Get to the Point, Volume XIX, Issue 16

GET TO

THE POINT T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E N C C C A T L A N T I C R E G I O N

T H U R S D A Y , J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 3

V O L U M E X I X , I S S U E 1 6

Hurry Up & Wait

Staying prepared and managing expectations

as an AmeriCorps wildland firefighter. Page 6.

2 JULY 25, 2013 | GET TO THE POINT

I’m a member of the National

Civilian Community Corps,

an AmeriCorps Program.

N-Triple-C members are 18 to 24 and spend

10 months getting things done for America

while developing their own leadership. We

serve on teams to help communities prepare

for and respond to disasters, build homes,

and help the environment.

To learn more, visit NationalService.gov or call 1.800.942.2677

CONNECT WITH AMERICORPS NCCC ATLANTIC REGION

Sam McKenzie, Community Relations Specialist (CRS)

Phone: 410.642.2411 Ext. 6244 ● Email: [email protected]

Mona Hillstrand, Assistant Community Relations Specialist (ACRS)

Phone: 202.815.4259 ● Email: [email protected]

Ben Dillon, Community Relations Support Team Leader (CRSTL)

Phone: 443.995.7940 ● Email: [email protected]

Facebook.com/NCCCAtlanticRegion

@AmeriCorpsNCCC

NationalService.gov

03 Gallery Images from Round 3 projects

05 Bulletin Board Update of Independent Service

Hours & Team Reminders

06 Feature We Aren’t Going Anyway.

Phoenix 3 members balance

preparedness and expectations.

08 Health & Wellness 6 Amazing Facts About

Avocados & A Recipe for

Breakfast Tacos

09 Shout Outs

10 Team Project Map

About the cover

Phoenix 3 firefighters

had to stay physically

and mentally prepared

for deployment while

managing expectations

of seeing a wildfire.

Read about this delicate

balance on Page 6.

ISSUE IN THIS

CONTENTS

↑ Corps Members

from the Atlantic

and Southern

Regions dance

alongside Wendy

Spencer, CEO of

the Corporation

for National and

Community

Service (right),

during a

barbeque at

Grandview Park in

Beaver, W.Va.

http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-nccc

mailto:[email protected]



http://www.Facebook.com/NCCCAtlanticRegion

http://www.twitter.com/americorpsnccc

http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-nccc

GET TO THE POINT | JULY 25, 2013 3

G ALLERY

Rounding Out Round 3

↑ Buffalo 4 members David Wright, left, and Jeremiah King, right,

remove cabinetry from a flood-damaged home in New York while

working with Respond & Rebuild.

→ A resident of Ocean County, N.J. shows members of Raven 1

locally caught crawfish during a workday with Jersey Cares.

↓ Raven 4 member Gaby Gardose tends to one of several gardens

at Tanglewood 4H Camp near Lincolnville, Maine.


G ALLERY

The Initiative — Southern West Virginia

↑ Raven 2 members pose with a Boy Scout troop during The Initiative,

a five-day event coordinated by the Citizens Conservation Corps

of West Virginia that engaged an estimated 40,000 Scouts for

a combined 300,000 hours of community service.

→ Shane Tulp of Moose 3 scrapes paint from a sign for the Indian

Creek Covered Bridge near Salt Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

↓ Moose 5 members spent a day hiking and whitewater rafting

around West Virginia’s New River with their project sponsor.


SHOUT OUTS

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.”

–Samuel Johnson

Kate Raftery, Director of NCCC (center), visited

Corps Members and Boy Scouts during The Initiative

in West Virginia. Chandler Ballentine, Operations

Support Team Leader is at back right.

The tracking formulas for

Independent Service hours have

been adjusted to cap members at

100 percent and more accurately

reflect teams’ total progress.

Percentage of ISP Hours Complete

Raven: 69.06%

Moose: 66.64%

Buffalo: 64.63%

President Obama has pledged to expand opportunities for

national service. For more information, visit

the National Service Blog at Serve.gov

Atlantic Region Team Leaders visited an overlook of

New River Gorge at Grandview Park near Beaver,

W.Va. following a barbeque with Southern Region

teams and partnering organizations in The Initiative.


