Just in the 'Nick' of Time

*This is a story from NRCS District Conservationist Jack O'Connell about his experiences with one of his most valuable volunteers--Nick Stamper. 

Nick Stamper is a 17-year old young man with physical and mental handicaps that affect his speech, balance, and dexterity. I met Nick just a few months ago, and allowed myself to find him tasks that would offer challenges and show him measurable progress. Nick is well aware of his handicaps and accepts that he has trouble doing some things that others can do easily. He works within his limitations and is very proud to complete tasks. Volunteering through the NRCS Earth Team program opened up new opportunities and seemed to be a good fit for Nick.

The first task for Nick was to assist the Blue Ridge SWCD in mailing their Annual Report. Nick's job was to tape the loose edges of the folded reports together, and affix mailing labels. Taping the edges was difficult for Nick, as the little pieces of tape were clear and hard for him to control, but he concentrated and finished several hundred pieces for the SWCD in time for mailing. Upon completion, Nick asked me when he could have more work to do!

A few weeks later, Blue Ridge had another mass mailing - a thousand public notice postcards with a short deadline for mailing. I brought Nick a few hundred of these postcards and labels to stick. With the small size of the postcards, it was a challenge for Nick to place the labels correctly. Nick worked hard on these, and asked for MORE! I had Nick's family at my house on Thanksgiving, and watched on Thursday morning as Nick worked on three hundred more postcards. His concentration was intense as he worked to affix the labels. This is not easy for him, but he works hard, and obviously takes pride in his work. Before I knew it, he had a big stack of finished postcards and asked if I had any more! While the turkey was cooking, Nick and I drove to my office to pick up the remaining postcards. A few hours later, he was done. Nick was obviously very proud, and the SWCD was very happy to have their postcards done ahead of schedule.

Since this time, Nick has worked on several other projects for NRCS and the Blue Ridge SWCD. The Earth Team program has worked well to reward both the NRCS/Blue Ridge SWCD and the participant. We are very happy to have our tasks completed, and Nick and his family is SO PROUD of his accomplishments. He frequently asks me when I'll have a new project for him. I'll be working to find projects for Nick that will challenge and reward him.

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