As Otter Six’s unofficial cameraman, I have had the opportunity to capture some… interesting, pictures of the members of O6. From sweet to utterly embarrassing, here are some of my favorites:
Contributed by Eduardo Venancio As Otter Six’s unofficial cameraman, I have had the opportunity to capture some… interesting, pictures of the members of O6. From sweet to utterly embarrassing, here are some of my favorites: A compilation of team bonding when we were community mapping. Just one of the things that make Harmony Harmony Harry socializing with his fellow otters. Grace trying on some new things. Work. Lunch. Starbucks. Repeat. Before arriving in Colorado, we had to work together to fix our van. Those travel days that brought us closer than we ever thought we would want to be. Literally! My HAWL activity that brought out hues of emotion, and of course paint. When Shane first revealed the country boy within him. Harmony again, just being Harmony. Examples of our...creative ways to pass the time at work.
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During a rough patch this round, our Otter UL came up and told us that she didn’t believe in luck. To be honest, I don’t either. I think it takes people to have the willingness to want to make it work. The saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." But if you give my team lemons, they’ll make lemon meringue pie. They’ll pretty much make anything but the expected outcome. I tried thinking of ways to describe the creativity that’s on this team, but it’s almost impossible. The creativity is what makes our team so much fun and successful. This year hasn’t been easy but with effort and a positive mentality, we somehow made it out of this craziness alive without ripping each other’s heads right off and I’m glad.
Mostly, I’m glad because I like having a head above my shoulders. Contributed by Harmony Chai Shane Miller and his father, First Sergeant Dennis Miller, were granted permission to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died, in foreign wars and conflicts, without their remains being identified. All of the unknowns interred are recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by the United States President who presided over their funerals. “I have had the chance to do a lot of things in my life: I have traveled to several different countries, I have lived in other countries, but I can honestly say that there is nothing that compares to laying the wreath on the tomb. I have grown up with the military all of my life, my father joined when he was seventeen years old. It is not only an honor but a privilege to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to pay my respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and being able to share this memory with my father is priceless” said Miller. First Sergeant Miller, a North Carolina National Guardsman, entered his 27th year of service this year. Throughout his career, he contributed to relief efforts after Hurricane Fran in 1996, which caused severe damage to the coast of North Carolina, Hurricane Katrina, numerous winter storms, Governor’s Inaugurations, the 2012 Democratic National Convention, multiple missions to Moldova to train the region in the Incident Command Systems (ICS) and disaster preparedness, and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom II. After placing the wreath, First Sergeant Miller discussed military opportunities, North Carolina National Guard and Active Duty Forces with Miller’s FEMA Corps team members. He gave examples of the similar work that they do with disaster relief using ICS and disaster response. Furthermore, he discussed the North Carolina National Guard’s Adjutant Generals Plan for strengthening ties with different intergovernmental agencies, and how best to foster relationships and build rapports with FEMA, NCCC, and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). “I was honored when my son asked me to assist in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The moments of the wreath laying ceremony are truly cherished, especially getting to spend them with my son; it is one of those proud moments every father dreams of having with their children. It hit especially close to home knowing that he one day wants to join the military. I had visited Arlington National Cemetery in previous years and had watched the Sentinels guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns. The respect and honor that the Sentinels exude had always put a lump in my throat. They walk the same path day by day, knowing they are guarding fallen brethren, an American Soldier known but to God.” said First Sergeant Miller. After seeing a ton of dog owners walking their pups, it’s difficult not to have puppies on my mind 24/7 (which is pretty much the inspiration behind this post). If you know Otter 6, you’ll know that it’s a team comprised of unique individuals. Then I wondered, “If O6 pups were dog pups, which type of breed would they be?” I, literally, sifted through 140+ breed personality descriptions to find each member’s dog breed counterpart. To no surprise, the breeds that represent each member are different as well. Do you think the breed accurately matches the Otter 6 member? Leave a comment and let us know! (Click on the dog breed for more description ) Brandi Briones: Pembroke Welsh Corgi Harmony Chai: French Bulldog Greg Cowan: Alaskan Malamute Kendra Eull: Golden Retriever Courtney Green: Kuzvasz Shane Miller: Tibetan Spaniel Grace Simoneau: Jack Russell Terrier Jessica Stapf: Bichon Frise Eduardo: Antolian Shepard Dog
One of the best days of the week in social media is Thursday. Mainly because all over Instagram and Twitter you're able to find embarrassing pictures of everyone you know. This week, we have a throwback to our first round in Colorado, all combined into a really awesome video. (Just kidding, it's kind of terrible. But still awesome.) During our 2nd round in Washington D.C. we were able to experience something that was truly amazing. The U.S. Botanic Garden is offering an extraordinary exhibit: The Orchid Symphony There is something to say about the flowers that are part of this amazing exhibit. The Orchid ( scientific family: Orchidaceae) is a flower that is present in every habitat (except for glaciers) This is proven by an estimated 25,000 different types existing naturally and more being discovered each year, orchids are of the largest flowering plant families. “Experience the incredible elegance of an orchid symphony. The U.S. Botanic Garden will feature exuberant displays of orchids nestled among whimsical topiaries and musical fountains. Illuminated by an orchid chandelier, the Garden Court will sing the praises of beautiful orchids. The Conservatory will feature orchids from all over the world in a multitude of environments. Come see desert orchids, jungle orchids and even orchids used in medicine and cooking against the gorgeous backdrop of the U.S. Botanic Garden collections.” For more information on this beautiful exhibit, visit http://www.usbg.gov/orchid-symphony. Contributed by: Shane Miller Living with the same nine people for ten months, we have gotten to know one another exceptionally well! One funny thing I have noticed is the frequently used phrases amongst our team and how humorous it is when we catch each other quoting someone else. As we enter our final round together I thought this would be an amusing side of our team to share with the world.
