The Shields Family

The Shields Family is very active as volunteers of Greater Lewisville Cares and Trinity Presbyterian Church of Flower Mound, both located in north Texas. As members of these organizations, this family has volunteered for a variety of projects that are of interest to them both individually and as a family unit, including Lion’s Club Eyeglass Recycling, Presbyterian Housing Program, Christian Community Action (CCA) Housing, Riding Unlimited Therapeutic Riding, among others. Furthermore, this family is not afraid to take a leadership role in many of the activities they participate in such as organizing food drives, coordinating the free summer lunch program for needy children, and working in the food pantry at Christian Community Action in Lewisville, TX.

During the past seven years, the family has worked continually and tirelessly as volunteers in many of the mission opportunities at the church. In April 2004, they became some of the first volunteers of Greater Lewisville Cares which is a volunteer service organization based on the national “Hands On” model (previously known as the “Cares” model). From April through the December 2004, through Greater Lewisville Cares alone, the family has volunteered a total of six different times equaling 31 volunteer hours. Additionally, they have participated in working at the CCA Food Pantry in every month with a 5th Saturday, collected food for the needy, cleaned up the environment, worked on housing projects for Presbyterian Housing in Oak Cliff, TX and been active participants in mission work at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

The variety of their volunteer activities includes helping the disabled, feeding the poor, providing better housing for those in need, and cleaning up the environment which are all important to improving the well-being of the greater community. As a family of volunteers, they are dedicated, unselfish, concerned and motivated to share their gifts with those less fortunate and in need. They do this willingly on a regular basis and ask for nothing in return. The impact on the community has been to make a better life for those in need.

Decatur High School Developmental Students

Many times we are quick to judge people; we assume that they do not have a desire to help others or that they are not capable of contributing to society in a meaningful way. Sometimes we make these judgments about people based on their appearance, social standing, financial means, or intellectual abilities. How frequently we rush to judgment, and how often we are wrong. We are fortunate that there are those around to remind us that sometimes those from whom we expect the least can offer the most.

The Decatur High School Developmental Students are a group of young people who do just that. These students, lead by their teacher Karen Alexander, capture the essence of volunteerism by giving what they can and making their community a better place to live in doing so. Decatur High’s Developmental Class is composed of approximately ten students, all of whom are developmentally disabled. About four and a half years ago the class was looking for a service project, and fortunately for Hospice they happened to ask if they could help their organization in any way.

Hospice of the Valley provides end-of-life care as well as grief and bereavement services to residents of Morgan and Lawrence Counties. Services provided include nursing care; home health aides; medical equipment and supplies; medications; and support from social workers, chaplains, and—of course—volunteers. Without volunteers, hundreds of tasks, some small and others quite large, would go undone every day. Needless to say, whenever a group calls looking for something to do, the Hospice can always use assistance.

When Karen called, the coordinator of office volunteers asked if the students would like to create barrier bags. These bags are small paper sacks that contain a sheet of blank newspaper and several paper towels. Hospice of the Valley nurses and home health aides carry the bags into patients’ homes whenever they make a visit. The paper is spread onto a surface so that the staff member can place his or her medical pack on the newspaper rather than putting it directly onto a surface in the home. By doing so, they prevent the transfer of germs from one home to the next. At the end of the visit, the staff member washes his or her hands and uses the paper towels in the barrier bag to dry them. Each visit requires one bag, so with more than ten nurses each making over 20 visits every week and nine home health aides each making an average of 25 visits every week, many barrier bags are needed.

The students spend about 48 hours per month creating the barrier bags and have become the Hospice’s sole supplier of them. They assemble the materials, but also go above and beyond the call of duty by decorating the paper bags with colorful pictures and designs. Each Monday and Wednesday Karen and her class work on the bags, and Karen is always quick to call the office when supplies are running low. The work is valuable for Hospice of the Valley, and according to Karen, it is a blessing to her class as well. Karen says that creating barrier bags on a regular basis allows her students to learn to give back to the community—she claims it is an especially important lesson for a group that is so often given to. The students enjoy the work because they can see their accomplishment in the boxes full of completed bags and in new supplies arriving as the finished bags are picked up from the school. Each student can see success in the project, and even those who do not always see success in other areas are able to create bags that help the community by helping Hospice of the Valley care for the terminally ill.

