By Melanie Graham
NEWBURYPORT — Hurricane Katrina relief, forest fire prevention, refugee assistance: It is a pedigree for a seasoned volunteer whom, on first thought, one would not expect to be a 19-year-old just one year out of high school.
But Newburyport resident Logan Abbey fits that profile. He has just finished a 10-month program with the AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) Western Region and graduated at the Sacramento, Calif., base.
"I feel like a completely different person," Abbey said. "It's life-changing."
Abbey, who graduated from Newburyport High School in 2007, had plans to join the Peace Corps before heading off to college. However, his plans changed and, instead, he shipped out to Sacramento to begin his AmeriCorps training, a program that, in its Western Region, has helped more than 100,000 people in 19 states.
From there, he was trained in several first aid and emergency procedures. He now carries numerous certification cards identifying him as someone able to properly perform first aid, CPR, shelter operation and mass care.
But where the real experience began was in the formation of teams. Abbey's was a group of 13 AmeriCorps members who worked and traveled together throughout the program performing various community service activities around the country.
"I made some unbelievable friends," Abbey said.
The first test of travel and teamwork was in the redwood forests, where the AmeriCorps members spent two days camping and reducing fuel for the forest fires that plague the region during dry spells.
Farther south, Abbey's team then traveled to Coachella, where they worked with migrant families rebuilding homes as part of the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, an area of California where Abbey had an opportunity to learn about the Mexican culture within and around the town.
"Everyone took time and passion to put the houses together," Abbey said. "It was really an unbelievable project."
From there, the team moved to the Gulf area to assist with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. The AmeriCorps members cooked meals for volunteers, worked on farms and even managed to rebuild a Victorian mansion in Mississippi, a project that Abbey describes as the "most challenging."
"It was tiring," said Abbey, "but it was really rewarding."
Abbey said that the Mississippi project provided 60 to 70 hours of work per week for the AmeriCorps volunteers.
What the restored mansion truly provided, however, was new hope for a family that saw nothing but devastation.
"One of the old women that owned the house said that it felt like it was her sweet 16," Abbey said.
In his limited free time, Abbey traveled to New Orleans for a jazz festival and assisted with the NBA All-Star game, an event for which his team received free tickets because of their volunteer work prepping for the game.
"I learned so much about the South and the hospitality," Abbey said.
Even after the 12-hour workdays in the South, the team continued traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they worked with refugee children from Sudan, Kenya and Somalia. Abbey organized field day events, cooked meals and listened to the life stories of the African children, an opportunity he never thought he would experience in his lifetime.
Now he is back in Newburyport and, perhaps reluctantly, ready to move on. Full Sail University awaits in the fall with degrees in music, sound and business.
Saddened at leaving the relationships he has established over the last 10 months, Abbey flew home on Thursday following his graduation and "AmeriProm," an event for the graduates of the AmeriCorps to attend as a final farewell.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Abbey said.
