For the Reporter
Auburn’s Julia Dykers is part of an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team that is finishing up seven weeks of service at the Boys and Girls Club of Farmington, in the Four Corners region of New Mexico.
The Boys and Girls Club of America is an organization that is aimed at improving the lives of children, especially those in need and making them more responsible, functioning citizens.
Dykers and her team work with club members and Youth Development Professionals in the after-school program. The daily tasks include homework help, art lessons and leadership during fun times in the gym and outside. The team also spends their mornings helping out at the local food bank.
“AmeriCorps has supplied me with so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Dykers said. “I love the work that I’ve done thus far and I look forward to the rest of my year of service.”
This is the third project that Dykers has completed with NCCC. Before serving at the Boys and Girls Club, she built a trail in St. Louis, Mo., and then traveled to New York City to bring aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Dykers’ team departs New Mexico on Friday to train for a week before heading out on their fourth project. Dykers will then be stationed in Denver, working at Veterans Green Jobs and helping veterans in their search for employment.
She will complete one more project after that before graduating from the program on July 26.
About AmeriCorps NCCC
It is a full-time, residential, national service program in which 1,100 young adults serve nationwide each year. During their 10-month term, Corps Members – all 18 to 24 years old – work on teams of eight to 12 on projects that address compelling, self-identified community needs. These projects, usually lasting six to eight weeks each, support the environment, infrastructure improvement, energy conservation, urban and rural development, and immediate and continuing disaster response.
AmeriCorps NCCC has responded to national disasters since the program began in 1994.
In exchange for their service, Corps 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.
For more information, visit www.americorps.gov/nccc.
