Christian Haerter
Christian Haerter and his partner, Michelle Severance, created Jordan’s Initiative after Haerter’s son, Jordan, was killed in Iraq in 2008.
Jordan bravely sacrificed himself so that his fellow Marines could live. Inspired by Jordan’s courage, Haerter and Severance have dedicated themselves to help all service members and their families affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Haerter and Severance use Jordan’s Initiative to raise awareness about veterans’ needs, provide immediate assistance to those serving in the military and to military families, and to create a community of support. As a volunteer organization, Jordan’s Initiative is not completely run by Haerter and Severance. Instead, they rely on their community to help, which provides opportunities for others to get involved. Haerter and Severance’s community use Jordan’s Initiative as a means to volunteer and provide support to deployed troops, combat veterans and military families who need help the most.
Jordan’s Initiative addresses the needs of combat veterans, their families, and the surrounding community. Military families endure many hardships that are unseen by the public. Haerter and Severance ease these burdens by providing immediate care and support when needed. There are many organizations for families including: “Family Assistance” program, Care Package Drives, “Wheels to Freedom” program, and the “Community Spirit Award” program.
Christian Haerter and Michelle Severance are unique because their story is one of both loss and triumph. Although they lost a son and a friend when Jordan died they turned their energy outward and began helping veterans because they understood that reaching out was the best remedy for their pain.
Gary Gray
Service to one’s country was an expectation in the Gray household. Gary’s parents both served in the United States Navy as did his brother. In 1966, Gray chose to enlist in the United States Army and served a tour of duty in Vietnam.
Move forward forty years. In August 2008, Gary found himself in a position he never thought he’d be in – homeless. Due to the economic conditions facing his community and the country, Gary remained homeless for nine months. In May of 2009, his life began to change. Gary received services from the Senior Community Service Employment Program which led him to the Longview Housing Authority (LHA) – the organization eventually became the host site for his AmeriCorps position sponsored by the United Way of Cowlitz County.
Through this service and volunteer opportunity, Gary found the motivation to help himself while becoming a role model to help improve the quality of life for his fellow veterans.
Gary, once a participant in Longview Housing Authority’s housing program for homeless veterans, was approached about becoming an AmeriCorps member in order to help create an employment program for fellow homeless veterans. Not only did this invitation give Gary the opportunity to serve his county again, but it resulted in developing job opportunities for fellow veterans where none existed before.
On June 1, 2009, Gary enrolled as a full-time member on the Cowlitz AmeriCorps Recovery Team. The Longview Housing Authority felt that Gary’s veteran status and first-hand experience with homelessness made him an ideal candidate to provide services to homeless veterans. Gary’s many responsibilities included conducting outreach to homeless veterans and informing them of the available housing programs, assisting unemployed veterans with job readiness and work search through the Vet Works program and connecting veterans with services available through the Veterans Administration (VA).
As part of his outreach activities, Gary shares his life story and encourages other veterans to volunteer as a pathway to self-sufficiency.
“Being idle doesn’t help you move forward in life. I was embarrassed to be homeless, but the AmeriCorps experience awakened me and made me a better person; a more engaged citizen; it turned my life around.”
Ramon Guitard
In honor of Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2011, Points of Light will feature stories of veterans, service members and their families recognized as Daily Point of Light honorees this week.
Ramon Guitard, a Purple Heart recipient, served two tours in Iraq and lost both legs when a roadside bomb exploded outside Baghdad in 2004. After spending a month in a coma, Ramon woke to find his right leg had been amputated, a blood clot had caused a stroke that temporarily paralyzed the left side of his body and he had lost vision in his right eye. As serious as his injuries were, Ramon felt moved to help other patients in their recovery and began volunteering as a motivational speaker while he was hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
After his release from Walter Reed AMC, he continued to motivate and inspire others through his speeches at various faith and community organizations. He continued his efforts by becoming a Red Cross Volunteer at Moncrief Army Community Hospital. Ramon furthered his involvement by becoming a board member of Operation Homefront. He continues today with American Red Cross as a motivational and public speaker for special events.
