How jealous can I make you?

This is where I work:Granite Mountain

Kamikaze Falls, Mt. Tenerife

And this is what I look like doing it:

Soon I'll post a real update, I just wanted to share some of these beautiful sights we've been seeing the past few days!
love and mountains,
--Walker

Behind.. again.

Hey all! It's only been a few weeks since I last updated but I feel like I have so many exciting things to share! Our last weeks at Cedar Crest were so exciting, we had great weeks at work and jam packed weekends to boot. Our second to last weekend we spent the first day with some of the supervisors from different sites who brought out all of their rock climbing gear, set up ropes and said, "have at it". They spent the entire day showing us the ropes.. no pun intended.. and we climbed well into the evening. After rock climbing we took a bus to Hollywood and spent a day walking the Walk of Fame and seeing the sights.Here's quite a fantastic picture of me in front of Chuck Norris' star on the Walk of Fame (let the Walker Texas Ranger jokes ensue..)
A week after our Hollywood adventures we hiked San Gorgonio which, standing at 11,500 feet high, is the highest point in Southern California. It was a long, long day but the views were so worth it.


















After spending over ten hours hiking we got a few hours of sleep and woke up bright and early to head to Anaheim to visit DisneyLand! We spent 16, magical hours walking around riding every attraction in both DisneyLand and California Adventures. Some of my favorites were Space Mountain and Soaring over California. It was a great day and we had two absolutely fantastic tour guides who were fellow instructors and camp and who visit Disney frequently.













Even our last week was fantastic at Camp! On Thursday before we left, our last night there, the staff hosted and AmeriCorps commencement ceremony in which they even gave us a Certificate of Survival as well as some Inside the Outdoors gear so we can rep science camp every where we go!
Now, it hasn't been ALL fun and games since I last updated, we did finish working at Camp and then headed up to base in Sacramento for transition (which as a reminder consists of lots of meetings and we debrief our last project to staff members and then brief our upcoming one to staff members as well) Once we got to Sacramento we participated in several service projects one on memorial day at a retirement home in downtown Sac which was really memorable. We were present for the flag raising ceremony and got to speak with several veterans of early wars. We did some landscaping for the residents which was really great. The retirement home was actually a place we had worked the last time we were in Sacramento so it was neat to see the progress the area we worked on last time has made. While at transition we also worked at an elementary school carnival in south Sacramento, I got to run the bean bag toss table and hand out prizes to kids. The last project we did was at an Arts Fair which was a really great way to experience a different kind of Sacramento culture. I'm not sure if I've mentioned Independent Service Projects, or ISPs, yet but all Corps Members are required to complete 1700 hours of service in order to graduate from NCCC and qualify for the education award. 80 of those hours must be what NCCC terms ISPs or, projects/days of service which are not with a team's sponsoring organization. We've done some pretty fun things this year as ISPs as have other teams.
k
And now, finally, we're settled at our (insert drum roll) last project! Wowzers. I think i've posted enough for now but I'm going to go to watch Hercules (one of like 50 Disney movies at our housing here in Washington) with my team. I'll leave you, however, with some pictures of our beautiful location to hold you over until later this week when I can update you all on our current project. (Prepare yourself to be jealous

And one that just entertains me,

Take care all,
Walker

Last Project!

With our time at Camp Cedar crest drawing to a close we have just gotten news of our final project assignment! It is bizarre that this is the beginning of the end, but we're all VERY excited to be headed off to Seattle, Washington to work with Mountain to Sound Greenway doing trail restoration and rehabilitation as well as invasive species removal! We'll be working 4 days a week, 10 hours a day doing manual labor and Green 5 couldn't be more excited!!
For more information of the Mountain to Sound project visit http://www.mtsgreenway.org.
Our team is trying to fill our last few weeks here in the San Bernardino area with as much as we can, Disneyland is planned for the 17th, rock climbing/camping this weekend and hopefully visits to Joshua Tree National Park and West Hollywood are in the near future.
Take care all, enjoy beautiful May!!

News News News!

President Obama Signs Landmark National Service Bill

Act Launches New Era of Service at Time of Great Need; National Service CEO Named

Washington D.C. – President Obama delivered an early victory for a central cause of his Administration by signing into law a sweeping expansion of national service that will engage millions of Americans in addressing local needs through volunteer service.

The President signed the landmark Edward M. Kennedy Act today at a Washington DC elementary school, joined by Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr, Jill Biden, Members of Congress, former President Clinton, former First Lady Rosalyn Carter, and an audience of nonprofit leaders and national service volunteers. The President was introduced by the bill’s namesake and longtime service champion Senator Kennedy, who co-authored the legislation with Senator Orrin Hatch.

After signing the bill, the President, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and former President Bill Clinton will plant trees and restore habitat in an environmental service project with AmeriCorps members and high school students at a local park.

