Kimberly Phares

Kimberly Phares is a junior at Vestavia Hills High School and has dedicated the time to organize a Habitat for Humanity chapter at her high school that has attracted participation from more than 10 percent of the student body. Kimberly first began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity through her church, eventually devoting the majority of her free time to building new homes for needy families.

“I felt satisfaction knowing that we were empowering families who reached out, not for a handout, but for a hammer to build their dreams, one nail at a time,” Kimberly said.

When she discovered that the organization had school chapters, she decided immediately to launch one at Vestavia Hills High. She recruited a faculty advisor, drafted a constitution and membership handbook, met with her city’s mayor, and launched a membership drive last summer. She also coordinated a fund-raising dinner, which yielded $6,000.

The group now sends up to 15 members out on new-home construction projects every Saturday, and hopes to become the first school chapter to totally fund and build a home in its first year. Kimberly also is reaching out to middle and elementary schools, and has spoken at other Alabama high schools, several of which are planning to start Habitat chapters of their own.

Caitlin Adkins

Caitlin Adkins is a sixth-grader and attends L.F. Addington Middle School in Wise, VA. Caitlin is also a volunteer spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

At only 8 years old, Caitlin was diagnosed with bone cancer and sent to St. Jude’s with an inoperable tumor. For one year, she was subjected to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and many surgeries. “I am a walking miracle, and I owe it to St. Jude,” she said.

When the hospital asked her to share her story to help raise funds and awareness, Caitlin was quick to do so, “I know that every dollar I raise will go toward saving lives.”

Caitlin has been featured in St. Jude literature, posters, and videos, and has appeared on behalf of the hospital in national magazines and on network television. She represents St. Jude at national fund-raising events, and helps organize local events such as silent auctions to collect donations. Caitlin also knits scarves, a skill she learned during her time in the hospital, and auctions them to give the proceeds to St. Jude.

“They gave me back my life, and I will never do enough to repay what they did for me,” said Caitlin, “I want all children who are diagnosed with cancer to be as lucky as I have been.”

Hope Taft

Hope Taft exemplifies the type of volunteer, which she encourages others to be. Some individuals make others better people b being around them; Mrs. Taft is one of those individuals. Mrs. Taft has dedicated her time and skills to may projects for the state of Ohio, one of which is Make A Difference Day Ohio.

In 1999, Mrs. Taft approached the Ohio Community Service Council (OCSC) for help in promoting service and volunteerism in the state. Her vision, to engage Ohioans in meaningful service that meets community needs, led to the adoption and branding of Make A Difference Day Ohio. The OCSC has coordinated Ohio’s efforts with the support of a 40-member statewide steering committee representing corporations, nonprofits, civic and service clubs from across the state.

In 2001, Mrs. Taft recruited Jim Tressell, Head Football Coach of The Ohio State University, to join her as Honorary Co-Chair. They have served together for 6 years and as a result, last year, Ohio recorded a record number of 961 projects in 79 of their 88 counties!

Friends, coworkers, classmates and family members are encouraged to develop a one-day project that meets a real need in their community. Service projects range from people helping people, to home construction and renovation to animal rescue efforts and environmental improvement. The broad scope of this project reinforces the fact that any age individual can get involved in meeting community needs, and made a difference. The long-term goal is to develop individuals with an ongoing ethic of service. Mrs. Taft believes, “Volunteerism and community service are among the most important traditions we can pass on o the next generation.”

The results of her efforts have been astounding. National MDD Sponsors, USA Weekend Magazine and the Points of Light Foundation, recognized Ohio’s efforts with a National Award in the spring of 2002 and again in 2005 for, “going over and above previous accomplishments” with a National Encore Award. The true impact of her commitment was seen in the reflections of volunteers across the state speaking about their MDD Ohio experiences.

