Outcomes for 2012!

As 2012 comes to a close we would like to reflect on the amazing accomplishments of our Corpsmembers. All our Corpsmembers were eligible to receive AmeriCorps Education Awards upon completing their terms. The total amount earned by our Corpsmembers this year totaled $$253,36.. This is one of the many achievements of our Corpsmembers. See below for many more statistics that make up only a snapshot of the work that took place at Mile High Youth Corps in 2012.

• 6 miles of trail constructed in the Hayman burn area
• 13 miles of trail constructed and maintained
• 50 acres of noxious weeds removed/1,584 feet of fence constructed
• 11,722 trees cut down
• 85% of the project work completed will last more than 10 years
• 100% of enrolled summer AmeriCorps members earned their Education Award

The Following Statistics represent the work of our Second Term Water Crew.

• Homes serviced over 1,000
• Toilets installed 1,242
• Gallons of water saved annually 8.6 million gallons
• Olympic pool equivalent 13.4

Thanks to all of our Corpsmembers who made 2012 a year to remember!

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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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How well do you know our dirty boots?

Every youth who comes to work at Mile High Youth Corps is required to wear steel-toed work boots everyday. Well-worn work boots become a source of pride for many of the Corpsmembers, youth participants, at MHYC; they are a sign of having made a positive contribution to our community and environment.

Test your knowledge of our dirty boots today by taking our quiz and matching the boots to the Corpsmember!

Learn more about our Dirty Boots Campaign for Colorado Gives Day.

You provide the boots. We get ‘em dirty.

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The Corps Tools

As part of our Dirty Boots Campaign, we wanted to highlight the tools of the trade here at Mile High Youth Corps.

View a slideshow of the tools used at the Corps.

You can make a difference in the lives of young adults throughout Denver and the Southern Front Range this month by participating in Colorado Gives Day by making a donation to MHYC so we can continue to provide tools for our crews to use for their essential conservation work.

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Support the Corps! Join MHYC for our 8th Annual Happy Hour and Silent Auction

Summer is almost here! I hope you’re looking forward to the many things to enjoy about summer in Colorado – hiking in the mountains, taking a dip in a mountain stream or your community pool, or just going on a stroll around downtown Denver.

Here at Mile High Youth Corps, we’re getting geared up for summer as well. Our Summer of Service Corpsmembers will start this month – we’re excited to announce that we are hiring for 105 positions to do work on trails in some of your favorite state parks and other public lands including Golden Gate State Park and the Hayman burn area. Members of our energy and water crews will continue installing efficient light bulbs, showerheads, and high-efficiency toilets, ensuring that some of Denver’s most financially-strapped residents will save on their energy bills year-round. And, next time you walk down one of Denver’s tree lined streets on a hot day, you may notice it’s a little shadier – that’s thanks to Corpsmembers who will be planting trees as part of Denver’s Million Trees initiative.

While MHYC receives funding from local sponsors to help support this work, we couldn’t cover all our costs without support from the community. That’s why we’re inviting you to our upcoming Happy Hour and Silent Auction – a fun-filled event to raise funds for our programs. The Happy Hour takes place on Wednesday, May 18th from 6-8 p.m. at the Funky Buddha at 776 Lincoln Street in Denver. Come out and enjoy a couple drinks on the rooftop patio, bid on silent auction items, and learn more about what MHYC plans to accomplish in 2011.

There are many ways to be involved!

Purchase Tickets:
Tickets may be purchased online at milehighyouthcorps.org/events. Every ticket includes two drinks, light fare, music from DJ IZ, and more! Plus, you’ll feel great knowing that the full cost of your ticket supports MHYC’s programs. Ticket prices are $40/individual, $70/couples, $300/ten.

Donate an Item to our Silent Auction:
There are many inexpensive items that can help generate funds for MHYC. Consider donating something from your business, offer a service, or put together a themed basket. This is a great way to support MHYC while showcasing your talents or marketing your company!

Current silent auction items include Try Scuba Experiences from A-1 Scuba & Travel Center, Entries to the Dick’s Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER, Two Hours Handyman Repair or Remodeling Consult from City Side Remodeling, a Patagonia Light Weight Travel Tote, and more! View the complete list of items at milehighyouthcorps.org/events.

Promote the Event: Share this blog posting on your favorite social networking sites – word of mouth is one of the most effective ways for us to reach out to new supporters!

