Fay Sparkman

In today’s world we hear about so many people who expect so much from others—from the government, from their communities, even from their churches. Our perceptions of a world full of “takers” makes it even more notable when one comes across a person who finds her greatest joy in giving to others. Faye Sparkman is just such a person, and Hospice of the Valley is proud to have her on their team.

Sparkman became a member of the Hospice of the Valley family in May of 2003, and ever since has been caring for patients and their families while inspiring those fortunate enough to work alongside of her. 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, support from social workers and chaplains, and—of course—volunteers.

Whether they answer phones, work with children’s bereavement groups, or coordinate fundraising events, volunteers are a vital part of Hospice of the Valley and they play a crucial role in helping people on the most difficult journey they will ever have to make. Patient care volunteers visit patients in their homes, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and in the hospital. Depending on the needs of the patient and family, volunteers can provide companionship to patients or respite care for weary caregivers.

Upon completing her training as a volunteer, Sparkman chose to enter the area of patient care. As a former nurse with 40 years of experience working in hospitals and doctors’ offices, she is willing to sped time with patients that many would find difficult to care for, never hesitating to step in and help out in the most demanding of situations. Sparkman has cared for patients with cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, and Lou Gehrig’s disease, sometimes where challenging family circumstances are also present.

While the standard workload for most patient care volunteers is one patient per week, Faye typically visits with to and sometimes even three patients each week. She willingly drives long distances—sometimes over 200 miles in one month—to sit with patients in heartbreaking circumstances either to provide the patient with companionship or the patient caregiver with a brief respite from care giving. Never one to refuse extra assignments, Sparkman is reluctant to take a break from her Hospice work, even to go on vacation.

Sparkman provides tender loving care to her patients, holding hands, brushing hair, applying lotion, and painting fingernails. She brings a smile to the faces of many patients and families as she walks into their homes, even if it is for the very first time. Sparkman takes advantage of her volunteer work to help in her 40-year struggle with clinical depression.

Perry Service Learning Program

In the summer of 2004, a team of teachers and administrators from the Perry Public Schools met to discuss the possibility of offering a service-learning course at the high school. The idea was to create a course that provided students with an opportunity to apply the social studies knowledge that they have learned in hopes of instilling within them the skills necessary for active and effective citizenship. After researching similar programs in Northeast Ohio and determining best practices, teachers were selected, a curriculum was written, and the task of lining up partner agencies began. The results have exceeded all expectations. Not only have students in the program become more aware of the problems facing their community, they have built connections with isolated segments of the community and became agents for change themselves.

The Perry Service Learning (PSL) program began during the fall semester of the 2005-2006 school year. Forty seniors enrolled in the course, which combined a rigorous social issues curriculum with on the job learning to promote social involvement in the community. Students in the PSL program volunteer five hours per week for approved agency, organization, or government office positions. The volunteer experiences enable students to make connections to the topics they study in the classroom. Moreover, an online component of the course requires students to reflect on their service experiences via discussion boards, blogs, and interactive chats with the instructors.

The PSL program provided the surrounding communities of Lake, Geauga, and Cuyahoga counties with over 2,500 hours of volunteer service during the first semester of the 2005-2006 school year. Initially there was some concern that the school would not be able to find enough partner agencies willing to sponsor student volunteers. However, it became apparent to the instructors that there was a genuine need for volunteers when they began lining up partner agencies prior to the school year. Within a few weeks time, 23 organizations enthusiastically jumped on board (many requesting 2-5 students). The ease with which the volunteer opportunities presented themselves inspired the instructors to shoot for doubling the number of students involved in the program next year.

Although the numbers of volunteer hours accumulated and agencies helped are impressive, they tell just a small part of the success of the PSL program. The teachers and administrators involved in organizing the program knew that hands-on service experiences would be meaningful, but few anticipated the life-altering implications of the program.

One student who planned on majoring in fashion merchandising in college, decided that she could better use her talents and skills in the field of nursing after volunteering at Hospice. Another student who wanted to be an engineer because he liked math decided to focus his energies on biomedical engineering after working with children in a special needs school. At least a dozen of the students in the PSL program have made arrangements to continue volunteering with their partner organization after the class ends.

