Get to the Point 1

Volume XVII Issue 2

Get to the Point: The NCCC News

March 2011

Perry Point Atlantic Region

An NCCC Atlantic Region Publication

Get to the Point 2

After farming Buffalo 1 Goes Urban By: Andrew Allmendinger and Aubrey Sedor

For just starting out Buffalo 1 has already served America like nobody’s business, we spent 3 days on our mini spike at Kayam Farms learning the value of getting down and dirty with the earth! Kayam Farms is a Jewish farm that educates the community about Jewish culture through farming. During our stay we planted 500 parsley seeds, 300 cabbage seeds, and inoculated over 2,500 mushroom spoors. Not to mention we built a chicken coop, tilled fields and rebuilt the chil-dren’s garden.

As Buffalo 1 we are ready for our first spike and the city life! We are going to Baltimore for the FIRST Chesapeake Regional to do assembly/disassembly, crowd control and watch the youth of America push their robotic inventions to new heights. The FIRST Robotics Competition inspires a passion for youth in ar-eas of science and technology. Then we will stay in Baltimore to work with City Neighbors (City Neighbors Charter School ‘K-8’, City Neighbors Hamilton ‘K-5’, City Neighbors High School ‘9&10’) to refurbish schools so that the children of City Neighbors will have a creative, fun and safe environment to learn in.

Since this is our first Spike we are excited to learn skills such as light construction, demolition, painting and plumbing. Also mentoring and interacting with youth and building positive team dynamics. We cannot wait to explore the cultured city of Baltimore and participate in suggested activities such as watching Brazilian drumming, Shakespeare plays, choral concerts, dance performances and much more. Buffalo 1 and Buffalo 6 will be roomies and Buffalo 1 challenges them to a bowling competition!

Inside this Issue:

Rod’s Ruminations

Dernard’s Vehicle Tips

Upper left clockwise: David Mueller(R4) lugging fence while on Mini-Spike. Michael Rood (M1) giving breath in CPR. Jared Robison (M3) practicing proper tool usage. Green Team (Leeann Sudol (R3) Kevin Jones (R1) Julian Cesner (R7) Amelia Hansen (R4) Chris Quirk (OSTL) Ambrosia Barnette (R2) Griff Ryan-Roberts (R6) Hunter Griendling (R5) John Serbell (B7). Maria Browning (R6) & Ariel Keeton (R7) learning First Aid. Center: Raven 6 look very dapper in their formals.

Back Row Left: Aubrey Sedor, Felicia Smith, Justin Wood, Robert Cuff, Devon Frison, TL Megan Riley Front Row Left: Eileen Munsch, Lauryn Kaczor, Andrew Allmendinger, Michael Kostek

Buffalo 1 Update

Member Statement

Strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national

and community service

The Trainer’s Two Cents

CAP & Media

Alumni Spotlight

3

Hulk’s PT

4

3

5

5

2

3

5

Get to the Point 3

Getting things DONE! CAP & Media: Congratulations & Such

The Trainer’s Two Cents: Carlyn Payton

Member Statement I’m a member of the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program. N-triple-C members are 18 to 24 years old and spend 10 months getting things done for America while developing their own leadership skills. We serve on teams to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters, build homes, and help the environment.

Greetings and Salutations to the best Class 17 that AmeriCorps has ever seen! Congratulations again on completing Corps Training Institute (CTI) and being inducted into the AmeriCorps NCCC family. We had 172 members to turn in their Congressional Award Registrations. WooHoo!!! I have submitted all forms and will wait for the Congressional office to provide me a spreadsheet of everyone’s eligibility. When you return in April, I will place the list on the bulletin board in Building 15. After your viewing, if there are any discrepancies, you can see me individually.

I am really excited about your NCCC journey, seize every moment that is offered to you. I would like to Shout Out Moose 1 for doing a phenomenal job coordinating the Community Meeting last week.

Raven 2 was the 1st team to complete a CAP Event...they traveled this past Monday to Potomac Job Corps for a Presentation! Way to go Raven 2 !

