Video: Final Reflection

The Certain Things in Life

When I came to AmeriCorps NCCC I was unsure as to what I wanted to do with my life. Now, with a mere week left in AmreriCorps I am still plagued with this same uncertainty. My mind is constantly buzzing with the same questions – What do I want to go to grad school for? Where do I want to go? Do I even want to go to grad school?

However, I accept this uncertainty because the last ten months in AmeriCorps has made me certain of other things. I am certain that there is nothing better I could have done with this last year of my life. Our last week in New Orleans we got to see Wanda and her family living in the house we framed and wrenched back together during 2nd round. Never before have I really felt like I have made a difference in someone’s life.

I am certain that there exists in my peers the intelligence and motivation to get through the turbulence our generation will face. My fellow Corps members have given me confidence in our generation, that the economic and environmental battles ahead will be no match for this force of change that I have seen all around me. I am certain that service to others is the most important thing in life. This year has shown me an America full of diversity and unnecessary hardship, everywhere around us there are people in need, and every single individual has the power to help. I am certain that everyday of my life from here on will be enriched by this AmeriCorps experience, by my new knowledge ranging from teamwork to dry walling, by my newly found confidence, and by my new family members – the Earth Oneders.

Even though I don’t walk away from AmeriCorps knowing exactly where my next step will land, I know that as I stand right now I stand more strongly, confidently and happily than I have ever stood before. With this sturdy footing I know that my next step can be wherever I want it to be.

~ Katie

One Experience Worth a Thousand Words

We're back in Denver now. It's been cool, crisp and sunny. The mountains are beautiful. I missed fall. It never really felt like autumn in Louisiana. It was always too warm. But here the leaves are off the trees, there's cider and pumpkin pie in the grocerie store and the weather is perfect! We went hiking up into the foothills of the Rockies yesterday. It was gorgous.

As great as it is to be back I definately miss St. Bernard. People keep asking me how my last round was. I don't know how it sum it up. We did so much awesome stuff and met so many great people I can't begin to explain. I tell them about how rewarding the work was and how fun the people are. I tell them about some of the awesome things we did and how it was great to be part of such a loving, caring, hardworking community. I tell them about my homeowner, Harrold Wheat and about Taco Tuesdays and Camp Hope. But often I feel like words don't quite do it. Hearing about Taco Tuesdays isn't the same as being there. Seeing pictures of a finished house isn't the same as finishing a house. So in the end I recomend that everyone experiences the joy of volunteering and the closeness of St. Bernard.

The Full Circle

Here at The St. Bernard Project everyday is exciting. Everyday I have no idea who will be showing up to volunteer at the house I am supervising. On Monday it was a group from Brooklyn, Tuesday it was a group of genetic researchers from Tulane University, on Wednesday it was a senior class from a private girls high school near by, on Thursday it was a group from Boston, and Friday it was a bus full of Spanish speakers from all over Central America. I did take a lot of Spanish in high school, but unfortunately there was not a chapter on "the construction site", I would have done much better if we had been in a grocery store. With the help of an interpreter I eventually found out that these people I was working with were hand picked to be awarded this three week long trip across the US that they were on. These people helping me drywall a pantry were congresswomen, mayors and founders of non-profits in their countries.

This Monday I find myself working with a couple from California that is celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, and I am struggling to keep up with them! Never before have I found myself around such a variety of extraordinary, inspiring people. I feel like I am learning so much from each group that comes in, and I am so honored to be a part of their New Orleans experience.

Two years ago I was a college volunteer gutting a house in New Orleans under the supervision of an AmeriCorps NCCC corps member. It was that experience that made me decide to join AmeriCorps. Now, I am the one in the A leading volunteers, I feel like this story has gone full circle for me. That week trip out here two years ago was life changing for me, and now I get to do my best to send these volunteers home with a similar experience.


~Katie

Halloween!

The team is currently getting ready to go out together for Halloween. Kate is dressing as a yellow footed rock walby, Stacy is going as a dinosaur, Katie as Zorro, Sam as Indiana Jones, Paige as a princess, Andy as an old man, Mallory as a zebra, and I am going as a tomb raider.

