Stonehill Alumni Complete AmeriCorps NCCC Service
September 07, 2010
by Heather Dirck
AmeriCorps NCCC
Community Relations Specialist
They've lived in tents, gutted flood-damaged homes, mentored disadvantaged youth, coordinated thousands of volunteers, and developed into our nation's future leaders. With 70 projects in 11 states behind them, AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members Kimberly Kawecki, Ellen Tarry, Paul Butler, and Andrew Cutter, all 2009 graduates of Stonehill, have completed 10 months of full-time service to communities in need.
Kawecki and Tarry, who served as Team Leaders, arrived at NCCC's Southwest Region Campus in Denver in September 2009 to begin training. Butler and Cutter, who served as Corps Members, arrived later on October 14, 2009 to begin their training and term of service. All four graduated from the program on Tuesday, July 27.
These Stonehill alumni and their respective teams of about 10 other members completed a series of six- to eight-week-long projects in different communities across the country. NCCC projects support disaster relief, the environment, energy conservation, infrastructure improvement, and urban and rural development.
The teams responded to 11 disaster callouts nationwide this year in partnership with the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the United States Forest Service. AmeriCorps NCCC certifies 100 percent of its members in disaster relief, and has responded to every national disaster since the program began in 1994.
There are four other NCCC campuses located in Perry Point, Md., Vicksburg, Miss., Vinton, Iowa, and Sacramento, Calif., each of which is a hub for its respective area of the country, though teams will travel to other regions for disaster relief projects.
At Stonehill, Kawecki majored in English, Tarry majored in communication, Butler majored in business management, and Cutter majored in neuroscience.
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 eight to 12 on projects that address compelling, self-identified community needs. The Southwest Region campus in Denver is one of four regional hubs in the United States and serves eight states in the southwest part of the country.
In exchange for their service, Corps Members receive $5,350 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.
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