Welcome Packet

Good news!! There wasn't a warrant out for my arrest! Whew! What a relief!

 I received my welcome packet a couple days ago informing me that I have been cleared to serve with AmeriCorps. I will be leaving for Sacramento on January 28th! The welcome packet included letters from the region director and the member support specialist congratulating me on becoming a Team Leader. It also provided an overview of what I will be doing during my term of service. My team will be dedicated to FEMA deployments in areas of logistics, community relations, individual and public assistance and recovery. We will provide support in areas ranging from working directly with disaster survivors to supporting disaster recovering centers to sharing mitigation information with the public.

This packet provided me with a standard packing list informing me that I must fit 11 months of clothes into one military style green duffel bag. 11 months of clothes! For all kinds of weather! Into one duffel bag! (Did you get all that?) That shouldn't be difficult at all! Not only that but I would be provided an array of extra clothing to make up my uniform. Once we arrive we will be issued a smaller red duffel bag that we will use to pack our uniform and street clothes in when we go out on spikes. (Spike is the term used for when we are on service assignments away from campus. Average length: 8-11 weeks) Good thing I have training in packing a lot of clothes for all weather into one bag from my Flight Attending days!

Our campus is on McClellan Air Force Base in Northern Sacramento about 13 miles from downtown Sacramento. While at the campus I will be living in dormitories with one or two roommates. I will be on campus for a little over two months at the start of my service before going out on our first deployment. During this time, our training is run in a military style fashion. We will wake up before the sun comes up for PT four times a week and have random room inspections. We will be in training (classes) all day with scheduled meal times and sometimes some free time at the end of the day. Then wake up the next day and do it all over again.

I am not sure how often I will have access to the Internet to check Facebook, email, etc. So it is encouraged (and very much welcomed!) to communicate through good ole fashioned snail mail. Any letters I receive will be forwarded to me once a week if I am away from campus. Any packages I receive will be kept on campus until I return and there is never any set times that will be. But if you would like to write to me, my address will be:

Kacie Marcus, Class 20 NCCC-FEMA TL
AmeriCorps NCCC
3427 Laurel Street
McClellan, CA 95652

Just a month away from moving to the other side of the country! Even as I sit here writing all this out (and catching up on my DVR) it still hasn't really sunk in yet! One day at a time I guess!