Joy Amuedo

Joy Amuedo volunteers with the Columbia Community Garden Coalition as a garden manager for the St. Joseph Street garden in Columbia, Missouri. She served two years as an AmeriCorps member with the University of Missouri, Kansas City-Institute for Human Development’s Community Support Navigators program, at the local host site, Boone County Family Services, mentoring individuals with disabilities. It was during this service that the St. Joseph Street community garden was created. Joy was instrumental in the startup and day-to-day operations of the garden, as well as being a wonderful facilitator for relationships between the people with disabilities she mentored and the neighbors and community members.

She loves to grow food and believes anyone and everyone can increase their access to healthy home grown food by growing it themselves. The community garden is the best way to do it in community with other people, all kinds of people with the desire to garden in common. As an AmeriCorps member serving people with developmental disabilities, Joy saw the creation of the garden as a wonderfully rich way for them to become involved in a mainstream community activity and do something fun and healthy alongside other members of the community.

People who might otherwise have not gardened successfully on their own received help and support to be a part of the community garden and experience the joy (and sweat!) of growing food and flowers. When they established the garden 3 years ago they went into it considering the accessibility needs of people with all kinds of disabilities. They built approximately 50 feet of almost waist high raised beds so people in wheelchairs and/or other accessibility issues could garden. The group learned a lot over the last two growing seasons and are now making improvements to the raised beds by repairing sidewalks and surrounding the beds with a good surface for wheelchairs, general safety and better accessibility to all sides of the beds.

All of the folks who garden at the St. Joseph garden are helpful to each other and there is a great climate of cooperation among gardeners of all levels of experience and ability. It is a beautiful thing to see. Another great aspect of this garden is collaboration with University of Missouri students with an organization called Sustain Mizzou. They are a fired up bunch of amazing young people who with boundless energy who have the issues of global sustainability front and center on their radar screens and see urban gardens as a tremendous way for people to increase their intake of fresh local foods and to become more connected with the earth. Their volunteers have been instrumental in the development of the St. Joe garden.

Joy has been able to overcome some of her own accessibility and confidence issues after a time of not being able or thinking she was not able, to garden. It has been an eye opener in a lot of ways and she never ceases to be amazed at how healing gardening can be for both body and spirit. She has grown up at the knee of an organic gardener but she learns something new every time she sets foot in the garden. The collaboration with the Mizzou kids and with all the people through her AmeriCorps service have helped Joy achieve and aspire to greater levels of service in her life. In addition, Joy was able to make contacts that led her to what she is doing now which involves increasing access to fresh locally grown foods for people with limited resources.

The growing season is the busiest time but there is work and planning to be done all year long. Joy served more in the development of the garden and continues to learn about being a more effective garden manager. She is better with the dirt than the organizing but Joy continues to improve and continue to surround herself with capable, committed people who are patient and helpful, encouraging and inspiring! It is indeed a community effort.

There is no better way to improve your own sense of self and to partake of the real joys of life than to reach out to others and to build stronger communities for all people. The benefits far outweigh any excuse you can come up with for not engaging in service, whatever it may be. Everyone can do something.

Lailah Muwwakkil

Ms. Lailah A. Muwwakkil is the Director and Founder of L’ S O A R the acronym originally stood for Ladies-Striving, Overturning, Achieving, Receiving, Reward because she was originally working with female foster youth via Sacramento County’s Sacramento Assessment Center. When they asked her to also service their young men the acronym L’ S O A R also became known as, Leaders-Striving, Overturning, Achieving, Receiving, Rewarding.

Lailah entered into Sacramento’s foster system when she and her three sisters came to Sacramento from the Bay Area by way of group home placement in 1986. Unfortunately, neither the group home nor their social worker insured that they were provided with the skills and the knowledge needed to function in mainstream society once they emancipated from the system.

Prior to Lailah’s emancipation in 1991 her group home was closed for fund misappropriation. From high school, Lailah entered into Sacramento State University. Her stay there was very short lived due to the fact she did not have the financial means to afford to remain a college student at CSUS nor did she know how to acquire the needed funds and or resources to be successful at Sacramento State. Knowing deep within that she did not want to become a statistical failure as a former foster youth, she enrolled years later at Cosumnes River College where she is currently working on her AA degree in Business Administration. Upon completion of her degree, she will transfer to Sacramento State.

