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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Project Spotlight: City of Pueblo Mural

August’s Project Spotlight is the City of Pueblo!

Corpsmembers spruce up a corner of Pueblo with fresh paint and vibrant designs.

For years now, Mile High Youth Corps – Colorado Springs has served seven counties in the Southern Front Range, including Pueblo County. This year though, with the help of the Colorado Lottery, MHYC was able to make a more permanent presence in the town. In June, eleven young adults were hired to form the very first MHYC-Pueblo crew.

The crew, consisting of all local, Pueblo young adults, has been doing work for both the city and the county all summer. Their labor has consisted of corridor clearing along the Arkansas River Trail (Russian olive and more), sign installation, trash removal, and trail and step construction.

Some of the crew takes a break from building steps near Lake Pueblo.

The most artistic project though, has been mural painting off of the Arkansas River Trail. The crew was assigned to beautify a once very plain spot in the city. Designs became intricate and creative, though most were easy to reach. When it came to covering a very large wall with water at its base, the crew busted out ladders and a harness.

Corpsmembers support one of their crew as he dangles from a harness, similar to a rock climbing set-up, to work on a mural.

The painting of a large Colorado flag mural can be completed only with ropes and a harness.

After the harness helped to complete the Colorado flag, a ladder is set up for the more accessible, yet not easy-to-reach areas.

If you’re ever in Pueblo doing something outdoorsy, there’s a good chance you’ll see this crew. Feel free to ask them what they’re up to this week – they’re not shy and they won’t bite! Although they may be wielding shovels and sledgehammers…

Corpsmembers leave their mark on Pueblo.

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MHYC by the Numbers: Pueblo Day Crew

 

Monthly Infographic #3.5 – Pueblo Day Crew

On June 11, a new Mile High Youth Corps crew entered the field far from the Mile High City. Thanks to much help from Abel Tapia, President of the Colorado Lottery, MHYC was able to start a day crew in Pueblo. The Steel City Crew consists of 11 local (Pueblo) young adults. They will be building trail and performing other various tasks along the Arkansas River Trail all summer. Check out this infographic – a follow-up to June’s demographic piece – to see who makes up the new Pueblo crew.

Also, if you use Foursquare, follow our Summer of Service list and check-in when visit our project sites!

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