2023 RMYC Corpsmember
Join us as we celebrate John Auther, the 2023 RMYC Corpsmember of the Year!
John is acknowledged alongside six other outstanding CM's of the Year from other accredited youth corps in the state by the Colorado Youth Corps Association. All winners receive a plaque, acknowledgment letters from Senator Bennet and Senator Hickenlooper, respectively, and receive various gifts from Great Outdoors Colorado and REI.
My Story
John Auther first joined RMYC as a member in 2021, then returned in 2022 as an assistant crew leader, assisted in AmeriCorps disaster relief in New York later that year, and joined the Natural Resource Internship program in 2023 on a wildland fire crew. Throughout his time at RMYC, John has led by example as a member, leader, and intern.
His interest in corps work came to him while he was in college and everything went online during the height of the pandemic. With a desire to be outdoors, he learned about corps from a friend’s dad and immediately submitted his application to RMYC. “It’s super awkward at first, joining 9 other strangers and spending all of your time with them” but he settled in well and tells us how eye-opening the experience is, learning how resilient he could be as well as being open and accepting with others.
It’s a two-way street, though. John’s time with RMYC has encouraged others to find what they truly enjoy, learn about themselves, and return in various capacities with the same passion. He’s accepted a permanent, full-time position with Yampa Ranger District as a wildland firefighter and looks forward to continuing service on public lands in Colorado and around the country.
Quotes from John
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“My favorite memory. We had just gotten back from a roll in Oregon and were on r&r (rest and recovery) but there was a local fire and they needed volunteers. Myself and two others joined and we did this brutal hike-in. It was about two miles of trail and one mile of steep terrain over a bunch of jack-straws. The last mile took over 4 hours. All three of us were so tired! We made it to the fire and immediately went to work, but kept it light-hearted. We got the helicopter to drop a few buckets in the area but when it was time to leave, they couldn’t land in the zone because the terrain was too steep. We ended up spending the night and working on the fire the next day. It was hard but very rewarding. Experiences like this teach me how much I am really capable of.”
“Every time we got the trailer or van stuck I never questioned if we could get out of it. Everyone has different expertise and experiences that contribute to the whole crew. They all pitch in and we can always get out of a sticky situation. I wouldn’t be where I am today without RMYC. I definitely wouldn’t be as happy, that’s for sure.”
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