Class 15 Get to the Point Issue 2

AmeriCorps NCCC—Celebrating 15 Years of Service

Welcome to Perry Point and your second issue of our newsletter, Get To The Point. Rather

than bombard you with tons of information onyour first day with the National Civilian

Community Corps (NCCC), we decided to devote most of this issue of GTTP “Team to

Green” — the Team Leaders (TLs) and Support Team leaders (STLs) who wear the green

shirts. Many started their NCCC experience just as you are today, as Corps Members. For

others, this is their first NCCC adventure. Either way, Team Green members have lots of

stories and will serve as great mentors, coaches and leaders for you as you embark on your

service year. Here, in their own words, is a brief introduction to Team Green:

Welcome Class XV Corps Members!

AmeriCorps NCCC: Getting Things Done

Get to the Point!

Inside this issue:

Staff Bios 2

Counselor Reminder 2

Money Matters 3

You Might Want to

Bring 3

Meet the Unit

Leaders 3

F.A.Q.s 4

Airport Arrival Info 4

Wildland Fire Info 4

Travel Tips 5

NCCC Pledge 5

Info From the MSS 5

February 2009 Volume XV, Issue 2

“NCCC felt like a college course in life experience,

the only requirement was an open mind.”

- Becca Bacon

Eagle 2, Class XIV

Badger Unit

Badger Support Team Leader:

Liz Busch was born an excited

spark plug. After conquering the

world in Class XIV, she decided

to rejoin AmeriCorps as a mem-

ber of team GREEN CLASS XV!

Liz enjoys a nice cup of Joe and

could live solely on circus pea-

nuts and jelly beans. In her free

time, Liz enjoys body building, riding her bike across the great

state of Iowa and raising fierce

badgers. Did she mention that if

Jesus had a summer home it

would either be in Marcus, Io-

wa, or house 1063 in the Perry

Point Village?

Badger 1: Jessie Baldwin is a

California native who went to

school for sociology at the Uni-

versity of California in Davis.

She graduated two years ago

and since graduation has been

working for non-profits, most

recently working for the Avon

Walk for Breast Cancer in San

Francisco. She loves the culture

and vibrancy of that city where

she hopes to live at the end of

her time in NCCC. She also

loves soccer, traveling and

meeting new people. So come

introduce yourself!

Badger 2: Katie LaMarca is

from Long Island, New York.

She graduated college in 2007

with a Bachelor of Fine Art de-

gree and then spent the follow-

ing year as a Corps Member at

the Western Region campus in

Sacramento. Some of her favor-

ite things include: Seinfeld, run-

ning and moon pies.

Badger 3: Born and raised in

Miami, Linda Arenas worked

her way through college and

grad school before coming to

AmeriCorps NCCC and is very

excited about being a Team

Leader with the Premier Cam-

pus! She loves traveling to Co-

lombia to visit family in South America and also has been lucky

enough to travel with friends to

beautiful Costa Rica, Hawaii,

Puerto Rico and Spain. She is

currently teaching herself Italian

before making a trip out to Eu-

rope. Linda is very passionate

about the things she does and

always tries to put a positive

spin on things. Two of her fa-

vorite Disney movies include

Finding Nemo and Lilo and Stitch.

Last but not least, she leaves

you with a message that is near

and dear to her... ''Make today

count... Because tomorrow isn't

guaranteed!''

Badger 4: Phillip Smith, call

him “Tony”, was born in the n

in the foothills of Oakland, Cali-

fornia. He relocated to the

great state of Minnesota and is

now entering his second year in

AmeriCorps NCCC.

Last year he was a Corps Mem-

ber on Badger 4 and enjoyed it

so much he came back to lead

Badger 4 through another great

year of service. Tony’s theme

song is by DJ Khaled — GO

HARD!!

