by Greg McCorkle

Yesterday (March 24) a group of nine young adults from across America got down on their hands and knees to make a difference in the lives of people they don’t know.

Kids from Americorps’ National Civilian Community Corps, working with King County Parks, and supervised by Tina Miller- Volunteer and Restoration Co-ordinator, paid a visit to White Center Heights Park with the expressed purpose of planting 250 different types of trees. These new trees will help absorb water and add to the habitat making the park more enjoyable for everyone. During the month of March they will perform this work in several Puget Sound locations. Then they will spend another four weeks doing invasive plant removal in other locations around Puget Sound before moving on to another western state.

Coming from as far away as Maine this group of young adults will give up 10 months of their lives for the sole purpose of parks and green space restoration. During their tenure they will do restoration work in several western states.

This is not a vacation. These young adults put in long days, get dirty, and in the case of this group they live, or I should say camp, at Tolt-McDonald Park near Carnation while in the Northwest.

The team members working at WCHP are- Team leader Brittany Grimaldi of Queensburg, NY; Michelle Gagnon of Bitivier, Maine; Amye Pedrino of Los Angeles, Ca; Kristen Ellingson of Beker, Minnisota; Richard Garrett of Michigan City, Indiana; Sara Copeland of Mt. Pleasant, S. Carolina; Mat Pollmann of Chicago, Illinois; Jack Klingernan of Highland Park, Illinois; and Megan Maloney of Philidelphia, Pennsyvania.

There is another team currently working with Campfire USA on Vashon Island.

Each year, AmeriCorps NCCC engages teams of members in projects in communities across the United States. Service projects, which typically last from six to eight weeks, address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Members mentor students, construct and rehabilitate low-income housing, respond to natural disasters, clean up streams, help communities develop emergency plans, and address countless other local needs. (from NCCC website)

For more information about Americorps NCCC and how to get involved go to www.americorps.gov.