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AmeriCorps volunteers provide civic pride, service
By Gina McPherson
CLEARWATER BEACH — Last month volunteers from AmeriCorps Clearwater, a public safety program initiated via the Clearwater Police Department, cleaned debris from northern Clearwater Beach between Rockaway Street and Caladesi Island. Twelve volunteers participated. “We found loads of trash in the bushes and sand dunes. We picked up beer bottles, plastic water bottles and caps, wood planks, discarded clothing and tarps.
The largest item was a rusty, lawn chair. Altogether we collected and disposed of 130 pounds of trash. This is our second coastal cleanup of the year. In February, we collected 235 pounds of litter along the Courtney Campbell Causeway,” AmeriCorps Program Coordinator Rebecca Davis told the Gazette.
AmeriCorps is a national service program supported by state and city governments, nonprofit groups and religious organizations.
“Each state has a commission which oversees the federally sponsored program. Here in Florida, AmeriCorps is
overseen by the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. AmeriCorps Clearwater is funded through a federal grant and receives additional support from the city of Clearwater. This year, Clearwater donated money and inkind services valued at $170,905,” Davis reported.
Davis said there are usually two sponsored cleanups per year, but the group may hold another in November if needed. AmeriCorps is often referred to as the “Domestic Peace Corps.” It gives citizens the opportunity to engage in a year of community service. “Members work with the Clearwater Police Department to help
prevent and reduce crime and increase public safety,” according to Elizabeth Daly-Watts, Clearwater’s public safety spokesperson. She explained AmeriCorps members address nonviolent public safety issues, allowing police officers to concentrate on more serious and criminal incidents. “In 2008, the group has saved 7,520 hours of valuable police officer time and over $190,000,” offered Daly-Watts.
AmeriCorps is recruiting for 2009. Full and part-time positions are available. Assignments include assisting officers at local schools, educating the public on crime prevention, conducting safety patrols at parks, coordinating community projects and more. Volunteers receive a weekly stipend and upon completing a year of service, receive a monetary education award. Fulltime volunteers receive health insurance, child-care services and loan forbearance. Davis said student loans are deferred for the term one serves in the program and
indicated AmeriCorps will pay the interest on student loans accrued during that term.
To qualify for the program participants must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, pass a police background check and drug screening, have a valid Florida Driver’s License and be an American citizen or have permanent resident alien status. “This is a great opportunity to gain valuable law enforcement
experience and help the community,” Davis said.
To learn more about the Clearwater program contact Davis at (727)-562-4142 or by e-mail at rebeccadavis@myclearwater.com .
Clearwater Marine Aquarium welcomes new resident
By Gina McPherson
CLEARWATER BEACH — Excitement was in the air when a new resident arrived at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium last month. The “resident” is a 12-foot, 100-pound, hand-carved manatee skeleton dubbed “Consequences.” Local artist Allison Swann-Ingram loaned her sculpture (carved from reclaimed Indian
Rosewood) to the aquarium with hopes that it will “invoke in people an emotional response to how fragile the huge manatee is and how vulnerable it is to human actions.”
Swann-Ingram indicated the beautiful rosewood tree is native to the East Indies. The piece used for the sculpture was salvaged when a local Indian Rosewood tree had to be removed. She spent eight months working on the project and said creating the head of the sculpture was the most time-consuming task. “I took a big, square block of this extremely hard wood and ground and carved using a brick-stack lamination technique. The wood is so hard I felt like I was working with cement,” she said. She preserved the distressed texture of the wood because “it looks similar to old bone one might find in an architectural dig.”
Swann-Ingram said the sculpture was inspired by the huge dinosaur skeletons she saw as a child at the Natural History Museum in London.
Aquarium Director of Media Relations Jeni Hatter said staff members are delighted having the sculpture at the
aquarium and noted Consequences “fits perfectly in its new location.”
Aquarium Graphic Designer Rebecca Snowden was equally excited about the new resident and said she hopes it will “serve as a reminder to people that we share the environment with other creatures and we should be conscientious about taking care of it.”
Also present for the arrival and unveiling of the sculpture were aquarium CEO David Yates and Director of Facilities Brad Philips. The two men were all smiles assisting the artist in hanging the sculpture.
For more information regarding the sculpture, visit the artist’s Web site at www.swanningram.com.
For information about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium contact Jeni Hatter at (727) 686-4827 or visit
www.cmaquarium.org.
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