Finding herself through AmeriCorps

SPARTA — Twenty-year old Sparta resident Sara-Jane Petescia was in her second year at Northeastern University in Boston, majoring in graphic design, when she had an epiphany. In a sociology class she happened to see a video about Hurricane Katrina. She was so touched by what she saw that she traveled to New Orleans the following summer and worked with a team gutting houses. While in New Orleans she met a girl from AmeriCorps and, after learning about the organization, she decided to take time off from college and sign up for a ten-month commitment. She sensed that she and AmeriCorps would be a perfect fit. That decision changed her life for the moment - and very possibly for the future. Petescia joined the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), one of the many groups under the AmeriCorps umbrella. According to the AmeriCorps web site, NCCC is a full-time, team-based program for men and women age 18-24. Members live at one of five campuses located around the United States. Their mission is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through community service. Last October Petescia was sent to the Denver, Colorado campus for a month of training which consisted of first aid, public safety and developing skills that would serve her well on her assignments. By November she was in Austin, Texas working for FEMA and the victims of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. She was assigned a desk job but was itching to get out in the field. “It was definitely hard to be behind a desk when there was rebuilding work to be done. But you knew you were helping,” she said. Her next project found her in a low income area public school system in Denver. The team’s aim was to help raise the literacy scores of the students through tutoring in reading and writing. The town of Crown King in the mountains of Arizona, was her next stop and she got her wish to be more physically active. Crown King had been decimated by fire two years before and the team’s mission was “fuels reduction.” Working with the fire department, they cleared the abundant brush surrounding the houses of the town, eliminating the fuel that could make another fire equally devastating. In March, Petescia went to North Dakota, which she describes as “just a frozen land,” and worked with the Red Cross aiding flood victims. Her last project was at the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi. They built a boardwalk, lined the boundary of the facility and did some roofing work. There were alligators, egrets, and bald eagles and Petescia said she learned a lot. “It was awesome,” she said. Now her term of service is complete and she has found herself walking to the beat of a different drum-mer. “I’ve learned all about the environment and giving back to the community. I have a different view on the world. The little things you do make a difference. Now I just want to leave my mark,” Petescia said. Her time with NCCC has made her more active and self assured. While not certain of what path she’ll take, she knows she’ll always be involved with community service. This week Petescia went back to school, to the University of Colorado to major in environmental studies. “It’s going to be weird going back to the real world,” she said. Interested? Pass It Along, a local Sussex County nonprofit has a half-time position available for the coming year, starting in September. This position requires 900 hours of service and in return you receive a weekly living stipend as well as an education award in the amount of $2362 upon satisfactory completion of your term of service. Pass It Along also has high school and college internships available as well as other leadership opportunities. E-mail maria@passitalong.org or call the office at 973-726-9777 for more information and to apply.