AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps

Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter

Perry Point, MD

Congratulations to Class 16– You Left Your Mark!

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter January, February, March 2011

FRONT COVER, CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT:

Note from the Director:

Members from Badger 2 walking across the stage during the Class 16 Graduation, Thursday,
November 18, 2010. From the left, Denise Alexander, Rhiannon Ford, Ethan Fremuth, Devin Hurd

Badger 2, fourth round at Camp Frasier, left to right—Rhiannon Ford, Caitlin Roberge, Denise
Alexander, David Pieknik, Devin Hurd, Ethan Fremuth, Jacob Schneider, Andrea Lopez, Kimberly
Schoenfeld, JillNicola and Sandra Scherberger.
Dear Friends of the Atlantic Region:
INSIDE COVER: Class 16 Quilt. Each year prior to graduating the Class assembles a quilt to
represent the year of service. The quilts are displayed throughout the administrative building of I first want to say a warm
the Atlantic Region campus starting with Class 1.
greetings and Happy New Year to
everyone reading this newsletter.

Can you believe it’s the start of a new

Inside this Issue: year already?

I must say, the NCCC Atlantic Region

Getting Things Done– Impact 2010 3 Campus had an amazing year in 2010 and we really want to
thank you– our friends, alums, project sponsors, community
Join us for a Special Event 4 members and colleagues for your ongoing support of the
campus and the teams over the last year.

Spotlight on a Community Partner 5 In this issue of our quarterly newsletter you will get to relive
so to speak, the past year with us as we recap Class 16’s
2010 Impact. We also feature an outstanding Community
Thank You Project Sponsors 6 Partner, Project Sponsor and we highlight our Special
Events– the Awards Banquet, Graduation, Open House and
Spotlight on a Project Sponsor 7 Member for a Day events.

As always if you are in need of team please see the dates for
Get an NCCC Team to Help You 8 project concept forms and applications to get started today.

Also of importance if you know someone who may be

Spotlight on our Alums 9 interested in NCCC, get them to apply today, don’t wait, the
applications close on March 1st for the Fall 2011 start dates.
Apply to NCCC Today! 11 Finally, a big ‘hooah’ for Service Year 17 and all the
possibilities this year holds for our Members and the
Applications close March 1st communities of the Atlantic region. Round 1 of projects starts
March 12th.
Special Event Flashbacks 12
In Service,

Atlantic Region NCCC in the News 13

For more information about this publication
LaQuine Roberson
Contact: SMcKenzie@cns.gov NCCC Atlantic Region Director
 Disaster Response
35,910 people assisted in disaster areas
217 homes refurbished for disaster victims
2,740 damage & needs assessments completed
97,255 pounds of food collected or distributed
10 emergency response centers or other facilities supported
4 disaster service facilities supported in disaster areas
4 volunteer facilities supported in disaster areas
67 new houses constructed
18,870 volunteers recruited or coordinated
2,476 educational materials or preparedness kits distributed
14 disaster response & recovery teams in 8 states
31 teams supported hurricane recovery and rebuilding in LA
NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter
Youth Development
625 youth at-risk assisted
698 students participating in summer program
8 students taught in English as a second language programs
Hunger & Nutrition
2808 people served meals
789 people tending or helping with community gardens
328,523 pounds of food received, inventoried or distributed
3,000 backpacks for youth with literacy and nutrition info
Volunteer Leveraging
138,885 non disaster volunteers recruited or coordinated
3 January, February, March 2011
 Class 17 Induction Ceremony
Friday, March 11, 2011, 10 a.m.
920 Principio Furnace Rd
Perryville, MD 21903
Open to the public. Please RSVP Contact: Sam McKenzie, SMcKenzie@cns.gov

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 4 January, February, March 2011

 Community Partner
Spotlight
NCCC has a recruitment partnership with the National Job Corps Association. Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical
training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 through 24 improve the quality of their
lives through career technical and academic training. The Woodland Job Corps Center located in Laurel, MD; supports the Job Corps
program's mission of teaching eligible young people the skills they need to become employable, independent and placing them in mean-
ingful jobs or further education. In addition to academic training,

Woodland Job Corps provides career technical training in several vocational trades:
• Carpentry
• Culinary Arts
• Electrical
• Facilities Maintenance
• Hotel & Lodging
• Office Administration
• Network Cable Installation

In addition to career training, Woodland Job Corps also provides academic training, including basic reading and math. Courses in
independent living, employability skills, and social skills are offered in order to help students transition into the workplace. Woodland Job
Corps also has several academic programs to help students achieve their full potential.

