Happy Holidays!!

Wishing you the joy of family, the gift of friends, and the best of everything in 2013. Our sincere thanks for your support and good will throughout the year.

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I’m ready for what’s next…

“So, what do you do, Brent?”

Over the last year, I have had a lot of friends and relatives ask me about my work and I was never exactly sure what to tell them. My position title “Outreach Alumni Mentor for Marketing & Development,” while a mouthful, doesn’t exactly tell you much. I could give them the elevator speech I have honed through countless job fairs and hiring events but even that doesn’t do it justice. I could point them to our mission statement, “help[ing] youth make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities and educational experiences” but to me, it’s more than that.

My two terms of service with Mile High Youth Corps encompass more to me than a few words could describe. I could tell you that my service has changed me but I couldn’t even begin to count the ways. I could fill a book with the lessons I’ve learned but I could fill a library with what MHYC has left to teach me. I could count up the hours of service I have volunteered to my adopted Denver community(2,375 to be exact), but that wouldn’t show you the impact the last 17 months have made on my life.

In my time here, I have been fortunate enough to share some amazing experiences with my fellow Corpsmembers. I have helped build a trail at Red Rocks Amphitheater that will be used by literally millions of concert-goers, I have helped Denver save hundreds of millions of gallons of water each year, and I have brought an elderly resident to tears of joy with the simple act of changing a light bulb. Throughout all of this, I have been learning; I have been watching and listening, growing and changing.

I began my service right out of college: excited for a new challenge, a new locale, and new friendships. I was scared and anxious but I had never been more motivated. Now I am at the end of my term with MHYC and the best way I can think to describe myself is “ready.” I’m ready for the next challenge, ready for the next opportunity to help my community, ready for a lifetime of service. When I left home, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life but after serving for the last 17 months, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

So now, when my family and friends ask me what I do, I have an answer:

I serve. I give back in the best way I know how. I mentor, I lead, I build and I pour blood, sweat, and tears into each and every project. I help those who cannot help themselves and I love every single second of it. That is what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I am eternally grateful to the staff and Corpsmembers here at MHYC for everything they have given me over the last year and a half. I will never forget the memories and bonds I have created and I will always look back on my service with a smile. You are never quite ready to leave a place you love, but it’s time for me to move forward onto the next adventure. I’ll leave you with a quote that has inspired me throughout my term and perhaps it could help you find your purpose too:

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you for everything, from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,

Brent M.
Outreach Alumni Mentor, 2012

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Happy Thanksgiving from MHYC!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mile High Youth Corps. Check out the photos below to see how we shared what we were thankful for at our Annual Staff and Corpsmember Thanksgiving Potluck!

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2nd Annual Career Day

Last week, MHYC’s Leadership Council hosted our 2nd Annual Career Day!

Corpsmembers from across the agency had the chance to sit down with staff members in small groups to learn what makes MHYC run smoothly. Staff members from each department explained their roles within the organization and answered Corpsmembers’ questions about work experience and higher education. Corpsmembers also used the time to discuss their plans for life after MHYC.

Check out this quick slideshow below to get a peek into the inner workings of MHYC!

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Leadership Council Elections

Two weeks ago, as we welcomed in a new class of YouthBuild Corpsmembers, we also got to meet our four new Leadership Council representatives. As is tradition at MHYC, each new crew has the opportunity to nominate Corpsmembers to represent them on Leadership Council. The nominees prepare a letter of intent, a letter of reference, and a short speech explaining why they would be a good fit on the Council.

After some fantastic speeches, the votes were tallied and we were pleased to welcome our new YouthBuild representatives: Julian, Lawrence, Jerry, and Jacob!

2012 Leadership Council Reps from Water, ACLC, and YouthBuild

These four have hit the ground running with Leadership Council, joining our Water Crew and ACLC  reps for what is a jam-packed fall schedule. Here’s a slideshow of a few of the great things we have coming up in the next few months:

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Corpsmember Spotlight: YouthBuild

As this year’s YouthBuild term draws to an end, we would like to take the opportunity to share the journey of one remarkable young Corpsmember, Eloy Martinez. I sat down with Eloy last week and he was kind enough to share his thoughts on the program.

During his term, Eloy completed over 450 service hours, earned his GED and was awarded an AmeriCorps scholarship of nearly $1400 for higher education. He also earned several certifications from the Building Performance Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency, OHSA, and PACT among others. Eloy served as an invaluable member of Leadership Council where he dutifully represented his crew and helped to organize many successful programs and events for MHYC.

We are all very proud of Eloy and his accomplishments over the last nine months. This is certainly one of the best YouthBuild graduating classes in recent memory. We would like to congratulate the YouthBuild Corpsmembers on all of their hard work during this term and we wish them the best after graduation!

Check back next week when we will have video clips and stories from tomorrow’s graduation!

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Leadership Council Elections

At the beginning of each term, we give Corpsmembers the opportunity to nominate and elect their peers to MHYC’s Leadership Council. This is a group made up entirely of Corpsmembers to act as a liaison between staff members and the crews. Leadership Council works to implement policy changes, host and coordinate events like Career Day and our Halloween party “Boo-Yah,” and relay information between Corpsmembers and staff.

In January, three crews began their terms at the same time and when we mentioned the opportunity to take a leadership role in the organization, many Corpsmembers jumped at the chance. The prospective council members were asked to prepare a letter of intent, a letter of recommendation, and also a short speech which they would deliver at the monthly Community Meeting. Corpsmembers on each crew voted for who they wanted to represent them.

Below is a video compilation of the winning representatives’ speeches:

The newest Leadership Council members have been hard at work with the rest of the team since March and we are incredibly excited to have them on board. Joining us from the ACLC crew are Gabe, Casey, and Emily, from the Energy crew we have Jack and Jackie, and our new representative from the Water crew is Brandon. They will be joining the representatives from YouthBuild and the Leadership Council Advisors in working to “Build individual Corpsmember strengths to ensure Corps success.”

Best of luck to our newest representatives!

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Service Project: The Urban Farm

Last Friday, all the MHYC CMs headed to The Urban Farm for an All-CORPS SERVICE PROJECT. Our new Energy and Water CMS joined the Summer of Service Crews and some staff to spend the morning working at The Urban Farm. The sky was blue, the sun was out and so were everyone’s smiles. It looked like a great day to get out into the community and do some positive work!

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Calling All Alumni

We Want You MHYC Alumni!
This term, four ACLC Corpsmembers, Jessica, Tony, Jesse and Lindsay have taken on creating a networking database of alumni from Mile High Youth Corps. They hope to provide insight into career opportunities and just see what you’re up to!

In other words, we want yo digits! We want yo email! We want yo 6-word autobiography!

We need help getting in touch with everyone, so pass along the message to all your former crewmates!

Please contact Jesse Roehm at jlroehm@gmail.com if you are a past Corpsmember and interested in contributing.

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NOW HIRING

Visit our website for more information on available positions and to apply today.

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