TRICIA GLORIOSO

Generation after generation of Tricia Glorioso’s ancestors have left for her a legacy of quiet determination, work ethic, and the recognition that there is stewardship in one’s ability and opportunity to help others. In 1942, Glorioso’s grandfather Salvatore Glorioso volunteered as a conscientious objector in the U.S. army. As a field medic, private Glorioso saved many lives and was awarded the Bronze Star as he was critically wounded in battle. In 1952 Salvatore and Lila Mae Glorioso’s 4th child, Robert, was born and had contracted Polio. Thus began an opportunity to volunteer for a new cause.

Salvatore spent many years of his life fighting the effects of Polio on children through the Pennsylvania (PA) Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children and to work for an end to Polio in the world through Rotary International. His wife Lila Mae lead the local Mothers March of Dimes and volunteered to help in their son Roberts rehabilitation. In 1975 at age 52 Lila Mae was diagnosed with final stage colon cancer and spent her last 2 years of life volunteering to instruct nursing students at Mary Hardin-Baylor College, Belton, TX, on the perspective of a dying patient toward health care.

Robert’s service activities include being a camper at Easter Seal Society camps for crippled children when he was 7,8, and 9 years old. He then at age 15, spent a summer as a volunteer camp counselor for another crippled children’s camp. His disability was often on par or more severe than that of his charges. As an adult, Robert dedicates much of his time as a volunteer advocate of recreation for the disabled through golf.

Service has been instilled in the lives of the Glorioso children. Robert’s daughter, Tricia Glorioso has been volunteering since age 13. Tricia volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters (school sponsored), is a pier mediator at school, and with Rock Da Vote 2004. Tricia has also stepped up to help Tsunami victims, prepare baskets for soldiers, help for local flood victims, and being an integral part of her area’s earth day clean-up. Tricia is also a small group leader at her church, a part of the greeters ministry, and the back to school angels ministry.

However, Tricia’s most profound volunteering accomplishment this year follows in the family footsteps of helping the disabled. Tricia initiated, developed, sponsored, and hosted a disabled students golf outing for children who attend her middle school, West Allegheny Middle School, Imperial, PA. Disabled students participated in the basics of golf and a “miniature golf tournament.” Every participant received a trophy and certificate of excellence. At the heart of this project was Tricia’s desire to help create an environment for the participants to feel the joy one gets from succeeding. Tricia believes everyone deserves to know the feeling of being accepted and the feeling of being a winner; that trophy may be the only one they will ever receive. In 2005 Tricia won a regional essay contest and her school was awarded a $250 cash prize. She has requested these funds go toward the school creating an outing for next year’s students so they can have a joyful experience to look forward to in 2006.

NATHAN ADELSON HOSPICE

When thinking of family volunteer opportunities, a hospice does not immediately come to mind. Nathan Adelson Hospice (NAH) defies that limited thought process on two levels. First, it is a nonprofit treating end-of-life issues and actively encouraging family volunteer participation. Second, this is accomplished in Las Vegas, Nevada, a city most do not associate with family values.

NAH was founded by a family and has always promoted a familial concept. The opportunities for family volunteers are as diverse as the city’s population. Hospice patients represent all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, and histories. Volunteers can choose to be with patients in their homes (which may be a nursing home) or the two inpatient facilities. For those who choose to give their time in non-patient related ways, clerical duties and the thrift store provide the chance to help keep down operating costs and thereby increase the funds available for direct patient care.

Twenty families share their commitment to community with NAH. The youngest is an elementary schooler who comes to hospice every week with her harpist mother, who provides musical diversion to the patients. The oldest is an 85-year-old grandmother, who volunteers with her 13-year-old grandson in the inpatient unit and nursing homes. Married couples, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren, parents and children make up the traditional family teams. NAH also expands the family definition to include over thirty pet therapy volunteers. These families consist of the trained volunteer and his or her certified dog. They visit patients and provide canine companionship. Many patients who do not respond to human visits will brighten at the sight and touch of a friendly dog.

Volunteers sign an annual commitment pledging three to six hours a week of their time. Some choose to do this by taking a patient out to eat and shop. Some take their children to the thrift store to help stock shelves. Grandchildren help with clerical tasks while grandparents visit inpatients. Families have helped build storage sheds, organize an elderly patient’s belongings, rock and walk babies in the inpatient unit, and help patients write memory journals.

The 25-year-old volunteer program at NAH officially added family volunteers five years ago, to provide added support to the dying and their families. Their presence is an assurance that the patients are not alone in the final stages of life’s journey. There are those who would wager that a hospice in Las Vegas is not a place for families to spend their volunteer time; however, that is a bet they would lose.

KAYE FRATACCIA

Kaye Frataccia is a Spanish teacher at Ben Franklin Middle School in Valparaiso, Indiana and has been an active volunteer in the community for the past 20 years. Whenever there is a project in the community that needs leadership and direction, Frataccia is called upon, and always answers with an enthusiastic yes!

Her involvement with youth presently includes sponsoring the Ben Franklin Builders Club where she has spearheaded youth volunteerism for the Opportunity Enterprises Pack-a-thon team for the past 3 years, an animal shelter drive for food and supplies, and annual leaf raking for elderly/disabled for the past 4 years. Frataccia has also been involved in fundraising to buy food for the Food Pantries and student shopping and delivery of food to the Food Pantries, recycling of printer cartridges and pop tabs at Ben Franklin School, and Ophelia Project Mentor/Facilitator to decrease relational aggression in the Middle Schools. In addition, she is a recipient of Character Education Grant to further Service Learning at Ben Franklin and Frataccia is currently developing a collaborative “Back to School” project with the Builders Club, VHS Key Club, and Delta Kappa Gamma sorority to prepare backpacks filled with school supplies for needy children in Valparaiso.

