Up on the roof...

Last Saturday Katie and I joined members of the Men of Bennett (MOB) in a good old fashioned Amish-style roofing party. Yep, the MOB exercised our ability to not only destroy, but also to create as we helped the Millers re-roof their house.

The day started a bit shaky with an early morning shower and some concern for working on a wet roof.

But things dried up and we got to work stripping the old roof down the decking and replacing damaged boards with new. Then it was back to work tar-papering and shingling.

While it was hard work, we did have a lot of fun. Richard even got in a little afternoon yoga, as seen here executing what I’m told is called “Downward Facing Dog.” Smith just calls it “Indy Style.” But the work went quickly and we had some great food thanks to Steph and her dad, Steve. Jason’s dad, Don, was our fearless leader and provided much needed direction and advice throughout the whole process.

Beyond the sense of accomplishment one feels after a project starts to take shape, this weekend left me feeling a great sense of wholeness. I was reminded that neighbors, friends, and community are not just words used to identify people—they are concepts with real world incarnations.

We are often inundated by social scientists and political pundits that would have us believe that the world is spinning out of control and that no one looks out for each other any more. I disagree, and this weekend proved that communities can exist in more tangible ways than facebook groups and fantasy football leagues. I am energized by this and look forward to our next major project.

I was tired, Kirk was confused, Nate was thirsty, and only Katie new what to do.

AmeriCorps*NCCC: A Higher Education

Written and Delivered by Nicholas T. Schafer
NCCC North Central Region Graduation Vinton, IA
August 4, 2010


Thank you for inviting me to join you for this mornings exercises. And I’m very grateful that they didn’t include 5:30 a.m. PT.

The two years I spent in NCCC are never far from my mind. Team pictures hang on the wall in my home and office. I talk to my old teammates regularly, and occasionally send the random text to my TL asking her to take me to the doctor just for old times sake. [Pause]

My original plan was to tell you some of the great stories that came out of my service years. I wanted to tell inspiring stories about working with children who were labeled “special needs” only to find out that they had a better outlook on life that we could imagine. I would tell you about Habitat dedications where grown men wept as we handed their family the keys to their first new home. But then it dawned on me that you might not know my team or the communities that we served, but you do know my stories. Because they are our stories. And for me, that is the most inspiring thing of all.Even though we have served several years and many miles apart…by virtue of serving in this program we all know the excitement of leaving for a new spike, and the relief of returning to base for transition. We’ve successfully experienced shopping on a budget (thank you Dot White), and feeding a small army after a long day on a Habitat build. We’ve experienced the Forming-Norming-Storming-Performing-Storming-Performing-Storming cycle with our constantly evolving teams. We’ve been strengthened by the communities we served and met each other on common ground.

Our stories are unique, but we are bound together by the fabric of our shared experiences.

A few years ago I met Amity Tripp (National Director of AmeriCorps Alums) at a conference. I was there in the capacity of Program Director for an AmeriCorps*Indiana Environmental program – and we started talking about recruitment. Now I have to tell you, I get a little fired up when I start talking about AmeriCorps – and this meeting was no exception. After I had rattled on for a few minutes Amity politely interrupted and said, “May I ask, were you in NCCC?” “Yeah,” I answered, hoping that she too was an NCCC alum. “I though so,” she said. “What makes you think that,” I asked. “Well,” she said, “You all are a little crazy.”

Few times in my life have I been more proud.

The passion that NCCC inspires is not necessarily exclusive to our program, but as a group we tend to take it to the next level. I believe this so much that I’ve written a number of letter over the years to various state and federal Senators and Representatives. In 2007, I wrote, that

“NCCC teams are trained and ready to deploy quickly when disaster strikes. The tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11 , Hurricane Katrina, and numerous smaller natural and un-natural disasters have seen the benefit of NCCC recovery efforts and have proven the readiness and value of NCCC Members. NCCC fills a unique niche for which other service programs (AmeriCorps or otherwise) simply cannot pick up the slack. NCCC represents the very best of AmeriCorps.”

I believe that it is this passion that fuels our commitment to service while actively engaged in NCCC. And it is that passion that drives us to serve in the years that follow.

NCCC is not an easy program. I will not make the mistake of assuming that everyone had the uplifting experience that I did. While I hope many of you did, and will miss your teams and the service you performed. I know that after 10 months of no privacy, 1 van, and 10 personalities, some of you might be ready to be away from your team. Others might be excited to never have to wear kahki and grey again. And still others might be looking forward to driving a vehicle where you don’t need a spotter to change lanes. (or back up without a ground guide).