FEATURE

we aren’t going any-way

by silpa sadhujan

phoenix 3 member

L ife as a Phoenix 3 Corps Member can best be likened to a roller

coaster. You build up a ball of excitement in anticipation for the

crazy ride that is P3. You’ve heard all the stories from P1 and

P2, not to mention stories from current Team Leaders, Emily,

Chandler, Evan and Ben, who were Phoenix members. You know more

about fire then your inexperience would suggest, because you have ab-

sorbed all the stories and suggestions from other Phoenix members past

and present. Like a roller coaster going up, down, up again, down again,

we were in for a wild ride that challenged our spirit, but it also left us

smiling and sometimes sent us into fits of laughter.

Wildfires are unpredictable by nature, so Phoenix 3 became the master

of the waiting game. Morning check-ins with Steve Hubner, our sponsor

at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife

Refuge, were always a big highlight of the day. Steve would give us the

most recent fire situation report. This is how we found out how many

fires were burning around the country and the condition in which they

were in. Counter intuitively, we all secretly were hoping for increased fire

activity. The odds were looking in our favor the first week of Round 3. We

avidly packed our red bags in proper wildfire manner, did hikes with our

fire gear for physical training, mentally prepared to stink and go without

↑ (At top) Phoenix 3

members stand with

project sponsor Steve

Hubner in front of the

U.S.F.W.S. Fire

Management Office.

(Above) Ian Slingsby

dons a fire helmet and

Great Dismal Swamp

fire shirt during training

excercises.


FEATURE

showering for days. As quickly as the

flame was lit in our minds, it was put out.

Steve’s subtle way of keeping us from get-

ting our hopes crushed was saying some-

thing along the lines of, “there is a lot of

wildfire activity out west, but that doesn’t

matter, ‘cause we aren’t going anyway.”

This became the running joke between

Steve and P3. Every time there was a

chance of a wildfire deployment, someone

would chime in, “doesn’t matter, ‘cause

we aren’t going anyway.” This would be

followed by many affirming nods and re-

marks.

We became champions of keeping our

spirit and morale strong. We worked with

local non-profits during the week, which

brought purpose and meaning to our

team. One of the most memorable places

we worked was the Virginia Zoo, where

we were revitalizing the vegetation growth

in animal habitats. Phoenix 3 has two

words for you: Red Panda. We will never

forget working aboard the U.S.S. Wiscon-

sin or the long, hard days working in the

woods at Piney Grove Preserve. On those

humid Virginia days with a heat index of

105, when things got hard, we pushed

through with the help of Ray’s singing and

spontaneous dance parties to Clarity un-

der the shade of a tree. Fire or no fire, at

the end of the day, drenched in our well-

earned sweat, we went home feeling

proud of our accomplishments. After all,

as Steve said, we weren’t going anyway.

“Fire or no fire, at the end of the

day, drenched in our well-earned

sweat, we went home feeling

proud of our accomplishments.”

← Phoenix 3 members dig a

fire break to prepare a

prescribed burn unit at

Piney Grove Preserve in

Sussex County, Va.

← Dimi Venkov, Phoenix 3

Team Leader, “island

hops” in a marshy area of

Piney Grove Preserve

while marking vegetation

monitoring pipes.


HEALTH & WELLNESS

6 Amazing Facts

About Avocados

Protein: Avocadoes provide all 18

essential amino acids necessary for

the body to form a complete

protein. Unlike the protein in steak,

which is difficult for most people to

digest, avocado protein is readily

absorbed by the body because

avocadoes also contain fiber.

Beneficial Fats: Avocadoes provide

the healthy kind of fat that your

body needs. Like olive oil,

avocadoes boost levels of HDL (the

"good" cholesterol). This type of

cholesterol helps regulate

triglyceride levels, preventing

diabetes.

Carotenoids: Avocadoes are an

excellent source of carotenoids.

Every time you consume foods rich

in carotenoids, you deliver high

quality vitamin A to your body,

thereby protecting eye health and

enhancing the immune system.

Anti-Inflammatory: The combined

effect of the deluxe package of

nutrients contained in avocadoes

offers powerful anti-inflammatory

benefits. This means avocadoes

can help prevent or mitigate

against both osteo- and

rheumatoid arthritis.

Heart Health: The fat content,

which causes some uninformed

health "experts" to deem

avocadoes as unhealthy, actually

provides protection against heart

diseases. Studies have shown that

oleic acid improves cardiovascular

health.

Choosing and Eating: To get the

most nutritional value from

avocadoes, avoid those which

have become over-ripe. Over-ripe

avocados will have dents and feel

overly soft when you hold them.

