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AmeriCorps Members Honor MLK Jr. Through Service 

Members completed service-based volunteer events to benefit communities across NC  

As we reflect on this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we would love to share some of the enriching experiences that our Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps members enjoyed. Each member dedicated the day to volunteering in honor of Dr. King. The active participation of members was present in service projects aligning with the principles championed by Dr. King, with the common goal of enhancing community resilience. The MLK Day of Service contributes to our local communities across the state and provides an opportunity for our members to learn and reflect on the enduring impact of Dr. King’s teachings.  

CTNC’s AmeriCorps service members Austin Duncan (Central Pines Regional Council), Rae Cohn (The Hub Farm),Hannah Rhodes (American Rivers), Anna Behnke (CTNC), Lauren Howard (Green River Preserve) and Eli Haines-Eitzen(Eno River Association) spent the day in Durham assisting Urban Community Agronomics. UCAN strives to connect the community with sustainable agriculture to combat food insecurity and provide environmental-based education to visitors. During this day of service, volunteers spread mulch, helped build beds for the greenhouse, reclaimed wood among the property along with many other tasks.  

Another member in the Triangle, Ellen Davis (Central Pines Regional Council), spent the day with the repairs program of Habitat for Humanity of Durham. Their group focused on assisting a home impacted by flooding through replacing a waterline. Within their day of service, immense progress was made on an 18” deep trench that will be used with the new waterline.  

In the Piedmont, Tanya Balaji (Keep Charlotte Beautiful), in partnership with her host site, held four litter cleanup events around the city to commemorate Dr. King. With the help of 82 total volunteers, 97 bags of litter were collected, removing roughly 1940 lbs. of litter from impacting the environmental well-being of the streets of Charlotte.   

Cindy Rassi (El Futuro) participated in a day of service held by her host site in partnership with Keep Durham Beautiful. They had 29 adults, and 4 children participate in the MLK Clean-up of the Lakewood Plaza and a Storytime Reading of “Todo el Mundo Cabe Aqui” (“All Are Welcome” in English) for the children. During this day of service, 43 bags of waste, 27bags of recycling items, 1 mattress, 4 tires, and metal scrap were collected by the volunteers.  

In Henderson, member Charlie Robinette (Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments) joined ACTS of Henderson (Area Christians Together in Service) in a food distribution event. Charlie helped prepare and hand out the warm lunches to members of the community.

In Western NC, member Jessica Blackburn (Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust) joined HCLT staff and volunteers on a litter clean-up at Sunset Rock, one of HCLT’s most populous hiking spots. The event showed how simple it can be to gather and provide service to your community while being a steward for the environment.  

Along the coast of North Carolina, Lauren Waibel and Jordan Pilcher (North Carolina Coastal Land Trust) spent their day cleaning up and removing litter from a local park in Wilmington. They collected trash from Maides Park and Maides Cemetery, a historic African-American Cemetery with graves dating back to the 19th century

As we remember Martin Luther King, it is also essential that we remember the dedication he had to his mission of liberating and uniting all people. To accomplish our mission, we too must dedicate our services to changes we wish to have in the world. 

Learn more about the impact of community partnerships delivered through service.

Introducing the 2023-24 Resilience NC Corps Cohort

We’re delighted to welcome the latest cohort of service members with the Resilience Corps NC program. These members, working at placements across North Carolina, are able to fill in areas of need through their host sites that are connected to various diverse communities, building a resilient North Carolina. Their work includes community outreach, environmental education, and environmental stewardship.

Building a resilient community begins with education and the power of knowledge. Having AmeriCorps members within the communities build capacity within and outside their host sites creates a positive impactful domino effect that will be long lasting after their service terms are over.

Here’s where our 2023-24 AmeriCorps members are serving:

Anna Behnke
Conservation Trust for North Carolina
Austin Duncan
Central Pines Regional Council
Christopher Perdomo
Piedmont Environmental Alliance
Cindy Rassi
El Futuro
Eli Haines Eitzen
Eno River Association
Ellen Davis
Central Pines Regional Council
Regina Patton
Balsam Mountain Trust
Grace Sigmon
North Carolina Zoo
Haley Bock
Piedmont Triad Regional Council
Hannah Rhodes
Keep Durham Beautiful
Jessica Blackburn
Highland Cashiers Land Trust
Jordan Pilcher
North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
Lauren Howard
Green River Preserve
Lauren Waibel
North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
Lula Zeray
Meals on Wheels of Durham
Rachel Cohn
Durham Public Schools Hub Farm
Sabrinah Hartsell
North Carolina Zoo
Stephanie Pipas
North Carolina Zoo
Tanya Balaji
Keep Charlotte Beautiful
Tykia Lewis
Town of Princeville

Learn more about Resilience Corps NC and the work being accomplished for communities through service.

