Kari Shields arrived in Vicksburg 10 months ago with plans to do everything in her power to serve the community and better the lives of people around her.

On Thursday, her time in Vicksburg came to an end when she and 138 others graduated with Class XVII from the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps Southern Region.

Shields, a 22-year-old from Cincinnati, was one of 139 graduates of AmeriCorps NCCC’s second group of volunteers in Vicksburg.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a program funded federally through the Corporation for National and Community Service. The first class of volunteers arrived in July 2009 and graduated 153 people.

This year, AmeriCorps NCCC consisted of two seven-team units. Team leaders and members lived in Vicksburg at the former All Saints’ Episcopal School and traveled across the South for 10 months, performing such community service projects as building homes, helping with tornado cleanup and distributing food.

To Shields, AmeriCorps meant making a difference in the world in honor of her brother, who died six years ago.

“I serve because I made a commitment to live my life as he would have,” said Shields. “There is nothing more fulfilling than to give back, and this organization … well, there are no words to say how it has allowed me to do that.”

At the graduation ceremony, North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield congratulated the AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers, each responsible for performing 1,700 hours of community service.

“Our hearts long for young people to stand and be counted for something good in this community, and that is exactly what happens here,” Mayfield said.

Sean Fitzgerald, 22, of Yakima, Wash., is planning to return as a team leader for the next group of volunteers.

“This has been the most powerful year of my life and I want to give back to the next class as a team leader,” Fitzgerald said. “When I joined I wanted to help out and meet people with similar interests, but it was so much more than that.”

Fitzgerald is one of four graduates of Class XVII who plan to be team leaders for the next group.

Team leaders for the next class will arrive in Vicksburg on June 6, and the 72 new AmeriCorps NCCC members will arrive July 6, ready to begin their 10 months of service.

Shields, who left Friday for her home in Ohio, said AmeriCorps NCCC gave her the confidence to live her life in service of others.

“I plan to leave my legacy through service and hopefully I’ll be something that someone else can admire,” Shields said.