Moose 7, Moose 1 & Raven 3 all have already begun posting pictures on Picasa– WAY TO GO! Keep up the great work!

Moose 3’s Naiemah Brown thank you for your wonderful outreach to Freestate ChalleNGe Academy!

Shout out to those who have started their team Facebook Pages: Buffalo 2, Buffalo 5 & Buffalo 6 Moose 1, Moose 2 & Moose 4 Raven 1, Raven 2 & Raven 6

Regional Coordinators will coordinate with other Reps for Events & Outreach and they will also answer questions by Reps. We will contact everyone with more information soon. Regional

Coordinators are as follows:

CAP: DC-Franklin Brimage from Raven 2 (R6,B4, R7) MD– Ariel Keeton from Raven 7 (M1, B5,R1) Emily Donnel from Buffalo 6 (B1, R4) Melissa Kleppinger from Moose 2(B3, B4, M3) LA/VA-Jenna Lees from Moose 4 (R3, P1) NJ/NY-Benton Holmes (M6, B7) DE/CT/VT/PA-Covered by Laura Mack CRSTL

Media:

DC-Alex Akers from Raven 2 (R6,B4, R7) MD-Katherine Figura from Buffalo 5 (M1, B5,R1) John Miller from Buffalo 4 (B3, B4, M3) Daniel Clesowich from Raven 4 (B1, R4) DE– Nicole Wojcik from Moose 7 (R6, M5, B3, R1) LA/VA-Aurora White from Raven 3 (M4, P1) NJ/NY– Andrea Zeritis from Buffalo 2 (M6, B7) CT/VT/PA– Keira Westfall from Raven 5 (M6, R7)

Get to the Point 4

Each week in the Get to the Point newsletter we feature a recent alum of the NCCC program. It is never too early for you to start thinking about your Life After AmeriCorps and hopefully these short spotlights will inspire you to think ahead and also to reach out to an alum today.

Our spotlight this week is Jason MacFadgen better known as Jay from Malden, Massachusetts. Jay now lives in Boston, Massachusetts and is the Youth/Volunteer Match Specialist for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Jay studied Hearing/Deafness & American Sign Language at Emerson College.

We, at the Point, first came to know Jay as a Class 15 Corps Member in the then Badger 6 team. As a Badger, Jay’s team traveled all across the Atlantic Region and to New Orleans. While in New Orleans Jay served with several project sponsors including Rebuilding Together and even got to meet Mr. Anderson Cooper! (There’s a photo in B15, check it out)

At the Class 15 Awards Banquet Jay won the most awards of any Member that year for his service and leadership. As Class 15 came to a close Jay reflects in his blog http://jay-americorps.blogspot.com:

“My National Civilian Community Corps experience came to an end Friday, after a week of events and close-out that made up the final transition...Well, this was a bit different of a transition. We aren't eagerly awaiting news of our next project, we aren't planning what to pack, and there's no gearing up for a 2-day travel we would typically expect at the end of the week. We're closing out our year of service, and transitioning into life after AmeriCorps. So now I look back on a year of service, and I sit here not knowing where to begin and what to blog about. I’ve had what seems like a lifetime of experience in leadership, firefighting, teaching, construction, environmental conservation, volunteer management, among so many other things. Furthermore, I’ve experienced all of this with the same 8 people for the past year. They’ve been there for every moment, so they’ve seen me at both a personal and professional level. Knowing that it has come to an end is something

far beyond bittersweet, if there was even a term for it. The satisfaction of having gotten things done for communities around the country and seeing the difference that was made in others’ lives made it worth every challenge we faced this year. You get one of the best feelings by getting involved in direct service. Through it, I’ve got to meet those I’m serving and see the impact, ranging from the smile on someone’s face to the goal number of rebuilt homes reached. I’ve had these moments all year, and fortunately, I’ve got another year beginning in January as I continue my journey as a Team Leader.”