Why We Need the Resilience Service Network

North Carolina has seen an unprecedented investment in building resilience against the effects of our changing climate. Hundreds of millions of dollars have flowed to statewide flood resiliency modeling efforts, coastal community planning, and more. Billions of additional dollars from federal sources have also been earmarked for climate resilience.

Yet, there is a crucial next step to ensure these projects come to life: activating local community capacity. Communities across North Carolina must be able to take advantage of the information, support, and financial resources made available. CTNC has heard from nonprofit organizations and local leaders that too many communities seem to lack that needed capacity.

STUDY

To begin to address this vulnerability, CTNC commissioned a study in fall 2022 to gather information and input on what role service programs might play in building community capacity around climate resilience. The resulting Resilience Service Network: Case for Support affirms that existing and new service programs are well-positioned to play a vital role in assisting communities seeking to leverage the climate resilience investments being made. Though, as the study also shows, service in North Carolina must be greatly expanded and substantively changed to realize this potential.

CONCLUSIONS

Communities across North Carolina are ready to address the threat of climate change, but they’re hindered by a lack of capacity to mobilize an effective response. The existing service capacity needs to grow, and the activities involved will require greater diversity to respond effectively to community needs. Stakeholders and programs recognized host costs, administrative burdens, member benefits, and high match and project costs as major barriers to implementing a comprehensive service network in the state. The team also found that the state currently offers a patchwork of relevant support that is not commensurate with the scale of the needs of North Carolina’s communities.

Fortunately, North Carolina is slated to receive significant investment in flood prevention, critical infrastructure and transportation, and other projects designed to increase resilience. These investments will provide opportunities to meet the funding levels required to realize this effort at scale. Building on existing planning efforts and financial support, the team identified flood response as an established mechanism to direct service to communities in need.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings, this report identifies a set of summary recommendations that reflect the most common themes and opportunities for a statewide resilience service initiative.

Implementation

What framing or program design steps should be taken to build a stronger service effort in North Carolina.

  • Start With Flood Response
  • Focus on Resilience
  • Localize to Galvanize
  • Reinforce What’s Working
  • Strategically Fill Gaps

Coordination

What steps might be taken to ensure the effort is well coordinated so it can deliver the greatest impact for the state.

  • Adapt to Thrive
  • Build a Network, not a Program.
  • Emphasize Catalytic Over Functional Outcomes
  • Follow the Money / Unlock the Potential

Resilience Service Network Concept

What operational and funding design will be required to achieve success at a statewide scale.

  • Operational Design
  • Funding

While this study is a seed of an idea, we see great potential in service programs to help alleviate community capacity concerns, build a resilience-oriented workforce, and maximize additional investments in the state’s resilience. North Carolina is primed to lead the nation on creative and innovative solutions for climate action.

Alongside CTNC’s Resilience Corps NC, we’re excited to welcome Conserving Carolina’s AmeriCorps Project Conserve and Conservation Corps North Carolina as founding partners in building this statewide network. 

To connect with us on the Resilience Service Network, inquire about joining as a partner organization or host site, or learn more about how service programs can work in your community, email americorps@ctnc.org.

AmeriCorps Spotlight

Conservation Trust for North Carolina offers Resilience Corps NC, a national service program of AmeriCorps, designed to support capacity building for resilience, environmental education, and stewardship and outreach that builds bridges between conservation organizations and the local communities they seek to serve. Meet a few of the AmeriCorps members making a difference across the state.

AmeriCorps Spotlight: Lance Nathaniel
Lance Nathaniel promotes intersectionality and community engagement with Resilience Corps NC at Keep Charlotte Beautiful. Get to know more about Lance’s work.

AmeriCorps Spotlight: Grace Sigmon
As the AmeriCorps Natural Areas Conservation Educator Grace Sigmon helps to expand the North Carolina Zoo’s education, recreation, and conservation programs in Asheboro. Get to know more about Grace and her work.

AmeriCorps Spotlight: Bryce Tholen
Bryce Tholen makes connections with coastal communities and lands serving with Resilience Corps NC at North Carolina Coastal Land Trust in Wilmington. Get to know more about Bryce.