Badger 5: Tyler Burns, a

young, resourceful lad, grew up

on the average streets of Cape

Coral, Florida where he learned

the dangers of boredom and too

much sun. After receiving his

degree in Business Administra-

tion from Florida State Universi-

ty, he worked in an office ensur-

ing pensions for retirees. Realiz-

ing that this was not his path, he

joined AmeriCorps NCCC,

serving at Perry Point as a

Corps Member in Class XIV. Tyler enjoys the three Rs: Read-

ing, Running and Reinvigorating

Rhetorical Relics. Really.

Badger 6: Andrew Ewing. I

was born on a Tuesday in sunny,

scenic Indianapolis, Indiana into

the loving arms of the Ewings. I

moved back and forth from Indy


Meet the Team Leaders (continued)

Get to the Point!

“This is a chance to

connect with other

citizens of our country, to

help where many have

gone unheard and

unnoticed, to provide

peace of mind to those

with no where else to

turn.”

- Arielle Davis

Eagle 3, Class XIII

to San Diego and back again for

the first decade of my life. I have

been heavy into sports for most

of my life and played football and

lacrosse during high school. I

continued to play lacrosse at Ken-

yon College in Ohio. Go Lords! I

graduated from Kenyon in 2007

where I majored in History. I also

spent a semester living in Galway,

Ireland where I attended NUI,

Galway. My resume includes, but

is not limited to, working at a

summer camp, running my own

daycare, working in retail and as a

doorman. I eventually found my

way to NCCC and was a Corps

Member at the Point in Class XIV.

I loved my experience so much

that I am back again to lead the greatest team in all of NCCC

history, Badger 6. In my spare

time I love to read, run, travel and

watch any movie I can get my

hands on. My mind is full of use-

less trivia, so I can frequently be

found at BW3’s eating wings and

destroying the “competition” in

the buzztime trivia game. I look

forward to having another great

year and introducing the lucky

few to all that is…BADGER 6, rar

rar rar.

Raven Unit

Raven Support Leader: Amber

Reed is from Coos Bay, Oregon,

where her entire family still lives.

She attended Willamette Univer-

sity where she studied politics and

history, argued for scholarship

money, worked at an elementary

school, interned in the state sen-

ate, studied abroad and made

some really great friends. Amber

loves to play outside, read, travel, file things and drink coffee. She is

passionate about most domestic

public policy areas and couch

napping.

Raven 1: Rosanna "Sandy"

Meenan was born in Oxnard,

California but raised just north of

San Antonio, Texas. She received

her bachelor’s degree in Biology

from the University of Texas at

San Antonio and plans to get her

Master’s in Environmental Justice

somewhere on the East Coast

after this year. She served as a

Corps Member last year at Perry

Point and is super excited to have

her own team this year! Some of

her passions are: long walks, Jun-

ior Mints, music and always having

it on (MINUS COUNTRY!),

laughing, making inappropriate

jokes, reading classic novels, trav-

eling and having new adventures.

She is also very passionate about

service work and the environ-

ment and hopes that you get as

much out of this year as she did

last year! YEA!

Raven 2: Stanley H. Murzyn is

the Team Leader for Raven Two.

He was born in Taiwan, in the

Year of the Dragon. He cracked

his head before he was three

years of age. He put the "pedal to

the metal" in a German tank. He

skied the same slopes as the 1994

Winter Olympics. He has lived in

three countries and visited eight

more. He can twist his thumbs

backwards. He butters his Pop-

Tarts. He loves to cook. And

most importantly, he feels very

lucky and excited to serve with a

new group of CMs for his second

year of service in NCCC.

Raven 3: Mo Wieser comes to

Perry Point from Portland, Ore-

gon. She graduated from Gonzaga

University with a degree in Psy-

chology and eventually wants to

return to school. For the past

three years, Mo has worked for

both Northwest Youth Corps and

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps;

taking teenagers into the woods

to build bridges, trails, turnpikes

and crib structures. When not in

the woods, Mo likes to play soc-

cer, go camping and go rock

climbing.

