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AMERICORP Team Coming to Wishek
3/12/2004
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A team of 18- to 24-year olds associated with the Americorps program will be in Wishek this summer to complete a variety of community projects and provide the city with a workforce it wouldn't otherwise be able to afford.
The Dakota Heartland Champion Community (DHCC) is coordinating the Americorps workers, and each of the seven DHCC communities is working to find projects for the team, as well as raising money locally to pay for their food and housing while in their cities.
Wishek will host the team members from June 14-26, then they will move on to another DHCC city. In all, the Americorps team will spend between 6 and 10 weeks in the champion community region. "In our city alone, the work these young people will be providing should amount to well over $10,000 in labor," Lovik said, "which will come at a cost to the community of less than half that amount."
A local committee is working to identify and prioritize projects to be done. The Americorps team is trained in basic carpentry and other trade skills, and puts those skills to work however the community requests. Local contacts will guide the team, making sure they have projects to work on, plus coordinate any heavy machinery they may require. For example, if a city chooses to have the team tear down an abandoned building, the city will provide equipment to knock it down, and trucks to haul away debris.
In Wishek, projects to be done include painting at the local fairgrounds, trimming trees at the school complex, constructing handicap-accessible curbs around the community and possibly some landscaping at the city's Centennial park. Other projects will be identified between now and when the team arrives.
"We have had excellent support from community organizations to pull this together," Lovik said. "We received cash donations to cover the team's living costs from our Lions, Association of Commerce, Fair Board, American Legion and the City Council. Additionally, we received a $1,500 grant from the N.D. Community Foundation, which was very generous. A local restaurant is also giving us a break on the cost of meals the team will eat while here, also." The team will be housed in the city's National Guard Armory, which cut expenses considerably. "This has been a great community effort," he added.
"We're looking forward to having the team here. Besides getting some work done in the community that may otherwise not have gotten done, this will be a great opportunity for the young men and women to see our area and meet the folks who live here," Lovik said.
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More Info, Contact: |
Tom Lovik |
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452-2371 |
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tlbek@bektel.com |
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