Aside from being a college student, single parent, and a full-time employee with the State of California, she is also working with foster youth on a once a month basis by way of the Sacramento Assessment Center. She holds empowerment sessions with their foster youth and in her sessions, she teaches them life skills and helps with their overall development that way they can achieve their goals upon emancipation. Although she was the only person initially volunteering via her program L’ S O A R her efforts have inspired others including myself to help with the development of Sacramento’s underserved youth, which also includes foster youth.

Lailah brings in public speakers. She helps the youth to be mindful of those in worse situations than themselves and as a result, Lailah will be delivering letters to Shriners Hospital and UC Davis to help inspire their hospitalized youth. This letter-writing project will start in March of 2009. The youth will work on designing the letter and she will make the copies and delivery them monthly to Shriners and UC Davis for them to delivery to those youth who are hospitalized.

At the end of each monthly empowerment sessions, she distributes resource material to the youth and they are each given an L’ S O AR Contractual Success Agreement. This agreement is designed to help the youth to see they are establishing a contract with themselves for their own personal growth and development. This is a very conventional and out of the box thinking approach that is designed to help the youth to see that they are in total control of their destiny.

Lailah is in the process of transforming L’ S O A R into a non-profit. Outside of L’ S O R A she is also very involved in community service on her job and in the community.

Tedra Henry accompanied her to the December 2008 session titled, “Pamper Me Beautiful and Handsome for the Holiday ’s. Lailah provided the youth with a full Holiday meal. Her pervious business professor, Mr. Lindsey Humphrey contributed a financial donation to cover gifts for the youth. The youth were very happy to see that much time and effort was put into acknowledging them during the Holiday Season. Lailah stated to them that being a former foster youth, she herself knows how it feels like not to be with family during the holiday times and she wanted to lift up their spirits. I enjoyed being able to help her by serving the meal and distributing the gifts. She also provided the Assessment Center staff with certificates of appreciation to acknowledge the time they too allocate to the foster youth on a monthly basis.

She is working on trying to put on a, Foster Youth Ball; this event will be one of the avenues used to honor high school graduating foster youth throughout Sacramento. The Foster Youth Ball will be the first of its kind if she is successful in pulling it off. She is trying to find a location to allow L’ S O A R to host the ball free of charge in Sacramento.

L’ S O A R’s efforts are truly deserving of recognition. Lailah has passion for underserved youth and foster youth, having walked down that path herself. She believes and knows that everyone can achieve greatness. She does not allow her past hurt, pain, abuse, and the like, to hinder her from being a higher achiever. She is more concerned about others than herself. She is truly shinning a light of hope in the direction of those whom she comes across who are in need of a, Pick Me Up. She has met with various legislative persons in an effort to keep the needs of foster youth on the forefront of the minds of the powers that be within Sacramento.

The Assessment Center is not compensating Lailah or the volunteers who work with her everyone via L’ S O A R currently volunteers their time free of charge. Lailah by way of her L’ S O A R program, is helping to reduce the youth recidivism rate while at the same time helping to reduce the number of entries into the foster system for generations to come.

Don & Nell Wilson

Don and Nell Wilson explain their motivation for service in a scripture quote, “to whom much is given, much is expected” and say that God has been good to them and as long as he gives them the strength to help others, they will continue to do so. An excellent example of these caring, considerate and dedicated individuals who at the ages of 87 and 89, brave the elements to deliver meals to those desperately in need of home delivered meals. They see to it that everyone on their route is doing well, making each recipient feel important and cared for, lifting spirits and giving assistance when needed. They are always positive and helpful with wonderful attitudes and outlooks on life.

Don and Nell are a faithful volunteer couple who consistently deliver meals on wheels to their homebound community members through the Clay County Senior Citizen Center. Those on their route desperately need not only the hot nutritious meals, but the care and concern provided by this couple. They always take that extra time to visit with each individual to assure them that they are important and cared for. This couple represents what we should all strive to be—kind and generous through financial support but more importantly, through the time they devote to their community. They also volunteer at the Clay County 1890 Jail Museum to assure that those who visit as well as young people who live in the community are educated as to their rich cultural heritage. At the ages of 87 and 89, they are able bring to life the museum displays, sharing their own personal stories of how life actually was “back in their day” leaving a lasting memory with all who visit the museum.

