Northwest Service Academy trains and graduates 50 new members
On Friday, May 27, fifty new Northwest Service Academy (NWSA) members set sail (literally) with a month's worth of training, team building and leadership skills completed. The graduation ceremony, held at the Port of Cascade Locks, followed by a cruise on the Columbia River, signaled the beginning of assignments for the new members for the summer in locations throughout the northwest. The new members, while in training at the Mt. Adams Center in Trout Lake already have contributed to the community by cleaning up the local county park, delivering firewood to shut-ins and elderly folks, clearing a nature trail at the local school, leading elementary and middle school kids in team building games and nature activities, working with the local drinking water agency, and helping the Department of Natural Resources with a public education day. Northwest Service Academy partners with more than 250 schools, community-based organizations and government agencies to address significant environmental issues in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. NWSA projects address critical environmental needs through hands-on environmental restoration, resource conservation, environmental education, environmental stewardship or volunteer programs and more. This range of services, including the summer program, attracts 400 part and full-time AmeriCorps members recruited from around the nation, in conjunction with community volunteers in service, education and civic engagement activities.
Jodi Thomas - May 2005