Sherri Crawford
Tara Lawrence
In 1992 at ten years old Tara Lawrence lost her grandfather to prostate cancer. She was devastated. Tara began volunteering at her local American Cancer Society to honor her grandfather. Tara met children battling cancer who said they hated losing their hair and looking different. Tara understood their anguish so she started writing letters to local companies asking for hats. Hats came pouring in. The local news learned of Tara and wrote an article which brought in even more hats.
In 1996 Tara’s letter writing campaign blossomed and Tara formed a 501 C 3 non-profit, Hats Off For Cancer. Tara developed her first website and reached the international community. Hats came in from all over the world. While babysitting, Tara earned the money to ship the donations to the hospitals and camps that she is still partnered with today. She reached out to children all over the world to let them know that people care and understand what the simple gift of a hat means. Tara looked into the eyes of children fighting cancer and did something to help.
As one of the original hat charity organizations, Tara has motivated many others to start their own programs. After appearing on Montel Williams, a Texas viewer was so stirred she held a drive collecting over 1100 hats. Christina Fulton, actress/designer, held a Hollywood red carpet event to benefit HOC. The impact of HOC has been phenomenal. Mayor Rudy Giuliani of NYC determined that Hats Off For Cancer was such a wonderful program that he proclaimed a special “Hats Off For Cancer Day” in NYC in 1999. Mayor Ed Rendell followed suit and did the same for the City of Philadelphia.
Hats Off For Cancer has collected and donated more than 990,000 new hats to children in five different continents. Schools, churches, celebrities, companies, sports teams, politicians, girl scout troops and boy scout troops, and even the FBI held hat drives.
Tara is now a 29 year old woman who has spent the majority of her life helping children with cancer. She has never taken a salary from HOC nor has anyone else associated with her program. She continues to fund HOC with her own money and donations received.
“Over the last sixteen years I have had the opportunity to meet many children battling cancer. I have sat in hospital rooms with these children and held their hands while they received their chemotherapy, sat with parents who had stories that filled my heart with love and hope, and sat with parents who were told there was no hope at all. Each child has his or her own special story, and a special spot in my heart. After each visit I walk away with a promise to myself and the children that I will never stop doing what I do until every battle has been won for each child fighting cancer. ” Tara Lawrence
Lee Hay
Lee Hay is a volunteer for the Hockanum Valley Community Council, Inc, a private non-profit human services agency for the community in Vernon, Connecticut. HVCC provides services to individuals and/or families in a manner which promotes independence while assuring that basic needs are met regardless of ability to pay. HVCC provides transportation, mental health, and substance abuse services, helping with basic community needs, like food pantries and thrift stores.
Without volunteers, HVCC would not be able to exist. They depend on the generosity of others in order to provide client services. Since Lee has so unselfishly donated his time and talents, they do not have to hire an additional staff member and can put those funds to use in other programs.
Lee is a retired teacher and administrator, and a former recipient of the National Teacher of the Year Award. He volunteers in the tri-town food pantry where he is in charge of ordering all food from Foodshare, and assisting clients shopping in the open pantry. In addition he organizes other volunteers to help with food drives and ensure that all items on the shelves are up to date. He often comes in with his wife on weekends to clean out storage and check dates on the food supplies.
Lee’s nominator says, “Our community has felt the impact dearly of the recession and unemployment. Many who have been past donors to our agency are now clients of the pantry. Lee sees to it that the community knows what we have to offer and treats everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve. He keeps the pantry well stocked, and even has used limited funds and donations to provide snack bags for children for before and after school.”
HVCC is truly lucky to have such a wonderful individual caring for their clients’ needs.
The Ryan Family
The Ryan family believes in giving back to others. It is a value that permeates the family’s life. Parents Linda and Sean are both very involved in the community and have influenced their sons to give back as well.
Mom, Linda, started the Booster Club at the St. Barnabas School over 10 years ago and has remained very active. She has served with the Garden Club of DeLand for over 10 years and is very involved with Trinity Methodist Church.
Dad, Sean, is the President of the DeLand Breakfast Rotary Club, he has coached for the past 10 years in community leagues, and has been recognized for his community service by nationwide mutual insurance companies and his alma mater, Plymouth State.
The Ryan boys, Ethan and Matthew, at 8 and 13, help raise money for ALS patients through lemonade stands and garage sales. They also arranged for the donation of 200 Power Balance bracelets at a discounted price and then worked with ALS Association of Florida to get them distributed to ALS patients. In their free time the boys volunteer at school.
The Ryan Family has made a difference in the lives of children and families in DeLand while the boys’ efforts for ALS will hopefully make a nationwide impact for ALL patients.
Glenn Ousset
At almost 70 years of age Glenn Ousset has been volunteering at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center for the past 30 years. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the Nature Center was named one of the top five urban nature centers in the United States.