Camp Hope is a buzz with everyone getting dressed. Our dinner crew here dressed up for dinner and got a few laughs. This is our last weekend out here in New Orleans because we leave on Thursday. As the time comes to an end we are becoming a little more sentimental about spending time together. I can’t wait to spend this night out with my team and make the more memories.

~ Amanda

Done with Drywall!

Last week I finished dry walling my house! Hooray! My volunteers finished in one week which is pretty stellar.

This week I’ve been working with Amanda and Katie mudding their houses. I am becoming an excellent mudder.

I’m really excited about going back to Denver to see everyone again and to say goodbye. We'll be graduating from the program on November 19. I’ve loved my AmeriCorps experience but I’m ready to go home and spend time with my family.
~Maria B.

Video: October 25th

Video: Katie's House

Video: Sam's House

Warehouse Assistant Manger

The St. Bernard Project has been a really great experience so far and the whole team has been enjoying it. My role with this project is the Warehouse Assistant Manger position. I keep the warehouse looking clean and organized so I know where everything goes. I also stock the shelves when new supplies comes in, help volunteers along with site supervisors find the tools they are looking for, and put kits together that go out to the different houses. My position helps the workers get the supplies they need to get a house done, sending a message to the homeowners that the organization cares. I occasionally help answer phones or help with random projects such as spray painting hammers pink for women’s build. There are days when I am all caught up with my work in the warehouse when I help the runners deliver the supplies or go to a work site and learn how to put up sheet rock. My job can a little stressful and hectic sometimes, since I am busy running around trying to get so many tasks done at once. Overall, I really like my role with this project for I have learned a lot, including getting to see to see the business side of a non-profit organization, which is really neat. I can not wait to see what is ahead for the last two and a half weeks that we are here; I know its going to be fun!

Now for Earth One team news, for the last two and half weeks of our fourth round project we are getting a new teammate from Water One, which is another team from the Denver campus. Earth one excitedly welcomes Andy to the team, so “Welcome to Earth One Andy!” So stay tuned to see how the last two and half weeks ago with another member.

~ Paige

The Teacher Becomes the Student

As my teammates have mentioned in previous entries, we are reaching the end of our service in AmeriCorps. I can't even begin to express the emotions that I am facing regarding this wrap up. We are currently about three weeks into our fourth (and final) project, the St. Bernard Project...and I am hooked. I can't seem to get enough of working with volunteers and contributing to the rebuilding of homes here in Louisiana.

This past week is an excellent example of why I am so continuously excited about this project: Every year, the St. Bernard Project organizes an event called Women's Rebuild. Women (and sometimes men!) from all over the United States visit the St. Bernard Parish and volunteer with the St. Bernard Project for however long they'd like to stay. I think it's safe to say that I received some of the strongest and most beautiful women out of the group as my volunteers for the week. My job, as a site supervisor, was to train them in all three stages of drywall mudding for a house I have been working on these past couple of weeks. I am pretty certain that I ended up learning more from them than they did from me.

What they taught me was the fact that compassion and love is still very much alive in this world. They came into this house and immediately treated it as their own. They surrounded me with their bright personalities and eagerness to work as hard as they could every day. Sadly, today was my last day of working with these amazing women. But, because of them, I will walk into that house with the compassion they showed me, and I will give more of myself in making this house into a wonderful home... a home that belongs to a young and grateful family.

The contributions that these volunteers have given to this project have not only given hope to the residents of the St. Bernard Parish, but also to me... a twenty-four year old woman who will never forget the strength and care that was encountered during her past week of work. I hope they read this entry. I hope they know how wonderful of a role they have played in my life. I can't thank them enough.

~Mallory

The Week at a Glance

Our days with AmeriCorps are almost over! It's about that time that nobody can call home anymore without parents asking "So when are you gonna get a real job?" Well, most nights we have got teammates browsing colleges, filling out job applications, and studying for the GREs. I'm sure that in our own ways of measuring success, we'll all be extremely successful after AmeriCorps.

