Francesca Enea
Francesca Enea is a junior student athlete for the University of Florida. Her passions fall somewhere between volunteering within the community and playing softball. She is an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and weekly mentors a middle school student with the CAMP Gator program.
CAMP (Collegiate Athlete Mentoring Program) Gator is a leadership mentoring program in which collegiate athletes and student leaders serve as mentors to at-risk students. The hallmark of the program is leadership training that mentors and mentees complete collaboratively; creating mission and vision statements, partaking in service leadership projects and even the creation of a leadership skills video. Mentors and mentees meet each week and represent a diverse student population in terms of race, gender, academic success and socioeconomic class.
The curricular foundation of the program is leadership training that focuses on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People where participants learn how to be more productive on the playing field, in the classroom and throughout the community. The middle school students were introduced to collegiate life through campus outings. For some, it was the first time on campus. For the college students, it was an opportunity to illustrate to them the power of teaching and the field of education, many of whom represent the demographic groups so desperately needed in our schools.
Francesca is also very enthusiastic about special events that directly affect the Gainesville community. Over the last three years she has participated in many volunteering opportunities including Shands hospital visits and Habitat for Humanity.
It wasn’t until this year that she was able to create a larger impact on these events. In the fall of 2008, Francesca was the co-director of the student athletes participation with the Climb for Cancer. That experience fueled her desire to help cancer patients in Gainesville and especially at Shands.
In the beginning of this year Francesca planned, coordinated and ran the first ever Swing for Cancer event, with some assistance from the university Athletic Association marketing team, in order to raise money for cancer research at Shands.
Through her experiences working with and for her community, Francesca has learned many lessons that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. More importantly, she has been able to see the difference that she has made in other people’s lives. Whether it is the smile on the children’s faces at Shand’s or the improvements that her mentee has made in a year, volunteering doesn’t seem to be a job or a task but instead a privilege.
Kennedy Kulish
This is Kennedy Kulish’s story:
“I raise money for children with special hearts and defects on behalf of my awesome baby brother Kaeden who was born with a very special heart.
I volunteer because I can and because it feels so awesome and because there are a lot of kids that are in need of help that are not healthy like my Kaeden is now and I have awesome special friends that want to help me to help them.
I think it helps for my friends to help so they know how awesome it feels to help others and appreciate what they have when they find out what others do not have. I hope that all the money we have raised over the past five years and donated to organizations like the American Heart Association, the Children’s Miracle Network and the Ronald McDonald House helps raise awareness and get medical equipment and medicines that these special children need.
I know I am really blessed to have my good health so I can do lots of things and I so know how blessed I am to have my baby brother here with me every day to take care of and play with and read books to him. So I want to do a lot of different things so other families can be blessed to have their children be healthy and have them at home with them and not in hospitals.
My team, Kisses for Kaeden, has a fundraiser each month. Right now our next one is Saturday, February 21st at Park City and we are raising money for the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey, PA where they are building a new addition with more rooms so more families can stay there while there children are across the street at Penn State Children’s Hospital getting their surgeries. Then we will be at the Walmart on March 28th selling our hotdogs and baked goods having our Make A Wish Foundation fundraiser to help grant another child’s wish.
I am almost done with my collecting the stuffed teddy bears that I donate to the Lancaster police station for the officers to give to the scared children of car accidents and when they have to go to a home and their parents are fighting. I am collecting books for the children in need of them in an inner city school my goal is 500 and I have almost 200. I did it two years ago and collected 1,020 books that was great.
I just got permission from my school board and the principal to sell red paper hearts at all 6 elementary schools in my school district and we are making it a competition to see what school sells the most and all the money will go to the American Heart Association and then in March I have to start writing all my donation letters and send them to companies for my 6th annual Children’s Miracle Network Chinese auction fundraiser. Companies from all over are always so generous to me and send me the best things to raffle off my auction. Last year for my 5th one, we raised $3,000 so my goal this year is $3,001 because we always try to raise more than we did the year before.
I think everyone has something special in their lives that means a lot to them maybe a relative that is going through cancer treatments so they can cut their hair and donate it to Locks of Love or if they like to draw they can make colorful cards and bring them to the nearest nursing home or children’s hospital where the elderly and children would love to have. There is so much someone can do and it doesn’t matter how young you are or old or big or small if you put your mind to it and really feel strong about it then you can and when you do believe me it is the best feeling in the world to help another that is in need of help.”
Jason Watkins
This is Jason Watkins volunteer story:
“I volunteer as a mentor at P.K. Yonge K-12 school as part of C.A.M.P. Gator. I am a student at the University of Florida (’09) and member of the University of Florida Gators football team.
I do this because I am blessed and I want to be a positive influence to help others receive their blessings! I have a passion for serving and working with people. Anything that I can do to have a positive impact on someone’s life, I’ll do it! When I entered into C.A.M.P. Gator, my goal from day one was to change the life of at least one person for the better.