Perhaps more than anything, the PSL program has empowered students to be agents of change in the community. Prior to taking the course many students had a sense of helplessness when discussing problems such a poverty, health care, and education. Through their service experiences, PSL students can better empathize with the victims of these contemporary social issues. Working side-by-side with dedicated individuals leading the fight against social injustice has inspired students to become more active citizens themselves. Hereafter, students who went through the PSL program will no longer shrug off community issues as unsolvable. Instead, the PSL program has provided them with the tools to envision themselves as part of the solution.

Tom Barry

The Decatur Citizens Police Academy Alumni Organization (CPAAA) was formed in 1999. The Alumni’s purpose is to assist the Decatur Police Department (DPD) in various ways that will allow the officers to spend more time on the street patrolling Decatur, making purchased for the officers to increase their safety, and to promote the DPD within the community. Prior to becoming a CPAAA member, each person must successfully complete a 10-week orientation class (one night a week). To date, there have been 13 classes and the Alumni currently have about 50 active members.

One of the most outstanding members is Tom Barry. Barry graduated from the 7th Class and has been an active member ever since. In the last couple of years, he has consistently contributed 50 to 60 hours a month. The CPAAA performs many different tasks under the supervision of the DPD. In SE Decatur, there is a DPD Sub-station located at East Acres. This is where Barry spends most of his time. The Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) is located at this facility.

The Citizen Police Academy (CPA) Program is ongoing today as Barry almost single-handedly structures the classes, schedules instructors, arranges the facility and hosts each of the 10 classes. The handouts for the classes are updated and provided through Barry’s involvement. The DPD did all the above when the classes first started in 1998, but now are available for patrolling as Barry is conducting the weekly sessions.

Barry monitors the Neighborhood Watches in Decatur. The follow up of existing Watches or the developing of new Watches are part of Barry’s contributions. There are areas in Decatur that are very grateful for his caring. Again through Barry’s management of Watches, the DPD are brought in as needed when special instructions or services are required.

A by-product of the Neighborhood Watch is citywide statistics. Posted at the DPD Headquarters are monthly charts detailing the various crimes and identifying the zones in Decatur where the incident took place. Tom extracts the data, makes, and posts the charts. The CPU works closely with the Decatur schools and fingerprinting all the students in one of the CPU’s involvement. Here again, Barry is involved helping coordinate and print. The CPU has a project called S.A.F.E. The purpose is to provide supervised fun and counseling for teens in the East Acre’s area. As time permits, you will also find Barry assisting this worthwhile program.

How do you quantify a person’s contributions to the community who has contributed over 2500 hours with the CPAAA and the CPU? There is no financial reimbursement for all of Barry’s efforts or money to cover travel expenses; however, due to Tom Barry, Decatur is a safer community.

Megan Alonge

Megan Alonge has been a volunteer with Community Blood Centers of South Florida since 2000. She has organized many blood drives over the past 6 years and has spent countless hours working towards brining awareness to the issue of the importance of being a blood donor. Although her volunteer work in the area of blood donation has been her main focus, she has also volunteered with other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life and Race for the Cure.

Alonge has spent countless hours increasing public awareness on the importance of becoming a blood donor. In 2002 she was nominated by the Florida Association of Blood Banks for the Donor Chairperson Award and is currently the coordinator of the “My Blood, Your Blood” program which was developed by America’s Blood Centers. It is her goal to foster a new generation of blood donors through education and understanding of this very important issue.

As a conscience member of the community, Alonge has chosen to make a difference in the world she lives in. Her efforts have not only helped maintain the blood supply locally, but they have also saved lives. In 2001 Alonge held a blood drive for a young boy who was battling cancer. She was able to recruit more than 200 donors, many of which had never donated blood before. Many of those first time donors were so moved by this young boy’s story that they continue to give the gift of life through blood donation. Though Alonge is still very young, she has made a commitment to making a difference in her community and in the lives of so many people who have benefited from her effort.

Sara Froeming

Sara Froeming is affectionately known as “the cookie lady” by the officers of the Appleton Police Department (APD) where she has been a volunteer since 1996. She was the first Northside Cop Shop volunteer, setting a standard of excellence for other volunteers to follow.

