AmeriCorps volunteer Tevin Woods, 19, is clearing brush and hauling logs at Comp Del Oro in Nevada City. It's tough physical labor but he sees the big picture: Urban low income kids come to camp, get a taste of the great outdoors and tell ghost stories while being warmed the fire wood he gathers. Next week he'll tutor school children. He plans to go to college, become a music artist and give back half of what he makes to the community.
AmeriCorps is expanding his worldview day by day. Woods, whose parents divorced when he was 5, says he spent his childhood moving from place to place. The experience taught him empathy for others. "The world is so cruel and so cold and many people go through their lives without homes. Thinking about that makes me have an open mind on how people live and get through a day."
AmeriCorps is giving Woods the chance to travel, meet new people and help the community. He credits his love of travel to his mother and his desire to help others from his father, who served the homeless, setting a powerful example for him.
Woods writes his own rap music. He raps about everything from love, to world perspective and giving back. He wants to attend an art college to major in music video and audio production but before jumping into college life Woods, who graduated high school with high marks, decided to do more with his life before hand.
"What else can I do with my life instead of being selfish and just doing what I want to do?" he asked himself. "I want to help other people and help the community."
Do you know a community volunteer with a story to tell? Please email suggestions to Autumn Payne at apayne@sacbee.com.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.