Job Corps pays each student a living allowance twice a month while in the program. Housing is provided in the program. Woodland Job
Corps Center can house 168 male students and 132 female students in several dormitories. Each dormitory has bathroom and shower
facilities, laundry facilities, TV rooms, lounges, and vending machines. Students are provided three nutritious meals each day at no cost
in one of the best cafeteria facilities in Job Corps.

Woodland Job Corps also has a Wellness Center open daily for basic medical, dental, and optometrist services which are provided free
to Job Corps students. The wellness center also provides 24-hour emergency medical services. Weight management, smoking cessa-
tion, pregnancy prevention, and other health-related programs are also available. Job Corps graduates receive: $1200 transition allow-
ance to assist with transportation and housing, Job placement assistance for up to six months, career counseling and relocation coun-
seling services. For more information visit http://woodland.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx . Thank you Woodland Job Corps for your
support and partnership!

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 5 January, February, March 2011

 Bay Area Food Bank
Bayou Rebirth
Boys & Girls Club-Camp Brown
Brandywine Creek/Bellvue State Park
Camden Children's Garden
Camp Fraser/Calvary Baptist Church
Camp Hope Kitchen
Camp Hope - Serve Green
Camp Highroad
Camp Sun N Fun
Cape Henlopen
Catholic Charities
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
City Neighbors Foundation Inc
Coolidge Historic Site
Copper Cannon Camp
CT Mission of Mercy
DC Cares Servathon
Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve
Delaware Seashore State Parks
Delaware State Parks
Escarosa Coalition
FEMA - Mississippi
FEMA - Tennessee Rebuilding Together Baltimore
FEMA - No. MA Long Term Recovery Group Rebuilding Together New Orleans
HandsOn New Orleans Red Cross - DELMARVA Chapter
FEMA - So. MA Long Term Recovery Group Hope for Kids
FIRST - DC Respond, INC
Irvine Nature Center Rutgers- Dept of Entomology
For Love of Children Kayam Farm at Pearlstone
Fort Delaware Sacred Hearts Retreat Center
Killens Pond State Park Serve Rhode Island
Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay Lackawanna Heritage
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland St. Bernard Community Center
Lums Pond State Park St. Bernard Project
Greater DC Cares Massachusetts Audubon Society
Groundwork Hudson Valley Summer of Service - Choice Program
Marion Institute Summer of Service - Perryville Police Outreach
Groundwork Somerville MD DNR - Elk Neck State Park
Habitat for Humanity, Baton Rouge The Nature Conservancy - Long Island
Mason Neck State Park The Nature Conservancy - Vermont
Habitat for Humanity, Calcasieu National Park Service - DC
Habitat for Humanity, Camden The Samaritan Women
National Estuarine Research Reserve - Maine Town of Cumberland, Rhode Island
Habitat for Humanity, Coastal Fairfield County Nature Conservancy of VT
Habitat for Humanity, Greater Portland Town of Sanford, Maine
New Castle County Dept. of Special Services Trail Blazer Camp
Habitat for Humanity, Indian River New Hampshire State Parks
Habitat for Humanity, New Castle County United Saints, First St. Recovery
New York Cares United Way-211 Rhode Island
Habitat for Humanity, New Orleans Operation Helping Hands
Habitat for Humanity, Washington DC US Fish and Wildlife Service
Parks & People Foundation Valley Forge
Phoenix of New Orleans Volunteer Florida

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 6 January, February, March 2011

 Respond, Inc. is a voluntary, not for profit (501)(C)(3) agency created by community residents to enhance and promote the
economic independence and general welfare of individuals and families residing in Camden City and county. This mission is carried forth
in the provision of comprehensive services in child care, a senior adult center, programs for homeless adults, rental housing and home
ownership, youth services, employment, economic development and associated programs that help people help themselves.

Respond, Inc. was created in 1967 through a joint venture of residents of the North Camden community and the United Methodist
Church in Haddonfield, a nearby suburban town inhabited by many former Camden residents.