She has worn many hats for the Appleton community. While serving as a volunteer with the police department, Froeming has worked the entire week of Police Week annually, manned the gunlock giveaway station, worked in the reception area for the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Conference and created a database for the officers to use. Froeming has also developed their first VIPS newsletter, created crime maps for officers to use, dressed in the “redman” dummy suit for officer training and role-played for the hiring process.

In addition, Froeming spent 33 hours at the APD one week while on vacation. During this time, she created floatation ropes for Officer John DeLong and Capt. Julie Bahr, inserted pictures into the APD history document, put Green Bay Packers card sets together for the officers to give to kids, assisted with recovered stolen property with Det. Dan Woodkey, assisted the Community Engagement office with Christmas Crusade and helped to organize VIP brochure & policy manual. She also manned the Northside Cop Shop reception desk, helped with an open house, assisted with the Young Citizens Police Academy, met with HR on VIP policy manual and assisted with the Senior Safety Fair.

Froeming continues to make community survey calls and updates the Neighborhood Watch database. She also completes monthly calls to the 186 Neighborhood Watch Captains, attends all Neighborhood Watch start up meetings and is the SpeedWatch program road volunteer & communication coordinator. Because of her dedication, vast skills, dependability and her friendship, Froeming was awarded the Civilian Community Service Award on May 7th, 2003, from Mayor Timothy Hanna as approved by the Chief of Police Richard Myers. She was not only the lone volunteer to receive this award, but the only VIPS volunteer to ever be nominated.

Froeming has given the city of Appleton more than 2800 hours of service. This calculates to a taxpayer’s savings of nearly $50,000. She is a self-supporting, 39-year young woman who has fully committed herself to the agency. After working a full day on Mondays, she faithfully comes to the APD to volunteer 4 hours. She does the same on alternating Tuesdays and again, at the Cop Shop on Thursdays. An occasional Sunday at the Cop Shop is not out of the question for her either. As another gift, she prepares special treats to share either at the Cop Shop or at the main station, thus, the moniker “cookie lady.” At least one week, if not more, of her yearly vacation is given to the APD. Despite overcoming multiple surgeries and caring for her parents, Froeming is always ready when duty calls.

Selena Quick

Selena Quick is the BellSouth Pioneer President of the Greater Orlando Area. When she took over as President, she aggressively tripled the volunteer projects in and around her community. She has a passion for helping others and it shows in her every day life. She is actively involved in so many things; it is hard to think that she has a life outside of volunteering. But often, she brings her children in to help, showing them as well, and the benefits of helping others.

Selena touches the lives of so many. Her roll as President of Pioneers enables her to help others less fortunate and she encourages others to do the same. Some of her projects include but are not limited to: THE RUSSEL HOUSE (a home for A-Typical handicapped children) where she visits the children quarterly and recently had materials donated to install phone lines for free; SCHOOL MENTORING PROGRAM: A part of the mentoring program at Evans high School and helping new teachers stay in school through the Signature Project; JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT. (Volunteers with JA as well as fundraising); ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS US MAP PAINTING (where a 20’ x 15’ map of the United States is painted on various elementary school grounds and the children learn the States by playing games on it with teachers); 2nd HARVEST FOOD BANK (this year, she had 10 BellSouth Vans loaded full with canned foods and non perishable items during Save you Christmas Food Drive with Channel 2); DRESS A CHILD (where she organized dressing needy children from head to toe for Christmas presents from parents who could not afford it; SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE: where school items are collected and delivered to Elementary schools in the low income areas; BLOOD DRIVE: She has the blood mobile come out to her office building every quarter for donations; THE BIG RIDE: A project to promote Brain Injury Awareness, where she was able to get the Mayor of Orlando to declare it “The Big Ride Day” in the city of Orlando; and SALVATION ARMY: She organizes hundreds of Christmas Stockings to be filled and Teddy Bears to be dressed for needy children every Christmas.

Quick’s outstanding leadership abilities arm her to be able to help others in her community. Not only has she helped the lives of so many, but she enjoys helping others and never expects anything in return. She really does go above and beyond. She is someone that is so caring and makes such an impact around her.

