Marie Alfano

Marie L. Alfano, a case management nurse consultant at Aetna’s Cranbury, NJ office leads a life of service to her community. Inspired by the work of Barbara Lightner’s organization, Joining Hands, Inc., Alfano founded Children at Heart, Inc., which strives to make the dreams of children in need a reality.

Alfano spends hundreds of hours a year enlisting support for Children at Heart. She works closely with East Brunswick schools and the Mayor’s office. She networks with local business and community organizations, including Telephone Pioneers, Knights of Columbus and the Chamber of Commerce. She has single-handedly brought together the entire community—including mom and pop business, mega-conglomerates and government agencies—in support of local families in crisis. As a result, families who might not have dreamed it possible have electricity, clothing, medical equipment, toys and even plane tickets to visit relatives.

With a seemingly limitless supply of energy, Alfano sets the pace for volunteerism, both at work and in the community. For the past 20 years, she has run an annual toy drive for the entire Middlesex community. She serves on the boards of several organizations, including Joining Hands, Inc., the entity that inspired many of her efforts. Her outstanding community service has earned local and national recognition, including from the Italian American Cultural Society of Monroe Township, the East Brunswick Division of Parks and Recreation and the United Way of Central New Jersey’s Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Rebecca Brenowitz, who has organized clothes drives and other community efforts, says Alfano’s mentoring is what turned her into a committed volunteer. “Marie has always found innovative ways of empowering the people she enlists as well as those she helps, building community spirit with every effort.” Brenowitz credits Alfano for teaching her to identify community needs, network and research solutions, and – most importantly – to never take no for an answer.

Anne Duffy, an Aetna coworker, may have summed up the uplifting effect of Alfano’s spirit best. “Such exemplary community work makes all who know Marie Alfano proud to be a small part of her life. Ms. Alfano is truly an asset. Indeed, one can only imagine what our world would be like if, like Alfano, every adult sprang into action anytime a child was in crisis.”

John Hall Chevrolet/Ritchey Cadillac Sales for WARM

The salespeople at different auto dealerships participate in an ongoing payroll deduction to provide food, fun and presents during a holiday celebration for the women and children of project WARM including a catered dinner for clients and their extended families.

Santa and an elf or two make a special visit and bring gifts for all. While the child tells Santa what they want, staff writes the list down and those wishes come true on Christmas morning, too. The mothers also celebrate with a family Christmas meal on Christmas day and all of this is provided by the donations received.

The clients are in awe of the fact that people who do not even know them care about them and their children. For one snippet of time, this celebration during the holidays, the salespeople make it possible for the clients to create positive memories during the holidays.

They deserve to be recognized because they represent the heart that the people of Daytona have. They care. They bring hope and cherished memories to those who are not normally given the opportunity. This program has an extremely positive clinical impact on the women and their children and that is where these volunteers get their inspiration.

June Holmes-Sloan

June Holmes-Sloan, a top level career executive, meshes her management skills with her deep love for nursing home patients by managing the Hospice of Volusia/Flagler’s North and Central nursing home volunteers. June has been volunteering for over three years and now oversees a group of twenty five volunteers and eighty patients, as well as disseminates information, makes placements, mentors new volunteers, organizes meetings and encourages others to volunteer.

Nursing home patients are often overlooked and under visited. Visits from volunteers who are well prepared, well informed and well supported provide the caring presence so many patients crave. June not only brings more prepared volunteers as a result of her enthusiasm, but she also keeps her own volunteers feeling appreciated. her steadfast devotion to nursing home patients has helped the group to double volunteer visits in the past year.

After her first year of volunteering, June began to see that the Hospice of Volusia/Flagler was capable and had potential for so much more. June offered to manage one nursing home and because of the wonderful results she received, she began to take on more nursing homes, duplicating the successes in each one.

June, through her passion and unabashed love of nursing home residents has transformed the way the organization manages volunteers who visit nursing homes. Even through a debilitating bout with surgery, June has managed to keep directing the nursing home volunteers during her recovery. Because of her infectious passion, work ethic and strong belief that this is a mission of great worth, June Holmes-Sloan was nominated for Outstanding Senior Volunteer of the Year.

