Her Love for a Bear Led to a Cherished Volunteer Journey

Patty Bailey loved a Bear. Well, a dog named Bear. An adopted flat-coated retriever/Newfoundland mix, which she traveled from New Jersey to Georgia to find, had what some might describe as a higher calling.

Patty Bailey

“From the moment we picked Bear up he was so full of love and compassion, we just had to share him with others,” says Bailey, of Sparta, New Jersey. “What we decided to do was very simple – bring Bear to hospitals and nursing homes to interact with children and seniors.”

Through Pass It Along, part of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network, Bailey would bring Bear to visit with folks of all ages in need of a little extra joy in their lives. Her favorite part was seeing faces light up and helping seniors remember their own pets from the past. Bear was so loved that he was voted Volunteer of the Month.

Bailey grew up in northern New Jersey and eventually became a schoolteacher. She taught elementary school for 30 years before retiring in 2001. In retirement, she still had lots of energy and wanted to get involved and help her community.

Along with her work for Pass It Along, she also volunteers at a local church soup kitchen and is a bell ringer for the Salvation Army.

For her volunteer work, Bailey was just honored recently as a Cabot Community Celebrity. Points of Light partnered with Cabot Creamery Cooperative this summer to recognize outstanding volunteers as Cabot Community Celebrities.

The farm families who own the cooperative are sending Bailey and other volunteers on a seven-day Caribbean cruise in November, to celebrate the volunteers’ contributions to communities across the country.

Bear has passed away but his spirit lives on through Jolly, a rescued flat-coated retriever and certified pet therapy dog that Bailey brings to those in need.

“I wanted to give back, share the love that I have for dogs,” Bailey says. “For the people in the nursing home, it’s their home, and bringing a smile to their face can help them get through the rough times.”

How an Earthquake Deepened My Commitment to Volunteer Service

This post is by Annette Sayre, a student at the University of Notre Dame. For seven years, she lived with her family in Japan, where she developed a love of volunteer service as a teen.

Annette Sayre, right, and another volunteer clean a fish canning warehouse after a tsunami in Japan.

Some volunteer experiences stay with you forever. Mine was in northern Japan, after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake.

March 11th, as the 2011 catastrophe is commonly known in Japan, profoundly affected the nation. Having suffered the massive earthquake, a consequent tsunami, seemingly perpetual aftershocks and a subsequent nuclear explosion in Fukushima, the Japanese people were undoubtedly united in suffering, but also in hope.

Immediately after the disaster struck, volunteers from HandsOn Tokyo – part of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network – were traveling north in buses to the devastated Tohoku region to offer their services. In June of that year I decided to go on one of the weekend Tohoku relief trips.

On the first day, our group arrived in the rice fields of Iwanuma to assist in debris cleaning. We cleared flooded homes of their furniture and valuables, discarding ruined technical equipment and soaked mattresses, and walked through flooded rice fields collecting debris that had settled on the grain.

Annette Sayre, right, plays a traditional Japanese hand game called “Arupusu” with local children during a earthquake relief trip with HandsOn Tokyo.

We spent the night in Sendai, the nearest major city, and the following day we drove out to support the local residents of the severely ravaged area, Ishinomaki.

Roofs floating in the middle of the ocean, houses with broken windows jammed into gas stations and fishing boats lying sideways on main roads were a few of the images that struck me as our bus wound down a mountain to the coastal fishing city.

On the same ground that had once washed away thousands of lives, we set up our folding table and coffee maker next to a menu listing the baked goods we would be handing out at our little “cafe.”

People from the village formed two long lines to receive their share of fresh fruits and vegetables, which they had come to rely on from the HandsOn Tokyo volunteers’ weekly visits.

We then entered a crowded classroom in the refugee building on the highest hill in the area and played hand games and made crafts with children in desperate need of comfort during a traumatic and confusing period of their lives.

On the last day, we cleaned the remains of a fish canning warehouse, separating cans that were punctured and leaking from those that were still saleable.

I often think about my time in Tohoku, as it renewed my commitment to volunteer service. Wherever I call home, service will be a significant part of my life.

There are 250 HandsOn Network volunteer centers around the world. Click here to find one near you, or to search for local volunteer opportunities, visit AllforGood.org.

Teaching Children Around the World About Helping Others and the Power of Friendship

Showing that volunteering with friends and family can be lots of fun, parents and kids came together in Singapore last Saturday to do some good, while celebrating International Friendship Day.

