with every book in need of organization. For two days,

the team worked incredibly hard in this library, finishing the goal of preparing for a book sale. Two members of

the team, Lindsey and Hunter got to help during the sale and watch as members of the community remembered

the library that had been closed for so many years. The rest of the team worked alongside volunteers from the

community and built a butterfly garden for butterflies and community members alike to enjoy. After these

projects, work on the trail began. Thomas and the other sponsor, Hart Henson, took the team through a step-

by-step explanation of their dream for the trail. Work on this trail is different from any trail River 5 has worked

on previously, in that it is an 8-ft wide flat trail, as opposed to the typical narrow hiking trails to which the team is accustomed. It is a simple nature trail

located between the levy and the Yazoo

River. River 5 members worked to clear

invasive species, groom the trail, and

remove poison ivy vines. The team is

working hard to complete Thomas' and

Hart's requests on how the trail should

look when completed. On rainy days, the

team gets a different task; Art Place

Mississippi. There, the team is painting,

organizing, and cleaning a completely

trashed upstairs living area. Working for

Thomas and Hart has been incredibly

beneficial to the team. They are always willing to get the team anything they can

to make the stay in Greenwood more

comfortable.

Greenwood, Mississippi is not the definition of the town first imagined. Within the first 24 hours of living in the

town, we were told members of the community would be bringing us homemade dinner every weeknight for the

remainder of our stay. Then, a community member entered the library, introducing herself and offering to buy

all of us lunch. The next morning, the team was given donuts and orange juice by the mayor herself.

River 5 posing for a photo in front of the Greenwood, MS City Hall building

November 2013 Page 5

Everywhere we go, someone thanks us for the work we are doing in their community by a simple “thank you” all

the way to anonymously paying for our meals at restaurants.

There is nothing better than feeling incredibly welcomed and appreciated from so many people, especially with

the holiday season approaching. Every member of River 5 has mentioned how much they are enjoying the City

of Greenwood, the community members, and the wonderful sponsors. Greenwood has definitely proven River 5

wrong!

Dear members,

Your preparation for Life After AmeriCorps is an

area we strive to prepare you for in every way

possible. One of the most important areas

concerning Life After AmeriCorps is the use of your Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. In

conjunction with AmeriCorps Alums, we are proud

to announce the launch of the AmeriCorps Alums

Virtual Grad School Fair, an event that will connect

you to a wide variety of graduate schools and

programs that offer special incentives specifically

for AmeriCorps members and alumni. The event is

a great opportunity to learn about schools

committed to national service that offer financial incentives which allow you to maximize your Ed Award. The

event will occur on Thursday, December 12, 2013 from 1PM to 5PM Eastern time. Best of all, the event is FREE

to current AmeriCorps members and alumni. You can register here, or read more about the event on our Web

site.

Vets in AmeriCorps: From AmeriCorps to Afghanistan

Posted by Maj. Rebecca Lange, United States Air Force / AmeriCorps Alum on November 09, 2013

My name is Rebecca Lange and I am a proud alumna of the second class

of AmeriCorps NCCC. I served at the Central Region campus in Denver, CO, from 1995-1996, a wide-eyed high school graduate looking for an

adventure, a unique way to serve, and beyond excited to begin what I

hoped to be an awesome life.

Read the rest of Rebecca’s article at the following link:

http://www.servicenation.org/vets_in_americorps_from_americorps_to_afghanistan

Round 4 Projects: NCCC

Page 6 Southern Heat

Team City State Sponsor

Delta 1 Vicksburg MS Sherman Avenue Elementary

Delta 2 Big Pine Key FL Growing Hope Initiative

Delta 3 Delaplane VA VA State Parks - Sky Meadows State Park

Delta 4 Trenton NC Jones Middle School

Delta 5 Jackson MS Dept. of Archives & History

Delta 6 Rolling Fork MS City of Rolling Fork

Delta 7 Lafayette LA Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette

Delta 9

(Composite)

Williamson WV Williamson Redevelopment Authority

Delta 10

(Composite)

Middlesboro KY National Park Service - Cumberland Gap National

Historical Park

River 1 New Orleans LA Habitat for Humanity - New Orleans Area

River 2 Folkston GA US Fish and Wildlife Service, Okefenokee NWR

River 3 Huger SC Francis Marion National Forest

River 4 Memphis TN C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa

River 5 Greenwood MS City of Greenwood

River 6 Chalmette LA St. Bernard Project

River 7 Whitesburg KY Letcher County Tourism and Convention Commission

Page 7 Southern Heat

AmeriVentures: Delta 9 By: Julia Warden

We are Delta 9, a composite team working in Williamson, West Virginia, with the Williamson

Redevelopment Authority. The WRA is utilizing

applied sustainability to transform Williamson

into a sustainable community model for low-

income areas in the Appalachians. Of the six

areas the WRA is targeting, Delta 9 is focusing on

sustaining the local food system. Our tasks for

the project are to create a sustainable community

garden, help local farmers sell their produce at

the farmers market, and to educate the

community about creating healthy lifestyles. As a

composite team, the members of Delta 9 all

applied for this project and are extremely

motivated, not only in respect to the project, but also passionate about applying what we learn at work, at

home.