Ramon is actively engaged in voluntary service directed at the needs or improvement of the community. He overcame his own obstacles and is currently helping others to overcome their obstacles. He promotes positive attitudes towards people with disabilities and encourages people with disabilities to lead independent lives.
He creates a chain reaction and teaches people how to assist other veterans. He gives people the tools to increase their self confidence. In spite of his recent diagnosis with chronic myeloid leukemia, Ramon will not be deterred. His contribution to the community is a reminder to people to value and appreciate life every day.
Taryn Davis-2
Bob Fabor
Bob Fabor is a Point of Light in his community providing quality Boy Scouting experiences to boys of all ages in the Baltimore Maryland Council. Bob himself has over 20 years of scouting knowledge and has been a positive influence to a long list of Eagle Scouts who have returned to lead new boys.
The Boy Scout program is one that the Baltimore community deeply cares about. The program teaches males constructive attributes to care about their fellow man or scout and to help the community all the while they acquire a good understanding of nature and their surroundings.
Bob has a passion for being a good role model and cares about the welfare of the boys in his county. Bob is so dedicated to the Boy Scout program he goes above and beyond his teaching role. He is committed to doing anything and everything that is asked of him to help Community Engagement of Boy Scouts in the Baltimore area. Bob provides support to various Cub Scout and Boy Scout units teaching specific survival and leadership skills, he is on medical staff for all weekend activities, and functions as the community engagement member of the 4 Rivers District for the monthly business meeting and roundtable. He is a remarkable man, and the Boy Scout community is lucky to have him as a mentor.
Marie- Therese Connolly
Marie-Therese Connolly is a full-time volunteer dedicated to elevating the issue of elder abuse to the forefront of the national consciousness, building an effective network to prevent and redress these horrible wrongs.
Marie is the volunteer director of Life Long Justice, an initiative of Appleseed, which is a nonprofit network of 16 public interest justice centers in the U.S. and Mexico. She is also a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where she is writing a book about elder justice and the lack of legal protection for elders.
As part of her work in the elder justice field, Marie was a witness before the Senate Special Committee on Aging at the “Justice for All” hearing regarding elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. She spoke at the Elder Abuse Forum hosted by the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus. With Appleseed, Marie is leveraging pro bono talents of lawyers, researchers and economists to gather data, clarify messages, and make systematic positive change for our nation’s seniors.
Elder abuse can be physical, emotional, financial or sexual in nature. Abandonment and self-neglect are also forms of elder abuse. Abusers are often family and/or caregivers, which further complicates the issue. Elder abuse is the only form of family violence for which the federal government provides virtually no resources. In addition to the lack of governmental resources, there is a growing shortage of geriatricians and caregivers for seniors. Serious research gaps in the field of elder abuse make it extremely difficult to assess or comprehend the breadth of the needs.
Marie advocates for seniors who are being abused, neglected and/or exploited. She recognizes the deficiency of adequate protection for vulnerable elders and actively works to further the cause of elder justice. This is why Marie is a Daily Point of Light.
Shannon Hays-Truex
Shannon Hays-Truex has been volunteering her time as an educator and coordinator of the Environmental Education program at McNary National Wildlife Refuge in Washington for twelve years.
Shannon teaches and organizes volunteers to teach in the outdoor classroom, sets up outdoor teaching stations, teaches at each event and helps clean up. Without Shannon, there would not be an Environmental Education program.
The program serves thousands of children, primarily Hispanic, to whom the natural world is unfamiliar. In addition, Shannon leads interpretive hikes in the Columbia Basin Urban Wildland Ranger Program. Shannon also helps restore wildlands throughout the community and has helped established native plant gardens at McNary Refuge and local parks.
Because of Shannon's coordination and teaching efforts, 2,139 students, parents, and teachers participated in a high-quality environmental education program in 2011 alone. Each year, between 1,000 and 2,000 students are introduced to birds, wildlife, habitats, plants, and other natural wonders.
Shannon is extremely creative and imaginative in her educational program, bringing together art, nature studies, costumes, and sometimes music. This is why Shannon is a Daily Point of Light.
