Welcome!

Welcome to Water 4's Water Log! We are an AmeriCorps NCCC team based out of the NCCC Southwest Region Campus in Denver. We are 11 members from all over the United States, including (but not limited to) California, Arizona, New Hampshire, Illinois, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and Texas. Our ages range from 18-25 and our personalities are just as diverse. Although we all come from different backgrounds and lifestyles, we have come together to give back to our communities and to help those in need. There’s a lot we will learn this year about these communities, about each other, and most importantly, about ourselves. As a result, we all hope to grow as individuals and make a lasting impression on the places we’ll go and the people we’ll meet along the way.

We hope you will enjoy learning with us this year as we travel to community service projects throughout the central United States and Gulf Coast regions. Happy travels!

Ashley (Team Leader)

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Why I Serve: AmeriCorps NCCC was never a transitional phase for me; rather, I see it as a stepping stone toward developing a life long career in community service.

Path to Service: My service started as a small child delivering care packages for the homeless. I later organized a Hurricane Katrina relief fund at a neighborhood park. I also worked with special needs children and coached basketball for underprivileged children ages 6-16 with the Young Champions of America. I joined AmeriCorps NCCC as a Corps Member in October 2008. During my 10 months I worked with F.E.M.A. in disaster recovery centers after Hurricane Ike, I helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity in both Alabama and Mississippi as part of Hurricane Katrina recovery, and I was a crew leader for NCCC’s Summer of Service program, leading 14-17 year old at risk youth in Denver. Shortly after I started my Team Leader year, I was sent to American Samoa to work with Red Cross, just days after the earthquake and Tsunami hit. It was an experience I will never forget. I’m so excited to have my own team and I can’t wait to see what new experiences this year brings!

Fun Fact: I am a healthy, happy vegan.

Christina

Hometown: Tucson, AZ

Why I Serve: Last Christmas I volunteered with a program called Shop With a Cop. The local sheriff’s department gives $100 to various underprivileged kids from my community. Then we take the kids to our local mall before it opens and take them shopping. Most of the kids had never seen that much money, let alone have that much to spend on themselves. Some of the kids bought toys, others bought clothes, but most of them got their family and friends Christmas gifts. Their selflessness was amazing and beautiful; it is something that I will never forget. I want to be able to look back at my life and be happy and content with what I see, and I know that AmeriCorps will be one of those experiences that I will look back on and love.

Path to Service: Luckily, I was blessed with an amazing family. My parents taught my sister and me to always be kind, respectful, and generous, to give back to the community, and to care about others. So, volunteering has always been a part of my life. I also believe that random and intentional acts of kindness can make someone’s day, even if it’s as small as smiling at a person who looks like they are having a bad day or as big as donating your time towards a cause that is for the common good.

Fun Fact: I love to dance and have since I was eight. My favorite styles are ballet, modern, and lyrical.

Derek

Hometown: Manchester, NH

Why I Serve: There’s more to life than oneself. For me, making a difference in other people’s lives is an invaluable reward alone. I am rejuvenated helping those in need.

Path to Service: AmeriCorps is an organization that makes a difference in people’s lives. If there’s anything that I could do that made me feel accomplished and successful, it would be helping others. I am the eighth child of nine. I’ve learned a lot from the experiences with my siblings and friends, but have learned even more from my mother. She has been my motivation throughout my life. Watching her help and care for complete strangers and friends with great devotion and sacrifice has influenced my life greatly. I cannot pick a single action or experience because her life is a testimony of her caring nature. I wish to join AmeriCorps to spread the same compassion that my mother does to those who need it most.

Fun Fact: I was an Art All State with kids from different schools throughout New Hampshire where we got to work with two professional artists to create a collaborative piece.

Sarah

Hometown: Isla Vista, CA

Why I Serve: I've always made an effort to put others before myself, to care for those who are less fortunate, and to help out whenever I'm able. I couldn't have found a better way to give back than to take 10 months out of my life to travel the country and reach out to so many different communities in need. I hope to gain insight into the lives of others and make a positive impact on everyone that I am able to serve.

Path to Service: Until now my only experience with community service has been volunteering at my local animal shelter, but now that I am taking time off from college I'm excited to participate in other ways. After about three semesters of college I found myself becoming restless and less than inspired to do school work. I decided that instead of struggling through the remainder of my credit hours I would dedicate my time to something more meaningful. I'm thrilled to travel, work hard, and above all help those in need.

Fun Fact: I recently donated 13 inches of my hair to Locks of Love.

