Local Hero Serves in AmeriCorps NCCC

COURT HOUSE – Sacred DeFeo of Cape May Court House, N.J. recently began a 10-month term of service in the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), an AmeriCorps program. DeFeo, based out of the AmeriCorps regional campus in Sacramento, Calif., was formally inducted into the program on Nov. 8, 2012.
DeFeo arrived at her regional campus in October to begin a month of training. This training, which prepared the over 300 Corps Members for full-time service with AmeriCorps NCCC, emphasized teamwork, leadership development, communication, service learning, and included certification by the American Red Cross.
DeFeo will be responsible for completing a series of six- to eight-week-long service projects as part of a 10- to 12-person team. Their first service projects will end in mid-December, at which time the teams will break for the winter holidays and begin a new project in a new location in January.
Before serving in NCCC, DeFeo attended Cape May County Technical High School before going to Southern Utah University and studying Outdoor Recreation. DeFeo is the daughter of David and Susan DeFeo of Cape May Court House. DeFeo said, “A friend of mine had a great experience working with NCCC, and he inspired me to join. Choosing a term of national service seemed to make the most sense at this time of my life and at this time in the life of the United States. I can learn new job skills, experience new life skills, meet new people and provide service to those who are struggling financially, educationally and spiritually.”
AmeriCorps NCCC is a residential national service program that supports disaster relief, the environment, infrastructure improvement, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Fifty-six teams composed of over 600 Corps Members and Team Leaders began service projects in November throughout the Pacific and Southwest regions, based in Sacramento and Denver respectively. There are three additional NCCC campuses located in Perry Point, Md., Vinton, Iowa, and Vicksburg, Miss., each of which is a hub for its respective area of the country.
AmeriCorps NCCC members, all 18 to 24 years old, complete at least 1,700 hours of service during the 10-month program. In exchange for their service, they receive $5,550 to help pay for college. Other benefits include a small living stipend, room and board, leadership development, team building skills, and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, they can indeed make a difference. AmeriCorps NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information about AmeriCorps NCCC, visit the website at www.americorps.gov/nccc.