Near the end of last school year, the class took the initiative to make enough extra bags to carry Hospice through the months of summer break. This was a tremendous help to the agency as it saved staff members from trying to find another group to take on the task of constantly replenishing the supply of barrier bags. The Decatur High Developmental Students have proven themselves to be valuable members of the Hospice family and of Morgan County. Their dedication, initiative, and positive attitudes can serve as an inspiration to those who feel they might not have very much to give back to the community—and even more so to those who do.

Willa Carson

Willa Carson tells the story of an African American citizen seeking health care who died while waiting at a bus stop. At that time, Carson made a personal commitment to bring a free, easily accessible clinic to the heart of the African American community in Clearwater, FL.

She worked tirelessly toward this goal meeting with Morton Plant Hospital officials, members of the Housing Authority, Zoning Boards, individuals and groups who might provide funding, and nurses and doctors who might help. The planning phase encompassed more than a year.

Ultimately, space was allocated in the North Greenwood area of Clearwater with two apartments that the Housing Authority and Morton Plant/Mease Hospital assisted with renovations to make the facility wheel chair accessible. Because of Carson’s tireless efforts, The North Greenwood Community Health Resource Center opened in May 1997.

Immediately after opening, Carson contacted the Florida Legislature for the appropriation of $300,000 to build a permanent facility for the North Greenwood Community Health Resource Center on city-owned Brownfield property. The Center moved into the new facilities in December 2000.

Currently the center serves an excess of 400 patients a month, and all services provided by the center are free. The center operates with multiple grants. There are only two paid staff members, the administrator and an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner. The rest of the staff members are all volunteers, which include, but are not limited to, five physicians, one advanced registered nurse practitioner, an acupuncturist, and registered nurses. Morton Plant/Mease Hospital provides laboratory services.

At 71 years of age, Willa Carson had the vision, determination, and willingness to work for available health care for people who lacked the means and transportation to access it. She has made her community a better place, has provided access to health care for many, and has shown what a true leader can do to bring about change. Carson is currently 78 years of age and still going strong.

Maria Christina Paulino

In the northwest area of Volusia County, FL it can be very hard for Hispanic children who are in a low socioeconomic environment to succeed and excel. However, Maria Christina Paulino has proven that handicaps, such as low income and a language barrier should never deter anyone from doing all they can at their best effort.

A high school student from T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson, FL, Maria’s commitment to helping her school and community has been an inspiration. This commitment was proven during the trying times and disastrous events that occurred during the 2004 hurricane season. Maria volunteered with the Red Cross, Project Achieve, FEMA, and the Salvation Army every day, all day, during the days that the schools were closed. Maria saw where she could help and without being asked, volunteered her time unloading trucks and distributing food and water. Because Maria is bi-lingual, she was invaluable in helping to give aid to those residents in the Pierson area who did not speak English.

At her high school, Maria volunteers her time assisting the teachers in the Spanish department. She helps a fellow student who is hearing impaired with class work and homework. Maria not only helps her peers but also younger students. At the Pierson Elementary School, Maria is part of Project Share, collecting and wrapping presents for underprivileged children. With all of this, Maria still finds time to volunteer at community events such as county arts festivals and area church projects.

Maria Christian Paulino was nominated by T. DeWitt Taylor Middle-High School for the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year awards presented by the United Way’s Volunteer Center of Volusia-Flagler Counties and Bright House Networks. Because of her lifestyle of service, Maria was chosen as the Runner-Up in the Outstanding Individual Youth Category.

Mark Hammond

For more than 17 years, Mark Hammond has worked tirelessly to better the lives of the citizens of his community. As a resident of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, Hammond recognized the need for greater recreational opportunities for children and the need for guidance and leadership in such efforts. In response to this need, Hammond founded the nonprofit organization, the Crandall Park Community Project, 13 years ago which focuses on the development and improvement of recreational facilities in Hopkinton.

Through his dedicated leadership efforts, this organization built a state-of-the-art playground at a cost of $80,000 and is now working to incorporate a handicap accessible play area. In addition, the Project facilitated the construction of two basketball courts and a baseball diamond. As a result, Crandall Park has become a major attraction for families in Hopkinton and the surrounding areas.

In the interest of the Hopkinton’s young children, Hammond also instituted a tee-ball league for children who are 4 to 8 years old. He secured funding for the league through the town, held registrations, produced schedules, and rallied the enrollment of volunteer coaches. He also served as a coach over the years. This league has been active since 1993, and is going strong with 26 teams.

