Congratulations are in Order (Part 3 of 3)

The final story of this three part series is about Jesse Roehm. Jesse is one of six 2012 National Corpsmembers of the Year. He will be honored this year at The Corps Network’s National Conference in Washington, D.C. taking place the week of February 11, 2013.  Jesse will represent the 30,000 Corpsmembers who serve annually across the nation. Read below or link here to find out more about Jesse’s story and his lifechanging experience with Mile High Youth Corps.

Jesse Roehm

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Over the past two years, Jesse Roehm has come to Mile High Youth Corps with a dedication to sharing his passion for service. Jesse first came to MHYC in 2011 to serve in our 10-month AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Program. It was evident from the very beginning that Jesse was ready to work hard no matter the project, despite the personal challenges he had to overcome. One Corpsmember shared this story about Jesse:

“At the end of every day I would see him getting back from the day’s work site where he had been cutting down trees for forest thinning. He would always have a smile on his face even though he would crawl out of the van dirtier than anyone else in the van; a strong testament to his ability to work hard all hours of the day while constantly being upbeat and positive. Every day that he comes to work he goes above and beyond what is required of him. His positivity and work ethic are infectious.”

After Jesse’s first term, he was hired as the Conservation Alumni Mentor. In this role Jesse got to continue his work as a positive influence within MHYC as well as the larger community by planning service projects at local non-profits and other community organizations such as Food Bank of the Rockies and ARC Thrift Stores. Jesse took the lead role of coordinating and facilitating MHYC’s first Crew Leader training and implementing MHYC’s Career Day event. He also created and implemented weekly “big picture” activities, helping other Corpsmembers connect to the larger mission of service and see the positive impacts of their service.

Jesse excels at building relationships among a diverse group of peers, showing his understanding of and dedication to the Corps and what it is all about. One of his supervisors says, “Jesse is a true mentor, leader and inspiration to everyone he works with. “

When Jesse’s fellow Corpsmembers were asked what they have learned from him they had to say this:

“He taught me the power of positivity day in and day out and that if you truly care about something to work hard every day to achieve it, you can not only create change in your community but can excite and inspire others to do the same.”

“Jesse taught me to stay positive through thick and thin, keep a level head and always look on the good side.”

“He showed me how to be a great communicator and not to be afraid to step up to the plate and say and do what is needed in a leadership role.”

“I feel lucky to have Jesse as a mentor, I think he truly believes in the influence that Mile High Youth Corps and AmeriCorps can have on young adults, and his belief comes through in his overwhelming concern and compassion towards every single Corpsmember. He has been a key agent in helping me to always see the bigger picture and to understand truly what service means. Jesse had made a huge impact on me and how I have come to view my own term of service.”

Jesse has worked tirelessly over the past two years to help his fellow Corpsmembers recognize the impact they can have on their community and themselves. As a result of his passion for service, dedication to the Corps and exceptional work ethic, Jesse has been hired to continue his work with Mile High Youth Corps as a staff member. He will serve as the Programs Specialist: Conservation and his job duties will include the supervision and program management of the two roles that he filled as a Corpsmember, the AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation crew and the Conservation Alumni Mentor.

Congratulations Jesse! You have a heart for service and your ability to connect to young adults will continue to inspire us and the nation.

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Congratulations are in Order (Part 2 of 3)

Another of our Corpsmember of the Year was Christian Ndushabandi. Christian was also selected as the Youth Speaker at this year’s CYCA Annual Youth Corps awards ceremony. The Gazette out of Colorado Springs, also published a story about Christian and his journey to becoming a 2012 Corpsmember of the Year (read it now here) and a copy of his speech is available on YouTube (watch it now here).

Christian Ndushabandi

(Corpsmember of the Year from MHYC’s Southern Front Range Region)

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Christian Ndushabandi joined his first crew with Mile High Youth Corps at the age of 18 with a very different story than most of our Corpsmembers.  Christian was born in Rwanda. At the age of one he was saved by his babysitter after his father was killed and his mother was left for dead during the genocide.

Years later, two and a half of which were spent in a refugee camp, Christian and his mom were invited to come to the United States as refugees. Christian welcomed the chance to experience a daily life filled with opportunity and dreams. He enrolled in high school and began learning English. As his English improved and as he adjusted to life in the US, Christian decided it was time to start working. After a couple of jobs in food service, Christian found Mile High Youth Corps.

Christian’s first term as a Corpsmember, taught him a lot and challenged his ideas of American culture. Although he admits that the first 10 day hitch with his camping crew was challenging, he found a welcoming and supportive crew to help him adjust. Christian says, “My fellow Corpsmembers changed the stereotype I had about American teenagers. The members of my crew were curious and they wanted to know about me and my country. They made me comfortable telling my story, and I feel more relieved every time I do.”