Now, in this 43rd year of program operation, the agency’s staff and volunteers number more than 300 and Respond has succeeded
in building an outstanding example of how people from many diverse backgrounds and all walks of life can work together toward the
common goal of an enriched community for all of its citizens. The respect of that community to know its own needs, and the ability to direct
that knowledge into viable programs have combined with exceptional support from staff, from all levels of government, foundations, the
faith community, the United Way, local business, industry and private individual donors to make Respond, Inc. the successful organization
that it is today. For more information visit www.respondinc.com.

Above photo: Executive Director Wilbert Mitchell gives keynote address at NCCC Class 16 Awards Banquet. Respond, Inc was recognized as the Project Sponsor
of the Year.

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 7 January, February, March 2011

 Contact: Robin Nixon, Deputy Region Director for Programming,
RNixon@cns.gov

Projects typically last six to eight Requesting Teams For: Step 1. Concept Form Step 2. Project Application
weeks. Project Sponsors can be
Round 1 (March-April 2011) Submit by Oct 22, 2010 Submit by Dec 3, 2010
non-profits –secular and faith
based, local municipalities, state Round 2 (May-June 2011) Submit by Jan 14, 2011 Submit by Feb. 18, 2011
governments, federal government, Round 3 (July-August 2011) Submit by March 11, 2011 Submit by April 22, 2011
national or state parks, Indian
tribes and schools. Projects must Round 4 (Sept.-Nov. 2011) Submit by May 6, 2011 Submit by June 10, 2011
be related to these focus areas:
Natural & Other Disasters,
Infrastructure Improvement,
Environmental Stewardship and
Conservation, Energy Conservation,
Urban and Rural development
Please use this link to download the concept form: https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_5THUl-
PNTmMjY3NDRiNTctNmE4Mi00YzAyLTllN2QtMGVmZDBhYzg5YmZk&hl=en

States & Territories Served: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NH, NY, RI, VT, PA, PR, USVI,

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 8 January, February, March 2011

 Starbuck Ballner of Croton, New York, served as a Corps Member in Class 16
at the Atlantic Region.

Recently, we caught up with Starbuck Ballner, one of the superstars of Class 16 to find out his impressions on his service year and what he is doing
currently.

What was the best part of your year?

I had two especially favorite and memorable parts of my year. The first was the disaster mission I was assigned to in middle
Tennessee. My team worked in a suburban county just outside of Nashville "mucking and gutting" homes of affected resi-
dents, some of whom had their homes submerged under toxic flood waters or forcefully lifted off the ground and carried away.
It was a truly devastating time for the communities but the way the relief efforts were organized at a grass roots level was as-
tounding. For example, a group of churches got together and opened a donation center in an abandoned supermarket and
every day we went in there the tables were always full of cleaning supplies, non perishable food, clothes and personal hy-
giene products; the place was run entirely on donations and volunteer efforts.

We were so lucky to be living and working in a community that took such pride in lending a hand to their neighbors in a time
of confusion, grief and heart ache. In just 4 weeks my team contributed to the clean up of over 28 homes and locally owned
businesses, removed over 200,000 pounds of debris and supported 3 different local disaster relief centers. We worked along-
side homeowners who, in some cases, had lost almost everything they owned and helped them begin the rebuilding process.
It was exactly the kind of project I envisioned I would be contributing to in NCCC when I applied; a team of hard working, enthusiastic young people,
a neighborhood in a time of immediate need and rewarding physical work.

My other favorite part of the year was my round of wildland fire fighting in Maryland and Virginia. Our team was extremely tight knit and we loved be-
ing outside all day in the woods learning new skills like how to use and repair chainsaws. We worked on clearing trails and widening emergency vehi-
cle lanes at a state park in Maryland battling poison ivy, stinging insects and a fear of heights when we ate lunch on top of the fire lookout tower! Our
other project was building a boardwalk at the Great Dismal National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia that would lead to an interpretive educational facility
and enable school field trips and historical tourists to learn about the Swamp's key role as part of the Underground Railroad. The team chemistry was
so vibrant and our common drive to work hard and laugh hard both on and off the work site made us an unstoppable force.

This was truly the best year of my life. I had wonderful teammates who made me laugh so hard I cried and teammates who helped me realize who
I want to be, contribute to projects that mattered in communities around the country, got to rock out at Jazz Fest in New Orleans and feel blessed
each day I woke up and eager to get to work. I've never felt more excited to be alive.

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 9 January, February, March 2011

Starbuck Ballner, Alum Spotlight continued

What are your current plans?