Not only do they set an example but their example spreads to family members like a brother who spent 6 months with them after Hurricane Katrina hit his home in New Orleans. Their dedication and enthusiasm in helping others lead him to volunteer as well and they are a constant reminder of dedication and a shining example to younger volunteers.

Knight Nonprofit Center

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, many of the nonprofit agencies in the Mississippi area were homeless. The aftermath of the storm placed such strains on their limited staff and facilities—many were working out of portable buildings—that their own needs for adequate office space were put on the back burner. Anthony Topazi, President of MS Power Company and the Gulf Coast Business Council, had a vision and the drive to build a nonprofit center to house a majority of the nonprofit agencies along the Gulf Coast.

Because of the generosity and vision of several foundations, Mississippi now has the Knight Nonprofit Center. Knight Nonprofit Center is a national foundation with local roots. The organization chooses, as the Knight brothers chose, to seek opportunities that can transform communities and help them reach their highest potential. The Knight Nonprofit Center wants to ensure that each community’s citizens get the information they need to thrive in a democracy.

Their facility is now home to thirteen agencies with room to spare. The agencies include but are not limited to United Way of South Mississippi, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast, Gulf Coast Symphony, Mississippi Coast Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast Business Council, Gulf Coast Renaissance, American Federation of Teachers and Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

The Center believes nothing big happens without a big idea. In every project they fund, the idea comes first. Each time someone comes before them for a request, the group looks for the transformational potential. They look for the best opportunities to turn those ideas into action!

William Fuller

William "Dalton" Fuller is seventeen years old and attends Kinston High School in Kinston, AL. He will be graduating as an honor student in May of 2009. During his time in high school, he has made service a priority while still excelling with his studies. He has taken dual enrollment classes through a local junior college and has been active in many school activities as well as holding a job through his high school years.

Dalton is a member of Ino Baptist Church. He is an active participant in the youth group and the youth choir. Dalton has attended numerous mission trips with the church and will continue to do so when he attends college.

In March of 2007, an F-3 tornado hit Enterprise, AL. Dalton volunteered to assist the 12th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. He helped with the recovery efforts by rescuing the individuals that were trapped in the high school in Enterprise. Dalton worked in the band room and was a diligent volunteer. Due to the devastation, a temporary morgue had to be set up at the high school also. As bodies were excavated from the rubble, Dalton saw what, in a matter of seconds, a natural disaster could do to so many both directly and indirectly.

In addition to his extracurricular activities, school responsibilities and scheduled volunteer work, the opportunity to serve during a time of disaster changed Dalton’s life. Being involved in the recovery process showed him what devastation does to the people involved and the community as a whole. That natural disaster was something Dalton could not fully describe in words. However, serving during the after math of the tornado in March of 2007 caused him to appreciate the community he lives in and the importance of community service and offering assistance to others in time of need.

Howard Nelson

Howard Nelson has dedicated himself to coach the children in Montgomery County, Maryland for the past twelve years. In 1996, he began coaching t-ball during both the spring and fall seasons. A few years later, this evolved into coach-pitch, then machine-pitch, and ultimately kid-pitch baseball. In between baseball seasons, Howard also coached winter basketball.

Coaching has always been a labor of love for Howard. He loves sports and as a father to three boys, has always enjoyed teaching kids how to play sports. What makes him unique is that he not only wanted to teach the kids how to play the game, but even more so, he emphasized the importance of sportsmanship. He insisted that the kids on his teams support one another, regardless of how they are doing as a team or as individuals. No one was ever made fun of or left out. No matter how good or bad the children were athletically, they were all given equal playing time on the field or basketball court. Even when they were getting trounced, Howard resisted putting in his best players and instead, played kids equally. Even when other teams played their best players throughout a game, he refused to do the same.

At the end of every baseball and basketball game, Howard would gather the children for a post-game talk. The team members and their parents would gather around him. In a low and calm voice, he would review the game highlights and lowlights. Regardless of whether they won or lost, Howard was always able to point out a few lesions that could be learned from the game. Before wrapping up, he would present two or three of the children on the team with “Sportsmanship Certificates.” These certificates were given to the children who, during that particular game, did something outstanding. In some cases, they made a winning play. In other cases, they may have assisted with a play. Howard rotated the certificates to ensure that by the end of the season everyone had been awarded at least one certificate. He always had a positive spin and reason why every child had contributed to the team and should be honored.

