Crossroads for Youth is going to be receiving some much needed help from a group of willing volunteers over the next several weeks.
From Monday, Jan. 11 to Friday, Feb. 26, 11 members of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) will work alongside Crossroad staff in many different programs.
‘Their willingness to help and do whatever is needed is impressive,? said Tracey Zambeck, the Director of Development and Agency Relations at Crossroads.
AmeriCorps NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. They provide opportunities to members who work to improve the enviornment , enhance education, increase public safety, help with disaster relief and assist in other unmet human needs.
The group will be staying on the Crossroads campus in one of the dorm buildings. During their seven weeks of service, the group will help the staff develop and teach additional life skills, assist with the organization of service opportunities and field trips, recreation and in the arts and craft program.
According to Zambeck, the potential service projects include work with Oxford/Orion Fish, the Salvation Army, Oakland Family Services, Catholic Charities and Meals on Wheels.
They will also be helping the residents with homework and eating their meals alongside them.
‘The positive interaction with our kids, that helps. As much of that our kids can get, the better,? Zambeck added.
In addition to serving as positive role models, the team from NCCC will be helping renovate one of the buildings into a residential unit.
‘We have previous experience in our first project when we were in New Orleans rebuilding homes that were damaged in Hurricane Katrina,? said AmeriCorp volunteer Katya Muller.
She added that they were taking out drywall, placing tresses and gables on the roof and doing lots of hammering.
When NCCC arrived, they received formal training from the staff and counselors at Crossroads in preparation for assisting with the residents.
‘The kind of training they are getting ready to do is learning the different kinds of procedures and protocol, the kinds of ways they can help when it comes to mentoring, getting to know personalities and interacting with our kids,? said Zambeck.
Muller said they learned about Crossroads therapy style and how to effectively work with a resident.
The selection of AmeriCorps NCCC was not that difficult according to President of Crossroads Dr. Janet McPeek. ‘We’ve been familiar with them for many years. Actually, we have had students who have come through our program , who after finishing high school, successfully went through the application process at AmeriCorp and did very well,? she said.
McPeek said that they heard about the application when Susan Dittrich, the Vice President of Administration, went to a seminar and found out that Crossroads met the eligibility requirements to host the NCCC.
‘We were very excited to learn that and immediately applied,? said McPeek.
According to Dittrich, they had to submit and short application briefly describing the project. Once it got accepted, they had to submit a longer application that provided ‘more information about the project, exactly how it would be measured, what the outcomes would be.?
The project received final approval after AmeriCorps NCCC came out and looked at the campus.
‘It was a whirlwind process,? said Dittrich. She said that they submitted the application when she got back from the seminar in October. From there, the application process took just under two months.