The Serve America Act reauthorizes and expands national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency created in 1993. The Corporation engages four million Americans in result-driven service each year, including 75,000 AmeriCorps members, 492,000 Senior Corps volunteers, 1.1 million Learn and Serve America students, and 2.2 million additional community volunteers mobilized and managed through the agency’s programs.

This bill had a fast bipartisan sprint through Congress. The President called on Congress to send him the Kennedy-Hatch national service legislation in his joint address on February 25. The bill was introduced on March 8 and passed the House on a 321 to 105 vote on March 18. The Senate followed suit one week later with a 79-19 vote, with final passage in the House on March 31, just 22 days after it was introduced.

“The broad bipartisan support for this legislation, and its remarkably swift journey through Congress, reflect the growing national consensus that service is a powerful response to the economic and social challenges facing America today,” said Corporation Board Chair Alan Solomont. “Across the country, people are looking for ways to help their neighbors and their communities. This bill will help us channel more of that energy into meeting local and national needs.”

Earlier today, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Maria Eitel to be CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Eitel is the President of the Nike Foundation and a Vice President of NIKE, Inc. As president of the Nike Foundation, she has led the Foundation’s work to increase opportunities for the world’s most disadvantaged girls. Prior to becoming the Foundation’s first president, Ms. Eitel served as Nike Inc.’s first vice president for corporate responsibility, leading the development and implementation of the company’s first corporate responsibility agenda.

President Obama said, “Maria brings a unique blend of skills and management experience that will help her successfully lead the Corporation during our Administration’s bold expansion of national service programs. Maria is genuinely passionate about the role of national and community service as a vehicle for engaging and mobilizing citizens in social change, and will bring new, creative thinking to the growth and mission of the Corporation.”

The legislation comes at a time of growing social need caused by the economic downturn and a corresponding “compassion surge” of Americans wanting to help those left vulnerable by its impact. The Corporation reported today that AmeriCorps received 17,038 online applications in March, nearly triple the 6,770 received in March of 2008. In the past five months, the agency received 48,520 online applications, up 234% over the 14,532 applications it received during the same five month period a year ago. Many volunteer centers and nonprofits groups are also reporting a recent increase in volunteers.

“The President’s call to service at a time of great need is striking a responsive chord with the American public, especially millennials and baby boomers,” said Acting CEO Nicola Goren. “In this economic downturn, we need service and volunteering more than ever, and this legislation expresses the country’s support for service when it’s needed most.”

The Serve America Act, which goes into effect on October 1, would increase and enhance opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve by increasing AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 positions over the next eight years, while increasing opportunities for students and older Americans to serve. It will strengthen America’s civic infrastructure through social innovation, volunteer mobilization, and building nonprofit capacity. The new law is also designed to strengthen the management, cost-effectiveness and accountability of national service programs by increasing flexibility, consolidating funding streams, and introducing more competition. For a bill summary, click here.

“This bill will help unleash a powerful new wave of service and civic action to help tackle our nation’s toughest challenges," said Solomont. “We are grateful to Representatives George Miller, Bud McKeon, Carolyn McCarthy, and Todd Platts and to Senator Kennedy, Senator Hatch, Senator Mikulski, and Senator Enzi and all those who worked on this historic bipartisan step for national service. We look forward to working with Congress and the White House to fund and implement this Act.”

The bill follows quickly on the heels of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided $200 million to support up to 13,000 AmeriCorps members serving in distressed communities. Acting CEO Goren will swear in the first 200 Recovery Act AmeriCorps members at a VISTA training this Friday in Albuquerque, putting “boots on the ground” to help citizens affected by the economic downturn.

The President signed the bill before an audience that included current participants in AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America, Members of Congress who worked on the Act, and leaders of national service and nonprofit organizations. The event took place at the SEED School, an innovative public boarding school that caters to underserved students who face challenges in school and at home. In addition to offering an academically rigorous, college prep education, the SEED School incorporates service-learning into the curriculum of all its students, supported by the Corporation’s Learn and Serve America program.

****

Yes, we can.

Letting nature be the classroom

Yesterday 11 6th grade girls from Anaheim, CA asked me if they could stop and touch the small patch of snow left on the side of one of the trails. "It doesn't feel like it does in the movies!" one girl exclaimed. "It's so COLD," another yelled.

"Are those ALL stars, or are they airplanes?!" A shocked student exclaimed upon looking up during the night hike.

Let me just say that those comments alone are making the next 5 weeks here completely and totally worth every effort I could possibly put into this project.(Picture thanks to Katie Liberty)

To be able to share something as simple as nature, something that, luckily, has always been my backyard, with kids who have never spent a single night under the stars, never hugged a tree, never tripped over a rock or touched snow is a gift. I'm so honored to be able to spend the next 5 weeks here at Outdoor Science School. I know that we will have long days, I'll get exhausted and frustrated. But when I start feeling those ways, I'll just have to look at the stars and remind myself, they're not airplanes.