When others see that I take time out of my busy and at times hectic life, between school and sports, I feel that no only to my efforts play a vital role on the student I mentor, but also on the people around us. Since I volunteer often at schools, I love to let my light shine and show that others, especially student athletes, that it is possible to perform on a high level in sports, but more importantly, to make a difference in the lives of others.
By helping others succeed, it helps me too! I was raised believing that the more you give, the more you will get in return. Serving others makes me feel complete. I feel that I am on this earth to not only better myself, but also to be an inspiration to others so that they may better themselves.
I volunteer as often as possible, usually at least once each week for a few hours. No matter how busy I may get or how overwhelming life may become, I always try to give back to others as much as I can. Something as simple as saying help to someone or a handshake can help to change them in a positive way!
I would say that serving others is an honor! We all have been blessed. The thing most people don’t realize is that we all go through trials and tribulations and we all have to learn from them. However, we never know what others may be going through so by being a role model to others, we can have a huge impact on their life!
A quote that I live by is that “we serve God when we serve others.” That has and will continue to motivate me to help others and hopefully I have motivated others towards a life of service.”
Gary Maxworthy
This is Gary Maxworthy’s story of service:
“After my wife passed away I wanted to give back and volunteered for VISTA, the domestic Peace Corps. Because of my life experience in the food industry they got me involved in Food Banking. After my one year with Vista, I continued to work with food banks in California which I have been doing now for 14 years.
In 1999 I came up with the idea of accessing fresh produce and distributing it to people in need. Up to that time food banks had focused on cans and boxes to distribute. The first year we distributed 750,000 pounds of primarily stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc.) to 11 food banks. In 2005 we began distributing throughout California to 45 food banks under the umbrella of The California Association of Food Banks. We call the program “Farm to Family”
In 2007 we distributed 38 million pounds of fresh produce throughout the State and this year we are on track to distribute 60 million pounds. This is over 2,000 truckloads of 38 different crops from oranges, potatoes, carrots, stone fruit, onions, cabbage, corn, etc. We estimate we are getting fresh produce into the hands of around 1 million California seniors, children and others in need each month. All distribution is through a network of many thousands of pantries served by California’s food banks.”
Arlan Berglass
After volunteering for 211, Arlan realized that there just are not enough social service organizations to go around. It occurred to him that we can do everything we want to do if people just stepped up and realized that they can make a positive difference in other people’s lives. After the EmpowerLA resolution passed the Los Angeles School Board, inspiring parents and grandparents to help during volunteer recognition week with a kickoff event at the Rose Bowl called “Celebrate LA” and ending with Big Sunday (the Mayors day of service, the Pass It On Student Mentoring Program where older students mentor younger students was created. Although these students are only one year apart, they may be two or three years apart in a certain subject such as reading or math. The concept is that giving every student 4th through 12th grade the opportunity to have a mentor and to be a mentor. Therefore, the Pass It On Student Mentoring Program after-school program was created.
The Pass It On Student Mentoring Program includes the Pass It On Mentoring Connection Game. It is an after-school program from 3-5pm for any students that wish to be a mentor or to have a mentor. The game has been re-produced by Redmat Publishing who is getting ready to distribute it to 83,000 schools nationwide over the next 5 years. Hopefully children in America will be mentoring students in third world countries on their $100 laptops. In order to make this happen, a “Pass It On” collaborative has been formed, which includes Junior Achievement, Roots and Shoots, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, Los Angeles Unified School District, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s program), Los Angeles Unified School District Volunteer Program, Youth Mentoring Connection, Children Uniting Nations, Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, Educare Foundation, LA Team Mentor, Fulfillment Fund and everyone else working with the youth that want to promote Passing It On. Learn it, Live it, Pass it on!
The fact that a young student realizes that they can actually make a positive difference in another student’s life is very inspiring. The fact that a student has a mentor that believes in them is encouraging. The mentor is trained to constantly be giving the protégé rewards for their acts of kindness. Students are realizing that they can become popular for doing acts of kindness!
Terri Munson
Operation Medical Libraries
Operation Medical Libraries (OML) collects and distributes current medical textbooks and journals through a partnership with American medical schools, hospitals, and physicians and the United States military. Its purpose is to foster the creation of permanent medical libraries and support the expansion of existing collections in conflict regions where healthcare education and the practice of medicine are suffering. An economical and efficient shipping model was developed using the Army Post Office (APO) system. OML acts as a book broker and matches willing textbook/journal donors in the United Sates with deployed US Air Force, Army, and Navy medical Corps (MC) and the US Air Force and Army Nurse Corps (NC) representatives, who are struggling to get textbooks back in the hands of Afghan and Iraqi medical professionals.
OML volunteers update the website and blog, pack textbooks for shipments, and answers phone and email inquiries from potential and current OML participants and recipients. Valerie Walker, the founder of OML, volunteers her time and talents because she believes every person is entitled to have quality health care. Diseases and injuries do not recognize country boundaries. OML exists to shrink the educational gap in all areas of health sciences in developing countries, which globally face the same problem: doctors and nurses go without the latest professional information they need to provide proper health care to their patients.