SERVINGS: 10 (increase ingredients as

needed)

TIME: 5 min. preparation, 10 min. cooking

INGREDIENTS

10 corn taco shells or tortillas

2-1/2 cups black beans

10 large eggs

2-1/2 tablespoons milk

Salt and black pepper as needed

Non-stick cooking spray, as needed

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves

8 cups baby spinach leaves

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup pico de gallo

2 Avocados, sliced (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place black beans in microwave safe bowl

and heat in microwave.

2. Combine eggs, milk and season with salt

and black pepper as desired; whisk until

well combined. Coat a small non-stick

sauté pan with cooking spray and place

over medium heat. Add egg mixture and

scramble. Remove from heat and sprinkle

shredded cheddar cheese over top; keep

warm.

3. Place second medium non-stick sauté pan

over medium heat, add olive oil and

minced garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add

spinach and toss with heat resistant plastic

spatula until spinach is dark green and

slightly wilted.

4. Heat four blue corn tortillas according to

package directions and place on a flat

work surface. Divide scrambled egg evenly

among tortillas, layer with garlic sautéed

spinach, and use a slotted

spoon to divide beans evenly

over top. Finish each taco

with pico de gallo, sliced

avocado and

sour cream

(optional); serve

immediately.

Breakfast Tacos


SHOUTS OUTS

Justin Leiby contacted

us and wishes

“everyone to keep up

the good work and

keep pushing on.”

Buffalo 1

Dear Chandler

and Ben: It’s

simply not fair.

Sincerely, B3

Buffalo 3

We are so ESTATIC to have our wonderful Megan Ryan

back! After weeks and weeks, our Moosicorn family is

finally whole once again!

Moose 1

Raven 2

Shout out to the visiting

King and Queen and

Sweden—COME VISIT

US IN NEW JERSEY!

Raven 4

Hey, WVA teams! Transition will not be the

same without you all!

We love Purple Polar

Bears, Key Lime

Quokkas, Black

Barracudas, Teal Sea

Turtles, and Orange

Starfish!

Moose 4

Congrats to

everyone for

making it

through Round

3! Good luck to

those in WV! We

wish we

could’ve seen

you over

transition!

Moose 2

Raven 3

Hakuna Matata! I

know it’s hot and

muggy, but keep your

heads up. We are half

way through the year!

“Be miserable. Or

motivate yourself.

Whatever has to be

done, it's always your

choice.”

-Wayne Dyer

Shout Outs? Shouts Outs are

short messages

submitted by

teams each week

to share with the

rest of the Corps.

Whatever it may

be, a Shout Out

is one little way

to keep the Corps

connected

throughout the

service term.

Raven 5

Excited to have Silpa

back! Do you think

you’re better off

alone? Justin Gandy—

Chef Extraordinaire Shout to Reniecea for setting up a wild and wonderful day

of rafting and hiking with our sponsor!

Moose 5

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/waynedyer165697.html





http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wayne_dyer.html

While six teams remain in West Virginia to work with the

Citizens Conservation Corps until July 31, six teams are

transitioning into Round 4 projects throughout the Atlantic

Region. At the start of Round 4, one team will assist with

disaster recovery in New Jersey, one team will do

disaster mitigation and preparedness work in

Connecticut, one team will

improve education facilities in

Massachusetts, and three teams

will do a combination of

environmental

stewardship and

urban development

in Baltimore.

Where in the Atlantic Region Are They? Round 4, Week 1

BUFFALO 1

Baltimore, Md.

Creative City Public Charter School

Urban & Rural Development

BUFFALO 4

Baltimore, Md.

Baltimore City Bureau of Parks


RAVEN 4

Baltimore, Md.

Baltimore County Reforestation

Environmental Stewardship

MOOSE 1

Fayette, W.V.

Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.


MOOSE 3

Monroe, W.V.



MOOSE 5

Summers, W.V.



RAVEN 2

Nicholas, W.V.



RAVEN 3

McDowell City, W.V.



RAVEN 5

Wyoming, W.V.



MOOSE 2

Toms River, N.J.

Jersey Cares

Disaster Services

MOOSE 4

Elkton, Md.

Project Crossroad


RAVEN 1

Chelsea, Mass.

Phoenix Charter Academy


BUFFALO 3

Torrington, Conn.

Torrington AHD/MRC


PHOENIX 4

Suffolk, Va.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Disaster Services

Get to the Point, Volume XIX, Issue 16

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