We are all just loving St. Bernard Project! Most of us are supervising volunteers and it's really exciting to be experienced enough in construction to lead others. I met the woman whose house I'm building today and she brought Gatorade for all my volunteers. She's such a nice person that I feel extra inspired to get her house done.

The Church of the Brethren invited us over for tacos on Tuesday and extended the invitation to every Tuesday we're in town. The culture and atmosphere there was so welcoming and relaxing - we had a great time.

Kate, Katie, and I run on "Bayou Rd." We're always guaranteed plenty of wildlife - snakes, armadillos, egrets and turtles. Dogs are also plentiful around here. Katie also claims to see all kinds of nutria just everywhere, but I'm starting to doubt her.

Kate, Katie, Amanda and Maria went on a swamp tour Sunday. They fed alligators marshmallows and said it was a lot of fun.

You might not believe it but it's starting to cool down a little in Louisiana.

~Stacy

Round Four Begins

Fourth Round. I continue to ask myself where the time has gone…. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were in the mountains of Tennessee building trails or hammering away at rotted wood in the upper Ninth Ward? First, second, third, and fourth round… that’s what this year has become; defined into quarters, breaks, and natural disasters. In just one month, we’ve had a week long break, witnessed two major hurricanes, and started our last project. Reflecting back on all these experiences has made me realize that in just two short months, we’ll all be saying our goodbyes to people who have become so close to be considered family, who have shared and witnessed both good and bad times together, and who have been there every waking and sleeping moment. It’s incredible.

So what is Earth One doing for fourth round anyway? We are working with St. Bernard Project in St. Bernard, Louisiana, about 30 minutes away from downtown. We are living at Camp Hope, volunteer housing in what was previously a middle school. With St. Bernard Project, we are able to serve as site supervisors, electricians, starters, and runners. For the first time, we are working alongside another AmeriCorps NCCC team, Raven 2 from the Perry Point, Maryland, campus. I am working as a runner, which is basically the person who delivers materials and tools to the worksites, makes frequent trips to Home Depot, and gets to learn the streets in St. Bernard parish really well. As Sam mentioned in the last post, St. Bernard Project was started by two ambitious individuals, Zack and Liz. From just an idea to help families rebuild their homes, they built an organization that has rebuilt at least 70 homes in St. Bernard Parish in this past year alone. With help from over 3,500 volunteers from all over the country, families are able to move back into their flood damaged homes, finally, after over three years of living in FEMA trailers, with other family members, or even in different states.

As I was driving through these neighborhoods today, I was disturbed at the number of homes still in major disrepair. Our efforts during the next six weeks will surely help some families be closer to moving back into their homes; I just wish progress was faster and that every family could have the lives they had pre-Katrina. Sadly, as I look around as the dilapidated store fronts, piles of rubble, and abandoned homes, I’m not sure that will ever happen. Thankfully, there are individuals from all over the country who continue to volunteer to help the rebuilding efforts. Thankfully, my team and I are part of those efforts.

-Maria C.

St. Bernard Project

We had our orientation today. We saw some of the houses we'll be working on, we met the people that we'll be working with and we learned the story behind the St. Bernard Project. We also met one of the homeowners. It's pretty amazing. The people here are full of love and hope. They work hard and they have done amazing things.

St. Bernard Project was started by a couple from Boston, Zach and Liz. They first came to Louisiana about 6 months after the storm. They thought they would help rebuild. They thought that they would put up new walls, pound nails or cut wood. But the city wasn't even cleaned up yet. There was still half a foot of mud in most houses and trash in the streets.

When they went back home they decided to continue to help. They set up a tool lending program. It quickly grew into much more. St Bernard Project now gets thousands of volunteers every year and they have completed more than 140 homes.