When each spring season draws to a close, the baseball team holds a dinner. During that time, Howard speaks about each of the children individually and recaps the highlights of their year. He does this after reviewing notes that he takes at each game throughout the year on how each child played. When he does this, not only is the child and his parents feeling pride, but the entire team sits and cheers for each player. This is the feeling of sportsmanship and team play that Howard has sought to inspire in these children when he started coaching them as five year olds.

Until you have coached a team, it is hard to understand the amount of work that goes into establishing a roster, setting up plays, rotating players and coaching a team through games, holding team practices and working with all the parents and/or guardians. Howard has excelled in all these areas and his dedication to sports and to teaching future generations how to play baseball and basketball competitively but fairly will be a part of his team forever.

Elvis Cintra

Mr. Elvis Cintra and his wife, Victoria Cintra, have served MIRA since late 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, leaving them and countless other immigrant families homeless. While other Coastal families were attempting to distance themselves as far away from the harm and destruction being experienced, Elvis and his wife answered the call to return from refuge to help thousands of immigrants who had been unlawfully evicted from emergency shelters and denied emergency benefits. Victoria, or Vicky, was hired to MIRA’s staff and Elvis remained fighting tirelessly at her side as an interpreter, a comforter and a friend for the predominantly Spanish-speaking victims. He helped organize phone calls, meetings and demonstrations where necessary, to pressure abusive employers to pay immigrant workers who had been abandoned and robbed of their wages during the reconstruction of hundreds of homes, businesses and entire communities after the storm. Elvis assisted MIRA in recovering more than $1 million in stolen wages and unsettled money judgments and workers compensation benefits through his community organizing and mobilization efforts.

Elvis has championed the need for unity among communities of color and across ethnicities throughout Mississippi. He has provided radio and print interviews to keep the general public aware of the needs and concerns of a very vulnerable population in Mississippi – immigrant families and workers. He is a creative thinker, self-motivated and a coalition-builder for the good of the entire community. He is a spiritual individual, also committed to serving his community through his church on the Gulf Coast.

In 2008 MIRA responded to a crisis among documented, undocumented and U.S. Citizen Latino families who were targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a raid on Howard Industries in Laurel, Mississippi. The impact was felt by thousands of individuals in Mississippi and across Latin America. Elvis helped frightened immigrants contact detained workers and visit imprisoned family members while immigration cases were (and remain) pending. He helped distribute more than $40,000, raised by MIRA to pay the utilities, rent, food, and medical expenses of stranded spouses and children.

Elvis has continued to provide support for MIRA’s work for nearly four (4) years, three (3) as a Board member, giving a voice to the countless Latino families who experience discrimination because of their language, country of origin, and perceived immigration status. He is an outstanding community mobilizer with the respect of his peers and community because of his large and tender heart for those who are vulnerable and sometimes helpless. .

Indeed, Mr. Cintra has surpassed his commitment as a Board Member of MIRA, inspiring our staff and volunteers to remain principled and dedicated in our fight for the human rights of vulnerable communities. He has worked under very challenging and excruciating difficulties, including his own physical disabilities, yet he has never demanded attention nor recognition.

Kirsten Dively

Kirsten Dively has been a part of the high school Service Program since she was a freshman. She has accumulated more than 1,000 hours of service to her school district, church and community. Service is a family-inspired commitment of importance.

Kirsten’s volunteer work includes participation in many activities. During her freshman year of high school, she completed more than 126 hours of service. She was an active participant in Super Saturday for the Patriot News, Spring Musical decoration for the Dinner Theatre, World Strides raising money to combat hunger, inner-city house repair/painting/ cleaning in Pittsburgh. Kirsten also volunteered with GEMS, which is a program that mentored eighth grade girls to improve their self-respect and self-esteem. In addition, she participated in fundraising events that benefited the field hockey team and the Family Fund.

During her sophomore year, Kirsten continued to serve and donated more than 300 hours. She volunteered at an elementary and middle school girls’ basketball camp, refurbished poverty stricken homes in West Virginia, assisted the Student Council homecoming preparations and decorations and raised money through a cookie walk for a church mission trip. Kirsten also sold booklets at Bon Ton in Camp Hill to raise money for church mission trips, participated in famine relief fundraising for World Vision and was a second year mentor with the GEMS program.