After August 2005, the Nature Center was in much need of rehabilitation. Hurricane Katrina devastated the Nature Center interpretive center, exhibits and natural forest. The 86 acres of bottom-land hardwoods and bald cypress-tupelo swamp were crippled not only by Katrina’s hurricane force winds but by several micro bursts (mini tornadoes) and approximately 10 to 12 feet of highly saline storm surge. The swamps were inundated with muddy saltwater for nearly a month and an estimated 75 percent of the forest was destroyed.
After Hurricane Katrina struck, Glenn has been unwavering in his dedication to the Nature Center, its forests and wildlife. He has spent countless hours locating, clearing and maintaining trails, removing invasive Chinese Tallow trees and planting bottom land hardwoods.
Glenn’s dedication makes him a knowledgeable team leader for groups of high school and college students in town for Spring Break and eager to help New Orleans to recover. He works with groups of 10-15 volunteers sometimes two or three times a week March through May mentoring them on the importance of removing invasive species and educating them about wetland loss and restoration in southeast Louisiana. Volunteers take this valuable information back to their home states and thanks to Glenn have a better understanding of why our wetlands are not only important to our state but the nation and the world as well.
Through a partnership of Audubon Nature Center, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Entergy Corporation, Glenn has helped lead over 850 volunteers planting over 2,000 trees at the Nature Center. Since 2005 thousands of volunteers have helped to clear debris and remove weeds and invasive species to ensure the forests survival. Because of Glenn’s dedication and persistence the forests are replanted and beginning to grow back and the Nature Center is starting to resemble what it once was.
Jack O’Hara
Jack O’Hara is one of the dedicated volunteers who understand the Maryland Food Bank’s mission: to lead the movement and nurture the belief that together we can improve the lives of Marylanders by ending hunger.
Since the opening of the new Community Kitchen in July 2010, Jack has become a dependable and experienced volunteer understanding how the many pieces of machinery work together for the food packaging process. He is a valued leader and provides daily training to the dozens of individuals and corporate groups who volunteer each week.
Newly retired, he works 4 – 5 days a week for over 6 hours per day coordinating the food packaging of “heat and serve” meals for hungry families. These meals are distributed to a network of 600 soup kitchens, food pantries and feeding programs across the state of Maryland.
Jack is the ideal volunteer, he is enthusiastic each day he arrives and flexible in the daily projects which need to be completed. He values the Food Bank as much as they value him, he never leaves until the job is done and even volunteers extra hours to make sure incoming groups have a correct understanding of the process.
Maria Machado
Maria Machado works with a community much in need of mentors. She serves as part of the Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents, which is a site-based mentoring program designed to build the academic confidence and social skills of children ages 8–16 whose parents are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated. Often these young people feel ashamed and are in need of a caring adult to support them.
Maria and her mentee not pictured
Maria has been able to work with the same young person for almost two years. Each week she spends two to three hours helping her mentee with her homework and providing support and encouragement. Because of her service, her 8-year-old mentee is now doing well in school and has been able to make friends. Maria has played a big part in helping her mentee believe in herself and gain self-confidence as an artist. In the beginning her mentee would not talk much and was very withdrawn. Now, she walks in, sees Maria, smiles and talks about her day. This young person knows and feels that someone believes in her and has even told Maria she wants to be just like her when she grows up.
Maria’s recent battle with T Cell Lymphoma has made their relationship stronger. The health challenge was daunting and life challenging, but Maria expressed that her volunteer service was most rewarding during her battle with cancer. Whenever Maria’s strength permitted she would mentor during chemotherapy because it made both her and her mentee happy and it was good for her spirits and recovery.
Maria’s nominator expressed: “Her life has inspired me to keep going. No matter how bad a day is, I still hear Ms. Machado’s voice, “You just have to keep going.” Her hope, her commitment to service and her vulnerability has had a profound impact on my life. She has not only impacted my life, but more importantly, the life of a young person who too was looking for support and hope.”
Charles Bell
Sue Kalensky
Luckily for the National Guard and Reservists in and around Brookfield Wisconsin as well as Active Duty posted at Fort McCoy, Give an Hour provider, Sue Kalensky, is only 25 minutes away. A licensed professional counselor Sue has worked with military service members and their families for six years both in private practice out of her office in Big Bend and as a consultant for the Department of Defense. She has given presentations, run group sessions and briefed post command on topics such as substance abuse and combat stress.
“I have a passion for the military,” she says. “My grandfather fought in World War II and I’m familiar with military culture.”
Sue first heard of Give an Hour through an email campaign over two years ago. “I followed up on it,” she says. “I’ve found that the National Guard folks, in particular, don’t get the support that Active Duty members get. Moreover many soldiers are in need of mental health counseling but may not want to use their military insurance or go to a military provider.”
Luckily for them, Sue is happy to offer her services.
One of Sue’s referrals was a veteran from Desert Storm. “A man came to me for counseling who was a former Marine involved in Desert Storm. He had never dealt with his PTSD, and then suddenly something triggered it. He needed to better understand what was happening to him.”
Sue has helped this Marine and many others like him. She is committed to her work with Give an Hour. “Volunteering for Give an Hour engenders a sense of giving back. I don’t have to be paid. These men and women have sacrificed so much for us.”