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Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center wins the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Service Award

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center wins the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Service Award

Bristol, TN- Jacobs Creek Job Corps was presented the 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Service award in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, after volunteering 5,000 community service hours to the Tri-Cities region.
The award was presented to the agency within the United States Department of Agriculture that logged the most volunteer hours in total.
Situated in the Cherokee National Forest, Jacobs Creek is one of 28 Civilian Conservation Corps operated by the United States Forest Service. Jacobs Creek mission is to provide education, social and vocational skills for eligible youth ages 16 to 24, while assisting in the conservation of the nation’s public natural resources.
During one project alone, Jacobs Creek students donated 671 man hours during a three week span to help with the restoration of the Robert Preston home built in the 1780’s. It is the oldest home in Bristol.
According to the Center Director Walter West, such projects build skills and confidence in the students. “What it does for their pride and self-esteem is priceless. They say, “Look what I’ve done.”
Roughly 20 students assisted with such tasks as mowing the property, clearing large downed trees on the property, as well as hauling scrap metal to the Wise Recycling Center for the Bristol Historical Society.
“A lot of our students have never accomplished anything where people have come up to them to say thank you,” said West. “One student told me, “Mr. West, I’ve never, never shook hands with someone in the political field before.” “West noted that experiences like these build character in young people.”
In addition to working on the Preston property for the Bristol Historical Society, Jacobs Creek students volunteered their time and efforts to the Chamber of Commerce, Second Harvest Food Bank, Cherokee National Forest, Johnson County Department of Education, American Red Cross, Marsh Blood Drive, Bristol-Earth Day project, the Northeast Retriever Club, and Community Church Daycare.
“The things the students learn are how we feel about our community. It is very important to us that whenever the kids go into the community, they see it as “This is my community,” West explained. “My goal is that every morning we have 30 to 40 students leaving the center to go into the community and to help different organizations with their day.”
“We are looking for more non-profit organizations out there to help,” the Director added. “Wherever the community needs help, we do it.”
It is a partnership that benefits both community and Jacobs Creek student trainees. According to West, one particular project alone, for example, saved the county $250,000. “There’s no telling how much we’ve saved the county,” he explained.
“One of the things students learn is give back to the community and lets them know the community accepts our students,” West noted. “What they receive, they give back.”
The Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center is associated with the Cherokee National Forest. The Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation serves 220 students. The USDA Forest Service operates 28 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers across 18 states with a capacity of 6,200 students. For more information, visit: http://recruiting.jobcorps.gov/en/home.aspx.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to State and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. For more information, please contact Lakeshia Gallaspy, Business Community Liaison Specialist at 423-878-4021 ext. 245 or by email at lgallaspy@fs.fed.us

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