Mile High Youth Corps and Denver Water

Today, we would like to take a moment and recognize one of the many community partnerships that have made our work in Colorado possible.

From Denver Water:
“Denver Water and Mile High Youth Corps have partnered for more than 5 years to provide low-income households and non-profit facilities with water-saving devices and education. Together we have installed over 10,000 toilets, saving an estimated 218 million gallons of water.  Along the way, young adults, residents and building managers have been educated on the importance and benefits of water conservation.  Our partnership helps Denver’s youth by providing real-world job experience and training, paving the way to full-time employment or further education.  We hear from grateful customers praising MHYC and Denver Water, and are proud of the conservation work these teams perform.”

Jon and Brandon pull out a “dead” toilet before installing a new water-efficient model.

This year, Mile High Youth Corps will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary and we are pleased to announce that Denver Water is one of the corporate sponsors of our 20th Anniversary Celebration! To learn more about our 20th Anniversary, view our other sponsors, and purchase tickets for the celebration, please visit our Events Page.

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Weekly Energy Saving Tip

Plant a tree!

Spring or early fall are the best times to plant new trees.

Trees can provide much needed shade for your home in summer and help reduce your cooling costs. It looks great, saves you money and sucks up plenty of CO2!

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MHYC by the Numbers: Colorado Springs 2012 Summer Outcomes

 

Monthly Infographic #5 – MHYC-Colorado Springs 2012 Summer Outcomes

August 10 marked the end of the 2012 Summer of Service for land crews all across MHYC. Each Corpsmember of every crew worked their boots off to enhance and protect Front Range lands from Denver down to the New Mexico border. This year, MHYC employed and distributed a total of eight crews in the Front Range.

The crews that operated out of Colorado Springs (and Pueblo) were: the Marmots, the Bobcats, the Hayman, and the Steel City Crew. This infographic highlights many important accomplishments of these four crews combined. The outcome data here focuses on four major categories of typical MHYC land crew work: trees, trails, fencing, and erosion control.

Watch for another infographic next month!

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Top Ten Sports to Watch in the Olympics

As the Summer Olympics came to a close in London we asked our Corpsmembers what were their favorite sports to watch. They even wanted to demonstrate their athletic skills in their favorite sports. Check out the Top Ten Sports to watch in the Olympics as reported by our Corpsmembers.

#10) Shotput

#9) Javelin

#8)Weightlifting

#7) Fencing

#6) Track

#5) Volleyball

#4) Diving

#3) Cycling

#2) Synchronized Diving

#1) Gymnastics

Thanks to all of our Mile High Youth Corps athletes for showing us their skills. Hope to see you in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio!

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Weekly Energy Saving Tip

Insulate your hot water pipes, especially within the first 3 feet of your water heater. This could allow you to set your water heater 2-4 degrees lower.

Remember: On gas water heaters, keep any insulation at least 8 inches from the flame.

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2012 Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympic Games– It’s a contest of unbelievable physical strength, agility, speed, and determination but in Denver at the end of the summer, it’s also … barbecue time!

That’s right, jolly old England isn’t the only site of the Olympics this year. Friday, Mile High Youth Corps hosted our 12th Annual MHYC Olympics and Summer BBQ! Every year at the end of the Summer of Service program, all of the crews meet head to head to battle it out in the ultimate test of human ability — trying to stomach Jack’s cooking!

Crews competed in events including an egg-in-a-spoon relay race, water balloon toss, and the grueling hula-hoop pass. Throughout the afternoon, crews were awarded points based on their performance in the various events: 100 for 1st, 50 for 2nd, 25 for 3rd. When they weren’t competing, each crew also designed and created a team flag for the chance at even more points. And to round it out, 100 bonus points were given to the team with the best sportsmanship throughout the day.

Corpsmembers race to the hoop in the Hula-Hoop Pass.

A little basketball, a little lacrosse — it’s Swattin’ Flies!

On a hot summer day, the Water Balloon toss is the perfect event to lose.

Alex, intent on Egg Relay domination, heads to the finish.

After several hard fought events and some quick tabulations, the results were in and the MHYC Olympics would have a brand new champion! The Trail Blazers took a strong 3rd place finish, The Ridge Runners came in a close 2nd but in the end, it was The Path Finders taking home the gold!

The Path Finders are the 2012 MHYC Summer Olympics Champions!

The Summer BBQ also marked the end of the Summer Photo Contest on Facebook where crews had a chance to bring home the one-of-a-kind Golden Helmet. Corpsmembers, friends, family, and staff could all go online and “like” their favorite crew picture with the winner taking home the trophy and celebrating with a special dessert.

With your help, The Path Finders took a commanding lead early. The Trail Blazers inched past and  took the lead on the last day, but the Path Finders weren’t done yet. With a new MHYC record 126 likes and comments, The Path Finders are taking home the new Golden Helmet!

Congratulations Path Finders!

We all had a great time at the Olympics this year! It’s always bittersweet to end our Summer of Service program, but we are happy to go out with a bang! Thank you to all the Corpsmembers who served this summer; we are incredibly proud of the work you have accomplished and we hope to see you all back next summer!

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Weekly Energy Saving Tip

Don’t open up the oven when cooking. When you open the door, the temperature inside drops and takes more energy to reheat.

Instead, turn on the oven light and look through the door.

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Operation Graduation: Pueblo

The Steel City Crew poses with their Crew Leader, Ron, for one last picture of the season.

On Friday, August 3, the first ever MHYC crew of Pueblo officially completed their work season. Between June 4 and August 3, 2012, the crew of young adults worked hard in seemingly endless heat to conserve and restore parks, trails, and open spaces around their hometown.

Corpsmembers work a wood chipper as they clear overhanging brush from a trail.

The crew earned a total of $11,740 in education awards and had a 91% completion rate. Throughout June, July, and August, they worked outside for a whopping 38 days in over 90-degree heat; 14 of those days were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The crew spreads mulch, that they chipped, around trees in Pueblo.

As far as project outcomes go, the Steel City Crew did phenomenal work all summer. In Williamsburg, they maintained and installed 50 wooden steps and removed 20. Around Pueblo, they picked up 171 bags of trash, painted 300 square feet of a mural, and abated 250 square feet of graffiti along the Arkansas River.

A few Corpsmembers make sure MHYC is a permanent fixture in Pueblo during their mural painting work.

Please join us in congratulating this crew – the first of its kind in Pueblo – for the fantastic work they did this summer. Another special ‘thank you’ to Abel Tapia of the Colorado Lottery, for helping to make MHYC Pueblo possible! Plans are already unfolding regarding a crew for 2013 Summer of Service. Stay tuned!

Learn more about their mural painting project here.

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YouthBuild Hiring Wrap-up!

July 31st was the final orientation for our YouthBuild program and we are happy to announce that we have an amazing group of candidates that will be invited to orientation in the next couple weeks. Of the 400+ applicants to the YouthBuild program this year, only 200 made it to this part of the process, so each candidate who was invited to orientation should be proud of this accomplishment.

Next up for the chosen candidates is Mental Toughness, which will begin on August 13th. For 4 weeks, prospective Corpsmembers will have the opportunity to learn new skills, demonstrate their desire to be a part of the Youthbuild program, and participate in an intensive training course.

After Mental Toughness, we will be sure to introduce you to our latest class of MHYC YouthBuild Corpsmembers so check back!

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Weekly Energy Saving Tip

Run your major appliances (washer, dryer, dishwasher, etc.) during nonpeak hours (usually after 8pm) when electric rates are cheaper to help you save money.

Many new washers, dryers, and dishwashers have timers you can set to turn on in the evening.

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