Paper Memories

Today’s guest post is written by Yooha Park and republished today from the For the Win series on the White House blog.

My grandmother hid in empty rice sacks to escape being raped by Japanese soldiers. But in the midst of hiding, she saw her father get brutally murdered by the soldiers and her younger brothers kidnapped. She never saw them again. The year was 1940 and, like many other Koreans, my grandmother and her family faced violence and torture from the Japanese, who occupied Korea until 1945.

This is all I know about my grandmother except for the fact that she was the mother of my father. She died when I was 7-years-old. Yet when I heard the news of her death, I could not help but feel indifferent. I had seen her a total of three times in my life because she lived 5,000 miles away from me. I felt more comfortable talking to a random stranger on the street, than I did when I talked to my grandmother. When I did talk to her on the phone, our conversation was limited to an awkward hello and questions you would ask someone you had just met — what grade I was in, how the weather was, what I liked to do in my spare time.

It has been 10 years since my grandmother died, and there is no way to hear her story anymore. My father and his brothers also knew very little about her past, and my grandfather doesn’t talk about her. Throughout the rest of elementary and middle school, I was always envious of my friends because they could easily talk to their grandparents and knew so much about their pasts.

That longing was satisfied in my freshman year of high school. My brother and his friends were singing for residents at our local assisted living home, which houses seniors who need physical therapy or have dementia. I tagged along because I had nothing to do that Saturday afternoon. While I was waiting in the lobby, I talked to Mary, a resident who talked about everything — where she grew up, her family, her first job, how she met her husband and even about her stamp collection. She said that no one ever came to visit her since all of her siblings had died and her children lived too far and were always working.

When I went back home, I couldn’t help but think of her for the rest of that week. I went back to Mary’s life story and her eagerness to talk about herself, something she never had the chance to do. To thank Mary for letting me hear her story, I made her a scrapbook. It was not expensive, but when I gave it to Mary, she began to cry and thanked me.

It shocked me that Mary would respond to my scrapbook with such gratitude. Her reaction made me want to help other seniors reflect on their lives. I wanted as many seniors’ life stories to be heard as possible; I didn’t want their stories to disappear like my grandmother’s. So I began to talk to residents at my local assisted living home weekly. Afterwards, I would go home and work on the scrapbooks. I could spend hours creating scrapbooks, and I loved seeing how thrilled the residents were. I wanted to share this experience with as many people as I could, and invited my friends and students from nearby high schools and colleges to help me out. Now, Stories of Our Lives members visit residents in assisted/independent living communities or families of hospice patients to talk about residents’ lives. For each book, we ask questions, including where he/she is from, learn about family, a favorite movie and even about personal stories, like the memory of a mother’s cooking. Each time I came back, many of the residents — who had trouble remembering where their rooms were — remembered my face.

Once members finish their interviews, they create scrapbooks as a way for residents to celebrate their lives. Many of the students have thanked me for introducing them to Stories of Our Lives. Our volunteerism teaches them how to take a break from their hectic schedules and just listen. The assisted/independent living residents often tell me that they look forward to our visits because the only other visitors they have are physical therapists and the occasional relative.

Stories of Our Lives aims to provide a bridge between the younger generation and seniors by creating a nexus to share their thoughts and feelings. For the seniors, Stories of Our Lives lets them think about and celebrate their lives by rekindling memories. For the younger generation, Stories of Our Lives provides the students advice and thoughts about how to live.

 We also hope to be a small break from the digital age of the 21st century by sharing the thoughts and feelings of seniors via handmade scrapbooks filled with warmth from a younger generation.

And for me, Stories of Our Lives has been a way to fulfill my wish to hear my grandmother’s story. Though I have not heard her story, I like to think that she would want these seniors’ stories to be preserved because the stories of their lives ultimately help us create better stories of our own lives. To learn more about my cause, please visit storieslives.com.

Yooha Park, 17, is founder of Stories of Our Lives, a nonprofit organization which aims to provide a bridge between the younger generation and seniors by creating a nexus to share their thoughts and feelings. Yooha is a recipient of the Daily Point of Light Award, presented by Points of Light.

News Flash: Nominate Your Woman of Worth and Let Us Celebrate Her Story

You know a future L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth. She’s an inspiring volunteer, an outstanding achiever and a beautiful person who’s making a difference in her community. Nominate your Woman of Worth today.

Through Women of Worth, L’Oréal Paris will award 10 Women of Worth Honorees a $10,000 donation toward the nonprofit of their choice, as well as national exposure for their efforts. One Honoree will be selected via public vote as the National Women of Worth Honoree and will receive an additional $25,000.

Last year, women were celebrated for their work ranging from fostering under-served youth to finding groundbreaking cures for pediatric cancer to helping women veterans at home. Learn more about their stories and be inspired to recognize a stand-out change maker in your community.

Nominations will be accepted from April 2 – May 31, 2012.

Madye Henson… A “Battery Charger of the Human Spirit”

Today’s post is written by Shawn Anderson, five-time author, corporate trainer and national speaker on the topics of “possibility thinking and creating opportunity.”  He is also the Founder of the Extra Mile America Foundation, a non-profit organization that will lead the charge in motivating 200 mayors in all 50 states to declare November 1, 2011 as “Extra Mile Day”…a day to recognize those in the local community going the extra mile.

“If we’re lucky in life, we will be inspired first hand by a number of true Points of Light superstars. Their individual inspiration is what often propels us to ramp up our own commitment to serving, giving and making a difference. I am motivated to share about one of those people from my life: Dr. Madye Henson.