Raven 4: My name is Nathanus

Campbellus, commander of the

armies of Raven 4, member of the

1112 boys, and loyal servant to

the true Raven Unit Leader, Jen

Horan. Product of Madison, Wis-

consin, graduate of St. Olaf Col-

lege, track runner, alumni of the

murdered Charleston NCCC

campus, and, I will have an amaz-

ing 10 months, be it in Maryland

or the Gulf.

Raven 5: Raven 5: Vivian

Newstate is new to NCCC but

completed another AmeriCorps

program, Public Allies, in her

hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

She received a Bachelor of Sci-

ence from the University of Cin-

cinnati. She is excited to embark

on another term of service. Her

hope is that as she volunteers in different communities, she can

encourage others to be civically

engaged and take care of their

neighbors.

Raven 6: Jeremy Exell is older

than you. Deal with it. (He may or

may not have anger management

issues.) When serving in Ameri-

Corps, he lives out of his 2001

Mazda Protégé….no joke. He

graduated from THE Michigan

State University with a degree in

History. An Alumni of Perry Point

Class XIV, Jeremy is looking for-

ward to working with great peo-

ple, making great friends, getting

great things done and just being

great.

Wolf Unit

Wolf Support Team Leader:

Wolf Unit STL: Amanda Bashir

is from Los Alamitos, California.

This is her second year of service

with AmeriCorps NCCC. She

served as a Corps Member last year in Sacramento, California.

Her hobbies are traveling and

discovering new and exciting

things. She plans on becoming a

graphic designer after she leaves

the program. Her favorite quote

is, “Life is either a daring adven-

ture or nothing at all!”- Helen

Keller.


Volume XV, Issue 2

Meet the Team Leaders (continued)

Wolf 1: Mikey Nelson, who sometimes an-

swers to “Tim”, arrived at the Point by way of

Boulder, Colorado, a beautiful city placed on

the doorstep of heaven beneath the Rocky

Mountains. He attended the University of

Northern Colorado where he obtained a de-

gree in Criminal Justice. This is his second year

in NCCC following a successful Corps Member

year in Sacramento Class XIV. He enjoys kit-

tens, an array of sports, traveling and exploring

the outdoors.

Wolf 2: Peter Czarkowski has many faces,

and no past. It's been said that he was born of

a virgin in the Maryland room of B15. But I

heard it was the Connecticut room. Today he

returns as the proud leader of Wolf 2: Kill

Squad. But what can be said of Peter, the

man? He is a man of many words. Many im-

portant words. Organized into sentences, with subjects and predicates. And also nouns, and

verbs and adverbs. Well, not always adverbs.

Or subjects, I guess. Listen, we're not in Sun-

day grammar school anymore! This is the

NCCC, where boys become men, girls become

men, and men become the leaders of tomor-

row! Peter thanks you and welcomes you to

The Point.

Wolf 3: Most would say Joareyn Hill is kind

of crazy (in a good way), but she prefers the

word "unique". Raised in Menomonee Falls,

Wisconsin with her three sisters and brother,

"Jo" graduated from high school not knowing

what to do with her life. She went to the Uni-

versity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for Theatre,

but only lasted a semester. Before joining

NCCC last year, she earned her dough by

starting her own cleaning business. Jo loved her

Corps Member experience so much she could-

n't not come back as a Team Leader. She loves

her cat CoCo and her late kitty Tinky (almost

too much), talking in accents, her birthday,

would love to be a Vegas Showgirl, and every-

day ridiculousness that life offers. Go Packers!

Woo...HOO!

Wolf 4: Colleen O’Toole is excited to begin

her Team Leader year after taking a two-and-a-

half-year vacation from Corps life after serving

at the Capital Region Campus in Class XII. She

hails from Michigan but is a Notre Dame fan

and does not like the cold. Colleen's favorite

activities around the Point are PT with Der-

nard (especially when he sings) and Sean, hang-

ing out in the basement of 9-H and GMA with

Team Green.