I can say with reasonable certainty, however, that no matter how you feel right now your time in NCCC has been formative. Whether in lessons learned, friendships formed, or injustices realized…there is no going back. If it hasn’t already, your experiences from this year will change how you look at the world.

I often tell people that NCCC ruined me for business. Before NCCC my life had a plan. Finish my undergraduate degree, go to law school, marry a beautiful woman, take the legal world by storm, make a ton of money, attain enlightenment, write a best seller about attaining said enlightenment, and retire happily at 45. So that might be a bit of a stretch, but not by far.

After NCCC, my life and career had to mean something more than just making money. I’ve been in the public sector ever since I left Charleston, and I can’t think of any place I’d rather be. I may not have a pile of money, but I get by. A few years ago I met and last year married a beautiful girl – who also happens to be an AmeriCorps Alum. I’m lucky. Every day I work to make sure young people can afford to go to College, and I continue to fight substandard housing as the advisor of the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. I came to NCCC with a plan, and left with a purpose. I’ve found my way to continue to serve. That was my choice.

And so you now have a choice. This year can be just another page in the scrapbook, or it can be the year where you found yourself…and became involved for life.

You have experience, energy, and passion take that with you. Run with it. Whatever you do next, bring your NCCC confidence, compassion, and commitment. Live out the pledge each and every day. Fight apathy, build communities, and seek common ground. As the poet says, “be like the fountain that overflows, not like the cistern that merely contains.”

Because the reality is that, NCCC has only partially been about the past 10 months. NCCC is really about today. It’s about, “carrying this commitment with you this year and beyond.” No matter what your current education level—THIS has been your higher education. You’ve faced both success and disappointment as you’ve engaged in the challenging work of serving communities. You’ve learned from many teachers this year. Some are with me on stage, some in the staff section, some wearing green shirts right in your row, and many in the communities you leave behind. You’ve completed projects, and composed reflections. Now the rest of your life is the final exam.

In just a little while you all will join me and so many others in the ranks of the NCCC alumni. There have been some who’ve been in your shoes who mistakenly call life after AmeriCorps the “real world.” I am here to assure you that the world you’ve come to know over the past 10 months is in fact, a more real version of the world than many will ever see. And no matter what you do next, or how far you travel, your NCCC filter will go with you, allowing you to see the real world.

I know that it is unrealistic to think that everyone here will continue to work for non-profits. In fact many of you might have joined originally to beef up your resume. I can vouche that NCCC will look great on a resume, especially in a job market driven by blending education with experience. Team work, organization, discipline, these are qualities that will serve you well in college, graduate school, and both the public and private sector of the workforce. You’re time with AmeriCorps has prepared you well for what lies beyond.

But looking beyond your career, NCCC, has also been great preparation for the parts of life that you can’t put on a resume. You’ve learned new ways to live life as an active and involved citizen of the United States of America. This year, you’ve earned a degree in stepping up and getting things done. You’ve done this, so that next year when your residence hall wants to organize a service project; or your church wants to coordinate a food pantry; or your local Rotary club plans a trip to help rebuild after a hurricane – you will be perfectly suited for the task.

It doesn’t have to complicated or earth shattering, but your service whether public or private, matters. Whether enacting large scale change for the public good, or helping a neighbor, your service matters. During the Great Depression my wife’s grandmother worked hard to make sure that her family did not go hungry. Her sights were not so narrow, however, to abandon concern for her neighbors’ who were teetering on the brink of starvation. Grandma made conscious effort invite the neighbors for dinner or send over what she claimed were “extras” so that they would not starve. Her actions were not newsworthy, but they were noteworthy, and they had a tremendous impact on at least five lives.

How amazing would life be if we looked out for each other just one tiny little bit? AmeriCorps offers us a glimpse of what a world like that could look like. And that is the true NCCC legacy. Yes, we have left our mark, and have gotten things done for 16 years. But each time an alum continues to serve we broaden the umbrella of NCCC’s influence and impact.

When you go home and you tell people about what you did this year. Don’t expect them to get it. Oh, tell your stories, because they need to be shared. And many will tell you things like, “that’s great,” or “you’re really a good person.” But deep down, many people you tell about this experience just won’t get. Some of you might not even grasp the full magnitude of what you have just begun. But some of you do…and more of you will as you move on. You have begun a lifetime of service. You have begun to change the world. And tomorrow it’s up to you to carry on that commitment.

Thank you for your service this year, and thank you for all the good that I know you will do in the years to come.

Good luck. Safe travels.

Approximate time: 11 min. 25 sec.