By Sean Ruppert, Special Writer
EAST WINDSOR — He set out to help other people, but he ended up finding himself along the way.
Andrew Epifane, 24, didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do with his life after receiving his diploma from Hightstown High School in 2004.
”I began working the day after I graduated,” said the East Windsor resident. “But I really didn’t know what direction I was heading in.”
He also began attending school, eventually earning an associate’s degree in fine arts from Mercer County Community College in 2007 and attending The College of New Jersey shortly thereafter. However, he still was unsure of what direction to take.
”I guess I have always had a notion that you should do something that you are passionate about, and do something to help out your community,” Mr. Epifane said. “People just kept saying ‘get a degree, get a degree,’ but I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t see why I wanted it. I wanted to do something where I was able to give back and learn a skill at the same time.”
So in 2009 Mr. Epifane began looking for a nonprofit organization to join. What he found was the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, a federally funded service program that assists troubled communities with various problems. Teams of about a dozen 18- to 24-year-old men and women train, travel and serve together for 10 months. They work to improve the environment, provide disaster relief and help meet other basic community needs.
Mr. Epifane applied for the program and was accepted, first deploying to Mecca, California, in November 2009. There his NCCC team worked with the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition to build affordable homes, primarily for low-income families and migrant workers.
”A lot of the people we were helping were living in shantytowns,” he said.
In addition to Mr. Epifane and his team, the future homeowners also put in their own “sweat equity,” and participated in the construction of the houses.
”They were some of the most hard-working and generous people I have ever met,” Mr. Epifane said. “Everything was done as a community, and they were so patient in teaching us the skills we needed to know. In some ways I think they did more for us than we did for them.”
Mr. Epifane said he would have liked to have been there until all the homes were completely built, but the NCCC moves its teams around often. After only eight weeks, his team was sent to tutor high school students in Sacramento, while another set of volunteers came in to continue the housing work in Mecca.
”To leave all the people I worked hard with was tough,” he said. “But the good thing is knowing that even if you aren’t there, the work is still getting done.”
In Sacramento, Mr. Epifane worked with youth, some of whom had rather tough demeanors.
”A lot of the kids had tougher personas than the kids that grow up around East Windsor. You have to feel them out and figure out how to make education interesting to these kids,” he said.
”Instead of just telling them what to do, I tried to make friends with them. If you open up and be real, they will be real back.
”I went to school for art, and a lot of the kids were really into graffiti art. If they take you seriously on one matter, they will take you seriously on other matters as well, like biology. We talked a lot about art and it transitioned to them starting to care about other things. I was astounded because some of these tough street kids were actually teary eyed when we left,” Mr. Epifane said.
He added that he still keeps in touch with many of the kids from Sacramento over the Internet.
Far from complete though, Mr. Epifane’s philanthropic journey took him from Sacramento to New Orleans in April. There his NCCC team first worked alongside an organization called Green Light New Orleans, which provided free low-energy lightbulbs to homes in the city. The team then moved on to St. Bernard Parish to help rebuild a community that had been deluged under 15 to 20 feet of water after Hurricane Katrina.
”It’s amazing how much work still needs to be done down there,” he said. “The man whose house I helped work on has been in a FEMA trailer on his front lawn for the last five years. It is great to know he is going to be back in his home.”
Mr. Epifane said the experience taught him much about the world — and himself.
”I learned not to be so apathetic about things,” he said. “You think nothing ever changes and nothing ever gets done. But when you see people working like that, and really getting things done, it encourages you to keep working.”
He added that while he was not sure what he wanted to do for a career, his experience in the AmeriCorps also has pointed him toward a career in carpentry.
”I have always been a hands-on kind of person. The day after I got out of high school I started working full time as a carpenter’s assistant,” he said. “I always liked it but I thought I would do something else, yet six years down the line it now feels really good.”
Before diving into a career though, Mr. Epifane will spend at least another year helping others. This month he heads to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a yearlong commitment to Habitat for Humanity.
He suggests that anyone who thinks they are interested in giving their time to an organization like AmeriCorps should do it but recognize how much work it truly will be.
”It isn’t always as glamorous as it seems,” he said. “But it is more than worth it in the end.”
For more information on the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, visit www.americorps.gov/nccc.