OML’s impact has been immediate and its affects will be felt by millions of people for generations to come. According to former OML recipient stationed in Heart, Afghanistan, LCDR Bruce Deschere, USN, MC, “A typical doctor can have 200,000 patients over his or her career. Do the math, and the lack of up-to-date medical textbooks can literally impact the care of millions.”
Since the projects inception, Walker has facilitated the shipment of more than 16 tons of medical materials. This figure continues to increase due to a collaboration of over 20 partners from across the country, including publishers, authors, university medical schools, hospital libraries, and organizations. Physicians have been inspired to give because they feel a kinship toward their foreign medical professionals.
OML has and will continue to significantly enhance the initial and continuing medical education of healthcare professionals in communities crippled by the lack of materials. Through its support of everyday healthcare and academic medicine, OML will impact the long-term health and welfare of people and ultimately support the development of essential services and human rights in regions torn by conflict. Seven countries have received OML medical textbooks/journals. The majority of these materials have been donated Afghan and Iraqi medical universities and hospitals.
In addition to advancing medical education and improving health care, OML makes a “green” difference. According to the Clinton Global Initiative, over 7,000 tons of usable medical materials and supplies are discarded every day in American hospitals and clinics. Most of these items are outright incinerated or deposited in landfills. The global impact of OML in includes extending the productive life of a product made by cutting trees, as well as reducing the pressures on the landfill sites and the pollution from incinerators.
OML has given Walker the opportunity to significantly touch the lives of strangers, including burqa-clad women. The OML ripples have already improved the lives of children and adults living in developing countries.
The best way to improve your life is by improving someone else’s life. There are thousands of volunteer organizations focusing on causes from pets to people. There is a project for everyone’s passion, and once you find your passion; your life will be enriched.
Kenneth Prather
Kenneth Prather is on disability retirement due to a chronic disorder called Ankylosing Spondylitis. He was also severely hurt in 1998, resulting in him being on life support for 32 days, three months in a long term intensive care hospital and three years in a nursing home. It was in the nursing home where he founded the outreach program titled Reaching For Joy. It is a volunteer outreach program with eight components falling under the umbrella program. Kenneth serves as a volunteer Hospice Grief and Transition Counselor and he also makes Hospice presentations called “Memories: Healing From Within.”
In addition, Kenneth is also a Docent at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo where, under Reaching For Joy’s Care-A-Van program, he and other volunteers take zoo animals to visit with sick children at the local Children’s Hospital. Kenneth and the other volunteers go room to room and even into the ICU rooms when requested. His latest program within Reaching For Joy is titled A Day Away. The Day Away programs helps dreams come true for children who are terminal or have a chronic illness. The children and their families are taken and given a behind the scenes tour at the local zoo or one of two wildlife refuges were Kenneth also volunteers. The Day Away programs, along with all his other services, are totally funded by Kenneth’s disability check and small donations.
Kenneth volunteers so he can see a smile on a face that has not smiled for a long time. He volunteers to see a family finally be able to laugh, to see a tear that is a tear of joy and to give comfort to grieving families.
Kenneth and the Reaching For Joys program has made a definite impact in his community. Many families have been touched, and there has been such a buzz about him that all the major newspapers in his area have written articles about his service. Kenneth believed Reaching For Joy really shows people something special. If you reach for joy, you may grasp it. The first place you will find it is within but then it can bring positive energy all around.
Kenneth believes if you have never volunteered, you are missing out. You are missing out on giving back to your community but you are also missing out on giving back to yourself.
Hanna Richardson
Fourteen year old Hanna Richardson has shown distinction through her volunteerism to help the Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation. Hanna suffers from this chronic illness which is a neurological disorder that causes debilitating headaches and a high risk of vision loss. Rather than become discouraged by the lack of a cure, Hanna took the initiative to try to help find a cure. She has continued this crusade since 2004 while continuing to battle frequent pain, fatigue and school struggles.
Every year since 2004 Hanna has made Christmas candy as a fundraiser for the Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation. At the time, the research foundation was fairly new and had received only a few charitable donations. For a child with this disorder to try to raise awareness and raise funds toward research was inspirational to the foundation. They were thrilled with Hanna’s project and spread the word to all the members of the foundation. Hanna attempts to make candy every year but there have been times when the disorder caused her to feel too ill to take on the project. There have also been times when her friends from her Girl Scout troop rallied round her and helped her to finish making the candy.
Hanna’s attempt at raising money to find a cure reaches far beyond the $1,000 that she has personally raised. When other members of the research foundation heard her story, the inspiration took place. Since Hanna’s first project, other members have gone on to hold multiple fundraisers such as music benefits, golf tournaments and walkathons. These other projects have been able to raise more than $100,000 for the IHRF. Hanna’s individual efforts were a spark that started the flame that continues today.