In January 2011 I will be a part of the AmeriCorps State/National program in Houston, Texas with College Forward, an
organization that provides college access and college persistence services to motivated, economically disadvantaged
students, in order to facilitate their transition to college and make the process exciting and rewarding.

Prior to my NCCC year, I knew that I had a passion for service but was unsure which field I wanted to focus my energy.
During my NCCC experience, I had participated in many projects tutoring and mentoring youth in partnership with local
community organizations. I realized that education and youth development, the opportunity to enrich the life of a
young person, meant the most to me.

What was going through your mind as you won so many awards this year at the end of the year
Awards Banquet?
In those brief moments there were so many flashes of the experiences that led me to join NCCC, the people I worked
with and alongside this year and how I hope to continue working for the improvement in quality of life for people all over
the world.

I thought about how I was introduced to NCCC by a team at my YMCA summer camp over 10 years ago, the residents of
New Orleans and Cheatham County, Tennessee where I worked on community revitalization and disaster relief projects,
the Perryville Police Department Outreach Program which was the first project I worked on this year, my AmeriCorps
Team Leader who challenged me to be a better person, my parents who encouraged me to be more aware of the world
around me and to do the right thing especially when no one is watching, the music and books that have opened my eyes to social issues and the re-
alization that anything is possible when you believe in it.

Thank you Starbuck for your outstanding service in Class 16. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope you continue to stay in
touch.

Stories of service and how NCCC develops leaders are common throughout the Corps. This year we will have another 240 Members from around
the country. Stay tuned.

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 10 January, February, March 2011

AmeriCorps NCCC Members must meet the age requirements of 18-24 and be able to provide documentation of their status as
a US citizen, national or lawful permanent resident alien.

All NCCC Members receive a living allowance of approximately $4,000 for the 10 months of service (about $200 every two
weeks before taxes), housing, meals, travel, limited medical benefits, $400 a month for childcare per child, if necessary,
member uniforms, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,550 upon successful completion of the program.

All applications must be completed online at www.americorps.gov/nccc.

Apply today! Applications for Fall 2011 close on March 1st.

There is a 3 step process to applying to NCCC:

Step 1: Complete a Profile.
Step 2: Complete an Application.
Step 3: Submit the Application to the NCCC program.

For questions about NCCC or to talk with someone who is in the program or has finished, please call 1 800 942 2677 or email
acnccc@cns.gov. More information can also be found at www.americorps.gov/nccc.

The Atlantic Region of NCCC serves: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, PR, RI, USVI, VT

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 11 January, February, March 2011

 Special Event Flashbacks
On Thursday, Nov 18, 2010, two-hundred and
sixteen Members graduated completing their ten
months of full time service. The ceremony was
attended by hundreds of special guests, family,
friends, project sponsors and alumni.
Congratulations Class 16.
On October 23, 2010, the Atlantic Region hosted
three ‘Be an NCCC Member for A Day’ events. Sites
included Camden, NJ, Washington DC and
Baltimore, MD. Join us this year!
NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter
On Wednesday, Nov 17, 2010, the Atlantic Region
hosted an Awards Banquet for Class 16.
Member won awards based on nominations from
the Corps. Project sponsors in attendance shared
words of inspiration and presented awards.
October 8, 2010. Atlantic Region Open House
hosts 90 visitors and guests. The campus also
hosted a virtual Open House which was posted
online. Join us this year!
12 January, February, March 2011
 Recently, Region Director LaQuine Roberson and Class 16
Corps Member Warren Leath were interviewed for the
On Time Community Affairs Program of CBS Channel 13
WJZ in Baltimore, MD.

The Atlantic Region’s Class 16 was featured over 200 times by the media in 2010.

http://
http://
www.facebook.com/americorpsnccc www.youtube.com/user/
ncccblog.americorps.gov/
www.twitter.com/americorpsnccc nationalservice

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 13 January, February, March 2011

 AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, PO Box 27, Perry Point, MD 21902, Office: 410 642 2411 ext. 6850
Fax 410 642 1888.
For project information email RNixon@cns.gov, for recruitment information email SMcKenzie@cns.gov

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based, residential program for men and women age 18–24. Members are assigned to one of five
campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; Perry Point, Maryland; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Vinton, Iowa.

The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop 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 or state parks, Indian Tribes and schools members– service members complete
service projects throughout the region they are assigned.

Drawn from the successful models of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an
inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs.

NCCC Atlantic Region Quarterly Newsletter 14 January, February, March 2011