Imagine, you’re 17 years old trying to survive during the Great Depression. Life is tough in Chicago. Food is scarce, jobs are non-existent and you’ve turned to petty crime to eke out a living. One day you hear about a new job works program created by the federal government that pays a “dollar-a-day.” You soon find yourself in the Wisconsin northwoods spending long days planting trees and building roads. Over the next year, you put on 20 pounds, develop good work habits, gain confidence and make life-long friends. The job skills you learned help you find a job when you leave camp. Your experience in the CCC turns out to be the most important event in your life. It turned you from a boy into a man.

Since 1992, Bill Jamerson has researched the CCC. He produced a documentary for Michigan PBS, recorded a CD of songs, and wrote a historical novel. He presents “Dollar-A-Day Boys” all across the Midwest. Over 2.5 million men enlisted in the corps and today, their children and grandchildren have a keen interest in it. They often show up with CCC photo albums and memorabilia; they also share wonderful stories about their relatives with the audience. The story of the CCC has universal appeal because it’s about underdogs who are given a second chance. Bill also presents CCC motivational assemblies at middle and high schools. Students love stories about teens and the struggles they experienced during The Great Depression.