As he writes, Jay returned for a second year with the Corps as the Class 16 Team Leader of Raven 4. One function of a Team Leader is to help develop leaders and Jay did just that during Class 16. Jay was the Team Leader to four Corps Members who are now Class 17 Team Leaders—Laura Mack the Community Relations Support Team Leader, Christopher Quirk, the Operations Team Leader and Rod Swain, the Raven Unit Support Team Leader and Julian Cesner, Raven 7 Team Leader. Clearly Jay left a mark on communities and the leadership of the campus. One take away from Jay’s service is that it does not have to end this year in November— you can apply to be a Team Leader. Team Leader applications for the Winter Class will open on April 1st and close on August 1, 2011. Those who apply and are accepted will start as Team Leaders in January 2012. The time will go quickly. It will be August 1st before you know it. Think about it. Talk it over and apply before August 1st.

Thank you Jay for your two terms of service to the country and the Corps.

We hope Class 17 brings more like you. All the best.

Alumni Spotlight: Jason MacFadgen

Jay far right with Raven4 including Julian, Chris & Laura

Jay MacFadgen, Class 15 Corps Member,

Class 16 Team Leader

Get to the Point 5

Once you all leave to go on your Spike projects, things can get a little bit

boring for the STLs back at Perry Point. To combat this problem, the female STLs

have been accumulating an impressive collection of classic VHS tapes over the

years. I was recently revisiting one of my favorite childhood films, Beauty and the

Beast, and it made me pause and take note of a few things.

First of all, I think the movie has some interesting lessons relating (loosely) to service.

At the beginning, the Beast is a rich, spoiled prince. When a beggar stops by one night asking for a

place to take shelter, he turns her away from his lavish castle. But the joke is on him when the beggar

turns out to be a powerful enchantress who punishes the prince to be enslaved in the body of a hideous

beast and turns all of his servants into talking pieces of furniture.

Is this how we treat the less fortunate? Absolutely not. If you are as affluent as the Beast, you have to

be more respectful. It is short sighted to be so selfish and dismissive of poverty in your own front yard like

that. This is a lesson we can all take to heart as we head out to serve in communities across the nation.

However, watching this movie as an adult for the first time, my other reaction was one of confusion

and anger over the rampant injustice taking place before my eyes. When you think about it, did the Beast’s

punishment really fit the crime? Yes, the Prince/Beast was a total jerk, but transfiguring him into a horrifying

monster seems a little extreme. Furthermore, what about how she punishes the innocent house servants to

what is arguably a worse and more demeaning fate as living, breathing couches?

If nothing else, Beauty and the Beast makes me very thankful that I am an American. At least I live in

a country with constitutional protections against rogue enchantresses roaming the countryside dispensing

their own brand of vigilante justice. I mean, she disguised herself as a beggar woman and then as soon as she

catches the Beast in an act of moral weakness, BOOM!...she reveals herself as a sorceress. Hello? Entrapment

anyone? Only in France could something like this happen…

In the Corner with The Hulk: Physical Training The HULK move of the week: Buzz Tag: A Fun Warm- Up Activity for PT

Divide the team in half. Set up team boundary lines. Players from each team will try to

cross the other team’s boundary line. Once across the line they have to make a BUZZ

sound the whole time on one breath. They try to tag as many players without getting

tagged or out of breath. The players that are tagged are out of the game. If another player grabs the buzzing

player from behind and holds him or her until they run out of breath all those that were tagged are free and

that player is out of the game. You can also play that the first tag is only a sting and the player is frozen for

10 seconds and can be tagged once more before they are out.

Rod’s Ruminations: Service, Justice, and Walt Disney

Radiator debris should be cleaned with a soft brush. Whereas detergent solution can be used to clean the exterior of radiator.

Dernard’s Doggone Too Easy Vehicle Tips:Clean the Radiator

Get to the Point 6

From the Counselor’s Desk

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. • Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high

heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. • Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. • Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.

5 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes 2-1/2 (19 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1-1/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and chopped 1-1/4 pounds penne pasta 1-1/4 cups crumbled feta cheese

AmeriGourmet: The Cooking Corner

Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and White Beans

A note from Laura…. I am looking for my HWLs(health and wellness liaisons) to help me

design our Face Book page so that we can begin to post helpful hints, advice about health/

wellness/nutrition, etc. but also because we, as HWLs, wanted to start a “virtual cookbook

of healthy recipes that work/with the costs, etc.”