Special Team Always Ready with Smiles (STARS)

Since 1996, the Family Renew community’s town Secret Attic Thrift Shop has been supported by the Special Team Always Ready with Smiles “STARS” volunteers. The STARS team have committed almost 15,000 hours in just this year alone!

The STARS team is a group of self-starters who need very little supervision and are truly dedicated volunteers. They work to raise money for homeless families with children living in the Family Renew Community’s three campuses. The Holly Hill campus has fourteen families, Daytona Beach has eleven families and DeLand has seven families. This is a total of thirty-two families on any given day.

The Secret Attic Thrift Shops are the Family Renew Community’s largest single fundraiser. In 2007, sales grossed $280,288. The STARS team volunteers work well together and care deeply in their mission of helping support the Family Renew Community’s Program. Their hearts are generous and caring.

The STARS are bright examples for the Family Renew Community. They care deeply about the families who are facing homelessness and share their time and talents with them.

Millie Samples

Millie Samples began interning at the State Attorney Victim Services Program, but eventually became a devoted volunteer to the crime victims that she was assisting, contributing many more hours than was required by her internship.

Millie’s eagerness to learn about advocacy and the criminal justice system quickly resulted in her competency and ability to perform many tasks beyond what would be expected of her as an intern.

Millie has provided crisis intervention, referrals to community resources, information and education and court room advocacy to victims directly and indirectly. She has assisted hundreds of domestic violence victims since coming to the Office of the State Attorney. Her dedication and knowledge has resulted in victims of domestic violence recognizing they are not alone, that the abusive act was not their fault and that help is available to ensure their safety and the safety of other living in the household.

Millie’s work with domestic violence victims has certainly resulted in reducing violence in homes in Volusia County and may possibly have saved lives. Stopping violence and victimization through intervention and advocacy provides invaluable service to society as a whole.

Millie’s effort to educate and assist victims has undoubtedly resulted in interventions that build healthy relationships and hold abusers accountable for their actions. Her kind heart and outstanding critical thinking skills made her well suited to work with diverse populations sensitively. She provides hope and safety for the victims and has become a vital, valuable member of the victim advocate program at the Office of the State Attorney. Her energy is contagious, and Millie is an inspiration to all who know and work with her.

John Canakaris

Dr. John Canakaris has volunteered at the Free Medical Clinic in Flagler County for more than three years. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no ambulance service, no Emergency Medical Response Team and no Medical Society. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no free Medical Clinic!

Prior to the inception of the Free Medical Clinic, residents of Flagler County had to use the Flagler Hospital emergency room for normal doctor’s office visits. According to the CHCPP report in 2006, the hospital has saved about $211,937 since the Free Medical Clinic opened its doors to provide assistance to the uninsured.

Dr. Canakaris has a vision to help the many people who have fallen between the cracks. He knows there are many who are unable to afford insurance, yet some of those same people do not qualify for Medicaid. Dr. Canakaris opened his office to start the Free Medical Clinic and obtained sovereign immunity.

Dr. Canakaris has served as Medical Director of the Flagler County Free Medical Clinic since it opened its doors. He is the founder of the Flagler County Medical Society and is still actively involved in that organization as well. He has proven through his involvement in many organizations in the Flagler community that he is an outstanding example of selfless giving for the benefit of others.

DR. JOHN CANAKARIS

Dr. John Canakaris has volunteered at the Free Medical Clinic in Flagler County for more than three years. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no ambulance service, no Embergency Medical Response Team and no Medical Society. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no free Medical Clinic.

Prior to the inception of the Free Medical Clinic, residents of Flagler County had to use the Flagler Hospital emergency room for “normal doctor’s office visits.” According to the CHCPP report in 2006, the hospital has saved about $211,937 since the Free Medical Clinic opened its doors to provide assistance to the uninsured.

Dr. Canakaris has a vision to help the many people who have simply “fallen between the cracks.” He knows there are many who are unable to afford insurance, yet some of those same people do not qualify for Medicaid. Dr. Canakaris opened his office for the Free Medical Clinic to start this program.

Dr. Canakaris is serving and has served as Medical Director of the Flagler County Free Medical Clinic since it opened its doors. He is the founder of the Flagler County Medical Society and is still actively involved in the organization as well. He has proven through his involvement that he is an outstanding example of selfless giving for the benefit of others.

