Daily Point of Light

Dr. Ken Johnson creates smiles that will last a lifetime through the free dental work he provides to children in need. "My father was a generous, giving man who instilled in me a core value of giving back & helping out,” recalls Ken. “He raised funds for needy community members even while not having much money to support his own family.” Ken has been giving back through providing volunteer dental services throughout his entire 44 year career. As a young dentist Ken made 25 international trips to provide volunteer dental care in impoverished countries throughout the world.

For the founders of the Women’s Room 1,200 was the magic number. They had to do something for the 1,200 people sleeping on the streets each night in Pasadena, California. After a survey revealed a gap in available services for homeless women with no drug, alcohol or mental issues, the Women’s Issues Committee (WIC) of All Saints established The Women’s Room, a daytime refuge for women who are alone and homeless.

Every dollar counts and Rita Pinard makes sure that the people of western Oregon get to hang on to as much of their hard earned income as possible. “I know taxes can be complicated and frustrating, especially as people get older and rules become increasingly complex,” says Rita Pinard. “We help working people that may be paying taxes that they shouldn’t pay, helping those that might miss opportunities to save money.”

For nearly twenty years Lou Mass has been a constant presence at the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Craig Street Clubhouse. Forgoing a retirement of rest and leisure Lou instead gives his time to the children who frequent the Clubhouse. Located in Hamilton Hill, the Clubhouse serves at-risk youth in one of the most impoverished areas of Schenectady County. As a new retiree, Lou Maas relocated to Schenectady, New York in 1991.  He quickly made the Boys & Girls Clubs the focus of his new found free time working directly with the children. He was a regular volunteer in the homework help program.

Callahan Fore is extremely passionate about service to his community. In 2006, Callahan created a non-profit organization, SweatMonkey, that focuses on community service resources for students, organizations, and teachers. SweatMonkey.org is a free website that builds connections that benefit everyone—youth, teachers, schools—without wasting a single sheet of paper. As a user-friendly, free internet resource that connects students with organizations, SweatMonkey helps students and teachers track their hours and generate community service resumes.