It's Earth day today, what can you do to preserve the few places left that look like where I live right now? How can you inspire someone from a younger generation to care for the planet we share and will continue to share for centuries to come? How can you reduce your carbon footprint and help others do the same?

Shutterfly!

Hey guys, I'm not sure if I've given you all this link before but, our team has a website where we upload our pictures to share with friends and family.. you can even print off of our Shutterfly if you really feel so inclined. Check it out, Katie just uploaded some beautiful pictures from a hike we went on on Friday!

And here's some musical genius to keep you entertained,


love from the mountains,
--Walker

Road Trip adventures, new project joys!

Greetings from 6,500 feet up! Yep, my team is now at Camp Cedar Crest in the San Bernardino mountains. We arrived on Wednesday evening and were immediately welcomed by a fantastic sign and warm smiles from the entire staff. Everyone has been incredibly helpful, welcoming and incredible since we've been here and I, for one, am absolutely psyched to work with these people for the next 5 weeks. But wait-- what took us so long to get here, you ask? Last time I wrote I was somewhere on the road from Baton Rouge to Sacramento and once we got to 'ole Sac-town we had some AmeriCorps business to take care of before we could head out.
We arrived at McClellan on a Friday night and had the whole weekend free, we then had our debrief for our Baton Rouge project. My teammate Sam is great with a video camera and so for both of our debriefs thus far he has made great movies capturing fantastic moments on our projects. I'm trying to figure out how I can share these videos with you-- they're really great! However due to their length and my lack of computer skills that might not happen so.. use your imaginations!
The last day of our transition before our spring break was 'Life After AmeriCorps Day' which consisted of several workshops on things like resume writing, interviewing tips as well as informational sessions on several organizations that our staff thought would spark our interest. One of the organizations I heard about was Bike and Build, something I'm seriously considering taking part in summer 2010, check it out, it seems like a really great way to support Habitat For Humanity, an organization that I obviously think is pretty great.
For my break (a.k.a-- long weekend) I headed south to San Francisco to check out some of my own 'Life After AmeriCorps' plans.. more on that later though, this update would last forever if I tried to explain my future plans at this moment. It was great, however, to get away from Ameri-life for a few days and get to see some family as well as friends. Sometimes I feel as though NCCC is this bubble in which I eat, sleep, breathe AmeriCorps. This life is such a strange way of living that it is nice to get out every once and a while and realize that people do still lead somewhat average lives outside of our 15 passenger van. I must say though, I do find myself excited to be back every time I return.
After break we had our briefing in which we were told that our project is great, basically. And then on Wednesday, we realized that it really, truly is. This week (Weds-Friday) we jumped in and helped out where we could but mostly just got to know the facilities as well as the staff and observed some of the really cool parts of the week. We spent two hours dancing to songs like YMCA, The Cupid Shuffle and Car Wash with the kids and staff on Thursday and I kept turning to my team mate Katie unable to say anything but, "This is our job". Next week we are shadowing an experienced counselor so that we can see them in action and learn on the job. The week after we'll be given our own group of 10-15 5th or 6th graders to lead and instruct for the week! I'll update more on our work next week when I'm more familiar with the program, right now we're just trying to get acclimated to the elevation!!
Since I haven't had time to upload pictures of the camp or the fantastic views yet I'll leave you with some pictures from the road trip we took from Baton Rouge to Sacramento. Just as a reminder our route was Baton Rouge,LA- San Antonio, TX- El Paso, TX- Flagstaff, AZ- Henderson, NV- Sacramento, CA.








The Alamo in San Antonio, Tx! (A Texan friend of mine referred to it as, "his Texan pride
" okay..)














Some really cool trees somewhere between San Antonio and El Paso.


















A shot out the window in Arizona, which I've decided is one of the most beautiful states I've been to.













Highway 10.. we saw a lot of this on our road trip.





















More Arizona.. beautiful, wouldn't you agree?
















5 days in a van with 10 people and we go a little nuts sometimes.. poor Sarah fell asleep and just wanted to stretch out.. and poor Katie was sitting in front of her!












Here's my team mate Abe standing at the Grand Canyon.. he looks so small!
















And here I am at the Grand Canyon! And how excited I look to be there! Really though, this was such a breathtaking place to see.(155)








The Vegas Strip! We found it interesting that in the morning we stopped at one of the most incredible natural features on the continent and then spend the night in the biggest environmental freak show, the city that shouldn't exist, Las Vegas!(251)










Who knew the Hoover Dam was so small?!










That's all for now, take care and wish me luck on my first week working directly with kids all week!
--Walker