Jeremy

Hometown: Blue Island, IL

Why I Serve: I believe every individual should serve his or her country in some way. This country has an urgent need for individuals who are willing to put others first. There is no better time in my life to be able to go ahead and do that. Throughout my life I have thought that community service is a very important part of being the best person that I can be. I have been blessed to grow up around many volunteers in my community and this is my chance to say thanks by giving back. I am the person I am today partly because of those who volunteered their time for me.

Path to Service: Presidents Bush and Obama recently stood together to call on us to serve our country and I have heard that calling. I just graduated from St. Ambrose University and I plan on going on to grad school to get my masters. Before I take that next step, I felt that this was the perfect time in my life to take a step back and enjoy this great opportunity to serve and travel the country. I recently heard this quote by John Wooden that really makes my decision to join AmeriCorps easy: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Serving your country is something everyone can and should do.

Fun Fact: I played college football at St. Ambrose University.

Leia

Hometown: Waimea, Kauai, HI

Why I Serve: My participation in Girl Scouts and my religious community established the importance of community service. A resounding quote from my model, Marianne Williamson is, “In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.” This reminds me of what I need to do to help my community and country, especially now during the economic recession.

Path to Service: Recently, tutoring has been my main category of service. In addition, I have participated in cultural awareness activities for my local Asian-Pacific communities and helped run canned-food drives, orphanage fund raisers, and care packages to the deployed troops in Iraq.

Fun Fact: I have lived in four countries including: Korea, Belgium, Germany and the United States.

Jenna

Hometown: Hoffman Estates, IL

Why I Serve: I have always had compassion for those in need. I have been very privileged in my life and understand the importance of giving back to my community. Volunteering has been a very important part of my life since I was 14 years old. I have learned about many issues that are prevalent in our nation and the world through the many opportunities I have been given. I believe volunteering and strengthening our communities is the first step in making an impact on these issues, and is a vital part of living life to the fullest.

Path to Service: I began volunteering with my church during my confirmation. When I turned 14, I started working with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). Each summer for the past nine years I have had the opportunity to work with ASP, spending a week with my church in Appalachia repairing homes of the people living in the poverty stricken region. It was a major influence in why I am in AmeriCorps today. It taught me the importance of working together for the common good and led me to a career path working with families. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University (Go Panthers!) with a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Family Services. While in school I was a member of a service sorority, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, where I did a lot of service work in the Charleston-Mattoon area and fundraising for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Easter Seals.

Fun Fact: I have an unhealthy obsession with Lady Gaga; whenever her music comes on I have to stop what I'm doing to dance and sing along.

Jo

Hometown: Ashburnham, MA

Why I Serve: The importance of community service is something that was impressed upon me at a very early age; it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. There are few things in life as rewarding as seeing a smile on someone's face and knowing you helped put it there.

Path to Service: I knew I wanted to take some time off in between college and graduate school, but I wanted to do something productive with that time. Both of my older sisters did a term of service with AmeriCorps after graduating from college. At their advice and encouragement, I decided to follow in their footsteps and dedicate my year off to serving others. I didn't do nearly as much community service when I was in college as I did in high school, so I am happy to be able to recapture that part of myself.

Fun Fact: I am a lover of languages. I know Latin, Ancient Greek, some French, and a little Modern Greek.

Ian

Hometown: Potomac, MD

Why I Serve: I have always been interested in community outreach and national service. I am happiest when I am making other people smile. While building a house in New Orleans in 2008, I met two girls from AmeriCorps NCCC and they inspired me to pursue the program. Working for AmeriCorps will allow me to give back to my country and help others in need.

Path To Service: In the last few years, I have participated in three community service trips. I went on Hillel’s Winter Israel Experience: Leading Up North in 2006 to help rebuild northern Israel after the war with Lebanon. I also went to New Orleans twice on Hillel’s Alternative Spring Break in 2007 and 2008 to help rebuild the Gulf Coast.

Fun Fact: I like to take pictures of ugly dogs… but only after asking them for their permission.

Shawn

Hometown: Oneonta, NY

Why I Serve: I have had a difficult life, but I have never lost the hope and faith that things can get better, and what makes it better is that I know I have contributed.

Path to Service: When I moved to Oneonta, I began volunteering at a soup kitchen. In return I found my place of congregation and started working with the youth group there. As a previous AmeriCorps member, I wanted to further my service so I checked out the AmeriCorps website.

Fun Fact: I love to EAT and DANCE...sometimes at the same time!!!

‘Shiny’ Dave

Hometown: Austin, TX

Why I Serve: "If not you, then whom? If not now, then when?"

Path to Service: No service experience.

Fun Fact: Mostly Carnivorous