AmeriCorps wraps up year of service in Liberty Co.

AmeriCorps volunteers wrap up a year of service by helping out at the Duck Farm EcoCenter in Raywood. Here they helped renovate the country’s largest Labryth

LIBERTY— A team of 10 AmeriCorps* National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members from the Central Region campus in Denver have been working with the Center for Faith and Health Initiatives on a variety of service projects in Houston and Raywood since Sept. 15.
While at Langetree DUCK FARM Eco Center in Raywood, the team has worked on updating the country’s largest labyrinth, constructing a greenhouse, erecting a meeting pavilion and planting numerous donated plants. They have also built 10 ramps for the elderly and disabled, performed 10 home restorations and presented disaster preparedness information to community members at the Chinese Community Center in Houston.

Corps Members are required to perform 80 hours of independent service during their 10 month term in AmeriCorps*NCCC, on top of their normally assigned projects. While in Houston, many Corps Members have exceeded this requirement, volunteering on their days off with local organizations, including the Houston Habitat for Humanity, Stages Repertory Theater, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and at the Houston Zoo.
Prior to this project in Houston, team members completed projects assisting with ongoing hurricane recovery along the Gulf Coast, as well as other service projects throughout the central United States. The team will be returning to Denver on November 1 to wrap-up their program year and graduate.
AmeriCorps*NCCC is a full-time, residential, national service program in which 1,100 young adults serve nationwide each year. During their 10-month term, Corps Members – all 18 to 24 years old – work on teams of 8 to12 on projects that address compelling, self-identified community needs. These projects, usually lasting six to eight weeks each, improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, address unmet human needs, and provide rapid and continuing disaster relief.
AmeriCorps*NCCC has responded to every national disaster since the program began in 1994, including 1 million hours of service to date in response to Hurricane Katrina.
In exchange for their service, Corps Members receive $4,725 to help pay for college, or to pay back existing student loans. Other benefits include a small living stipend, leadership development, team building skills, increased self-confidence, and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference.
AmeriCorps*NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
For more information about AmeriCorps*NCCC, visit the website at www.americorps.gov/nccc.