But 3 years later there is still a lot of work to do. It's humbling and inspiring. I'm excited to start.
~Sam

Throwing Sand Bags at Ike

Friday morning we were all expecting a pretty quiet day. We were all sitting around watching a movie when all of a sudden one of the other volunteers here at Camp Hope flew into the room and asked us who wanted to throw sand bags. We were like "Why? What's going on?" He told us the levees were getting over topped by the storm surge from Hurricane Ike and they needed help. We had 5 minutes to get ready and get going.

When we got there we drove out to where the water was spilling over. It was windy and muddy and for a while we helped throw sand bags on the levees. But they needed more help further back with palletizing sand bags. So we went and helped unload huge trucks full of sand bags and stack them on pallets. It was tough work. The sand bags were heavy and when we were working the pace was grueling. In the afternoon we helped fill the bags with sand. By the end of the day we were sweaty, sore, and filthy but for a while it felt like we were saving the world. We were on the front line doing battle with mother nature.

Shuffle Team Earth 2 - Iowa Disaster Response

My shuffle team was Earth 2 - even though this project ended a few weeks ago, I wanted to share a little about my experiences. During my shuffle round I was sent on disaster to the town of Oakville, Iowa. Oakville is a little town that is known to make some of the best hog feed in the country. It was built on a flood plain right off of the Iowa River. The levee broke due to the increase of water in early July, causing the whole entire town to be flooded with at least four feet of water. The town literally had a channel of water flowing through it. When you first drive to the town you can see how the river broke through the town because of the displaced homes and the houses split in two. The community of Oakville is very small and is made up of families that have lived there for generations. Because Oakville is on a flood plain no one had insurance for the disaster. Volunteers from all over came and helped get the town ready to rebuild. Our team arrived in late July and we stayed until the middle of August. The mission was to muck and gut as many houses as possible so the town could start getting ready to rebuild the following spring.

The disaster was really tough. When they ask you in the NCCC interview if you can be flexible and work in strenuous conditions, they are talking about disasters like this. The one I experienced was very intense work. We took apart houses. To take apart a house it takes a lot of work and problem solving skills. To gut a house is not as easy as you think. We had to pick up things that were destroyed by the flood. Sometimes we had no idea what we were picking up because they were so unrecognizable. Rule number one in gutting a house is never open the refrigerator. If you do, expect to smell the worst thing ever. One of my teammates was curious and did not heed this advice so he opened two of them and each time resulted in a very very very bad smell. One time we called in some help to lift them out of a basement and some Amish men came and helped us. They worked so hard it made us look bad. They did everything bare handed without masks and boots. They tore off the door, took all the spoiled food out, and then tossed the freezer on the pile in a matter of minutes. After that we all felt a little flustered but we were so grateful that they were there. The most disgusting aspect of the disaster was the basement. The basement was filled with frogs, crawfish, water bugs and the biggest salamanders you have ever seen. On top of deconstruction we also saved tons of wildlife in the basement in between shoveling all the slop. The basements smelled bad; it was the hardest work and it kept on filling with water. But it was by far some of the most important work we did. When we were cleaning out basements we had to wear the TYVEK suit with booties and a hood.

The hours were long, the work sometimes was impossible, but it is some of the most rewarding work you can do. The people in the town were so nice to us and touched all our hearts. One such family was Lyn and Teresa, a nice couple who had their house destroyed. They were so nice and kept on finding us in the town to make sure we were all right. My teammate Noel and I took apart their bathroom and they asked us to keep a huge mirror, the toilet, sink, and the tub. It was a lot of extra work to keep these pieces intact but worth the price because it made them so happy that something could be salvaged. It is really hard to explain the atmosphere of a disaster because it's such a physical and emotional experience, but all you can do is give your all. The two teams that were on disaster did an amazing job. We worked really hard, had a great attitude, and all were always willing to help each other get things done. We left everything on the table and let the community touch our lives.

