NCCC team responds to the call of Camp Echoing Hills
WARSAW – From Aug. 12 to Sept. 25, an AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) team is serving with Camp Echoing Hills. The team is helping to construct a new low ropes challenge course and completing several other maintenance and improvement tasks for the camp.
The NCCC team of 10 from the Vinton campus is mapping out the challenge course and creating new elements, then clearing any debris in the proposed area to make room for the new course. They are also assisting in moving existing elements to the new course, as well as installing retaining walls where necessary and treating the wooden elements to prevent weathering. Lastly, the team is creating an area to store equipment when not in use and creating wheelchair accessible walkways. The team might also paint cabins, make outdoor camp signs and sand or seal hay wagons.
By creating a new low ropes course, the NCCC team is helping Camp Echoing Hills to provide individuals with special needs a new opportunity to learn essential skills such as group interaction, problem solving, leadership skills, decision making, self-confidence and trust, amongst others. Along with campers, the course is available to local businesses, staff and schools to use as a team building and personal growth initiative.
“I’m truly looking forward to working with Camp Echoing Hills, an organization that focuses on ‘enriching the lives of people with special needs’,” says NCCC member Patty Llamas from Perris, Calif. “I am excited about having the chance to build a challenge course that is fully accessible to people of all abilities, therefore aiding in one of the organization’s main objectives, as well as possibly having the opportunity to interact with the campers.”
Camp Echoing Hills is a non-profit Christian camp for individuals with special needs. Serving others for over 45 years, they provide summer camps, respite weekends, family camps and a travel program. Its mission is to create opportunities for individuals with disabilities to know and experience Jesus Christ, which they accomplish by focusing on personal, spiritual and relational growth through year round programming. For information about Camp Echoing Hills, visit the website at www.campechoinghills.org or call 1-800-419-6513 extension 261.
AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, 10-month, residential, national service program in which 2,800 young adults – all 18 to 24 years old- serve nationwide each year. The NCCC program oversees two service tracks – NCCC and FEMA Corps – and members in these programs serve in teams of eight to 12 on three to seven service projects during their service. NCCC members serve on projects that address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation and urban and rural development. FEMA Corps members focus solely on emergency management and long-term recovery projects through FEMA. The North Central Region campus in Vinton, Iowa is one of five regional campuses in the United States and serves Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The other campuses are located in Baltimore, Md.; Sacramento, Calif.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and Denver, Colo.
In exchange for their service, members receive $5,550 to help pay for college, or to pay back existing student loans. Other benefits include a small living stipend, room and board, leadership development, increased self-confidence and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference. AmeriCorps NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation improves lives, strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. For information about AmeriCorps NCCC programs, visit the website at www.nationalservice.gov/nccc.
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