Hyundai Diversity Action Team

The Hyundai Diversity Action Team is a group of nearly one hundred Hyundai Team Members that donate their time, energy and money to efforts in the Montgomery, AL area. Last year, the group completed more than fifteen projects that ranged from literacy to health and hunger/nutrition and shelter. The Diversity Action Team (DAT) made a donation to Habitat for Humanity in Montgomery, which assisted Habitat in building a home for an individual in the area. Team members donated their time to help build the home from the ground up. Hyundai is also the primary sponsor for the Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon at Eastdale Mall in conjunction with Cumulus Broadcasting. They also hosted first-graders from nearby elementary schools to celebrate the joy of reading and Dr. Seuss’s birthday for Read Across America.

The Hyundai volunteers also supported the March of Dimes Ride for Babies campaign. They coordinated a fundraiser and Team Members made financial donations and participated in the ride to Talladega Speedway. Many have been personally affected by complications of premature births of their own children, so the relationship is a good fit. DAT volunteers support Rebuilding Together and Team Members donate their time to renovate the home of a local resident in need.

In addition, DAT volunteers have sponsored clothing drives, which have resulted in the collection of several car loads of clothing to donate to those who had a need in the community. They have planned and hosted food drives that collected more than five thousand seven hundred pounds of food for the local food bank. The Hyundai DAT has collaborated with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers & the American Red Cross and hosted blood drives for local hospitals.

The Hyundai DAT has also benefitted Elmore and Montgomery County Public School systems with school supply drives; the Salvation Army with coat drives; and the United Way with an annual Corporate Fund Drive. They have also participated in Make A Difference Day, and their projects beautified the grounds for the South Haven Nursing Home.

The list goes on and on to include annual Toys for Tots Drive, adopting a family during the holidays and sponsoring children during the holidays. What is most impressive is the consistency and compassion of their service. The Hyundai DAT looks at their community, finds out the needs, and then creates plans to meet those needs.

Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties

The Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties held the First Annual Kids Safety Fair, which was located at six different locations across the county on October 27, 2007. Kiwanian volunteers have been a devoted group for seven years and spend each month contributing a considerable amount of time, money and other resources to the Family Life Center staff and agency.

The First Annual Kids Safety Fair had a vast positive impact in Volusia and Flagler communities and for the Family Life Center. Thanks to the dedication of more than five hundred twenty Kiwanians and community volunteers who worked in excess of one thousand one hundred twenty five hours, over two thousand families and five thousand children in two counties have been educated on safety information.

Through the education that this project provides to local families, thousands of children can lead happier and healthier lives. Parents also have the knowledge of more resourceful tools on safety education for their families, which will lead to the prevention of injuries, deaths, and harmful relationships.

The Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties initiated this project. It took hundreds of volunteer hours to organize and produce this successful event! Their hard work and dedication has created a great effect on those who had the opportunity to be a part of this activity. The mission of the Kiwanis is to “Serve the Children of the World” one family, one child, and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties continues to achieve the Kiwanis mission in all they do and in particular in the Annual Kids Safety Fair.

Wesley & Donna Hankes

Wesley and Donna Hankes devote their time and efforts to Disaster Relief Operations and Events. They are on-call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. They respond to single family fires and assist with whatever is needed on the site. They have been volunteering and assisting the community for two years and have made a tremendous impact in just that short time.

Donna and Wesley have participated in the damage assessment of the February 2007 Tornadoes. They have assisted with the Long Term Recovery program for clients of the Christmas Tornadoes every day for six months. The Hankes have also assisted in the damage assessment and feeding of families affected by the Tornado in Eustis which hit in September of 2007. In addition, they have assisted the Red Cross Disaster Action Team Members and participated in events like Port Orange Days, Fire Prevention Days and many others.

Wesley and Donna have helped the community recover after disasters which is an extremely important task. While many volunteers participate in serving the community during times of disaster, this couple is always willing to help with preparedness education as well. This includes meeting with area fire departments and the residents of their community to promote home fire preparedness, and attending community fairs to educate residents on a large scale of disaster preparedness.

Wesley and Donna are a volunteer team who is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Bunnell area American Red Cross prepare for, respond to and help victims recover from disasters.