This is a big week for this ultra “bright light.” Effect July 1, Dr. Madye left her position as the President & CEO of Greater D.C. Cares in order to pursue a new challenge as the Deputy Superintendent for the Alexandria City Public Schools. This Points of Light Board member served GDCC since 2008, and under her leadership, the organization took its volunteer base from 5,000 people to 43,000 people. As she leaves, Greater D.C. Cares now works with a network of 860 non-profits.

Those are awesome, difference-making numbers.

But then again, when it comes to difference-making people, Dr. Madye registers at the 99.99 percentile. You see, Madye Henson has a special gift: she makes people believe in themselves. She listens…coaches…inspires…and leads others to their greatest potential. And I believe wholeheartedly that when you put people first, you have the opportunity to build an organization that is ultra-dynamic.

Madye is one of those special people who when you meet her, you know she is really interested in YOU.  She wants to add positive energy to your world. She wants that chance to clap for you. She wants to discover how she can leave you feeling that your path is clearer, your resolve is stronger, or your courage is up one more notch. She supports people. She empowers people. She leaves people believing that all things are possible.

In my book, that is beyond exceptional. In my book, that is the ultimate in serving. Madye Henson is a true “Battery Charger of the Human Spirit,” and I am confident that just like she did at Greater D.C. Cares…she will take her humble, fire-walking spirit to the Alexandria Public School System…and get them to believe they can walk on hot coals, too.

Do you have a Dr. Madye in your life? Why not give them a call this week and let them know how much their extra-mile example means to you.”

Daily Point of Light #4515 Alayna Charpentier

Alayna Charpentier is a very special girl; in spite of her academic load and participation on sports teams she finds time to volunteer at the Wayside House every week and at church every single Sunday.

The Wayside House is a great place that helps low-income women overcome addiction and mental illness. It is a place that empowers women to recover sobriety, identity, family, home and community by providing treatment, housing and supportive services.

Alayna has a large part in the rehabilitation process and has volunteered her services for the past two years by providing childcare for mothers who receive treatment.  Most of the women there who have children have no means for childcare, so for them to attend weekly counseling sessions they rely on Alayna.

A Wayside House Family

These women not only learn how to manage their lives, sobriety, and careers, but they also learn to trust again. Alayna has won a place in all of their hearts and homes as a sign of hope, a person who cares for them despite their history and mistakes they may have made, and in support of the changes they strive for to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Alayna herself has had to deal with much adversity in her life, and her health has always been a huge hurdle for her. She has suffered from Sensory Integration Dysfunction, ADD, major depression and many aspects Aspberger Syndrome and major allergies since she was a small child.

For the past two years she has become a very well respected and supportive friend to these women and their children at the Wayside House. She finds resolve and inspiration in helping these women, and believes in the good in others.

PARADE Magazine All-America High School Service Team

Matthew McConaughey with 2010 Service Team Winners: Jessica Markowitz and David Sanchez

Are there high school students in your community that are making a big difference?

Then nominate them here before May 31st!

PARADE magazine is teaming up with generationOn to find this year’s All-America High School Service Team! This is the service teams second year in existence and it will consist of outstanding high school students who’ve made a significant contribution to their communities through health, education, the environment, economics or human rights.

All nominees are appreciated and are winners in the sense that they are helping people and making a difference. The top 50 finalists, 10 per issue category, will receive certificates. The top 15 (3 per issue category), will receive a two-day paid trip to Washington, D.C. to receive their award and special recognition.

2011 winners will be announced in PARADE Magazine on August 14.

Click here to learn more about the 2010 winners!

Click here to nominate a student today!!

Americorps Week May 14th-21st

This past Saturday, May 14^th was the start of Americorps Week. AmeriCorps Week highlights AmeriCorps‘ impact in communities across the country in order to motivate more Americans to join AmeriCorps or volunteer in their communities. Today’s Americorps story is written by Willie M. Bolden, an Americorps Alum and now the Program Coordinator for the Intern and Volunteer Office at Points of Light Institute.

“My AmeriCorps story begins in the fall of 2008 when I decided it was time to seriously begin my search for employment.  Prior to this, I had never heard of AmeriCorps, HandsOn Network or Points of Light.  By chance, I learned of AmeriCorps through some postings on idealist.org.  I began applying to them as I saw positions that interested me.  I was also considering the Peace Corps at the time.

In late November, I was contacted via email by the Affiliate Advancement Team to schedule an interview.  After a series of phone interviews, emails and faxes I was offered a VISTA position to start in February, 2009.  I went through my Pre-Service Orientation and met Jesse Salinas and Zack Brown for the first time.  It was really nice to finally meet them after months of talking via email and phone.

I began my work with seven different tasks for the year.  One of the tasks included developing and managing an internal volunteer program.  I began to dig in to this role very deeply with support from my team, organizational management and also with support from members of HandsOn Atlanta.  It was very intense and brief education but the program was finally launched after its initial pilot in April of 2009.

The program quickly grew and by December of that year we hosted our first volunteer recognition event with over 70 volunteers and a dozen who had earned Presidential Volunteer Service Awards.  We brought in people from all over the Metropolitan Atlanta area with a diverse set of skills, interests and backgrounds.  It has been a truly exhilarating learning experience and continues to get better and more interesting every day.

I’m truly grateful to the organization for the confidence it has placed in me, for the support I have received in doing my work and for the truly great people that I work with everyday including staff, volunteers and interns.

I have grown tremendously from this experience and can truly say that my AmeriCorps experience has propelled me into a position of service beyond my wildest expectations.  I continue to serve and work with Points of Light and am excited to see where we grow next!”