More Americorps Reflections

Lucky us, we've been joined for the last couple of months by yet another superb Americorp team. Here's one of the team's members--Jacob--sharing about the team's time with us:


Since coming to Ferncliff Camp, our Americorps NCCC team of nine have enjoyed our stay in the Little Rock area. Working five days a week along side Steve Wilson, the camp’s amazing operations manager, our team has helped fix up the camp for summer campers and other groups who will use the campground around the year.


Americorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is a federally-funded, ten month long program that allows individuals ages 18 to 24 the opportunity to serve with various non-profit organizations throughout the year. Teams of eight to twelve individuals spend one to two months working with that program on a project that that organization has developed. Americorps NCCC has had a relationship with Ferncliff Camp since 1999, and over twenty teams have worked with the camp since then.


In our time at Ferncliff, our team has helped to re-wire three cabins, demolished the chimney and framed part of the roof of Red Oak One, Two, and Dogwood One, as well as helped with landscaping around the cabins. We have also installed new insulation in four cabins and helped organize the storage area in the D.A.C. In the past two weeks we have transformed the area around the cabins, installing barriers to control traffic and creating a parking area in the back, while soiling and planting grass for a recreational area in the front. Lastly, we built a retaining wall and helped with irrigation around the access road and foundation of the cabins.


While were not working at the camp, our team has enjoyed spending time in the Little Rock area. During our leisure time, our team has explored the downtown area, hiked Pinnacle Mountain and have visited the Clinton Library. We have also have completed independent service hours with the Little Rock Animal Village, the Village Commons, and helped at the Lanterns Festival at Wildwood Park.


Perhaps the most enjoyment our team has gotten out of our time here is the opportunity that we have had to get to know the staff and volunteers, as well as about the various programs in which the camp is involved. When we first learned that we would be spending time refurbishing a summer camp, some of our members were skeptical about the value of the project. Such concerns were dismissed as soon as we arrived and we saw how beautiful Ferncliff is and we learned about all the wonderful educational programs that the camp offers to youth who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend camp, as well as the outreach and disaster relief programs. In many ways, Ferncliff Camp shares a great deal in common with Americorps NCCC: both are organizations that seek to educate young people about how to improve the world around us.