Wolf 5: Wolf 5: Amanda Atkins comes

from Kansas City, Missouri and is back for her second year in NCCC after serving in Sacra-

mento, Class XIV, whoot! She is working on

her Master's in school counseling and remains

an active Girl Scout. When she isn't saving the

world, she is either getting lost in the woods

or exploring the coast. Amanda also enjoys

dollar stores, dancing in the van, Clay Aiken,

camping, sunsets, googley-eyes, and shiny

things.

Other Support Team Leaders

Zach Brooks is the Community Relations

Support Team Leader (aka the Guy Who

Writes These Newsletters). He is extremely

excited to be back at the Atlantic Region for

the second straight year. Last year he was on

Raven 5 (Raveno Cinco) and had a blast. Zach’s

favorite project was working at the Camden

Children’s Garden in Camden, New Jersey and

still visits Camden on a regular basis. Z. Brooks

graduated from Michigan State University with

degrees in Advertising and Psychology and is a HUGE MSU basketball and football fan. After

NCCC, Zach aspires to become the first

AmeriCorps alumni on “Survivor”.

Projects Support Team Leader: Julia Gerlach

was born in Long Beach, California and grew

up outside Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated

from Cleveland State University in 2007 with a

degree in Communication Management. Julia

served as a Corps Member at Perry Point in

2007. She is excited about being a support

team leader this year. Julia loves turtles, any-

thing related to food (especially baking!!!), the

Cleveland Indians, her dog Surely and Jimmy

Buffett. BUT, she hates people who are late.

Don’t be late.

Jenna Kreitzer is excited to return to Perry

Point for her second year in NCCC. She loves

the outdoors and especially enjoys hiking,

camping and skiing. Jenna hails from West

Bend, Wisconsin where she grew up with her

four siblings. Before joining AmeriCorps

NCCC, Jenna graduated from the University of

Wisconsin La Crosse with a degree in Public

Administration.

Patrick Sullivan has the heart of a lion and

the tenacity of a platypus. Patrick served as a

field team leader in Class XIV and, despite

severe emotional injury and ego damage, he

chose to return for another year. He cele-

brates himself. And sings himself. One day,

Patrick dreams to become an NBA player, and

a hip-hop superstar.


AmeriCorps NCCC

Atlantic Region

Airport Arrival Information

If you arrive by plane to BWI Airport on

February 3rd, look for this

symbol.

It will be plastered all over the person who will

direct you to the transport to campus. Seriously, they will have

the “A” on their shirt sleeves, their vests, sweat shirts...they may

even be holding a sign with the “A” on it! If you miss the “A,”

look for the USO Office in the baggage claim area. You should

find an NCCC member there!

Janet Boyer

Community Relations Specialist

P.O. Box 209

Perry Point, MD

21902

Phone: 410-642-2411x6244

Fax: 410-642-1888

E-mail: [email protected]

Your world. Your chance

to make it better.

Caption describing pic-

ture or graphic.

Wildland Firefighter

Information

Are you interested in becoming

a Wildland Firefighter? If so,

start getting into shape now. The Firefighter Pack Test will be

sometime in early February and

there will not be time to train

once you arrive on campus.

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps Mission Statement:

To strengthen communities and develop leaders

through team-based national community service.

$4.50 a Day, Are You Kidding Me?

Q. Are linens and towels provided? A. Linens and towels are NOT provided. You may ship bedding

prior to your arrival, but it should not arrive before January 27, 2009. You will also have the opportunity to go shopping at a Wal-Mart or Target when you arrive at The Point

Q. I just got my nose pierced… I can wear a stud, right? A. No. The Dress Code prohibits any facial jewelry, including studs,

while in NCCC uniform. Any piercing in the ears must be stud piercings or small hoops (dime-size or smaller). Tunnels must

conform to the size requirement and must be solid. A complete Uniform Policy will be provided to you upon your arrival to

campus.