FMI: Contact Caitlyn Horose, MHYC Development Assistant at 720-407-7281 x344 or caitlynh@mhyc.net.

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Mile High Youth Corps, this is Therese/Karol…

“Hi, how can I help you?” is usually the first thing you hear when you walk through the door of one of the Mile High Youth Corps locations. Our lovely Corpsmembrs Therese Inman and Karol Quagliato are the wonderful faces you first see when entering our building to interview, inquire about jobs or go to a meeting with staff. I personally travel to all the locations for MHYC and their warm smile and easy conversation makes traveling around a lot easier!

Thanks to Karol and Therese for all they do and how much they brighten our days!

This is what they both had to say about MHYC:

I was drawn to Mile High Youth Corps because of the opportunities it provides for youth while getting Americorps Education Awards to CorpsMembesrs to further their education. I have friends who had done Americorps VISTA and State programs that all had really enjoyed it. After moving to Denver for school, I wanted a job that made a difference in my life as well as in others’ lives. After serving one term as a Water CorpsMember, I wanted to experience other aspects of the organization so I applied for the Administrative Assistant position. Now I get to see a lot of the behind the scenes work that goes into giving our CMs green jobs and I get to interact with all of the different faces of Mile High.

I’ve stayed at MHYC because of the support we provide to the community and our dedication to conservation efforts. I really appreciate the chance to learn more about Mile High and make great connections with this organization as well as other Denver non-profits. I’m inspired by our staff, who is so dedicated to making a difference in the lives of Denver youth as well as in our community and environment. I’m proud to work at Mile High Youth Corps and I’m happy to brag about what a great organization it is at every opportunity.
~Therese

I had been looking for another job. I had and still do work at Chuck E Cheese part time , part time now more then before and I had been looking for a full time job. I began to look in the news papers and on Craigslist. On Craigslist I found an ad job for administration assistant. I read the job description and found that it was a non profit organization and it was part of AmeriCorps. I applied and I love it!
~Karol

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Meet Kara Silbernagel

If you haven’t made your way to EMCC yet, let me introduce you to Kara Silbernagel! She is part of the group of staff at Mile High Youth Corps that works at our East Colfax location. Below you will find her answers to some questions about her favorite things to do in Colorado, MHYC and some facts about herself.

Where are you from?
Palisade, CO – best peaches in the US!

What is your position at MHYC?
Special Projects Coordinator

What brought you to MHYC?
In 2005 I was a summer CM at MHYC and had an amazing experience. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to return to the youth corps world and work in a staff capacity, I never thought it would be back at MHYC though!

What was your background before MHYC? Have you always worked in non-profits?
I have my Bachelor’s in Statistics from the University of Denver. While at DU, I completed work study for another non-profit in the area and got me connected pretty quickly to the non-profit world in Denver. After serving as a CM in between my Junior/Senior year at college, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in environmental non-profits. I worked for Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon before moving back to Denver and working for a small forestry company in boulder and then moving onto Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Everything! From a vet to an artist to a ski bum, I could never settle on just one thing.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The ability to shrink and enlarge people. The idea of taking all the amazing people I’ve met, storing them in my pocket and blowing them up to life-size for a day to catch up with them at a moments notice would be great!

What is your favorite burrito restaurant?
Taza de Café, best breakfast burrito in town. Not too greasy, but not too healthy either.

What is your favorite thing to do in Colorado?
Explore. By far, I love spending my time backcountry skiing. Avoiding the crowds, “earning the turns” and seeing a lot of places in CO that most people never see until the snow is melted is such a calming and peaceful experience.

What is your favorite part of MHYC?
OF course the people. Whether it’s catching up with the Corpsmembers, or meeting one of the energy/water clients, or talking to project sponsors. It’s always fun to talk to all the different people that are impact by MHYC and what we do in so many different ways

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One Year with Mile High Youth Corps: A Staff Perspective

Mile High Youth Corps -Colorado Springs Regional Director Nancy Wilson celebrated her one year anniversary with MHYC in December. She shares her challenges and joys with us in this blog.

MHYC - Colorado Springs Regional Director Nancy Wilson with Corpsmember in the field

After spending two years with the Peace Corps in Macedonia, Nancy hoped to continue to work within the areas of youth and service and found exactly that at MHYC! Nancy loves the direct contact she has with Corpsmembers. Throughout the process of interviewing, training, teaching and working she likes to hear about their experiences, future goals and hopes. Her least favorite part of the job? Paperwork! It never ends.