MDD Ohio mobilizes thousands of volunteers each October, whose service impacts countless others. Several years ago, the Warren Tribune-Chronicle newspaper challenged the Warren community to list MDD Ohio service project in the paper. The first year’s results were overwhelming; by challenging and encouraging local readers they had mobilized volunteers to participate in 80 projects. The following year they exceeded 100 and have no plans to stop there. One facet of MDD Ohio is to encourage participation through the presentation of recognition awards to outstanding projects to celebrate volunteer service. Annually the recipients have been greeted on stage to the applause of an enthusiastic audience and the First Lady of Ohio who presents their plaque.

Ohio’s volunteers have risen to answer the call to service as a result of the dedication of Mrs. Hope Taft, and she looks forward to more people to answer the call each year going forth.

Jonathan Nussbaum

Jonathan Nussbaum is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA. In addition to doing what other high school seniors do, Jonathan has raised nearly $50,000 for cancer research by organizing Northern Virginia’s first youth-only Relay for Life, a fund-raising and cancer awareness event that benefits the American Cancer Society.

Jonathan, whose mother survived a difficult fight with cancer, was an active Relay for Life volunteer for many years, and was consistently a top youth fund-raiser. But when a classmate lost her life to cancer two years ago, Jonathan knew he had to do something more. “I saw in the faces of my friends the same pain that cancer had inflicted upon my family,” said Jonathan. “They were searching for a way to honor her and come to terms with her death.”

Jonathan provided an answer. To produce his own Relay for Life, he recruited a core group of volunteers; enlisted his Boy Scout troop to provide additional support; met with school officials to arrange for parking, security, and the use of school facilities; and planned activities for the day of the event.

In the end, the 300 students who participated in Jonathan’s relay raised an amount almost double anyone’s expectations. In addition, Jonathan created a handbook that the American Cancer Society can distribute to young people across the country who are interested in organizing a Relay for Life team.

“Beyond all the dollars and cents, we raised awareness for cancer advocacy programs and educated our participants about cancer prevention,” said Jonathan, “Most importantly, we honored our cancer survivors, letting them know that they would never be alone in their battle.”

Alexander Brothers

Alexander Brothers is a junior at Kennett High School in Kennett Square, PA. He conducted a bone marrow registration drive to educate his community about the need for unrelated marrow donors, and to increase the size and diversity of the National Marrow Donor Registry.

As a regular volunteer at the Delaware Ronald McDonald House, Alexander often meets children who have life-threatening blood diseases but could be cured with a marrow transplant from an unrelated volunteer donor. The need is particularly great among minority populations, since they are underrepresented in the national registry, he said.

“Because I live in an ethnically diverse community, I realized it was the perfect location to base a marrow donor registry drive.” After enlisting the help of Boy Scout leaders and the Hispanic and African American service clubs at his school, Alexander formed a volunteer steering committee. He then designed a logo, selected a date for the daylong drive, prepared a timeline, and assigned subcommittees to handle publicity, fund-raising, registration, operations, and hospitality.

To get the word out, Alexander and his fellow volunteers contacted churches and social groups, posted flyers all over town, and set up an information hotline in Spanish and English. They also raised nearly $5,000 to pay for non-minority tissue typing by soliciting donations from local businesses and selling novelty items at community events. After nine months of planning and preparation, Alexander’s drive succeeded in adding dozens of new names to the National Marrow Donor Registry and making people throughout his community aware of the importance of marrow donors.

“The experience showed me how many good and caring people there are in my community and that they come from all ethnic backgrounds,” said Alexander.

Brian McPartland

Brian McPartland, a seventh-grader at Henry H. Wells Middle School, has spearheaded several initiatives that have raised public awareness and more than $7,500 to combat cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease he has had since birth. “My family has worked hard to help keep me healthy until a cure is found,” said Brian, “In sixth grade, I decided it was time for me to take a leadership role to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation find a cure for CF. I also wanted to help others that fight the daily battle of living with CF.”

To begin his mission, Brian organized a “Great Strides Walk” fund-raiser at his school, which attracted 100 walkers and yielded more than $2,500 for the foundation. Then he raised another $5,000 through a letter-writing campaign to family friends and other community members, which stressed how hard scientists are working to find a cure for CF and how much progress is being made.

