Joan Hecht
Joan Hecht has worked full time, on a volunteer basis, with the Lost Boys/Girls, since their arrival to America in 2001.
Joan established an all-volunteer 501© (3) foundation in 2004 called “Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan,” to assist with their health and educational needs. To date, she has helped over 48 local Lost Boys and Girls with college tuition and books. Seven Lost Boys recently graduated from their junior college through her program, with five earning places on the Dean’s List, Presidents List and National Honor Society, as well as other awards. Another 5-7 will earn their bachelor degrees this year.
In addition to assisting with college tuition/books, her foundation has assisted with their numerous medical needs, including re-constructive surgery for one of the boys who was tortured by Sudanese soldiers. The removal of a stick from the foot of another Lost Boy, which had been lodged there for over ten years and most recently, she administered the second round of treatment for two potentially fatal parasites that they were at risk of contracting while living in Africa.
She and local Lost Boys speak actively across the US in an effort to raise awareness about the Lost Boys and the plight of the Sudanese people. She is highly sought after for her knowledge on the subject.
This fall she is launching an educational fund -raising campaign in schools across the US called Mission SSS – Stand Up – Speak Out – Stop the Genocide.
This campaign will not only help to fund the education of Lost Boys /Girl’s, but it will also help to educate American students to the plight of the Sudanese people and current events in our world history.
In honor of her work with the Lost Boys/Girls, Mrs. Hecht was named one of four finalists in the volunteer category for the 2005 EVE Awards, sponsored by the Florida Times Union. Her book, “The Journey of the Lost Boys,” took First Place in Education at the 2005 Promoting Outstanding Writers (POW!) Book Awards, earning her the title, “2005 Author of the Year.” Her book is also used in college curriculums across the US and 50% of the profits will benefit the people of Southern Sudan.
Mrs. Hecht has successfully helped this group of young men and women, who have faced horrors beyond our imagination, to become successful, productive citizens of our country and community.
Alma Hadley
You would think managing a criminal probation program would be a job for some young hot shot. After all, the program deals with people who have committed misdemeanor offenses and are being given a second chance. That’s not the case in Lapeer County. The Citizens Probation Council is directed by an 88-year old great grandmother volunteer.
Alma Hadley may be older, but she spends two-to five days a week administering her 77 member volunteer force to stop small criminals from growing into big ones. You’ve got to hand it to energetic Alma, who lives in Dryden with her 91 year old husband, Larry. The couple has 11 children and 27 grandkids. She hasn’t counted the number of great grandkids lately.
The Lapeer Program started in 1970. It took eight years to work out a formula that would work well with the court system as well as clients it administered. That’s when Alma was asked by the prosecutor to take the “job” as Director . . . Oops! She calls her job a “Vocation.”
The council handles people from 17 to 92 years of age who’ve been put on probation by Lapeer courts for misdemeanors – smoking or having small amounts of marijuana in their possession, minors found with liquor, petty retail fraud including shoplifting, embezzlement or small spousal abuse.
The program, which does not handle felonies or persons with violent histories, receives no tax support. It is funded by a $250 service fee paid by client. When court orders probation for an offender Alma appoints a volunteer to work with him or her. As part of probation most violators take a 16-session alcohol and drug abuse class similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, at old Clover School, west of Lapeer. Alma said more than 5,000 people have participated in the program since its inception.
“In our 36 years we have an 80 percent success rate,” Alma said. “Some who’ve gone through the program return for a second time because they want to, not because they are forced to.” “it’s said to see some of these kids with problems. We treat them like our own sons and daughters.” Alma is anxious to recruit more volunteers. “Our volunteers are the heart of the program,” she said. “They range in age from 25 to 92. Maybe a dozen have been with me for 25 years.”
James Clogston
James Clogston is a key support in every facet of the literacy council since he became a certified tutor of adult literacy in October 1992. Because he is so versatile, he is willing and able to undertake any responsibility that needs attention.
As a literacy tutor, Jim has worked, over the past thirteen years, with 32 adults ranging in age from 18 through 73 for a total of over 3,000 hours. He has tutored some who never went beyond the third grade and college graduates for whom English was not their native language. A serious medical problem caused a three-month interruption in Jim’s service in 1999-2000. As soon as he recovered, he was back with the same enthusiasm and vigor which always characterized Jim’s activities.