AmeriCorps Spotlight: Emily Taylor
Emily Taylor teaches future generations about Western NC species and how to protect them, serving with Resilience Corps NC at Balsam Mountain Trust in Sylva. Get to know more about Emily.


AmeriCorps Spotlight: Bryce Tholen

Bryce Tholen makes connections with coastal communities and lands serving with Resilience Corps NC at North Carolina Coastal Land Trust in Wilmington.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in environmental science, Bryce continues to share his appreciation for the outdoors with others. He serves as Environmental Educator and Volunteer Coordinator at the Trust.

In his position, Bryce plans and presents environmental education in classroom opportunities, programs and events. He also organizes, leads and promotes volunteering opportunities and assists the stewardship team in projects.

Working with Coastal Land Trust helped Bryce get out of his comfort zone. He learned about how nonprofits function and has earned more experience presenting to an audience. “I have learned a lot about public speaking and confidence,” says Bryce.

Educating the public on restoring and protecting the environment comes with its challenges. Conservation organizations face smaller staff and budgets while working across a large area. However, that doesn’t detract from the fulfilling successes when communities come together to protect our planet.

One of the biggest takeaways from the job is the importance of collaboration when expanding conservation efforts. “Partnerships and collaborations lead to the most beneficial projects for a community. People have to be willing to work together to achieve common goals. Many projects in the conservation field cannot be accomplished without the partnering of multiple entities.”

Beyond AmeriCorps, Bryce plans to continue to work in conservation. He wants to assist in outreach coordination for nonprofits or state organizations focusing on land and water protection. We can’t wait to see what he’ll achieve!

Resilience Corps NC celebrates new partnerships

The Resilience Corps NC program recently launched its latest cohort of service members who will work in communities to deliver climate change, community resilience, capacity building, and environmental education services to host sites across the state. In order to make this the most successful year yet, CTNC has added and promoted staff, and welcomed 17 service members including four who have returned for their second year of service.

Here’s where our 2022-23 Corps members are serving:

Balsam Mountain Trust
Emily Taylor
Cape Fear River Watch
Kristen Rhodes
El Futuro
Maiya Garrett-Peters

Eno River Association
Audrey Vaughn

Grandfather Mountain
Stewardship Foundation
Elizabeth Warfield

Highlands-Cashiers
Land Trust
Hope Corbin

Keeping Charlotte Beautiful
Lance Nathaniel

Keeping Durham Beautiful
Eleanor Dilworth

Meals on Wheels Durham
Lula Zeray

North Carolina Coastal
Land Trust
Madison Woodard
Bryce Tholen

North Carolina Zoo
Grace Sigmon
Mawadda Al-Masri
Sabrinah Hartsell

Piedmont Triad
Regional Council
Haley Bock

The Regional Stormwater
Partnership of the Carolinas
Kelly Hendrix (Norris)

Triangle J Council of Governments
Taylor Weddington

Read about more of our staffing and member updates below!

This year, Nick DiColandrea returns to CTNC in a new role – Climate Strategies Officer. In this new position, Nick will work with the leadership team to ensure Resilience Corps NC members are addressing community capacity and climate change challenges in all communities we serve. Learn more about Nick and why he’s committed to addressing climate change through CTNC’s mission and partnerships.

Please join us in extending congratulations to Michaella Kosia, who was recently promoted to AmeriCorps Program Director. Michaella will lead the Resilience Corps NC program by supporting host site supervisors and their members coordinating trainings, planning cohort connection events, building relationships, and strategizing other best practices for member sustainability. Michaella brings to this role a unique public health background where she worked to address health disparities amongst marginalized communities. Our partners and members are excited to work with Michaella in this new leadership role. Get to know Michaella and her passion for community-focused service work.

Credit: Bisi Cameron Yee

As part of our commitment to working alongside community partners to achieve resilience, CTNC and the Environmental Defense Fund will sponsor three additional members to work with community leaders with the Town of Princeville, the Lumbee Indian Tribal Council in Lumberton, and The Orchard at Altapass in Little Switzerland. These members will be focused on increasing community capacity, supporting local food systems through community gardening, and engaging in community outreach through a lens of climate change and land stewardship. Learn more about our Resilience Corps NC program.

Resilience Corps NC is still recruiting for the 2022-23 cohort!

Click here to explore opportunities and learn how to apply.