Girls take part in a drawing activity during an International Friendship Day event in Singapore.

To recognize that day, officially July 30,

Hasbro

and

generationOn

– the youth division of Points of Light – have launched a global campaign to encourage kids to volunteer in their schools, neighborhoods and communities. Find out how you can your kids can celebrate by visiting

www.generationon.org/friendship

. The campaign uses iconic

My Little Pony

characters to teach children about helping others and the power of friendship. Four international events are set to engage hundreds of children in volunteer activities inspired by each of the six main My Little Pony characters. The first event was Saturday’s Singapore gathering, which will be followed in the coming days by events in New York City, São Paulo and London. In Singapore, about 150 children and parents came to the Lifelong Learning Institute. In the spirit of My Little Pony, the room was filled with the magic and power of friendship.

Singapore International Friendship Day volunteers left with smiles and goody bags.

Several volunteer stations were set up in a large room, each representing a My Little Pony character. At a Rainbow Dash station, kids put together “health and happiness kits” for the elderly; each kit included coffee, cookies, a toothbrush, toothpaste and more. At a Pinkie Pie station, children decorated recycling bags that they could take home and pack with toys to donate to kids in need. The event concluded with reflection and, in true Singapore style, a

makan

session (food with friends). Children and parents walked away with smiles on their faces and goody bags that included Play-Doh sculpture reminders to love and care for animals and plants to enhance the environment. It was a wonderful way to celebrate International Friendship Day!

What are your plans for International Friendship Day? Find ideas and get involved at www.generationon.org/friendship.

Giving Back Is a Responsibility and a Privilege for These Workers

Elaine came straight from her graveyard shift to do some good for her community. She joined a couple thousand of her co-workers from TELUS International Philippines to volunteer for Brigada Eskwela, an annual Philippine Department of Education program that invites volunteers to help maintain school buildings and create good learning environments for students.

TELUS International Philippines volunteers paint a mural at a local school.

“I am grateful that I am here today; I also studied in a public school,” she said. “I’m happy that I am able to help the 50 students using the classroom we are repainting.”

TELUS International Philippines, one of the country’s pioneering companies in the global call center outsourcing and IT development industry, considers corporate social responsibility as the cornerstone of its culture. Its philosophy – “We give where we live” – is anchored on the premise that it is both a responsibility and a privilege to give back to the community.

For the past three years, TELUS has partnered with Hands On Manila to take part in Brigada Eskwela, in line with the company’s annual TELUS Days Of Giving. During those days, TELUS employees have opportunities to volunteer in community-building efforts.

This year’s Brigada Eskwela venue was Tenement Elementary School in Taguig City, in metro Manila. More than 2,000 TELUS employees who came to the May 16 event repainted 54 classrooms in four buildings, refurbished 2,000 chairs, painted 54 mini-fences and potted 600 ornamental plants.

From left, Tenement Elementary School Principal Geronima Garcia, TELUS International President and CEO Jeff Puritt and Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines volunteer at Garcia’s school during Brigada Eskwela.

Some groups painted 12 murals along the school’s staircase and helped 50 kids participating in a hygiene workshop. On the same day, TELUS broke ground to start construction of a two-room kindergarten building the company is donating.

Hands On Manila, which brought 130 volunteer leaders to help manage the projects and volunteers at Tenement Elementary School, actively fosters volunteerism in the corporate world. The nonprofit – part of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network – has partnered with hundreds of corporations like TELUS, an average of 50 partners a year for community service in metro Manila and elsewhere around the country.

Events like Brigada Eskwela show the good that nonprofits and businesses can accomplish together.

As TELUS International President and CEO Jeff Puritt said, “In order to do well in business, you must do good in the communities where you work, live and serve.”

After the Baltimore Riots, Volunteers Have a Long-Term Role to Play

The recent riots in Baltimore – sparked by unrest over the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man in police custody – brought out the worst and the best in the city’s people.

Volunteers from Business Volunteers Maryland help make sandwiches for people in West Baltimore through the Salvation Army’s FeedMore program, three days after the riots.

The day after rioters smashed windows, set fire to police vehicles and tore through businesses in the West Baltimore neighborhood, neighbors volunteered to help. They swept up broken glass, cleared debris and helped business owners clean up their stores.

That immediate outpouring from volunteers was heartwarming to see, says Kelly Hodge-Williams, executive director of Business Volunteers Maryland, but there’s more volunteers can do in the long term.

