AmeriCorps NCCC Serves on Vashon Island

Two teams of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members arrived to Vashon Island on January 15th. The teams, Blue Five and Gold Four, will be serving on the Island until March 20th. Blue Five, consisting of twelve young adults is being hosted by the Rotary Club of Vashon Island and will be working for five organizations of the Island: the Vashon Parks District, the Land Trust, Sunrise Ridge, the Fruit Club, and Camp Sealth. Gold Four, made up of nine young adults, will be working full time for Camp Sealth.

The Rotary Club is an organization of business and professional locals who conduct humanitarian service on the Island and beyond. The Rotary Club on Vashon has been active since 1986.

Camp Sealth is a division of the nationally recognized Camp Fire, whose mission is to, “inspire and enable youth of all backgrounds and abilities to discover their spark, value the natural world, and become tomorrow’s leaders.” The camp serves about 8,000 children and adults from the Northwest region every year.  

Blue Five will be completing many tasks for each of their sponsoring organizations, including trail maintenance, invasive species removal, and plant grafting. Gold Four will be doing several maintenance projects at Camp Sealth, which include trail work, cleaning Camp docks, and several construction projects.

Ashley Westpheling, the Blue Five Team Leader, commented, “It is exciting that AmeriCorps NCCC can impact the Island in so many different ways. Since there are two teams here, I think that the Island will truly feel our presence and the positive difference we can make.”