Common Ground Haikus

While pulling ice plant,
it was Mike v. Carolyn.
Eat bugs for Starbucks.

Lizards, snails, and newts.
While building split rail fences,
We met the locals.

Working on the coast,
We watched for grey whales spouting.
Whale! Whale! Just kidding.

Working with California State Parks

Sarah Gadomski stencils "DPR" (Department of Parks and Recreation) on tables in a building in Russian Gulch State Park near Mendocino, CA. California State Parks recently acquired multiple tables and chairs and assigned us to "brand" them using black paint.

Unopened boxes of tables and chairs purchased by Cal State Parks.

Alyssa Pun stencils "DPR" on a number of chairs. 

In another assignment from Cal State Parks, NCCC Corps Members repaired old fencing in Van Damme State Park, just south of Mendocino, CA. The fencing was installed around campsites in the state parks and by the park's entrance in the 1940s and 1950s. The wood used was from old growth redwoods that were cut down earlier in the century. The fences had deteriorated over time and to repair them, we used other old growth redwoods posts that had been sitting around since the mid 1900s. The wood is naturally resilient to weathering, making it a choice wood for fencing.

NCCC Corps Members continue to repair redwood fencing in Van Damme State Park.

Ice Plant

During our first week working with California State Parks, we were charged with removing ice plant from the coastal areas of Glass Beach. A native from South Africa, ice plant was brought to the California coast around 1900 to stabilize soil along railroad tracks and for general erosion control. An aggressive invasive, ice plant competes with endangered northern California flora. Here, NCCC Corps Members pull the plant and toss it on a tarp to be removed.

Ice plant | Carpobrotus edulis

Alyssa Pun removes ice plant from the Glass Beach coast near Fort Bragg, CA.

Fort Bragg and the North Coast

(Click and drag to rotate 360 degrees.) We arrived early to Fort Bragg, CA and used the extra time to explore the area. This panorama is near the estuary where Pudding Creek meets the Pacific Ocean.

Michael Green stands by the rugged Russian Gulch State Park coast at dusk near Mendocino, CA.

NCCC Corps Members were given a splendid work location this third round of service. Team Blue Four will be spending the next eight weeks in Fort Bragg working with the California State Parks District Office in Russian Gulch and with the Noyo Food Forest.

Conclusion of Round 2

The zen garden Blue 4 constructed, nearly finished.

  

Amber paints with Alma, a participant in the RRR room at Ethel Hart

Taiko drumming class, one of the most popular at Hart

Sarah and Amber sing karaoke with Katherine, a participant in RRR

The team explores the Railroad Museum in Sacramento on the last day of Round 2

                                    

                                     

Common Ground Haikus

Seniors’ talent show,
Singing, belly dance galore.
We’ll miss Ethel Hart.

All done with taxes,
But the season’s not over.
Do you have to file?

Life in Sacramento

For the last three weeks, Blue 4 has been working with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program as well as local START schools and the Ethel Hart Senior Center in the city of Sacramento. This round the team is split up into two groups. Team 1, Brad, Sydney, May, Carolyn, Taylor, and Hillary, worked at the senior center for the first 3 weeks of the round helping staff with maintenance and creating their own programs while Team A, made of up Michael, Sarah, Alyssa, Matt, Amber, and Daniel, worked at different community centers in the mornings doing taxes for low income families and after school START programs in the afternoons. At the beginning of this week the teams have switched and are now working in the others place. This week the teams switched places and settled into their new surroundings with ease. Blue 4 gained a new member this round, Hillary Hines, who is a great addition to the team, and lost a member, Matt, who is greatly missed.

VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, is national program offering free tax return service to low to moderate income families. Volunteers without previous tax experience participate in an intense training program and must achieve a minimum certification of the Basic Level. Members of Blue 4 have varying certifications starting at Basic all the way up to Advanced. Providing this service helps people in need save hundreds of dollars they would normally pay to have their taxes done by a professional tax preparer. As volunteers, the team has not only gained hands on experience perfecting their customer service skills, they now have the knowledge and know how to start a career in the tax field.

Sacramento START’s motto is “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow” and their mission is to “foster enthusiasm for learning through fun and structured activities in a safe and caring after school environment.” From 3pm, when the school day ends, to 6pm, students at schools in the region of Sacramento spend time completing homework assignments, playing outside, eating snack, and participating in other educational activities. One of the goals of START is to influence and inform the students on ways to lead healthy lifestyles; the staff uses interactive games such as Fitness Dots or Food Bingo to educate them on the importance of being physically fit and having healthy diets.

The Ethel Hart Senior Center, located in the heart of Midtown, Sacramento, provides a wide range of programs and resources for older adults. Classes on arts and crafts, card games, music, and dance are offered for those wishing to gain a new skill or simply to have fun. The center is often used as a venue for social gatherings or special events. Triple R, which stands for Relate, Refresh, Rely, an adult day care program for those with Alzheimer’s, is a major part of the Hart Center as well. Blue 4’s time at the center has been spent participating in a variety of classes, building a Zen garden within the enclosed patio, hosting a talent showcase, assisting staff in running the Meals-On-Wheels lunch everyday, and completing maintenance projects while getting to know the guests.