“Decades of systemic problems have led to two Baltimores,” Hodge-Williams says. One is poor and mostly African-American, with low-performing schools and high unemployment. The other is middle and upper class and more diverse, with better schools and more job opportunities.

Business Volunteers Maryland, part of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network, is exploring ways it can channel volunteer power toward addressing deep-seated problems that have plagued Baltimore – and other cities – for decades. The organization is focusing on four key issues: youth development, quality education, employment and services for those in poverty.

Kelly Hodge-Williams

“Our unique platform is that we mobilize human capital,” Hodge-Williams says of Business Volunteers Maryland. The nonprofit matches professionals skilled in such fields as marketing, human resources, finance and more with local nonprofits who need their volunteer services, in addition to connecting people with more traditional volunteer opportunities through its Volunteer Central website.

Hodge-Williams says that while direct-service, hands-on volunteers are essential in the ongoing cleanup and restoration of West Baltimore, “high-level thinking and talent” are also critical in the years to come. Such volunteers – whether they come through corporate employee volunteer programs or on their own – are able to help nonprofits develop and execute plans to better meet their missions.

On June 17, Business Volunteers Maryland will hold its annual doSOMETHING! for a Better Baltimore event, during which prospective volunteers can meet with representatives from a host of nonprofits. This year, given the recent violence on the streets, the event will host nonprofits that address youth development, education, employment and poverty.

A public-private partnership called One Baltimore​ launched this month to focus on the systemic problems facing the city. Business Volunteers Maryland is planning to be part of the initiative.

“We’re all at a point of trying to figure this out,” says Hodge-Williams, adding that her organization is planning regular meetings with corporations and businesses to determine the best ways to get their employees involved. “We see this as an opportunity.”

Where Some See Hopelessness, These Volunteers See Promise

Central America is one of the toughest regions in the world to be a child. Poverty, violence and lack of opportunity are prevalent. Access to quality health and education services is limited. Migration from the region separates family members, and child migrants face life-threatening journeys.

A Glasswing International volunteer teaches students during an after-school club at an El Salvador public school.

Despite these challenges, Glasswing International – part of Points of Light’s HandsOnNetwork – believes that Central America still holds the potential for great promise. The organization works to confront the obstacles its countries face in order to enable its children to thrive.

Since its founding in El Salvador in 2007, Glasswing has mobilized more than 85,000 corporate, community-based and medical volunteers. Through extreme school makeovers, after-school clubs, medical professional and first responder training, and community health projects, Glasswing volunteers have touched the lives of more than 600,000 people.

“Glasswing believes in strengthening communities’ existing resources, such as public schools, hospitals and health clinics rather than building anew,” said Celina de Sola, Glasswing’s co-founder and vice president of programs. “Through the organization, volunteers have an accessible way of making a huge impact on the lives of children and youth in the region.”

Ninth grader Claudia says participating in Glasswing International after-school clubs has helped her improve her attitude at school and better express herself socially.

Glasswing’s cross-sector approach forges partnerships with international and local governments, corporations, nonprofits and civil society. Although globally minded, the organization is locally driven, allowing the organization to design, implement and oversee all of its projects and accomplish more for less.

Some highlights:

• More than 20,000 mothers and children have benefitted from Glasswing’s pediatric and community health services.
• Volunteers have renovated more than 550 public schools, to help improve enrollment, retention and learning.
• More than 22,000 young people participate in after-school clubs; 92 percent improved relationships with family and peers, 86 percent experienced improved self-esteem and 85 percent improved their grades.

Ninth grader Claudia – who started participating in Glasswing after-school clubs four years ago – is one such student. The 14-year-old grew up in the Las Palmas neighborhood of San Salvador, an area defined by poverty and violence.

“Growing up in Las Palmas was difficult,” Claudia says. “I was very combative with my teachers and didn’t do well in school.” Now she’s a member of several clubs, including the leadership, debate and girls’ clubs.

“Participating in these clubs has made a positive impact on my life,” Claudia says. “They have helped me improve my attitude in school, and better express myself socially.”

Currently, Glasswing has permanent programming in six countries in Central America and projects in an additional eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2015, Glasswing was invited to join the Clinton Global Initiative, an program of the Clinton Foundation dedicated to helping its member organizations maximize their social impact.

Interested in finding out what you can do to help Glasswing and the people it serves? Please visit www.glasswing.org.