One of the top qualities needed to lead the Colorado Springs office is flexibility. Nancy is not always at her desk. Many times you can find her taking chainsaws in for maintenance, meeting with various community groups and members along the Southern Front Range while always staying within reach of her crews in the field.

At the beginning of her first summer season (the craziest time of the year) Nancy came into work to find out that the Field Coordinator could not make it to the Crew leader training. She ran home, packed and took the trip out with her summer crew leaders to Golden Gate State Park.

Nancy is looking forward to her second year with MHYC now that she is armed with all the experience from her first year!

- Sylvia Sedrak, Outreach VISTA Member, MHYC – Colorado Springs

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Adrian and Carla’s Story of Service at MHYC

Mile High Youth Corps. Wow the start to a new beginning, start to a new chapter professionally and personally. It has been a complete year since I’ve been here at MHYC, my life has change dramatically I would have never guessed I would have come this far.

November 2009, my husband Adrian Davalos, joined MHYC as a Youthbuild Corpsmember. The following month Alexandra Lee gave me an opportunity to volunteer at the East Montclair Community Center office and then later was hired as Outreach Corpsmember. This was just the beginning to our bigger and better future. MHYC gave my husband the opportunity to earn his GED and was even sent to Washington for a conference on behalf of the MHYC YouthBuild program.

Adrian graduated in July 2010 and today all YouthBuild staff still stay involved trying to keep him on track by calling and asking how he’s doing on his job – a job MHYC helped him obtain at Greiner Electric. By the end of the year 2009 with the help of Michelle Martinez and the flexibility Alexandra gave me we were able to get into this wonderful housing program where they have helped us actually have a beautiful home for our 2yr old daughter Breanna.

Our journey hasn’t been easy, we have had lots of bumps in the road and there will be more, but with all the support we get here at MHYC I know we will go very far.

To this day I am very thankful for everything they have done for us. Adrian gained his GED, an awesome job, and made
a better man of himself. MHYC helped me gain professional skills at a front desk and last but not least a GREAT Experience. To this day I am very thankful and lucky to say I am an MHYC employee.

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Hayman: 2002 & 2010

When I heard Mile High Youth Corps would have a crew working in the Hayman Burn Area this summer and fall, I was very supportive and enthusiastic. My enthusiasm stemmed from my recent memory of this enormous fire. It seems like yesterday that Denver had orange hued skies, I closed down the pool where I was lifeguarding because of falling ash, and watched the fire blazing from Cranmer Park near the Cherry Creek Mall in the evenings.

In contrast to the summer of 2002, when Governor Bill Owens said “all of Colorado is burning”; this summer, it is great to see MHYC Corpsmembers hard at work restoring the burn area to be usable recreation space once again. Instead of passively watching the news of devastation and feeling like there is nothing I can do to help, as I did in 2002, I am happy to feel like I can make a difference this year by helping to recruit young adults to serve on our Hayman crew for the fall.

2002: “It looked, honest to God, what I picture Hiroshima must have looked like,” Sherrie Muldoon said.

2010: MHYC Corpsmembers build new trail

2002: The Hayman burned the forest floor and blackened virtually every tree

2010: Corpsmembers use sawyer skills for fire fuel mitigation work

Hayman: The final facts
From the Rocky Mountain News

Started: June 8, 2002. Reported by U.S. Forest Service worker Terry L. Barton at 4 p.m.

Where: About 8 miles northwest of Lake George in the Pike National Forest in a campfire ring.

Named for: A mining ghost town near Tappan Gulch.

Total size: 137,000 acres, equivalent to 214 square miles, or the size of Denver and Boulder combined.

Estimated date of containment: Today at 6 p.m., the 21st day of the fire.

Cause: Illegal campfire, allegedly started by Barton, 38, who has been arrested and faces four felony counts that could result in 17 years in prison.

Structures lost: 133 homes; 1 commercial building; 484 outbuildings.

People evacuated: Nearly 8,000.

Personnel assigned: 2,564 firefighters at the peak of the fire.

Cost to date: $27.8 million; could reach $52 million.

2010: Contribute to Hayman restoration efforts as a Fall Land Conservation Camping Corpsmember. Apply online or contact Alexandra (alexandral@mhyc.org) for more information.

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