I put a “breathing 101” In each team’s mailbox today. This is the basics of relaxation that we

talked about. And please send any ideas to the HWLs on your team or to Laura at ltuck@cns.gov

Bursting the AmeriBubble • Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000

people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the cri-

sis spawned by a deadly tsunami. (AP, thenewstribune.com)

• The Beckhams are thinking pink. David Beckham and his wife Posh Spice are expecting a baby girl this

July. (people.com)

• The martial law-style order — read on Bahrain state TV — comes a day after more than 1,000 Saudi-

led troops arrived to help prop up the U.S.-backed regime in the first major cross-border action

against the revolts that have erupted across the Arab world. (npr.org)

• After talks in Paris, ministers passed the problem of how to help the Libyan opposition to the United

Nations, urging an undefined increase of pressure on the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. (nytimes.com)

• Move over, Barbie, there's a new doll in town. The Franklin Mint, a company known for its celebrity

lookalike collectibles, has unveiled the Kate Middleton royal engagement doll. Um Yeah…..(people.com)

Get to the Point 7

How to help a friend in need

When we see someone who is sad, angry or anxious, it is our instinct to ask “what's wrong?” However, someone

dealing with a mental health problem may have certain thoughts or feelings that aren't related to a specific situation

or event. So when approaching a friend who is showing signs of a problem or dealing with emotional distress, it is

important to be patient and supportive. You may not be able to understand how your friend is feeling and it may

seem uncomfortable or awkward to discuss personal and emotional issues, but you can listen and let them know

they aren't alone.

Here are some key points you can communicate to a friend in need.

We all go through tough times. Sometimes people see asking for help as a sign of weakness so you can comfort your

friend by giving them an example of a time you or someone you know struggled and needed support.

You can feel better. Your friend may feel hopeless or like no one can understand or help them, so it's important to

make them see that reaching out for support is the first step to feeling better. Mental health problems are treatable

and manageable once identified, so sometimes we need a mental check-up in the same way we get other medical

exams.

It's OK to ask for help. Remember, that our backgrounds, cultures and experiences can have a huge impact on

how we view help-seeking. Some people may come from families or ethnic groups where asking for help or seeing a

mental health professional is shunned or thought of as weak. Thinking about why a friend might be reluctant get

help can be important in deciding how to suggest they reach out for support.

If you are concerned that a friend is thinking about harming themselves or someone else, it is important that you

don't try and deal with that situation alone. You can call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK for

guidance or contact your campus counselor. .

Screening tools: http://www.depression-screening.org/depression_screen.cfm

How you respond to a friend or classmate that is showing signs of emotional distress or a potential problem is often

dependent on your relationship with that person. If you have a long history and friendship with the person, you

may be a key resource for support and feel comfortable having a discussion with your friend about how they are

feeling. If the person struggling is a more recent acquaintance, like a roommate or classmate, your role may involve

letting someone else know about the problem. Regardless, it is important to remember that you aren't a therapist

and it isn't your job to provide treatment. Your role is to be supportive and encourage them to reach out to family,

the counseling center or another medical professional as a first step--even if you don't fully understand the problem

or its severity.

Despite your good intentions, your friend might be reluctant to accept the possibility that they could have an emo-

tional disorder and that they might not react to support. They might say that the best way to help is to “back off” or

ignore the problem.

It is important that you don’t: Enable them by covering up for missed obligations & Back down on the impor-

tance of seeking help and continue to participate with them in behaviors that are agitating their mental health

(binge drinking) Remember many disorders require professional support and are not something that people can fix

on their own.

Taking on the burden of a friend in emotional distress can be extremely stressful and draining so remember your

limits and take care of your own emotional health.

Health Check In from Laura Tuck– How to Help A Friend

Get to the Point 8

Raven Unit

Moose Unit

Buffalo Unit

Green Team Phoenix