Utah Conservation Corps wins award
The Utah Conservation Corps Access to Service inclusive crew program of USU has been selected by The Corps Network for a 2007 Project of the Year award for including disabled members in its service.
The group will be honored Feb. 12 in a ceremony at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., said Sean Damitz, Utah Conservation Corps program director.
The project was selected by a committee from The Corps Network because of the project’s outstanding accomplishments, Damitz said.
UCC is an AmeriCorps program based out of USU’s Division of Student Services that traditionally requires its members to be in excellent physical condition, Damitz said. He said this year, through the Access to Service program, projects were planned to include disabled members as well.
“We did not want to have members with disabilities sitting on the sidelines while those without disabilities completed project tasks,” said Kate Stephens, UCC program administrator.
Four of the eight AmeriCorps members self-identified themselves as having a physical disability, Damitz said.
In UCC’s Access to Service crew’s first year, they completed accessibility surveys for eight campgrounds and two trails and developed 10 transition plans for the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Damitz said. The crew also designed and constructed an accessible community demonstration garden on the USU campus.
Damitz said one of the crew’s goals was to involve people with disabilities in positions of leadership.
Andy Zimmer served as a crew leader and role model, finishing a 1700-hour AmeriCorps term of service starting in 2005 that was interrupted by a severe bicycle injury, Damitz said.
He said The Corps Network represents America’s 113 service and conservation corps operating in 41 states and enrolling more than 23,000 young men and women who contribute 13 million hours of service each year.
Damitz said the project was supported by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, the Utah Assistive Technology Program, The Corps Network, the Utah Commission of Volunteers, Logan City Parks and Recreation, Boy Scouts and Common Ground. Trail work, noxious weed removal and habitat restoration, fencing critical habitat areas, historical building preservation, fuels reduction, park enhancements and conservation and outreach education are all typical UCC projects, according to UCC’s Web site.