Jim became a tutor-trainer in 1994 and has participated in 51, 10-hour tutoring-training workshops since that year. In addition to numerous workshops here in Montgomery, he has helped conduct workshops in Wilson Chapel, Clanton and Troy for faith-based groups in those communities. He also helped train inmate tutors in Tuwiler, Easterling, Draper, Kilby, Bullock County Correctional and Elmore County Correctional Facilities. As recently as February 2007, Jim helped with a workshop at Stanton Correctional Facility because the trainer scheduled to present was called out of state for a medical emergency.
As a supervising tutor-trainer, Jim has mentored two tutors through the completion of the Laubach certification process as tutor trainers.
Jim served six years on the C.A.L.L. board of directors. Four of those years he chaired the Tutor Training Committee. With tutor mentor, Sister Joan Opatts, Jim revised the presentations for the tutor training workshop cutting the workshop from 12 to 10 hours. He was instrumental in procuring professional duplication of the video segments of the workshop through his contacts at Maxwell Air Force Base. It was, likewise, through Jim’s efforts that the tutor-training workshop traveled around Montgomery to Frazer, Eastmont Baptist, Cloverdale Baptist, and Redeemer Lutheran. When Sister Joan retired in 2003, it was Jim who became the mainstay of the training committee, overseeing the tutor training workshops until the trainers felt comfortable carrying on independently.
Jim Clogston volunteered as a teaching assistant for GED prep at J. P. Patterson Tech 1997-1999 and in the same capacity at Trenholm Tech 2000-2002. He has also served in the Retiree Activities Office at Maxwell AFB in 2003.
For thirteen years, Jim Clogston has served the C.A.L.L. Council as tutor, tutor-trainer, supervising tutor-trainer, board member, training committee chair, friend to student, tutor, and staff and ambassador of good will to other adult education instructors and administrators.
Robert Brown
Bishop Robert Brown has rendered outstanding support the community and the City of Montgomery.
Bishop Brown’s devotion is instrumental in the safety of the community. He has been the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator for over four years. On his watch, crime in the community has been one of the lowest around the city.
Bishop Brown has devoted his time toward the safety of our community but he has taken on safety in the city arena. He is an active participant in the Volunteer in Police Services (VIPS). His duties range in patrolling the communities to answering trouble calls at the Montgomery Police Department. This is not an easy undertaking, yet he has taken it in stride and he’s doing an outstanding job.
Bishop Brown has established a community wide food bank. His efforts have been a life line for many in the community and others around the city of Montgomery.
During the Christmas Holiday season he devotes his efforts to the Toys for Tots Campaign. He leads the way in ensuring that those who are less fortunate have a joyous Christmas season with the toys from Toys for Tots and the support of the Food Bank.
Brenda Rhodes
Brenda Rhodes is every Volunteer Manager’s dream: she recruits, mobilizes and trains volunteers—voluntarily! She helps other volunteers sort thousands of pounds of food—on average 10,000-12,000 pounds per night, which is enough food to provide over 6,700 meals to deserving families and individuals!
This food finds its way into the hands of over 800 hunger relief agencies in 38 counties throughout North Georgia and the Southeast. These partner agencies are made up of daycare centers, youth programs, senior centers, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, residential shelters, rehabilitation centers and food pantries. They, in turn, serve or deliver food to people in need. A diverse group of people ultimately benefit from the Brenda’s services: the elderly, disabled, mentally ill, young families, single parent families, battered women, newly unemployed, working poor and children. In addition, Brenda volunteers for numerous fundraisers and special events, and recruits volunteers from IBM every year for our largest fundraiser, the Hunger Walk.
Brenda is constantly thinking of new ways to build our volunteer program. For example, a few months ago, she informed us of a matching grant program offered by her workplace- if employees volunteer for a certain number of hours at a non-profit organization, the company will match their volunteer hours with a monetary donation to that organization. Brenda is constantly spreading the word about the work of the Atlanta Community Food Bank to the community.
In addition to helping provide food for those who need, Brenda also gives her time to other agencies that minister to animals, to causes supporting education, to celebrating the accomplishments of physically challenged individuals, and to many others. Not only does Brenda recruit volunteers everywhere she goes, but she is always present at every volunteer activity, supervising and taking full responsibility for the volunteers she recruits.
Brenda embodies the spirit of volunteerism all over Atlanta, not only in service herself, but tirelessly teaching, informing and leading others in service. In my opinion, she is the face of community service advocacy for Georgia and living proof of the power that just one person can wield to change life for so many others.
