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Youth volunteers graduate from program

| August 22, 2007 12:00 AM

A group of five local teens graduated on Friday from the Montana Conservation Corps Youth Engaged in Service program.

Keeping busy on their summer break Andrew Dlask, Katelenn Haas, Jesse Kreuz, Chris Skaggs and Ashley Tallmadge, all of Libby and Troy, participated in several civic projects throughout the area as part of the MCC YES program. The volunteers performed over 200 hours of community service in five weeks, according to YES Youth Crew Leaders Doug Raybuck and Rachel Gugich.

A few of the improvements completed by the group include: improving the retaining walls just below the Kootenai River dam, clearing the trail bed at Cox Creek Trail, eradicating weeds, performing a general clean-up at the Heritage Museum, painting a fresh layer of paint at Fireman's Park

in Libby and making new culverts on the cross country ski trail.

This crew of service-oriented teens has worked with a variety of agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Lost Trail Wildlife Refuge), the Heritage Museum, Kootenai Cross-Country Ski Club, the cities of Troy and Libby, Asbestos-Related Disease Network (ARDNET), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Libby Dam. Each of these agencies provided education pertaining to the goals and missions of the organization.

"They did a great job, they kept really busy," Raybuck said of the crew. "They couldn't have worked any better together, they were a close crew."

Haas, a two-time participant of YES, reflected on her time in the program, "It's really hard work, but it is rewarding. At the end of the day, seeing the job done is the best part."

Upon completion of the program, YES members receive a Presidential Award and a monetary service award from MCC. Members of Youth Engaged in Service are local youth between the ages of 14 and 16. This summer MCC ran two five-week sessions in the Flathead and two five-week sessions in Lincoln County.

"It was something to do in the summer," said volunteer Chris Skaags. "I got to meet new people in the high school."

The YES program can accommodate as many seven students and word of mouth is a large factor in finding students wanting to join the program, according to MCC Regional Director Cliff Kipp. School counselors also help get the word out on the civic-minded program. This is third year the program has been in the area. Working with ARDNET is also a positive experience for the volunteers, Kipp explained. Because the volunteers are living in an environment that is so affected by asbestos-related diseases, it's a positive experience to reach out and help those that are affected, Kipp said.

MCC intends to continue this program in the summer of 2008. For more information regarding the YES program please call Clifford Kipp at the MCC Kalispell office 755-3619.