SEBRING, Fla. — At the onset of the Great Depression and beyond, members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were young men from impoverished families who made a difference.

Enrollees were between the ages of 17-25 and they earned $30 a month, keeping $5 and sending home the rest to their families. The CCC was managed by the U.S. Army and the clothing they wore were surplus from World War I uniforms.

The CCC was in effect between the years of 1933-42 and was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” The program ended in 1942 when the United States became embroiled in World War II. The military-like training the young men received in the CCC was helpful when members went on to join the armed services.

The United States was plunged into the Great Depression following the halcyon years of the “Roaring Twenties.” When the economy took a nosedive, the CCC offered work – and that work provided many projects that still live on today.

In a radio message in 1936, Roosevelt told CCC workers, “Idle through no fault of your own, you were enrolled from city and rural homes and offered an opportunity to engage in healthful, outdoor work on forest, park and soil conservation projects of definite practical value to all people of the nation.

“The promptness with which you seized the opportunity to engage in honest work, the willingness with which you have performed your daily tasks and the fine spirit you have shown in winning the respect of the communities in which your camps have been located, merits the admiration of the entire country.”

At the Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, the Florida Conservation Corps Museum pays tributes to the CCC. An anonymous CCC alumnus wrote about being part of the CCC, after the fact: “We are the young men of the 1930s who made up the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1942. We mended the scarred land, the eroded fields, the depleted woodlands and the muddled waters of our creeks and rivers.

“We replanted the forests from Maine to California and built fire trails to protect both the old and new forests. We cleared out diseased deadwood to protect healthy trees and we fought forest fires and floods. We built lodges and campsites in our national parks so people could enjoy our beautiful country. We built roads and trails in parks, many of which are still in existence today.”

Besides what these men did for the country, in return they received experience, became dedicated in a trade and discipline and gained respect for the work they completed. When citizens look around their states and their parks, they can often see the impact made during the decade the CCC was in operation.

For more information about Florida’s CCC Museum, call 863-386-6094. More information about activities of CCC in various states can be found at www.ccclegacy.org