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.
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.
4 JULY 25, 2013 | GET TO THE POINT
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.
GET TO THE POINT | JULY 25, 2013 5
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.
6 JULY 25, 2013 | GET TO THE POINT
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.
GET TO THE POINT | JULY 25, 2013 7
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.
8 JULY 25, 2013 | GET TO THE POINT
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
GET TO THE POINT | JULY 25, 2013 9
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
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
Urban & Rural Development
RAVEN 4
Baltimore, Md.
Baltimore County Reforestation
Environmental Stewardship
MOOSE 1
Fayette, W.V.
Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.
Urban & Rural Development
MOOSE 3
Monroe, W.V.
Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.
Urban & Rural Development
MOOSE 5
Summers, W.V.
Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.
Urban & Rural Development
RAVEN 2
Nicholas, W.V.
Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.
Urban & Rural Development
RAVEN 3
McDowell City, W.V.
Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.
Urban & Rural Development
RAVEN 5
Wyoming, W.V.
Citizens Conservation Corps of W.V.
Urban & Rural Development
MOOSE 2
Toms River, N.J.
Jersey Cares
Disaster Services
MOOSE 4
Elkton, Md.
Project Crossroad
Urban & Rural Development
RAVEN 1
Chelsea, Mass.
Phoenix Charter Academy
Urban & Rural Development
BUFFALO 3
Torrington, Conn.
Torrington AHD/MRC
Urban & Rural Development
PHOENIX 4
Suffolk, Va.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Disaster Services
Recommended