Traci Ingleright

Traci Ingleright has been actively involved in community service for more than 10 years. She also imparts the joy of giving to others to her 4th and 5th grade students. She is a member of the Morgan County Rescue Squad where she was formerly EMT captain. She works at the Relay for Life, Alabama, jubilee, ballgames, and various other activities as a volunteer. She is also involved in the Environmental Education Association of Alabama, which gave her an award for the best environmental program in Alabama.

Ingleright also trains teachers in Project Wild and Project Learning Tree, which named her Teacher of the Year for designing a science camp for pre-service teachers. She travels and teaches about bats for no charge, and has taken groups of students to the University of Florida to the Bat Institute to study the habits of fruit bats in South America. Ingleright’s major thrust in the area of volunteerism comes in the form of the initiation of FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS. This is an ongoing project, which she established three years ago and plans to continue year to year.

Ingleright is the founder of the program, FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS, which she heads yearly, along with the help of her students. They establish needs in the community by talking with firemen, the fire chief, and volunteer agencies. Ideas come from the children that Ingleright then makes happen. For example, a need was expressed about many homes in the area with no smoke detectors. The children thought that they would like to provide these people with these devices, which might save their lives. Every child in the Decatur City Schools was given a survey to determine whether a smoke detector was needed at their residence. Traci met with Home Depot who donated some and gave them the rest at cost to place into homes of people who needed them. Since resources were limited, Traci found ways to overcome that problem by asking for donations from others. Approximately 300 homes were outfitted with detectors based on the efforts of Ingleright and her students.

In addition to the 300 smoke detectors that were provided, Ingleright and the kids painted house numbers around an entire block which had no numbers on the curb. They did this after school and on the weekends. They also determined at another time that fire extinguishers were needed in homes, and have been able to fund 48 of those at this time.

The children have brought candy to give to the firefighters for them to take to neighborhoods and distribute at Halloween, they send them birthday cards, and they have worked together to provide packages for the homeless, including towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste and personal items for their use. All of these activities are wonderful, in and of themselves, but as much as anything is the impact it makes on the children, who will become volunteers in their adult lives and will contribute to the community in which they live and perhaps and even larger portion of the world’s population. This is as a result of Traci Ingleright.

Conard Fowkes

In the language of the theater, an angel is a person who comes up with the money to stage a production. Conard Fowkes, who runs the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for the Actor’s Equity Association in New York City, is an angel in a related sense. He saves money and time for his clients by helping them prepare their tax returns for no charge, thereby freeing them to pursue theater opportunities.

As a matter of face, the VITA program at Actor’s Equity has been Broadway’s longest running show. Forget about “Cats” and “A Chorus Line!” VITA has been playing to sold-out audiences for the past twenty-eight years and has garnered nothing but rave reviews.

Fowkes says that it is a common perception that actors make a lot of money, but the truth is that his constituents are unemployed at some time of the year. And while they many not make a lot of money, they can have complicated tax returns depending upon where they worked during the year. Sometimes they can have a federal tax return with numerous state returns attached. All of this is done with a smile at no charge.

He supervises thirty volunteers who prepare federal, state and city returns for every jurisdiction. During the 2005 filing season, the volunteers at Actor’s Equity helped 1800 actors ad actresses prepare 4500 federal, state and city returns. Some of their former clients included a two time Oscar Winner, a two time Emmy award winner, and a Screen Actors Guild nominee. A few years ago, a Golden Globe award winner was one of their volunteers.

Fowkes has been training his members on tax law for the past twenty-eight years and has even taken time from his own busy schedule to teach volunteers from a local college. He is a dedicated volunteer who derives satisfaction from helping his fellow actors. It is his very own standing ovation.

Challenge Enterprises of North Florida

Challenge Enterprises of North Florida has for the past 32 years assisted individuals with disabilities and their families. From birth through adulthood, this 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is committed to its mission of assisting individuals with disabilities wherever they may be, and to its philosophy of a Social Entrepreneurial approach to support individuals seeking guidance. This approach has made it possible for the agency to self-generate 81% of its funding through service contracts with federal, state and city government, and private industry. Challenge Enterprises of North Florida serves Clay, Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Putnam and Baker County residents of Florida, and 2002 added the Brunswick, Georgia area. In 2004, 731 children and adults were served in a variety of programs and employment opportunities.