Hammond has donated a great deal of his time as a player agent in Chariho (an RI multi-town region) Little League and Senior League baseball. He has also been a player agent for Hopkinton’s Youth Basketball League, and over the past 16 years has developed the basketball program into one of the largest in the area featuring 47 teams. Hammond continues to hold leadership positions and coaches in both leagues. Over the years, he has demonstrated his unwavering dedication to these youth-oriented programs. For example, when there were no volunteers to coach the 4- and 5-year-olds in basketball last winter, Hammond volunteered to coach them every Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m., even though none of his own children were playing in that division.

Hammond has also served many years on the Hopkinton Recreation Commission and has spent the last two years as Chair of that Commission. One of the projects that he has led is the revitalization of Langworthy Park in Hope Valley, RI. Under his leadership, the Commission serves as advisors on all recreational programs and events for the town of Hopkinton.

Hammond is married with 3 children ages 13, 18, and 21. He first became a volunteer through his involvement as an active and caring father; however, his dedication has far exceeded that of most parents. In 2002, Mr. Hammond received the Settimo “Stemer” Ricci Award from the Rhode Island Parks and Recreation Association. He also received recognition from his peers and supervisors with the NUWC Community Service Award two years ago.

Christa Baucom

It all began 6 years ago in a garden…in a kindergarten, that is, when German born Chris Baucom entered the door of Joy Miller’s classroom and asked what she could do to help. Her inspiration to share her time, talents, and lifelong commitment to children grew out of her love for a five year old who was entering that class and a desire to give back to the community. “Miss Chris”, as she quickly became known to Orange River Elementary’s school family wanted to make sure that the daughter of her best friend had a special first year in kindergarten.

That year of daily-dedicated service to a kindergarten class blossomed and branched into valuable contributions poured into every crack and crevice of Orange River Elementary by Miss Chris’ caring hands. For over 6 years, Miss Chris has made her hands and her heart available to all who need them. It is said that the heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others. Her total dedication to the staff, students, and parents at the school has enabled those touched by her green thumb to flourish and grow. Her commitment is total. You can find her at school from 7:30 until 5:00 every day, standing ready to do whatever teachers, staff and students need. You can find her at night attending evening school functions and meeting with her Girl Scout troop. You rarely find her unwilling to be of service, day OR night!

If one of the school gardens she has planted needs weeding or nurturing, Miss Chris puts on her gloves and digs in. If the school skating party needs a volunteer to lace countless skates, Miss Chris flexes her hands and goes to work. If a child or staff member needs a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold, Miss Chris’ caring and empathetic heart is always available. If a child wants to be read to, Miss Chris opens a book. If a child has difficulty grasping a new concept, Miss Chris tenaciously supports and coaches until mastery is accomplished. If her Girl Scout troop needs to sell 500 boxes of cookies, Miss Chris spends countless hours extolling the benefits of buying Girl Scout cookies. If the kitchen staff is short of help, Miss Chris picks up a spoon and serves.

For over six years, Orange River Elementary has reaped the benefits of total dedication from this outstanding volunteer. The little girl who brought Miss Chris to us six years ago will continue her educational growth next year in middle school, and Miss Chris will continue to nurture and care for those who still need her at Orange River. A civilization flourishes when people plant trees under which they will never sit. The people at Orange River Elementary expects her to continue to plant her magic seeds of love and kindness for many years to come because she believes in a better future for the children. Because of her, many more children will grow and flourish and possess beautiful trees under which to sit.

Life wasn’t always easy for this very special 70-year-old volunteer. She grew up in Germany during and after World War II. She and her family survived the bombing of Dresden and then moved to Dachau, where as a child she witnessed firsthand the atrocities of the concentration camp. When her family had the opportunity to come to America, they settled in Fort Myers in 1948. Miss Chris is a product of the schools of Lee County and decided early on to give back to the educational community the riches that were given to her. She has done that her whole life. For the past six years she has been a daily volunteer for Orange River Elementary and has lead a Girl Scout troop. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little extra. Miss Chris brings that little extra to our school and community. No job is too menial for this 70 year old. From helping a student with a difficult skill to weeding and planting flower gardens, Miss Chris can be counted on to accomplish the task with grace and a smile. Norman Vincent Peale once said, “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” This must be true…just look at Miss Chris.