Christian has now completed two Summer of Service terms with Mile High Youth Corps and looks forward to using his AmeriCorps Education Award toward a college degree. When asked about the role MHYC has had in his life, Christian says, “MHYC is different from any other job that I have had. It taught me how to work hard and they recognize hard work. I have had fun working and I’ve learned a lot about this culture, how to solve problems and how to make friends.”

Congratulations Christian! You are truly deserving of being called Corpsmember of the Year and your dedication to your own personal growth, your crew and your ability to keep going in the face of adversity epitomize the spirit of the Corps.

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The Impact of My Summer

This post is authored by Nate, an ACLC Corpsmember and Assistant Crew Leader for the Trail Blazers.

The start of the summer term at MHYC was something that I had been looking forward to since the final cold day of January, when my term began.  Luckily for me, time did fly as I had fun working on water and energy crews in the early spring.  January and February quickly melted away and before I knew it, the beginning of summer and the day I had been most anticipating had finally arrived.  A scavenger hunt designed by Jesse helped to serve as a virtual sorting hat, leading me down a path that would eventually lead to an amazing summer.

I’m sure I would have been happy serving on any of the four crews based out of our Denver office, but as luck would have it I soon found that I was to be a Trail Blazer!  The name Trail Blazer just sounded so cool to me!  I never would have thought that moving to Denver after college my official job title would end up being Trail Blazer.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t my official job title, but still pretty cool.  Every morning this summer, I got to crawl out of bed and get ready for the day knowing that I wasn’t just getting up to go to any old job — every morning this summer, I woke up a Trail Blazer.

What exactly does a Trail Blazer do, one may ask.  Well, after being trained by the forest service in an S-212 chainsaw class, I got to cut down trees everyday.  Not only did I get to cut down trees, but I got to work with an awesome crew of seasonal Corpsmembers.  I was worried that my summer experience was not going to be as fun as my previous term fall forestry term, but to my surprise, our crew was just as amazing.  Throughout the term I was constantly impressed by the initiative and skill that the seasonal Corpsmembers showed.  They went from never having touched a chain saw to all becoming grade-A sawyers.  One of my leadership roles was to keep track of the number of trees and acreage we cut.  At the end of each day, I would ask each Corpsmember how many trees they had cut down that day and I never was disappointed.  By the end of the summer, we didn’t just cut down 11,722 trees — we cut down 11,722 bad trees. The trees we removed were dead, infested with pine bark beetles, or overcrowding healthy parts of the forest and we made a huge environmental impact by taking them out.

After all was said and done, our crew didn’t end up winning the MHYC Summer Olympics.  But for me, after our success in the community, the crew Olympics didn’t really matter.  My summer was still one of the most fun and rewarding times I have ever had.  I learned a lot about myself and was able to witness first hand the impact that a group of hard-working, committed youth can have while serving our community.  It was a great to see such a diverse group of youth from different backgrounds, each at different points in their lives, uniting in order to grow together and do great things.

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My Summer with the Ridge Runners

This post is authored by Casey, an ACLC Corpsmember and Assistant Crew Leader of the Ridge Runners.

This summer I served as an Assistant Crew Leader on the Ridge Runners Camping Crew. We worked out of the Pike National Forest in the Rampart Range and cut six miles of new single-track dirt bike trail over the course of two and a half months. The crew consisted of ten 18-24 year-olds and required us to camp out for ten days at a time. With the exception of an occasional bathroom break and a few minutes of alone-time in our tents at night, we spent virtually every moment of every day with one another. By the end of the summer we were like a family. Living with a community of nine others, working and living in the woods for ten days at a time was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. It brought me closer than I have ever been with a group of coworkers and taught me more about myself than I could have every imagined.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were our travel days, but once camp was set up from Wednesday-Wednesday our average day looked something like this: We would wake up around 5:00am, have breakfast and make our lunches for the day. This usually consisted eggs and oatmeal, but occasionally we had time to make bacon, potatoes, and green chili if we got up early enough. Lunch was usually a couple sandwiches, some fruit, and an assortment of snacks including energy bars, trail mix and plenty of protein. Dinner was the real treat, where Matthew would whip up the most gourmet meals you had ever seen at a campsite. I still can’t believe how well we ate out there. Long story short, food was a very big part of our camping experience, mostly to sustain ourselves and get through the intense days on the trail.

After breakfast and making our lunches we would have a stretch and safety circle which usually included some ridiculous question such as: “If you could be one mythical creature what would it be?” or “If you had 24 hours left to live how would you spend your final day?” or “If  you could marry one celebrity, who would it be?”. After that we would take off for the trail, which was typically a 1-3 mile hike. All in all, we were hiking around 5 miles a day. Once out on the trail we would get to work and assume one of the various trail-building roles. Usually a few of us would go up front and clear the corridor, removing and large logs, branches, or vegetation that were in the way of the flag line that marked the trail. Behind them were usually a couple pickmatics and a few McCleods, breaking ground and pulling away the dirt. Next would be a couple more pickers, McCleoders, and shovelers working on the backslope, defining the critical edge and flattening the bench. Once we got in our groove and figured out an effective process for constructing the tail we were unstoppable and cut an average of one mile per 8 days on the trail.