Most of our daily work is done at the community gardens. On a typical work day, we wake up around 7:30 or

8am to make coffee and eggs for breakfast. Then, at 9am we drive a few miles to the community garden, where

we work on constructing raised garden beds and preparing soil for next year’s gardens so vegetables will be ripe

for the picking! At around noon, we break for lunch and then work until 5pm. On rainy days, we work in the

office of Mingo County’s Diabetes Coalition, preparing for community events, community outreach, or designing

a Pinterest with diabetes-friendly recipes. Some of these community events include diabetes friendly cook offs,

health fairs and 5k runs. Last weekend, we hosted an event at the garden called "Greased Lightning”. Kirsten

and Armando greased up two pigs with baby oil and Vaseline, and locals tried to catch the greased pigs! We

also participated in a cook off and had the opportunity to

try barbecued squirrel.

Delta 9 has really enjoyed getting involved in the

community of Williamson; the town is extremely small, but

the community members have made all of us feel at home

by inviting us to many of the local community and church

events, and preparing home cooked meals for us. Aside

from friendly people, Williamson also has a rich history including the Hatfield and McCoy feud and the collapse of

the mining industry, two historical events that have

greatly shaped this community into what it is today.

Beyond the project and

the community, our

youthful team has

flourished surprisingly well. As a team, we committed this entire round to

practicing good health; we feel we must practice what we preach. We have cut

sugar and refined starches out of our diet, and we exercise six days a week

doing Insanity Workouts. We take turns cooking healthy meals, and use fresh produce from the community garden. We also incorporated an intellectual

component to our project by watching Ted Talks every Tuesdays, and having

a beefy Monday night "Stew" Topic which the team researches beforehand.

Thus far in our project, we have had an amazing experience in Williamson, WV,

and have made some great progress. It has been wonderful to inform the locals

about the importance of eating well. In working in this community garden, we

hope to give the people of Williamson the resources and information they need

to lead a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, our contribution to this project will

strengthen the local food system, and help create a sustainable community model for this hopeful Appalachian community. We are optimistic about the

weeks to come and are excited to see the outcome of our project.

Round 1 Projects: FEMA Corps

Page 8 Southern Heat

Team City State Sponsor

Bayou 1 Jefferson City MO FEMA Joint Field Office

Bayou 2 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office

Bayou 3 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office

Bayou 4 Fort Worth TX FEMA Distribution Center

Bayou 5 Denton TX FEMA Region VI Annex

Bayou 6 Urbandale IA FEMA Joint Field Office

Gulf 1 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office

Gulf 2 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office

Gulf 3 Denton TX FEMA Federal Regional Center

Gulf 4 Chicago IL FEMA Region V Field Office

Gulf 5 Denton TX FEMA Federal Regional Center

Ocean 1 Jefferson City MO FEMA Joint Field Office

Ocean 2 Conover NC FEMA Interim Operating Facility

Ocean 3 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office

Ocean 4 Denton TX FEMA Federal Regional Center

Ocean 5 Washington DC FEMA Headquarters

Ocean 6 Chicago IL FEMA Region V Field Office

Summit 1 Jefferson City MO FEMA Joint Field Office

Summit 2 Centennial CO FEMA Joint Field Office

Summit 3 Atlanta GA FEMA Region IV

Summit 4 Atlanta GA FEMA Region IV

Summit 5 Washington DC FEMA Headquarters

November 2013 Page 9

Life AFTER AmeriCorps: Now Hiring

VISTA Fellow, The Bonner Center at Carson-Newman University. Eastern Tennessee.

Address educational, economic, and social disparities in Eastern Tennessee. All VISTA Fellows are

matched with a local non-profit partner where they connect the resources of Carson-Newman University

and the community to further strengthen their work in addressing educational injustice.

For more information, visit www.cn.edu/bonner. Interested candidates should apply by December 1 at

www.americorps.gov or email Anya Piotrowski with questions at vista@cn.edu.

AmeriCorps Program Supervisor - St. Bernard Project, New Orleans

https://worknola.com/st-bernard-project/americorps-program-manager

Member/Caseworker, Children’s Corps. NYC & Westchester, NY

Children's Corps offers child welfare pre-service training, places them in full-time salary jobs, and

supports their professional development throughout their two years. Applications are posted online in

mid-December. To learn more, go to: www.fosteringchangeforchildren.org

Job Hunting Sites:

International Volunteering:

Schools with Free Tuition:

1. Deep Springs College, Inyo County, CA

2. Cooper Union, NYC

3. Curtis Institute of Music, NYC 4. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO

5. Berea College, Berea, KY

6. Webb Institute, Glen Cove, NY

7. Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York (CUNY), NYC

8. Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passe, KY

9. Barclay College, Haviland, KS

http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2012/12/10/20-colleges-providing-free-tuition/

Member Development Corner

Back Door Jobs http://backdoorjobs.com Big variety of interesting jobs-

seasonal, fulltime & temporary.