AmeriCorps Spotlight: Lance Nathaniel

Discovering crossroads between intersectionality and environmentalism with AmeriCorps.

Lance Nathaniel promotes intersectionality and community engagement with Resilience Corps NC at Keep Charlotte Beautiful. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University where he studied anthropology, emergency disaster management and leadership.

As an AmeriCorps member, Lance helps to conduct effective volunteer outreach throughout Charlotte’s non-traditional communities. He’s not only learned about how to teach others about sustainability and uplift communities, but also discovered how manmade resources have an impact on our bodies and environment.

Lance speaks on how conservation and environmentalism needs to be supported on a systemic level. “There is much more to helping our planet than replanting trees and recycling. More funding needs to go to compost and ending petroleum-based items like plastics.”

What do you do?

As the AmeriCorps service member for Keep Charlotte Beautiful, my role is to develop and promote outreach for the city’s Adopt-a-City Street program, litter pick-ups, environmental education for K-5 students, and engaging with communities at a grassroots level to promote healthy ways to keep Charlotte beautiful and healthy.

What do you love about your current role?

I love learning about the history of Charlotte; there is so much Black history often left in the shadows. So many heroes from the Civil Rights Movement and their descendants reside in the city, still fighting for their rights. Most importantly, seeing how environmentalism plays a role in this intersectionality, I love how the resources I share with various communities can help with those efforts in creating a more equitable society.

What do you wish people knew about working in conservation?

I wish people knew how intersectional conservation is. The environment and the items we use have a direct impact on our health and it requires EVERYONE to take care of it. Not just government or city officials, we truly have to incorporate nature into our lives that is not independent of us but is a part of us.

After AmeriCorps, Lance plans on offering his experience toward decolonization efforts and promoting cultural and environmental sustainability for many Black and brown communities that are being pushed out by corporations. We look forward to seeing him make strides in his work for his community!

CTNC’s service programs allow us to provide capacity and support to resilient community partners throughout the state. To learn more about CTNC’s AmeriCorps service program or apply for an open position, click here.

AmeriCorps Spotlight: Grace Sigmon

Uplifting communities through conservation education and recreation with Resilience Corps NC

As the AmeriCorps Natural Areas Conservation Educator Grace Sigmon helps to expand the North Carolina Zoo’s education, recreation, and conservation programs in Asheboro.

Each day has something different in store at the Zoo! Grace’s favorite part about her job: connecting with nature most of the day instead of sitting at a desk. She primarily helps the Zoo’s Trail Team and collaborates with volunteers and her community to advocate for public trails and conservation.

Most of Grace’s time consists of survey projects on animals like salamanders, turtles and nesting birds. She serves her community by combining environmental education, land maintenance, and wildlife observations by:

  • Planning and hosting guided hikes on Zoo trails and nature preserves
  • Aiding in routine trail maintenance and building new trails
  • Creating children’s programs about conservation in person and online

She wants people to know conservation isn’t a lonely job. In fact, communication is one of the most valuable skills to have. “Conservation careers require team effort in order to achieve goals. It takes both people within and outside of this field to make a positive impact for the sake of wildlife, the environment, and humanity,” says Grace.

A lot of Grace’s work with AmeriCorps has taught her the value of quality over quantity by finding a balance between downtime and work. She says it’s easy to accept too many tasks, but when she takes on fewer jobs in a day, her projects and wellbeing flourish.

The benefits of conservation have its roots in equity according to Grace. Expanding conservation means providing people with necessities so we can all fully engage in helping our environment.

“Conservation only works if everyone participates and benefits from it. Communities must be lifted up and receive the common needs that everyone requires so conservation efforts and opportunities can be established.”

Thanks to her experience with the Zoo and AmeriCorps, Grace has many options for her next steps working in nature. She’s confident she wants to stay in the conservation field. We can’t wait to see what’s to come for Grace!

CTNC’s service programs allow us to provide capacity and support to resilient community partners throughout the state. To learn more about CTNC’s AmeriCorps service program or apply for an open position, click here.

Climate Resilience Leaders – Michaella Kosia

Michaella Kosia, AmeriCorps Program Director, comes to CTNC from an unexpected field: public health. She graduated from East Carolina University with a B.S. in Public Health and her background comes from other areas of public health, such as addressing health disparities amongst marginalized communities in community health.

She’s bringing her unique perspective to CTNC by supporting our Resilience Corps NC host sites and members during their service term by coordinating training, planning cohort connection events, building relationships, and strategizing other best practices for member sustainability.

