AmeriCorps NCCC Fire 5 serving at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Louis
Earlier this year, AmeriCorps St. Louis and the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association applied to host an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to boost the ongoining environmental restoration and historical records preservation efforts at the cemetery. In May, we were awarded Fire 5 from the NCCC Southwest campus in Denver! The team has been hard at work on a wide variety of projects that have brought even more collaboration and volunteers to the project! Below is a guest blog post from Zeta Lai, a Member of AmeriCorps NCCC Fire 5.
“In early May, our NCCC team arrived late and tired to St. Louis to serve at the historic African-American Greenwood Cemetery. Hearing stories from the incredible Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association president Raphael Morris and others, and parsing records for the Greenwood historians, Shelley Morris and Etta Daniels, our team developed a much greater understanding of the myriad lives interred and affected. Representing broader sentiment on our team, Owen McNamara (Team Leader) shared how, “It’s such an important site for thousands of people and I am incredibly privileged and honored to have a small part in its restoration”, while other members shared how it was a, “pivotal experience”, or fulfilled all their expectations coming into NCCC, because of the impact and importance of the project. It really meant a lot to our team that we were able to make a difference and help people find their families again.
We were incredibly thankful to be able to partner with ACSTL to receive indispensable guidance on how to properly use and maintain chainsaws and pole saws: without their help, we absolutely would not have been able to deal with the endless tide of bush honeysuckle, and strands of vine-draped trees. At the same time, ACSTL has also been a delight to serve alongside and develop friendships. When asked, our team overwhelmingly shared about their friendliness, teaching ability, and how they were just fun to work with. Thousands and thousands of pounds of brush removed later, we’ve cleared over four acres of cemetery for Raphael to more easily maintain, and we’re looking forward to continuing to beautify such an important space!”
Pictured: NCCC Fire 5 and Fire 6 (who are serving with the Bailey Foundation in St. Louis) teams alongside ACSTL members and GCPA president Raphael Morris at Greenwood Cemetery
