Darcy Christenson, of Kirkland, has joined 188 other individuals from across the United States in Vinton, Iowa where they are devoting the next 10 months to giving back to communities in the North Central Region.

Christenson has been serving with the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), an AmeriCorps program since Feb. 15. Since arriving, Christenson and the other members have been going through intensive training to prepare them for serving in communities. This three-week training period has emphasized teamwork, leadership development, communication, diversity and service learning. During this time, members are also assigned to one of 19 teams. Each team serves on average four-seven projects during their term of service with NCCC.

NCCC teams began their first service project on March 17. Christenson and her team are serving with Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery of Indiana in Munster, Ind. until April 29. The team is assisting with light exterior carpentry, interior drywall installation, and painting homes impacted by the September 2008 floods. They are focusing on rehabilitating and restoring the affected homes of the elderly, people with disabilities and low-income families.

Prior to joining NCCC, Christenson attended Better Education for Students and Teachers (BEST) High School. Christenson joined NCCC because she felt it was time to leave her hometown and go out and give back to society.