Q. How will I eat every day? A. AmeriCorps NCCC will give you money each week and two

people from every house will go shopping. By the end of CTI you

will be an expert grocery shopper and cook! Q. Can I live with my friend from home who will be in NCCC? A. No, roommates are assigned randomly. You will find out your

housing assignments when you arrive. Q. I’m driving to The Point, will I be able to drive my own car to

projects? A. No, each team will take their “govie” van to project, but personal

vehicles are not allowed on spike. Q. Can I get on the internet at The Point?

A. Yes. There is a computer lab on campus that also has a wireless

signal. On a nice day, you can even sit outside and get online.

Have a question? Send it to [email protected] and the appropriate staff

member will answer it in the next issue.

WWW . A MERIC ORP S . GOV/ NCCC

Get to the Point!


From the Desk of the Member Support Specialist (MSS)

Words of Wisdom:

One suitcase

(no more than 50

pounds)

and one carry-on

size bag is all you

need. Believe me!

I will get things done for America,

To make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy, I will take action.

Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity, I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps Member, and I will GET THINGS DONE!

In order to make your in-processing as easy as

possible, you need to bring the following

paperwork:

Document proving citizenship (passport,

birth certificate)

Copy of driving record (if you plan on being a

van driver)

Valid photo ID

Copy of High School Diploma or College

degree, if applicable

Social Security Number

Documentation of tetanus shot, if you had

one

Immunization Records

Direct Deposit information

Student loan information for loan

forbearance, if applicable.

You can begin forwarding your mail beginning

January 27. The addresses for letters and packages

are listed to the left.

Have you received your travel plans? Please make

sure your checking your e-mail as all travel

arrangements are through e-mail correspondence.

If you have not received your flight information by

January 23rd please e-mail Member Support

Specialist Shawna Vreeke at [email protected].

Please make sure you remember your log in and

password for the My AmeriCorps web portal. You

will need access to the portal for in-processing and it can take up to two weeks to create a new

password. Please go to my.americorps.gov and

verify your log in information. If you have any

questions or concerns please contact Member

Support Specialist Shawna Vreeke at

[email protected]

You’re young. You’re strong. You’re able to respond to a call for help at a moment’s

notice. You are an NCCC member and you are ready to serve. And what’s great about the NCCC program is that you don’t need to bring a lot of “stuff” with you to enjoy your service year. In fact, we can’t over-emphasize that you should pack light for your

NCCC adventure. One suitcase (no more than 50 pounds) and one carry-on size bag is all you’ll need. So, as you are deciding what to bring, keep in mind that storage space at the Perry Point

Campus is limited and that you will be required to vacate campus housing during your project rounds. Clearly, then, you won’t want to waste your time between project rounds repeatedly packing and unpacking a bunch of unnecessary “stuff”? If you need help

deciding what to bring, read pages 33 and 34 of your Welcome Packet.

Travel Light

AmeriCorps NCCC

Pledge

The following will be your address for your 10 months of

service: YOUR NAME, Class XV

AmeriCorps NCCC, Team

(which you will receive after a few weeks at The Point)

P.O. Box 209

Perry Point, MD 21902 This address for packages

only is:

YOUR NAME, Class XV AmeriCorps NCCC

VA Medical Center Building 15, Room 2 Boiler House Road

Perry Point, MD 21902

Volume XV, Issue 2

mailto:[email protected]

https://my1.americorps.gov/mp/member/index.do?SID=c0a8060f30d7dac5ebdef7ca431ebe378ddba079449e

mailto:[email protected]


Your world. Your chance

to make it better.

AmeriCorps NCCC

Atlantic Region

Phone: 410-642-2411x6244

Fax: 410-642-1888

E-mail: [email protected]

Janet Boyer

Community Relations Specialist

P.O. Box 209

Perry Point, MD

21902

WWW . A MERIC ORP S . GOV/ NCCC


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Class 15 Get to the Point Issue 2

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Transcript of Class 15 Get to the Point Issue 2