Renate Rojas

Having arrived in the United States from Austria and speaking only some English, Renate Rojas understands the challenges faced by the non-English speaking adults with whom the Volusia Literacy Council works.

Rojas has worked with the Volusia Literacy Council for five years and has averaged 128 hours per month. She has accumulated a total of 6,168 volunteer tutoring hours. Renate’s first assigned student was a Puerto Rican woman whose English language skills were at a fourth grade level. This woman wanted to improve her English to be able to communicate with co-workers and be more active in the community. Rojas started working one on one with the woman twice a week. In 14 months the woman tested out at an 11.5 grade level in her language skills. This remarkable achievement was thanks to the commitment of both the student and the dedication of Rojas.

She has assisted with the “English as a Second Language” classes in Pierson, Florida, traveling from South Daytona two nights a week to help as many as 21 students in a month’s time. In 2004 she became a presenter at tutor training sessions for the Volusia Literacy Council.

Rojas willingness and desire has helped her students not only master the English language, but also to improve their life and work skills. Thirty-seven residents of Volusia County with whom she has worked have become more involved in their children’s school, developed better parent skills, raised their self-esteem, obtained employment and become more self sufficient.

Rojas has seen first hand a need and has been very diligent in her effort to address the problems of those learning English. When asked to expand her tutoring services, she readily accepted the challenge and continues to do so today.

Dick Wells

Dick Wells has shown that business leaders can make a real impact when they roll-up their sleeves and become involved. He has given literally thousands of hours over the past three years to lead Anchorage’s Promise and Anchorage’s Youth Service Day and he has significantly changed the way young people are engaged in their community. He has involved his entire business in supporting the community and gives his 20 employees time-off to volunteer. An Anchorage resident since 1976, he is a father of six children and ten grandchildren.

In 2002 Wells led a community effort to coordinate a community forum to hear from youth, what young people in Anchorage needed. After receiving feedback from young people themselves and analyzing the results from previous youth summits, it was clear that action, and not more talk, was needed around youth engagement. To facilitate this action, Wells and other volunteers created an independent non-profit agency called Anchorage’s Promise. From the beginning Wells has served as president of the board for Anchorage’s Promise. Under Wells’s leadership, Anchorage’s Promise has established partnerships with the city, schools and businesses as well as dozens of local nonprofits to lead and implement the largest youth service event in the state of Alaska and the second largest youth serving event in the entire country.

Wells’s leadership through Anchorage’s Promise and Anchorage Youth Service Day has accomplished many things. In 2003, Anchorage’s Promise led the tenth largest National Youth Service Day effort in the country – engaging nearly 1,700 youth participants in 18 service projects citywide. In 2004 they held the largest single-day youth event in the state of Alaska bringing together 12,000 people for Anchorage KidsDay and engaging almost 10,000 youth in volunteer efforts. In 2005 they led the second largest National Youth Service Day effort in the country—engaging over 15,000 young people in service. (Number of volunteers involved in all projects implemented by coalition members: 16,587 and the number of volunteers who were youth: 15,121).

From 2004 to 2005 they tripled the number of participants and increased volunteer involvement by 300%. They were also successful in engaging projects from other parts of the state including Fairbanks, Kotzebue, and the Mat-Su Valley. Anchorage School Superintendent Carol Comeau stated that Anchorage’s Youth Service Day is “the most diverse family event in Anchorage”. Through a special partnership with the McLaughlin Center, the local juvenile detention agency, youth offenders were also engaged in volunteer events. Working with Youth Service America, Wells led outreach to Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office that resulted in her sponsoring the National Youth Service Day in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Wells personally met with her at her D.C. office to accomplish this. Many youth and adult participants expressed a sense of feeling of being more connected to their community as a result of Anchorage’s Youth Service Day. Many youth commented that they enjoyed being asked to help in the community and really liked seeing their hard work make a difference. Using an innovative approach, Wells wanted to make sure that young people could get to the volunteer events and worked with the mayor to arrange for city buses to give young people free rides to service projects.

For 2006, Anchorage’s Promise was designated by Youth Service America to be the lead agency for Alaska Youth Service Day. They plan to expand on their previous efforts and aim to coordinate the largest youth service event in the entire country!