Vincent Beck
Vincent D. Beck is a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force. He demonstrates a sustained capacity for leadership, excellence and diligence in his activities related to government service and throughout his local, state and national community. In his primary duties as a Multimedia Technician and extracurricular activities, he has shown uncommon skill and dedication. While piloting $1.2 million dollars of multimedia equipment, he managed multimedia services for 7,600 joint and international students, and delivered 1,080 curriculum hours. His work ensured the most senior enlisted members of the United States and Coalition Air Forces were mentored, trained and educated at the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Academy at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.
Vincent has made consistent, significant contributions to his local, state, and national community in addition to his outstanding service in the United States Air Force. Within his career field, he constantly worked to improve the efficiency of his work center, establishing it as a model for other multimedia centers throughout Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. He managed two separate Audio Visual upgrades totaling $400,000, in which he identified or corrected 27 installation errors. His efforts reduced manning required in the booth by two people and shrank training requirements by 33%. These upgrades automated many multimedia functions, and enabled the mission of the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy to go forward despite reduced manning. In addition, he turned in 275 pieces of outdated equipment and managed production of a 24-page Audio Visual booth Operational Instruction which set an innovative new standard and enabled future self-help operations. After learning the system, he led the charge to personally train several Academy staff on booth operations in less than a week.
In addition, Vincent creatively developed an Air Force junior enlisted college book trading program for his local base. His efforts helped save 45 Airmen over $2,500. Because he felt strongly about giving back to his community, he gave a lecture on the importance of community involvement to 42 first-term Airmen, which inspired them to contribute many hours of volunteer service. He was elected President of the Junior Enlisted Advisory Council, in which he organized 6 base events for 190 members and inducted 60 new Staff Sergeants. These events resulted in $8,000 raised for base and charity functions. Further, he developed the Maxwell-Gunter Airmen Shadow Program, in which junior enlisted members could gain first hand guidance and counsel from the Air University Command Chief Master Sergeant. Twelve Junior Non-Commissioned Officers received one-on-one mentoring.
Vincent also serves as a key member of the Leader Focus Group, which formed the Maxwell enlisted club committee. This committee has saved Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base $5,000 in costly renovations. He also serves as a community ambassador; he created advertising that supported four Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy graduations and served 2,400 students.
Talbot Mentors
Talbot Mentors, a nonprofit youth mentoring program was established in 1997 following two local incidences of patricide. Founder Phil Kirby, a retired insurance executive, participated in community meetings and concluded that adults needed to be involved in the lives of children in a more organized way.
Since its inception, Talbot Mentors has paired volunteer mentors one-on-one with local children in need. Participants meet 1-2 hours a week outside of school. Popular mentoring activities include sports and outdoor activities, arts and crafts, attending community events, reading and doing homework and eating together.
While the local school system and child/family serving agencies offer important services, what Talbot Mentors provides is matchless: a longstanding intergenerational relationship.
Currently, 70% of the 60+ mentor-mentee matches are in their second year or beyond. This milestone is significant as research shows that the longer mentoring relationships last the more likely youth are to experience positive, lasting benefits such as improved attendance, better attitudes toward school, less drug and alcohol use, more positive attitudes toward helping in general, and improved relationships with parents and elders.
Talbot County, located on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore, is characterized as an affluent, graying community. Yet, according to the Eastern Shore School Superintendent, rural children are challenged with burdens as profound as the more commonly targeted urban children. The area includes poor children who lack support that is common in middle class households, which promote academic success. These students also experience inadequate supervision, instability at home, and limited participation in healthy out of school activities.
Substance abuse is also a challenge among area adolescents. Sadly, tobacco, alcohol, and other drug (ATOD) use rates, as reported by Talbot teens, while historically high, have increased over the last five years. In 2006, area 8th, 10th and 12th graders reported the highest ATOD rates in the state.
Fortunately, mentoring is a proven strategy for mitigating the impact of these risk factors by meeting key youth needs for access to safe places, challenging experiences, and relationships with caring adults. Talbot Mentors program is developed around the research-based practices (volunteer screening, mentor training, matching procedures, and ongoing support/supervision of participants) that researchers identify as prerequisites to an effective mentoring program.
In addition to its core mentoring services, Talbot Mentors also provides enrichment services: homework help, mentor-mentee and family activities, service learning projects (for 2006-07 school year, mentees completed 960+ hours of community service), and summer camp scholarships.
Talbot Mentors’ participants report high levels of satisfaction, which like longevity, is correlated to achieving positive outcomes for mentored youth. Among our volunteers, 80% describe their mentoring experience as enjoyable or very enjoyable. Regarding the impact of mentoring:
Sixty-five percent of volunteers report their mentee is more involved in healthy out of school activities than before and 90% report that their mentee feels there are more adults he/she can count on.
