Marcus Kim Selected by The Corps Network as 2024 Corpsmember of the Year

CCC Corpsmember, Marcus Kim, will be recognized by The Corps Network, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, as a 2024 Corpsmember of the Year.

The Corps Network presents the Corpsmember of the Year Award on an annual basis to young adults chosen from among the approximately 22,000 individuals who serve in member organizations of The Corps Network every year. Corpsmembers of the Year are young people who, through their term of service in a Corps, have demonstrated personal growth, outstanding leadership skills, and a sincere commitment to helping their community. All five winners of the Corpsmember of the Year Award are nominated by their Corps. Watch Marcus’ reaction to this news.

Marcus Kim throws potatoes into an oven while preparing breakfast for Corpsmembers at the Placer Center in early 2022. As part of CCC’s culinary arts program, Marcus planned menus, created shopping lists and schedules, developed safety systems, and prepared healthy meals for Corpsmembers.

In 2021, Marcus Kim joined the CCC to escape homelessness, but he found more than a home through the program, he found community. Excelling in the culinary program, Marcus promoted to kitchen specialist then crew leader. Going above and beyond, Marcus not only forged his own career path, but he also paved the way for future Corpsmembers. His time spent documenting policies & procedures and generating new recommendations has led to improvements in CCC’s Culinary Arts program and created better pathways for advancement.

“Marcus has earned the trust of his peers and supervisors through his consistency and aptitude for hard work.” his recommenders wrote. “His first year was a commitment to learning; his second, a commitment to leading; and his third year will be a commitment to teaching. This is the mutualistic path to an advanced crew leader certificate that Marus Kim has constructed, and it’s one we expect other Corpsmembers to emulate.”

In his own words, Marcus reflected that “hard work is wasted if it’s not put towards a program that can actively build you up. I think that’s what we have here, a growth-oriented environment”. Watch this YouTube Short to learn more about Marcus.

Marcus Kim preps food at the Greenwood Center. During the reopening of this center, Marcus worked alongside Greenwood’s Supervising Cook to build the kitchen and culinary training program from the ground up.

“I am deeply inspired by the hard work of the thousands of young people and veterans who serve in Corps programs across the country every day. Corpsmembers choose to give their time and energy to serving others and the environment. The Corpsmembers of the Year, however, have gone above and beyond to commit themselves to service,” said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network. “I extend my sincere gratitude to Marcus for serving our country and motivating others to be the best versions of themselves.”

The five 2024 Corpsmembers of the Year will be honored at The Corps Network’s annual national conference, taking place March 19 – 21, 2024. For more information, please visit The Corps Network’s Conference Webpage.