Cedar Ridge Middle School 8th Grade Service Learning

Nine 8th grade service learning students at Cedar Ridge Middle School gave parents and community friends the opportunity to “give another birthday, another laugh, another hug, another chance” to accident victims, surgery patients, pre-mature infants, and cancer patients when they held the school’s first ever blood drive last May. The 8-week effort was the first middle school blood drive in Morgan or Lawrence Counties, and one of only a few nationwide, designed as a service learning project. After the students learned about the science of blood and the importance of donating blood, they planned and publicized the event, encouraged other Cedar Ridge students to get involved, and then volunteered at the blood drive

Service learning students attended 4 planning and preparation sessions in which they were introduced to the project, set the goal, decided on a theme, designed a t-shirt, brainstormed ideas, made banners, wrote announcements and a skit, wrote a press release, and heard a presentation on the “science of blood”. Students hung posters around the school, distributed posters to the community, made a presentation to the 5th grade parents’ meeting, and made announcements the week of the blood drive. The day of the blood drive, service learning students helped set up the canteen table, greeted and assisted blood donors, and dressed as “Buddy Blood Drop”.

The Service Learning Class encouraged other youth to get involved. Notes were sent home twice with every Cedar Ridge student, encouraging parents to support the effort and students to compete in recruiting donors. Home & Personal Management students and school hosts and hostesses helped to make the project successful. Austin High School HOSA students partnered with Cedar Ridge, creating and delivering posters to other Decatur City Schools and assisting at the drive.

School-sponsored blood drives are usually held at the high school rather than middle school level. Cedar Ridge Middle School 8th Grade Service Learning students enthusiastically attempting their school’s first blood drive ever. In addition, the blood drive was a service learning project – a first in Morgan or Lawrence Counties and unusual throughout the country. There was no “model” or plan. The students created the project as it progressed.

Although the class met weekly, only 4 one-hour planning and preparation sessions were held over the 8- week period due to Spring Break and other activities. The nine 8th graders in the Cedar Ridge Service Learning Class worked diligently and were successful in their efforts in collecting 82 units of blood to help 246 Alabama hospitals patients. Service Learning is different from other youth service; it is more than “just” volunteering. Service learning is volunteer service that meets real community needs, is coordinated with schools, fosters civic responsibility, is integrated into and enhances curricula, and provides structured time for students to reflect on the service experience. Service Learning is collaboration between schools and agencies, which empowers students by involving them in all aspects of a project, and makes learning interesting.

Nancy & Robert Tolsma

In the 27 years that Bob (Robert) and Nancy Tolsma have been in Florida, they have gone above and beyond when it comes to volunteering. Their activities span across both community service focuses as well as involvement in both their children’s activities and church fellowship volunteerism.

Bob started as a volunteer firefighter in New Jersey on February 26, 1968. After moving to Florida, Bob resumed volunteer activities with the Sarasota County Fire Department in the 1990s, including returning to school in the fall of 1992 to become a state certified EMT. He is currently the Division Chief for the Sarasota County volunteers and volunteers up to 1500 hours per year as a firefighter / EMT. Additionally, Bob has served for 22 years as part of both the local Rotary Club and the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce where he participates in various ongoing committees and community activities.

Nancy is an avid volunteer worker also. She served as a volunteer for the American Heart Association (AHA) for the past 20 years. She currently serves on both the State and Regional AHA State Task Forces, and is presently a volunteer with and is coordinating the CPR program in Manatee County, FL. Over the years, Nancy has taught numerous classes without monetary compensation, as she feels that CPR is such a critical class for the community to have. In her role with the East Manatee Fire and Rescue , Nancy received the “Rookie of the Year” award for her efforts related to CPR training.

Additionally, Nancy has worked with the American Cancer Society (ACS) in the past, and previously served on local ACS committees. Nancy also supported the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative through her volunteerism at Booker School in Sarasota. Nancy’s latest venture is her focus on taking educational courses to learn American Sign Language so that she can become a state certified interpreter.

The couple has worked together to give back to the community. They have dedicated time to the Sarasota County Fire Department and East Manatee Fire and Rescue, taught CPR classes taught free of charge for the past 14 years, supported the Girl Scouts for the past 10 years, and they were active in the PTA for eight years. They were also Sarasota High School Band Boosters for 6 years and have actively served in their church also.

Even with the time dedicated to service, both Nancy and Bob found time to raise 2 daughters and volunteer for the activities that made a direct impact on the girls’ lives- such as Girl Scouts, PTA, and the Band Boosters. They are committed to building strong families and a strong community.