Kirsten amassed more than 350 hours of service during her junior year. Her service activities included volunteering with girls basketball camp, her church’s vacation Bible School, Relay for Life, Cooking for Creation and she also went on a mission trip to New Orleans to help with clean-up efforts from Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Kirsten volunteered to escort new ninth grade parents on a high school tour, volunteered to fundraise for the high school Math Club, assisted the township Parks and Recreation Director in preparing for the annual township Pumpkin Fest and went on another mission trip to Pittsburgh.

Today, Kirsten is still volunteering as a senior in high school. She is actively volunteering as the fifth and sixth grade field hockey coach, a craft and group leader at Aldersgate and Wesley United Methodist vacation Bible schools, serving at a homeless shelter and she visits a juvenile detention center in Bronx, NY.

While she has been volunteering, Kirsten has been meeting a special need of serving as a youth role model. She provides the school district, township and county with human resources for nonprofit groups. Her service showcases her leadership skills and modeled service to adults as well as youth. Kirsten is aware of the importance of giving back for what she has so gratefully been given during her seventeen years.

Because of her service, Kirsten has been recognized in numerous ways. She has received the Tiffanie Salvadia Memorial Award in 2006-2007; she was a finalist in the 2007 Embarq/Sentinel Leaders of Tomorrow Awards. In addition, she also received the Outstanding Student Award from the West Shore Elks Lodge #2257 in 2008 and the Violet Richardson Award from the Harrisburg Soroptimist International Organization in 2008.

Joshua Williams

At the tender age of five, Joshua became passionate about assisting the needy after viewing “Feed the Children.” He was in disbelief at the suffering that children everywhere were subject to. His first solution to the problem was that his mother should adopt some of these unfortunate children along with sending money to help others. His mother felt touched by his compassion and promised that they would help in whatever ways they could. Weeks after his interest in helping the needy had been sparked, his grandmother gifted him some pocket money. Joshua’s true desire to help shined when he chose to give the money to a hungry, homeless person on a local street. Though his mother advised him that she would prefer to give the person food since he was able-bodied, Joshua insisted that it was his money and, therefore, his decision to give the man the money instead. Following this experience, Joshua’s idea to aid the needy started to blossom.

Though Joshua was eager to start his own company to fulfill his vision, he had difficulty getting others to make the move. He first sought the adult assistance he required from his aunts. However, months of inactivity forced Joshua to “fire” them and continue to seek help elsewhere. Joshua brought the situation to his mother’s attention. She had been unaware of the struggle he was having with getting her sisters to help him help the poor. Unfortunately, she too had an overloaded schedule and was unable to immediately assist him in his venture. Any other child may have become discouraged, but Joshua then resorted to new tactics. For several months, he nagged his mother daily for assistance, trying to impress upon her the importance of having his goal attained. Finally, he broke through to his mother and they began to give away food and other things to people in need. At this point, thought of opening a regular company took hold. One of Joshua’s aunts stepped up and pointed them in the direction of starting a non-profit organization as an alternative. Thus began “Joshua’s Heart.”

The title “Joshua’s Heart” clearly defines Joshua’s desire to “Help Stomp out World Hunger.” Joshua’s organization distributes food once a month and feeds the homeless weekly. They also deliver food to the sick, elderly and helpless. Currently, food is provided for over 100 homeless people and about 450 families on a monthly basis.

Joshua is now seven years old. He is very excited about the possibilities his organization is opening up. He enjoys meeting the recipients at the distribution locations, while supervising to ensure that things run smoothly. Once his duties are completed, he also takes joy in playing with the children of the families in need. Joshua is extremely passionate about his cause. He is currently writing a story about his foundation and hopes to use this money to assist more families.

Though it would seem that he is doing above and beyond already, Joshua has also been inspired by the documentary movie “War Dance,” which focuses on the atrocities that Northern Uganda children face. With rebels taking the lives of their own people and using children to perform terrible deeds, many children have been left orphaned. Joshua was exposed to the dependence these children have on outside forces to sustain them. In the documentary, the children performed in a dance competition in Southern Uganda and as a result dancing helped to heal the suffering of the children. This has motivated Joshua even more to help the less fortunate. Simultaneously, it has stirred a desire to visit Africa in the future.

Joshua has attributed his mission to a vision he says he received from God. He feels that God has a purpose for everyone and he has been given his. Joshua truly appreciates the assistance he receives from his family members, even his aunts he initially had to “fire.” Without them, he knows that his vision would not be as successful as it has become. Joshua’s humbleness and hopefulness is an inspiration to all. His heart has already begun to make a difference in this world.