When did you first realize the real and present impacts of climate change?
I probably first realized the real and present impacts of climate change back in the early 2000s. I remember Al Gore bringing attention to global warming. As a child, I didn’t realize the severity of it until years later, into adulthood. Because I’m a naturally curious person, I decided to begin educating myself on environmental issues such as global warming and the effects of climate change. Once I stepped into this area of awareness, I started to notice the changes in weather patterns. Now, it has been over 20 years since I was exposed to the topic and it has unfortunately worsened over time. I wish our country would have taken it more seriously earlier by being more proactive.

How have you seen climate change impact North Carolina?
With North Carolina being a coastal state, hurricane season in NC has become more active and it’s occurring earlier. Water levels are rising with more flooding on the coast, summers are extremely hot, and I even read that sharks are migrating closer to our shores due to the waters getting warmer.

What does climate resilience mean to you?
To me, resilience can be seeded through education on climate change, spreading awareness through that knowledge, supporting organizations who are focused on making a change and voting for elected officials who explicitly support addressing the climate crisis.

What’s one thing everyone should know about climate action?
It takes all of us! Although our individual efforts are necessary, we can truly move mountains as a collective.

What are actions that organizations in NC can do right now to make our state more resilient?

  • Make sure to include marginalized communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change. I’ve observed that marginalized populations such as Black, Indigenous People of Color, immigrants, and those with special needs/disabilities tend to be left out of the conversation when they are experiencing higher/damaging levels of climate change. This can be done by having educational material in other languages, partnering with other organizations within said communities, making the educational material accessible (braille for those visually impaired, audible for those hard of hearing) etc.
  • Implement more options for staff in these organizations to work from home. Working from home would save on gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Implement more educational programs about climate change in our schools. Like Whitney Houston said, “..the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way”. We always want to leave the world better than we found it and this can be done through the next generations.

Working in climate resilience can be overwhelming. How do you keep going?

I do my best to prioritize my mental health whenever I feel overwhelmed. Walking our local trails, practicing mindfulness, eating well, and being intentional about spending time with friends and family.

Want to connect with Michaella? Email her.

AmeriCorps Profiles: Mawadda Almasri

A desire to live her life in service to others and the planet led Mawadda Almasri to Resilience Corps NC at the NC State Zoo in Asheboro, NC.

After graduating from NC State University with a degree in Sustainable Materials and Technology, she started her position as Diversity & Inclusion Assistant. “When I found the position with AmeriCorps, I knew it was a perfect opportunity for me to create a positive impact on the world.”

Learn more about Mawadda’s job and advice about AmeriCorps service.

What does your current service position entail?
My work mainly focuses on developing educational programs for under-resourced communities to educate them on climate change in a simple and engaging way. I’ve also put together an educational program on composting that can be presented to zoo guests in Kidzone, the zoo’s nature play area. In addition, I started a garden at the zoo, which will be used for educational workshops to emphasize the importance of growing our food.

What do you love about your current role?
I love creating programs. I enjoy deciding what information to include for the specific audience, how to organize the ideas to make them easily understood, what activities to incorporate, and what props to bring. But, for me, the best part is presenting the program to the audience and seeing them engage with the material and understand the concept.

What are the lessons you’ve learned since joining the program?
I’ve learned that things don’t always go according to plan, and that’s okay. Being an educator is about being flexible when there are last-minute changes or hiccups. I try to be patient with myself and remind myself of all I’ve accomplished.

What is your advice to others interested in AmeriCorps service?
Whatever your reason for joining AmeriCorps, always remind yourself of that reason throughout your service. Staying focused on it will keep you motivated and help you push through harder days. I always remind myself of how my service work is providing climate change education to children who might not otherwise get that education. That lesson might inspire those children to work in the environmental field.

What are your plans for the future?
I would love to stay in the environmental education sector, but I’m open to doing anything related to the environment that will allow me to make a positive impact. There isn’t a particular company or position I’m working toward, I just look and see what positions are available, and I apply to the ones that best align with my values and mission. I believe education is my calling, and I would love to focus more on educating people about various topics such as environmental justice, food waste and food insecurity, sustainable community gardens, consumerism and its impacts, and climate change and its impacts. At the end of the day, I know that as long as my work brings me joy and helps people and the planet, it will be a rewarding experience.

If you’re inspired by Mawadda’s story, click here to meet more Resilience Corps NC members (past and present) who are making an impact on communities throughout our state.

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