In addition, Brian persuaded the Hudson Valley Renegades baseball team to sponsor a CF Awareness Night during one of its home games, where Brian handed out CF awareness wristbands purchased by the team and threw out the first pitch. The team also gave free tickets to CF patients and their families for games throughout the season. “I will always have cystic fibrosis, a disease in which only half the people live until they’re 30 years old, unless a cure is found,” said Brian.

Jessica Diamond

Jessica Diamond, a seventh-grader at West Brook Middle School, started a community service club at her school that has attracted 140 student members, raised more than $10,000 for a variety of causes, and taken part in numerous other volunteer activities.

“As the daughter of a very active Rotary Club member, I have seen first-hand the impact that people working together can make,” Jessica said, “I thought about how great it would be to have a service organization like that at my school.”

Jessica wrote a proposal to form a React Club affiliated with the local Rotary Club, and presented it to school officials. Once approved, Jessica began recruiting members, leading meetings, and brainstorming club activities.

During its first year, the club raised more than $2,400 and prepared more than 100 backpacks full of school supplies for victims of Hurricane Katrina, collected $1,300 for victims of the tsunami, and organized a book drive for disadvantaged children and senior citizens. Club members also visited local health care facilities, baked bread for a soup kitchen, read to children at an inner-city preschool, and raised $6,000 to provide life-saving heart surgery for an Ecuadorian child.

“A dream of mine would be to see every middle school in the United States have a dynamic club just like ours,” Jessica said, “and that every middle school student would know what it feels like to make a difference in the life of another person.”

Michael Pesci

Michael Pesci, a sophomore at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, NJ, organized an annual “home-run derby” that has raised more than $75,000 over the past four years for disabled and disadvantaged individuals. Michael’s project began shortly after he volunteered to help out with a baseball game for special-needs children.

“Their attitude and passion to play baseball, even though they were handicapped, was very inspiring,” he said. Searching for a way to support these young athletes, he decided to hold a home-run hitting contest similar to one at a baseball camp he’d attended.

After Michael and a friend developed an action plan, they formed a nonprofit corporation, figured out how their derby would work, and began publicizing the event through a Web site and speaking engagements. At the event, both children and adults made donations for the opportunity to swing at seven pitches and win trophies for the longest hits.

During the four years that the “Perfect Pitch” Home Run Derby has been held, Michael also has raised money by soliciting donations from corporations and holding raffles for sports memorabilia donated by former New York Yankees Don Larsen, Yogi Berra, and David Cone. The money raised so far has been used primarily to buy equipment for a local sports league for disabled children, to finance trips for a Boy Scout troop of physically and mentally handicapped adults, and support sports programs for inner-city children.

Elissa Redmiles

Elissa Redmiles is a sixth-grader at The Learning Community International in Columbia, has provided packages of baby blankets and other infant items to hundreds of needy mothers and their newborns over the past five years. Elissa can pinpoint the beginning of her “Baby Blanket Project” to a January morning in 2000. “I was thinking about all of the things I had, and the mothers and babies all over the world who had hardly any of these things,” she said. After discussing this with her mother, Elissa decided that there were six basic items that every baby should have: a blanket, bottle, bib, book, booties or socks, and a toy.

She began a letter-writing campaign seeking donations from family members, friends, and others in her community. As contributions come in, Elissa shops for her six basic items, bundles them into individual packages and then contacts hospitals or other organizations that serve pregnant mothers needing financial assistance. So far, she has collected $2,500 and many donated supplies, enough to deliver packages to more than 300 mothers in America and Israel. “It really is a magical thing to think that you have made many people experience a little joy in their hard lives,” said Elissa.

Steven Uhlfelder

Effective community service requires a careful balance of passion, persuasiveness and dedication. Those qualities are the essence of Floridian Steve Uhlfelder who serves as the voluntary chair of the state’s mentoring effort and voluntary CEO of the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund, among his many volunteer service duties.

Mr. Uhlfelder was born in Florida and believes in giving back to this state. From his days as student body president at the University of Florida, he has led by asking one question – what is the right thing to do? As an attorney and president of Uhlfelder and Associates, P.A., a governmental relations firm, Mr. Uhlfelder plays a significant role in the development of state policy. During the Presidential recount in 2000, he was a voice of reason serving as a volunteer consultant to ABC News.