Joshua uses some of his spare time to attend council meetings and make speeches to address the issue of poverty and hope that he will be able to get assistance to stomp out hunger. He does not understand why there is so much food and resources in out country and children, families and the elderly are still hungry. he hopes that by spreading the word more people will be able to assist and continue to make a difference.

Adam Macksoud

For the past five years, Mr. Adam Macksoud, Deputy Department Head of the Autonomous and Defensive Systems Department of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, has not only been a strong supporter of the Division’s Educational Outreach efforts but also an active participant. He has taken a personal interest in many of its activities, has worked closely with Human Resources personnel and directed department resources in support of “Bring a Child to Work Day” and “Bring a Future Engineer to Work.” He supports local college hiring fairs by attending the events and answering questions from prospective employees and provides facility tours and presentations to visiting schoolchildren. One of the goals of the NUWC Division Newport Outreach Plan is to increase awareness of real-world science and engineering, and personnel like Mr. Macksoud are helping achieve that objective. In Rhode Island alone, only 3% of high school graduates choose engineering disciplines for their college career, which equates to only 300 of this year’s 10,000 graduating students who will receive engineering degrees. The Outreach Plan and its volunteers hope to directly influence the career path students choose and ultimately to increase the number of students who will pursue an engineering or science degree.

Perhaps Mr. Macksoud’s most significant contribution is his hands-on approach to engaging school children in the wonders of science and engineering. He is passionate about reaching out to youngsters and communicates his enthusiasm through his presentations to hundreds of elementary and middle school students. Working closely with Division Newport’s Educational Outreach Coordinator, Mr. Macksoud has developed numerous engaging presentations and exhibits, which include full-size and scale models of unmanned undersea vehicles, posters, overhead presentations and videos that feature submarines, autonomous undersea vehicles and torpedoes. While emphasizing the importance of these technologies to the U.S. Navy, Mr. Macksoud readily involves the students by personalizing his discussion. When he asked a group of students when they thought the newest version of PlayStation might appear and they answered “three or four years from now,” he pointed out that it was important to “realize that thousands of engineers are working on that right now.” He communicates the relevance of science and technology in “virtually all the products and mechanical devices used by today’s consumers.” The enthusiasm that characterizes the youngsters’ questions indicates that there may be a number of future scientists and engineers in the audience.

Most recently, Mr. Macksoud visited Edward R. Martin Middle School and St. Brendan Elementary School, both in East Providence RI; Friends Academy in Dartmouth, MA; and the University of Rhode Island Science and Technology Career Fair in Kingston, RI. More than 300 students in grades 7 and 8 at the Edward R. Martin Middle School were so enthralled with Mr. Macksoud’s support of their “Career Day,” that he was invited back and received a “Letter of Appreciation” from the Director of Guidance. During his visit, he presented a multimedia exhibit of slides and videos and showed models of unmanned undersea vehicles to over 30 elementary school children at Friends Academy, designed to inspire them, and to demonstrate how math and science can be fun and interesting. He was invited to return to Friends Academy and subsequently shared his presentation with over 60 middle school students, demonstrating portable unmanned vehicles, submarine videos, and provided engineering presentations geared toward careers in engineering.

In addition to his direct support of Division Newport’s Educational Outreach Program, Mr. Macksoud volunteers an extraordinary amount of time and energy in support of local nonprofit community organizations that benefit children. He has been a coach for the East Providence, RI, Central Little League (2003-2007), as well as a board member and fund raising chairman (2006-2007). In 2006 and 2007, he coached youth basketball at St. Martha Church in East Providence and was an active member of the Board of Management and Finance Committee of the Newman Branch of the YMCA in Seekonk, MA. He began a 2-year term as Board Chairman in 2007.

As a coach and as a father, Mr. Macksoud is a role model of the utmost integrity. As a volunteer in the Division’s educational outreach program, Mr. Macksoud demonstrates his commitment to reaching out to youngsters who might otherwise not have the opportunity to experience the excitement and enthusiasm of engaging in science and engineering activities. The enclosed supporting material is further evidence of the positive influence of Mr. Macksoud’s personal initiative and dedication to community and education. He is an inspiration, as demonstrated in a letter from a tenth-grade student who was motivated to write when he read an article in the New Bedford Standard Times about Mr. Macksoud’s visit to Friends Academy.