After getting back to camp in the afternoon we would usually just hang out and relax, read, listen to music on our solar-powered iPod dock, play hackey-sack and bocce ball, or take a much needed nap. Dinner was always a personal highlight of the day where we would come together and share our highs and lows from the day while relaxing over a delicious meal usually spearheaded by Matthew, one of the other Assistant Crew Leaders. The night was usually finished off with some Environmental Education or a hike up to the ridge near our campsite.

The summer was full of memorable moments that I will always carry with me. Some of them were humorous and left us laughing uncontrollably, while others tested us as a group and required us to overcome unforeseen obstacles. Everyone got a good laugh when Jason, our youngest Corpsmember, shrieked in terror as we discovered a cricket in his shoe one morning. We had some of the most amazing views any of us had experienced in Colorado, particularly the ridge near our second campsite. I saw more wildlife this summer than I have seen in the last three years living here. We got to eat bear and elk, and had some of the deepest and most insightful conversations you could imagine. On the flip side, working in the middle of the forest fires was an intense challenge. We talked about anything and everything while out on the trail. The smoke in the air combined with the high altitude we were working at took a toll on everyone. The final hitch involved a flat tire, lots of inclement weather, and a day where we hiked 12 miles. We were forced to evacuate our third campsite and move closer to the main road after being visited from a young black bear and we had our fair share of cold, rainy nights.

Coming back to the city after being out in the woods for ten days, you start to appreciate the simple luxuries in life. Ice cubes in a glass of water, sitting down on a couch, or simply being able to take a nice long shower seem like the most amazing things in the world. You also notice how nice things are out in the wilderness when you get back to 100 degree Denver weather with all the noise and stress of the city. Reflecting back on this summer, being separated from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle was therapeutic and good for the soul. When we were out there in the woods, the food never tasted so good, the sleep never felt so good, and the bonds between me and my coworkers were never stronger.

For more pictures of the Ridge Runners’ summer adventures, check out our Flickr.

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Top 10: Summer Sights

Today’s post is guest authored by Julian and Cristal of the Path Finders.

Working outdoors in the summer definitely has its advantages: a great workout, a sweet farmer’s tan, and an office with an unbeatable view.

We work in some pretty amazing places during our Summer of Service program and we’d love to share the views with you so we dusted off the old photo albums and put together a list of the Top 10 Summer Sights!

#10)

Matthew looks out over the Hayman Burn Area near Lake George

#9)

Our land crew building trail at Green Mountain Park

#8)

Who says a beautiful summer sight can’t be our own Denver skyline?

#7)

A saw crew out of Colorado Springs make a rainbow connection at Chico Basin.

#6)

A summer Corpsmember looks down the hillside into the beautiful Colorado backcountry.

#5)

Another summer Corpsmember relaxes by one of Colorado’s many amazing lakes.

#4)

Two Corpsmembers head up a back road to their campsite. What an amazing landscape!

#3)

The 2012 Ridge Runners pause for a group photo near the Hayman Burn Area.

#2)

A Corpsmember looks off into the distance across the forested back country with the Rockies rising in the background.

and the #1 amazing sight from our Summer of Service crews is…

Our 2012 ACLCs hike into Boulder’s world-famous Flatirons for Leave No Trace training.

Thanks for taking a look and we hope you enjoyed the Top 10 Summer Sights! As long as there is beautiful Colorado country to work in, we’ll be there building trails and snapping a few pictures along the way!

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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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End of Summer BBQ

Today the whole MHYC gang – and we mean the WHOLE gang including MHYC CO Springs Crews, Summer of Service Crews, Water and Energy Conservation Crews, staff members, family, friends and MHYC supporters – gathered at a Denver park for the annual end of Summer BBQ.

Every year the crews compete in the MHYC Olympics, with games ranging from tug-o-war to flag creation, to see which crew can take the trophy and the honor of being The MHYC Olympic Champions.

After a heated battle, the Trailblazer Crew (Denver’s Day Sawyer Crew) stole the show and was given the honor of adding their name to the MHYC Olympics trophy.

Each Summer of Service Crew also put on a skit to showcase their amazing accomplishments including trail building, invasive specie removal, sawyer work, rock wall building and so much more.

We’re all lucky to be a part of an organization that works hard conserving our natural spaces and resources and still makes time for fun.

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Just Another Day at the Office

No laptops or fax machines for Mile High Youth Corps’ Summer of Service Corpsmembers — they’re offices consist of breathtaking views of mountains and wildlife. In the photo above, Summer of Service Hayman Corpsmember Margaret Page takes in the beautiful view at Pike National Forest where her crew has been working all Summer.

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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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Pulling Weeds!

What is going on people? T.J. here to deliver the news on what we are up to.

We have been removing lots of invasive weed species recently! We have been pulling weeds at Camp Rollandet in the hot sun and have also been at Bear Creek removing thistle and kosher plants.

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