The Clay County Chamber of Commerce named Challenge Enterprises of North Florida 2004 Industry of the Year for Business Services. Challenged Enterprises of North Florida was recognized for substantial growth during the past five years, increasing the annual wages by 170%, the number of employees by 150%, and the annual revenue by over 140%. Challenge Enterprises of North Florida’s innovative training program was recognized for providing task analysis to fit individuals with job requirements which enables the individuals with severe disabilities to become more self-sufficient, productive locations through the area: NAS Jacksonville commissary, Mayport Naval Shipyard Commissary, NAS Jax NAVAIR, Federal Courthouse (Jax) IRS Mailroom (Jax), FLECT in Brunswick, GA, Iluka Resources (Australian mining company), Village Mall, and soon the new Charles E. Bennett Building (Jax).

Challenge Enterprises of North Florida and its 115 partners provide assistance from birth through adulthood; 13 governmental agencies, 16 production partners, 22 social /fraternal religious organizations, 13 educational institutions, 41 commercial/business/ professionals, 4 foundations, and 6 construction professionals. All these partnerships help children say their first words, take their first steps, and read their first book at their preschool center. Families receive caring support from trained staff, therapists, and counselors. Adults begin the rest of their lives in supportive settings where they learn to accept new responsibilities, earn their first paycheck, proudly wear a work uniform, clock in and out, experience their first community job, and even purchase a house. They participate in religious and social organizations and become valued members of their community.

The Bohn Family

The Bohn Family (Scott, Darci, Zachary, Hannah & Adam) has been involved with The Arc, Upper Valley since their youngest member, Adam, was born with Down syndrome three years ago. The Arc provided them with information and support and they soon become strong advocates for the organization.

In 2004, Scott and Darci were strong supporters of the 3rd Annual Buddy Walk, serving on the planning committee and securing corporate sponsorship, distributing pledge packets and soliciting door prizes from local businesses. They also opened their home and hearts to the media and gave radio, television and newspaper interviews to promote the event and help raise awareness about the abilities of people with Down syndrome.

The event was embraced by the community, and more than 250 people with disabilities, their families, friends and co-workers participated in the walk on October 3, 2004 at the Grand Cities Mall. In a tremendous show of support, Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown led the walk with the Bohn Family. Adam’s siblings, Zachary and Hannah, volunteered to distribute promotional items during the event and were featured in a front-page story in the Grand Forks Herald.

The Buddy Walk raised a record $4,000 in 2004. While it is easy to tally the financial success of an event, it is not always easy to measure the benefits in terms of humanity. But if the reaction of the public is any indication, it was a tremendous success. Because of the media exposure, the Bohn Family received many supportive phone calls from throughout the community. One of Scott Bohn’s former teachers called to say how proud he was of the way Scott and Darci were working to make the public aware of the potential for people with Down syndrome. He concluded by telling Scott that he looked forward to the day that little Adam would be a student in his classroom.

The Arc, Upper Valley also received numerous calls from people who were moved by the Bohn Family’s spirit. Many were interested in volunteering with The Arc or providing support through membership and donations. One memorable call was from the mother of one of Zachary’s classmates. Her daughter had seen the newspaper article and urged her mother to get involved. Darci Bohn continues to serve on the Buddy Walk committee, which uses the money raised to develop seminars and finance educational opportunities for people with Down syndrome and their families.

Like many sibling of people with disabilities, Zachary and Hannah show increased maturity and a concern for their brother’s future. Because of their experience having a brother with Down syndrome, they have both expressed interest in someday pursuing a career working with people with disabilities. They continue to participate in “Sibshops,” a program that offers peer support to siblings of people with disabilities. The willingness of the Bohn Family to speak out about their experience has gone a long way toward helping The Arc, Upper Valley break down stereotypes and accomplish its mission of educating the public about the potential of people with Down syndrome.