Mr. Uhlfelder’s commitment to children and education dates back nearly four decades in his education advocacy and mentoring efforts. He voluntarily worked with Governor Jeb Bush on the campaign trail in 1998 to develop the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative, which has propelled Florida to become one of the leading mentoring states in the nation, currently with more than 206,000 active mentors. As the initiative’s first volunteer chair, working alongside Governor Bush, national leaders such as Colin Powell and many of Florida’s leaders, Uhlfelder has been instrumental in the charge to allow state employees one hour off each week to mentor, recruiting corporations to follow that lead, persuading individuals and community groups to join the cause, and working with city governments to adopt mentoring as a focus. He regularly serves as a passionate and persuasive spokesperson to the many mentoring groups that comprise the Florida Mentoring Partnership, and is a regular, voluntary contributor to the media on issues that relate to mentoring. Currently Mr. Uhlfelder voluntarily serves as Chair of Florida Mentoring Partnership – an association of mentoring groups of every kind, whose aim is to keep mentoring at the forefront of Florida’s policy and practice.

Mr. Uhlfelder’s commitment to youth and education is vast. He was appointed by President Bush to voluntarily serve on the board of the prestigious Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, of which he is now Chair. He is a former member of the Florida Board of Governors, the body overseeing higher education in the state; he previously served on the Florida State University Board of Trustees; and was Chair of the old Florida Board of Regents. All of this service is given as a volunteer.

Besides having an important role in setting education policy in Florida, Mr. Uhlfelder for the past 12 years, has tutored and mentored children in the Leon County School System, his home, and is known to personally help the families of the children he mentors when he sees a need arise – providing jobs, information and caring.

Simultaneous with his mentoring charge, over the past two years, Mr. Uhlfelder has dedicated, and continues to dedicate, hundreds of volunteer hours in mobilizing Florida communities to assist one another in hurricane recovery.

In just over one year the state of Florida has survived eight hurricanes, causing major damage to Florida communities and lives. In response, Governor Bush established the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund in 2004 and designated the nonprofit Volunteer Florida Foundation to manage it. Mr. Uhlfelder was asked to serve as Voluntary CEO of the Fund and volunteered a minimum of 30 hours per week in the tedious four months that followed, to get the Fund, fueled by private donations, established. The Fund is designed to make recovery dollars stretch by meeting needs not covered by insurance and government funding. Today this Fund has served as a model and advisor to Florida’s sister states in the Gulf, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, who have established similar funds for long-term recovery. The Fund also has provided technical assistance to the Bush-Clinton Fund, and most importantly, has gained the support and confidence of Floridians for its effectiveness in moving recovery along – a process that typically takes five years to complete.

Mr. Uhlfelder continues to volunteer countless hours each week as the Fund’s Voluntary CEO, to ensure its commitment to Floridians remains strong and viable. Since the Fund’s inception, Mr. Uhlfelder has been instrumental in helping raise nearly $24 million in donations and pledges to the cause. Among his major accomplishments: he was instrumental in mobilizing Florida’s legislators – Democrat and Republican – to hold a fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C. for Florida hurricane relief in 2004, and in the midst of political fundraising in 2005, he orchestrated the gathering of a bi-partisan group of officials in Tallahassee to raise funds to help Katrina evacuees that came to Florida for refuge.

Mr. Uhlfelder has been just as effective in helping the Volunteer Florida Foundation staff develop financial guidelines and grants to quickly encumber funds to Florida communities in need through assistance to more than 300 community and faith-based organizations working in recovery. As a public voice for the Fund, Mr. Uhlfelder continues to help encourage Floridians to volunteer in the long recovery effort, most recently through the Fund’s Neighbors to the Rescue program for Wilma survivors, which has a virtual warehouse and an adopt-a-neighbor system that makes recovery more cost-effective and efficient.

Mr. Uhlfelder’s tireless dedication and volunteerism to his home state is an inspiration to all Americans.