~Kate

The Week of Waiting

It's been an interesting week. We all got back from our week of vacation on Monday rested and eager to get back to work. Unfortunately, hurricanes have a way of messing up plans. Hurricane Gustav was hitting Louisiana the day I got back to Denver. We were all here holding our breath hopping that it wouldn't be another Katrina. Thankfully New Orleans was mostly spared. Still we couldn't go back right away. There was still no water or electricity. Our departure was delayed for a day. Then it was delayed again another two days. Today we heard that we wouldn't be leaving until Monday. Then just, an hour ago, I found out we're packing up and hitting the road tomorrow. It's tough not knowing what's going on. We're still not sure what we are going to be doing once we get there. With two more storms on the way things are even more unpredictable. Sometimes that's just how it is in AmeriCorps. You have to be flexable.

Despite the delays and the uncertainty we've been keeping busy. Yesterday we worked at The Food Bank of the Rockies packaging meals for families and senior citizens. Today we helped set up for the 21st annual Colorodo AIDS walk and 5k run. It was fun. We helped set up the stage. I got to live my dreams of being a roadie and play with 400 lb. speakers.


I've got to go pack and prepare. Lots to do!


~Sam

The U.S. Air Force Academy

It was a pretty typical transition week. We had a debrief and brief. We had a tool check in and room inspections. Friday however was exciting. Instead of our usual transition week activities we went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. We woke up at the crack of dawn and drove up into the foothills of the rockies. It's a beautiful sprawling campus dotted with pine trees. We spent the morning doing the confidence course. It's basicly a big wooden obsacle course. There were walls to climb over, logs to balance on and ropes to swing on. It was really fun. Like a jungle gym for grown ups. :)

In the afternoon we did the teamwork training course. It was a series of puzzles that you had to solve together. One involved building a bridge to get a barrel across a river. Another had us climbing over two 5ft fences without touching them. It was neat becuase they weren't just imaginary puzzles on paper they actually had fences and barrels that we physically interacted with to solve the problems.

By the end of the day we were worn out but we were stronger physically, mentally and together as a team.

~Sam

Shuffle Round - Earth 3

Third round, which we just finished, was shuffle round. This means we went on spike with a new team and a new team leader. Amanda, Stacy, Maria and I were shuffled to Earth 3. It was really fun, so I wanted to share a little about our experiences.

We had a great project. We worked with Habitat for Humanity in Lafayette, LA. Right away they had us doing construction. We spent the first few weeks putting up insulation and drywall. Insulating a house is not very fun. It's itchy and harmful if you breathe it, so we had to wear dust masks, but it makes the house more energy efficient. Dry walling was better. It took us a while to figure out how to do it but once we did I really enjoyed it. We also installed flooring, cabinets, doors and trim.

Probably the best part was the people. The area where we lived is known as the most "cajun" place in the country. People were so friendly and they were constantly cooking us food. Shrimp etouffee, gumbo, crab, jambalaya. It was delicious. One of the future homeowners would often come and work with us and whenever she did she brought a gigantic watermelon. We danced to Louisiana zydeco music and we heard great cajun jokes. The people, despite all their hardships, really manage to enjoy life to the fullest.

-Sam

Back to Denver

On Thursday morning the team left our lowernine.org house to head back to Denver. We stayed in Terrell, TX our first night and ate dinner at Applebees. It was great. We left the following morning at 8am for Salina, Kansas. Tonight we’re staying at a Days Inn. For dinner tonight we were going to treat ourselves to Red Lobster, because we thought we had enough money with our AmeriCorps budget (we saved money making our own lunches on the cheap). But, they seated us, we looked at the menu, and saw that this restaurant was not for our AmeriCorps budget. So we left and went to Chili’s. It was great! Tomorrow we will be in Denver in the afternoon.

Katie snags lunch out of the back of the van.

I’m excited to get back to Denver, but I will miss this project. This round went well. I worked at Willie’s house for the whole round. I was a site supervisor of volunteers from New York City and for Summer of Service AmeriCorps members. We built a shed and worked on the inside of the house to re-frame and re-floor the rotten wood from the storm. We were able to finish the framing before I left for Denver. Overall, the spike was good. I got to meet some great volunteers at lowernine.org who I hung out with the entire time.

-Rob