Mentees are equally positive. Our youth, through the national Youth Survey, have consistently indicated levels of satisfaction that meet, and more often, exceed the survey benchmarks.
William Campbell
William (Bill) Campbell has always generously given his time and talents as a volunteer working in the community for those who need assistance. His particular talent is minor repairs and fix up of homes. Coupled with his administrative and organizational abilities, he is doubly able to help those in need.
At First United Methodist Church he has worked through the Work Area on Church and Society which organizes the efforts to help in the community. He will chair the group of about 20 who will spend Saturday, March 10th doing minor repairs and “fix ups” of homes for those referred by MACOA.
Bill’s talents are by no means limited to his church for he has used them in many ways in Montgomery. He served on the Community Council of the United Way. For many years he was active in the Lions Club. He served on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Montgomery and was its President. He currently works with agencies such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together. The coordination of programs through Volunteers and Information Center is also important to him.
The tragedy of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is an outstanding example of Bill’s volunteer service. The group he chaired managed the location, housing and support for over 20 families who came as evacuees. This included finding homes and furnishing them as needed as well as assisting in areas particular to individual families. Bill himself delivered furniture people donated and he spent countless hours answering their phone calls for advice. Transportation is a big problem here, and Bill has found used cars for several families who had particular needs not only to get to work but to get their children to appointments. Bill has spent hundreds of hours per week making sure the families are provided for: Limited resources in these areas became plentiful ones as Bill made the needs clear not only at the church but through cooperating agencies. He continues to help plan for future needs should tragedy strike by serving on the city wide committee that is making plans for the city’s service in case of disaster (NOAD).
Ronald Stoddard
Ron Stoddard works as a Slot Cleaner/Porter in our Erie Logistics Food Distribution Center in Lancaster, NY. Earlier this year, he was voted the company’s 2007 Volunteer of the Year for the inspiring volunteer work he does to combat hunger and to help families on behalf of the T. J. Dulski Community Center in Buffalo, NY.
While Ron’s volunteer efforts are ongoing, he devoted 250+ hours recently to the Dulski Center. The Center provides after-school tutoring, computer learning programs and a hot meal for 30 to 40 kids daily. It is also a Food Pantry, serving more than 200 hundred local families. Ron routinely picks up food for the Dulski Center at the Food Bank of Western New York and has put together thousands of Pantry Bags for families at risk of hunger. He helps with cleaning projects at the Center as well as picking up and sorting clothing for the children.
Despite the abundance of food in this country, an alarming number of Americans are food insecure, many of them children. As the second largest grocery wholesaler in the United States, the fight to alleviate hunger is a cause near to our hearts. For us, Ron’s commitment has special significance because he not only reaches out to help others; he also focuses on the youngest and most vulnerable.
Afton Shepherd
Afton Shepherd has volunteered for Horizon Hospice for over five years. When asked what drew her to hospice volunteering, she replied, “It went with my nursing experience of 50 years.” She continued, “It’s been very rewarding. I’ve met some fantastic people, but I do believe that Mrs. C takes the cake. Every time I go to see her, she looks the same and her house is immaculate. She’s quite the lady.” Mrs. C is the wife of one of the clients that Afton visited faithfully. She would drive Mrs. C, who is nearly blind from muscular degeneration, to her weekly hair appointment before going to spend time with the patient. She’d then bring Mrs. C back home from her appointment. Afton continues to check in with Mrs. C on occasion.
Afton recalled other patients. “I was at S’s house from nine to four every Thursday. I was a sounding board for him to get rid of his anger about the Korean War. The VA chaplain and I spent a lot of time with him. It was good to know he’d made peace with the Lord.”
“I also remember a 98 year old that I visited. I looked out the back door and asked if she’d ever raised stock back there. She said no, I’ve just raised heck!”
Afton also helped with a young patient in foster care who came on our service at 18 months of age and died just after turning three. As an RN she was able to take care of the tube feedings and medication that the baby needed while the family attended Wednesday worship. This family particularly touched Afton’s heart.
Afton has also touched a few hearts. In at least three years, maybe more, the only time that she has turned down a request to visit a patient was when she was leaving town to visit her sister who was ill.
Afton, who is missing three fingers of her right hand, is definitely not the type to dwell on what she cannot do. If she was still able to play the violin, there is no doubt that she would be offering music to those she cares for. As it is, she simply stays focused on what she can do for others and she does it with a light in her eyes and a ready quip to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
