Parc Smith, E Corps Program Director, alongside John Hibbitts, Workforce Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUSTIN, TX – October 15, 2009 – Today, Workforce Solutions Capital Area Workforce Board awardswill award the 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award to John Hibbitts, a 77 year old stone mason and long time AmeriCorps volunteer with American YouthWorks’ Environmental Corps. Hibbitts has a colorful background that began at age 7 as a stone mason in Scotland. He has since come full circle and currently dedicates his time to sharing his expert skills with young men and women in the job training program at American YouthWorks.
With a military history that began with the Special Air Service of the British Armed Forces, he eventually naturalized to the United States and became a member of the US Special Forces, serving with distinction in Vietnam with the Green Berets. Upon completion of his tour of duty, he returned to honing his stone masonry skills in a wide array of specialized projects such as creating the soaring stone arch structures for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and revitalizing historic buildings and cathedrals in Guatemala that were devastated by the earthquake of 1976.
When Hibbitts came to American YouthWorks in 2006, he passed on the masonry and blacksmithing skills he had acquired and honed over a lifetime to the young people in the AmeriCorps program who were already doing basic masonry projects in their work with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Over the next three years, Hibbitts immersed himself in a wide variety of projects, connecting with the young members of the AmeriCorps program through their shared interest in using their hands and intellects to create something beautiful, useful, and durable.
The incredible efforts of John Hibbitts have impacted American YouthWorks’ workforce development program as a whole. The Environmental Corps now has a full blown masonry and blacksmith apprenticeship programs and places members into coveted internships with agencies such as National Park Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife. His contributions to the program have also resulted in funding commitments from these agencies to continue to develop the masonry apprenticeship program and to continue to produce high quality masons for restoration work in our nation’s parks and public spaces.
Since 2006, Mr. Hibbitts has given more than 3,000 hours of his time and heart to working with young people at American YouthWorks and engendering their love of creation, sense of their own historic place in time, and general harmony with their social and natural environment.
About Workforce Solution – Capital Area
Workforce Solutions – Capital Area Workforce Board is the publicly-funded workforce Board for Travis County. Through strong partnerships and strategic collaborations, Workforce Solutions is leading the region’s workforce system in the development of a world-class workforce.
About Environmental Corps
Environmental Corps (E-Corps) is a green jobs training program that allows youth and young adults to build and restore the natural environment through parks and trails projects and forestry and habitat restoration throughout the State of Texas and beyond. Its AmeriCorps program integrates young adults from throughout the nation with local youth to create a blended, transformative, cultural experience for all participants. Youth learn cutting-edge environmental jobs skills while pursuing their education and improving their test scores and behavior. E-Corps is a member of The Corps Network and is a nationally-recognized, award-winning program. E-Corps is a frequent recipient of contracts with local, state, national and federal government entities due to its solid reputation in producing quality work, its members’ technical skills and its safety training.
About American YouthWorks
American YouthWorks is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Austin, Texas that is dedicated to empowering youth through education and green jobs training. AYW operates a public charter high school, a GED program, Casa Verde Builders, Environmental Corps and Computer Corps. American YouthWorks also offers onsite social services, including a health care clinic, parent/child development center and counseling. For more than thirty years, American YouthWorks has assisted thousands of local youth in transforming their lives through community service, education and a commitment to preserving the natural environment.
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CONTACT: Melissa Miller, Communications Director
Phone: (512) 744-1904
mmiller@americanyouthworks.org
www.americanyouthworks.org