AmeriCorps NCCC/FEMA Corps is unlike any other AmeriCorps program mainly because as a team of 18-24 year olds, we live our lives communally (approximately 92.78% of the time). Not only do we work together, we exercise, prepare meals, sleep and organize activities together. This combination can easily make or break a team. And although we have had some tough times, at the end of the day we always come back together, much stronger and wiser than before. I am entirely grateful to have spent the past eight months with this remarkable group of people. I have become much more patient, open-minded and successful because of everyone’s positive influence. We have such a diverse, intelligent, creative and fun-loving team and I’m sure I can speak for everyone when I say that what we have together is truly unique and special. Cheers to how extraordinary we have all been so far and here’s to our final two months at FEMA Headquarters! Much love Otter 6! Contributed by: Grace Simoneau After a week of transition at our Atlantic Region campus in Perry Point, Maryland, we were ready to get back to work and back to DC. Transition week occurs after the end of every round. It is a time for all 16 of the Atlantic Region teams to reunite for one week of presentations, trainings, and all Corps fun!
Some Otter Six transition announcements include: - Kendra Eull is our elected Round Three Assistant Team Leader - Eduardo Venancio received the Otter Six P.A.C.E. Award (Positive Attitude and Consistent Effort) - Brandi Briones received the Otter Unit Corps Member of the Round Award Congratulations to the three of them! They make the team extremely proud! Round Three begins today for us as we are deployed back to FEMA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. for our final project site. We could not have asked for a more welcoming first day back. Walking into the FEMA HQ External Affairs office, Otter Six had a huge banner and balloons as well as many smiling faces to start off Round Three. We laid out our candy gifts as well to share with the office. Share the sugar! This is going to be a wonderful 7 weeks! And before we know it, graduation! Thank you to everyone at FEMA HQ External Affairs who helped welcome back Otter Six today! We appreciate each and every one of you and we look forward to what this round has to offer. Thoughts from one Otter to anotter – Kendra Eull
This team is full of a lot of very able people doing great things. We’re all learning every day. Since coming to DC though, I’ve realized something that’s proving to be a lot more important than I ever thought it would be. As a program, FEMA Corps is a partnership between AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA, two organizations determined to impact people’s lives and change things for the better. Both have strong missions statements that they work very hard to keep at the forefront of everything they do. AmeriCorps NCCC’s mission is to “strengthen communities and develop leaders through team-based national and community service” while FEMA’s mission is to “support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards”. These missions, noble and bold as they may be fail to grasp the greater the mission I’ve found in this team. My team is growing and pushing and changing and busting at the seams. And maybe I shouldn’t speak for the team as a whole but here’s my mission. Take Pride Take pride in everything you do. If you aren’t proud of it, something must change. Take pride in your work. Always do your best. You are responsible for everything you put out. If you aren’t proud of your work, make it better. Take pride in your relationships. Brag about your friends, your coworkers, your girlfriend. If you aren’t proud of being in these relationships, make better ones. Take pride in what you represent. Things you’re involved in reflect immediately back to you. If you aren’t proud to tell people your profession, religion or political party, maybe they aren’t right for you in the first place. Take pride in yourself. There is only one of you. The choices you make have the mind-blowing and terrifying ability to actually change things, especially people. Everything is so tied together and if you forget the power your actions have, either for good or for bad, it’s easy to lose sight of the inherent worth human beings possess. Spend every day striving to make yourself proud of you because in the end you’re the one held accountable. So Otters, this is my charge to you, now and going forward. Take Pride. |