Cool Works http://www.coolworks.com Lots of temporary and seasonal

jobs.

Idealist http://www.idealist.org Lots of nonprofit & service options

Xanterra http://www.xanterra.com/ National Parks jobs.

Barefoot Student www.barefootstudent.com Post college jobs. Look by city.

A Broader View https://www.abroaderview.org/ 1,000-1,500 per month. Various

countries.

Safe Passage http://www.safepassage.org/ Guatemala Garbage Dump. Super cheap.

Work Away http://www.workaway.info/ Housing & food for work.

WWOOF http://wwoof.org/ Housing & food for work.

IVHQ http://www.volunteerhq.org/ Lots of countries. Super Cheap.

Page 10 Southern Heat

Corps Member Reflection: Josh Beam, River 3

Over the past year that I have served in AmeriCorps NCCC, my life has been

influenced exponentially by the beauty found in simple acts of

humanitarianism. I’ve been given the chance to benefit others with my

actions in ways that I never would have thought I’d be able to. From

reconstructing damaged areas due to natural disasters, to tutoring school

children in low income areas, I have touched the soul of this nation as my

forefathers intended, for the improvement of others.

Though there were the occasional challenges, such as personality conflicts

and occasionally poor living conditions, my team has been able to overcome

these challenges and prosper in an area that is known to break down

communities much larger than our own. I find a lot of pride in my brothers

and sisters in the AmeriCorps NCCC program, not just because they

understand how stressful it can be to shadow your own wants and needs for

the improvement of others, but because we have all found and understood

deeper parts of ourselves due in part to such conditions. Ironically, it was in

one of these very troubling moments of my experience that I have my

fondest memory.

During a Habitat for Humanity project my team was working with in Atlantic

Beach, Florida, my team was prone to disagreement quite easily. During one

of these moments, I was better able to understand the way in which my fellow Corps members’ feelings and

personalities play into the team dynamic. From this point forward, I was better able to gauge my own input into

conversations and to better read the input of others. The amount of times we disagreed was having a definite

decline. I’m happy to say that my team is working extremely well now. I personally find that because we came to

these troubles earlier on and found conclusions much earlier than other teams with the same issues, we had

more time to promote the positive team dynamics of our multiple personalities. I feel that my team is so close now that we have reached this point, that I will without a doubt, find that saying good bye to my team will be

the hardest part of leaving this program.

To all those who wish to join

AmeriCorps NCCC, the only

bit of advice I can offer is to

understand that this

program focuses on the

teams’ capabilities to

improve communities, not the individual’s, though one

can work harder than others.

It is the team that makes the

impact; the individual seems

to only make ripples.

November 2013 Page 11

SHOUT OUTS!!!

River 3: I'd like to give a shout out to Lindsey

Mancari and Amanda Gamaldi, this experience

would not have been as memorable without you

two. This year has had a lot of challenges for all

three of us and I am so grateful to have you girls

as my support system! Our jokes will last a lifetime along with the bond we have formed I love

you best friends -Taylor Lawrence

Thank you Marlisa for being such a kind and

loving friend. For never physical hurting me or

making fun of my freckles. One day I will learn how to punch but until then I'm content with

punching like "a dadlion!" I love you mar mar!!

-Cory Hall-Martin

Shout out to everyone. It takes a lot of perseverance, honesty with ourselves and to

others, dedication and hard work to make it this

far! Go Class 19!! -Mike Miller

Delta 10: Shout out to DBT and my fellow

Luxury, Leaf Wiper, Watcher, Holder and Scaredy

P's. Nosferatu and 80's music. WHOOOOW

Earlier this year, the Appalachian Coal Country

Team received its 6th NCCC team, River 6.

River 6 put in over 3,600 hours between 8/21

and 10/15. Shout out of River 6 for your

amazing work with ACCT! Below, you will find

a summary of their accomplishments.

CHECK US OUT!!!

River 7: Shout out to Jonathan for being an

awesome Unit Leader. Shout to Alex Mace, Kyle

Quigly, Cory Hall-Martin and Corbin Beastrom for

being some of the best friends anyone could ever

ask for. –Ana Rea

AmeriCorps NCCC

A Unique Way to Serve your Country

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.

FEMA Corps

The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA) and the Corporation for

National and Community Service (CNCS) joined forces to

establish a FEMA-devoted division of 1,600 service corps

members within AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community

Corps (NCCC) solely dedicated to disaster readiness,

response, and recovery.

AmeriCorps NCCC

Southern Region

2715 Confederate Ave.

Vicksburg, MS 39180

601-630-4040

Community Relations

Department:

Erika Roberts, CRS

eroberts@cns.gov

Kevin Jones, ACRS

kjones@cns.gov

Tanner Shepherd, CRSTL

deltacrsunit@gmail.com

Claire Smith, Unit STL claire.smith@fema.dhs.gov