LONGMONT — Nik Harroun, who spent last summer in a Boulder County Youth Corps crew, will be honored Monday morning at a ceremony at the state Capitol as one of the Colorado Youth Corps Association’s 10 Corps Members of the Year.
Judy Wolfe, manager of Boulder County’s Youth Corps program, said Harroun, a 16-year-old Longmont High School sophomore, will be recognized by two members of the county’s state legislative delegation — Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, and Rep. Matt Jones, D-Louisville — for his leadership, his strong worth ethic and his integrity.
“Nik’s first summer serving as a Corps member was 2011, but you wouldn’t have known that if you spent any time with his trail maintenance team,” Wolfe said. “He demonstrated qualities that would be lauded in a more experienced Corps member.”
Harroun said in an interview that “being able to work with other kids your age and being able to talk about life as you go through your workday” were among the high points last summer.
The big project that Harroun’s Youth Corps team tackled last year was rehabilitation of Boulder County’s Anne U. White Trail to repair flood damage.
That trail follows Fourmile Canyon Creek in an area near north Boulder, and county officials have said the work included removing debris and repairing creek crossings after flood washouts and logjams.
“We spent three or four weeks rebuilding the trail,” Harroun said, and “built a pond there, too.”
In the future, Harroun said, he can visit the area with others and say, “See? I worked on that trail.”
Wolfe said that Harroun regularly carried his Corps member handbook with him and reviewed it several times last summer. She said that showed his commitment to being a valuable employee and team member.
She also cited his willingness to volunteer for any and all jobs, even ones no one else wanted to do. She said an example of his helpfulness was how often he took it upon himself to collect and put away tools at the end of the day.
Wolfe said that while Harroun never let socializing get in the way of working hard, he got along well with his fellow team members and used humor to lighten the mood — such as once, she said, when he turned a trail-tamping chore into a dance.
Harroun said he plans to apply for another summer on the Boulder County Youth Corps, and he encouraged others to consider the program, as well.
Jennifer Freeman, the executive director of the Colorado Youth Corps Association, said that in many cases, the 10 young people being recognized Monday “overcame personal barriers and capitalized on support from their youth corps to serve our state, further their education, learn to work hard and look toward bright futures.”
John Fryar can be reached at 303-684-5211 or jfryar@times-call.com.