Dawna Cardenas
Dawna Cardenas, who was named the 2011 C&S Volunteer of the Year, dedicates more than 1,000 hours to the American Cancer Society annually.
As event co-chair, she devoted her time organizing the Relay for Life of the Greater Keene Area, N.H. in addition to attending events throughout the area to promote cancer awareness and education.
Dawna focuses on working with the public to increase knowledge about programs and services offered by the American Cancer Society. Her efforts also include educating people by distributing information about early detection and self-examinations. This encourages people to address the issue of cancer and to reassure them that assistance is available to those who need it.
The Relay for Life of the Greater Keene Area is an eighteen hour event organized by Dawna and her fellow volunteers. The Relay raises awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society, while also honoring the memory of family and friends who lost the battle against cancer. For participants like Dawna, who lost her grandmother to cancer, this initiative provides a moment of remembrance and a reinforcement of the importance of finding a cure.
Dawna's efforts have also resulted in celebrations of life, including when she helped a family locate a bone marrow donor for their son.
Dawna's dedication to the American Cancer Society is evident by the sheer amount of time that she spends planning and organizing events, providing cancer education and reaching out to the community is what makes her a Daily Point of Light.
Russell Lyons
Russell Lyons, a teenager who has done community service since he was four years old, founded “Do Good Adventures”, a movement to encourages teen volunteerism through example, outreach, education and awareness.
Using social and traditional media and networking, Do Good Adventures celebrates teens that are already active in their communities, shares resources to enable teen volunteerism, and invites teens to volunteer.
Since Russell was four, he has volunteered with more than a dozen organizations and logs more than 200 hours of community service each year. In 2005, San Diego magazine identified him as a “Young Person to Watch.” In June, 2011, he graduated from Laurel Springs School where he was a member of the National Honor Society. He will enter college in fall 2012.
Russell is currently taking a 10,000 mile cross country road trip to promote teen volunteerism. Between September 2011 and March 2012 he will spend three to five days visiting each of approximately twenty nonprofit organizations in different communities.
Russell is special because as a 17-year-old, he has conceptualized, planned, raised money for and implemented Do Good Adventure and the road trip. He accelerated his education to finish high school in three years in order to take the road trip as a year-long project before entering college. This is why Russell is a Daily Point of Light.
Environmental Discovery Project-
Finances at the Geauga local school district are very limited. The Environmental Discovery Project seeks to incorporate cooperative learning with inquiry-based teaching in a way that doesn’t break the budget. The Environmental Discovery Project formed from a group of students from two Geauga county schools to create a holistic sustainability program. Students asked what they could do to create a positive environment during the school day, and went about coordinating projects that helped them get there. They have designed curriculum for local students, and have raised awareness about the importance of environmental impact at a local and global level. Not only do they work with local students but they join with other schools around Northeast Ohio to educate about sustaining our aquatic resources and habitats.
Complete Outdoor Classrooms are used to teach students about sustainable practices, runoff pollution and for other hands-on interdisciplinary educational activities. Science-related subject areas in all grade levels are seeing the results of these projects and are implementing creative curriculum as well. Even classes such as study halls enter the mix, as students go outdoors to weed and harvest when they have free time. The Environmental Discovery Project has transformed the landscape and attitudes of the Geauga community.
The Geauga community helps whenever they can through donating services to the project. The Environmental Discovery project has allowed people to devote positive energy to young people’s ideas. More than thirty community organizations and individuals have helped the school with both monetary and in-kind donations of labor and goods.
The students of the Environmental Discovery Project are truly unique. They have inspired implementation of sustainable practices at the local, state and national levels. They have spread awareness to over 6,000 students, teaching about water purity concerns and sustainability. They have raised over $200,000 in grants, awards and goods, a princely sum in the rural school district, and among many of their accolades are winners of the SCA Green Your School Contest. Most importantly, they are role models for student achievement. They spend a great deal of time traveling to other schools and programs helping other students set up programming in their own schools. These dedicated high school students have truly changed their world for the better and made their large mark on their school and community.