Frataccia currently serves on the United Way of Porter County Board as well as the United Way Executive Board. She and her husband, Ric Frataccia, have been named as next year’s United Way Campaign Chairs. She is the past chair of the Volunteer Development Committee, which acts as the board for The Volunteer Center and is internal to The United Way. She worked to facilitate Kaitlyn Cook’s placement as the first youth board member on the United Way of Porter County Board of Directors.

Frataccia is also a Tri Kappa member and has chaired the Taste of Valparaiso and the Tri Kappa Children’s Program. She was the Greater Valparaiso Volunteer Center President prior to the merger with the United Way of Porter County and the Peace Village Community Day organizer. Frataccia is well known in her community and lives service daily. The aforementioned information is just a sampling of Frataccia’s “gift” to the community of her time and talents.

THE VOLUNTEER FAMILY, INC.

The Volunteer Family (TVF) is a startup nonprofit, founded in May 2003, to assist Boston area organizations address a growing need for volunteer assistance through family volunteering. Their mission is to encourage, facilitate, coordinate, and support family volunteering activities in order to strengthen family values, while simultaneously helping local nonprofit agencies achieve their respective goals of serving our community’s most needy and indigent neighbors.

The volunteer activities differ based on the interests and age of the family members, and are as numerous and varied as the families themselves. TVF has compiled a list of existing organizations, helped them develop new and innovative projects, and brought them enthusiastic volunteers who want to help others while discovering and developing the spirit of charity in their own children.

TVF has received an incredibly positive response, both from organizations who need volunteers as well as parents who want to volunteer with their children. Their focus centers on organizations that serve underserved populations and disadvantaged communities. There are countless ways families can contribute to these organizations, in categories such as understanding the poor, the elderly, the handicapped, animals, education, and the environment. Examples include a mother and her newborn educating a pregnant teenager about baby care, a father and his son coaching an inner-city sports team, or a grandmother and her granddaughter bringing homemade get-well cards to hospital patients.

Children benefit by family volunteering, as the experience helps them feel valued, acquire new skills, understand anti-materialism, build an appreciation for other family members and strengthen familial bonds. In a volunteer setting, children have the opportunity to see their parents as role models for proactive social behavior, while developing their own talents and building an orientation towards helping others that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

As a parent, unless you know exactly whom to contact, it is currently extremely difficult to find a volunteer opportunity that you can do with your children. Without an easy, organized, coordinated system, adults are not only missing a chance to grow with their children, teach important values, and share the experience of helping others, but many local organizations are failing to recruit an entire sector of valuable volunteer assistance.

TVF addresses this need through two goals. The first goal of The Volunteer Family is to recruit and retain more volunteers for nonprofit organizations. The second goal of The Volunteer Family is to promote, encourage, and expand family volunteering to strengthen relationships among family members. Since its inception just over two and a half years ago, TVF has addressed the need for family volunteering in the Greater Boston area. They have become a complete, personalized resource for families interested in volunteering.

YASMIN ASSAR

Yasmin Assar launched a very special program as a result of a family tragedy. Yasmin’s grandfather went to the doctor’s to receive surgery; however, due to the physician’s error surgery was performed on the wrong eye. Because of this, Yasmin’s grandfather lost all sight in one of his eyes. Yasmin created her “Gift of Sight” project when she found out what had happened to her grandfather. After her family helped her grandfather heal, Yasmin became more thoughtful about eyesight. She wears glasses and wanted to find a way to help others in the area of vision.

Yasmin began her quest with research. This led her to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse for the Blind. She wanted to make a difference in the community and found the mission of the Lighthouse is to foster sight conservation and restoration and hearing conservation, with a particular emphasis on youth. Yasmin felt like this would be a perfect place to start, so she contacted The North Decatur Lions Club. After various phone calls and discussions regarding her project, she was introduced to Ms. Goldenburg, past President of North Decatur Lions Club. Yasmin was soon provided with a letter introducing as well as authorizing her to collect used eyeglasses for the Georgia Lions Lighthouse for the Blind. In collaboration with them she launched Gift of Sight Project in July of 2004, where she acts as a Project Manager. Yasmin designed flyers and collection boxes to be distributed to the neighborhood and also contacted numerous banks, law firms, Lasik Surgeons, and eye doctors for their support.

Gifts of Sight collects old, used, discarded, broken eyeglasses and frames. Once collected, they are sorted, logged and donated to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation for further distribution worldwide by their members. Badly scratched glasses or broken frames are recycled for their metal content and the money is used for sight services. Of course, eyes are checked and proper prescription written by their staff before donating.

Yasmin is thinking of long-term goals for Gifts of Sight. Her vision is to collect 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses before her high school years are over, and because this project can make a change in so many lives; she may never stop her collection efforts. To date, Yasmin she has collected in excess of 2,000 pairs of glasses. While she may never meet all the donors or recipients, simply knowing that this project is changing peoples’ lives gives her a sense of immense joy.

Yasmin has also approached her church Youth Council for the youth to join hands and be active participants in Gifts of Sight. If this is approved, it is then possible that the project become either a Southeast Regional or a National Project within the Church Youth Council. In addition, Yasmin made a presentation to her school Volunteer Officers to garner more support for Gifts of Sight. As a result of her efforts the school published her story in their Pantera – November 2005 issue.

LYNNE CHRISTIANO

Lynne Christiano demonstrates the heart and passion of a community volunteer. She has never been one to shy away from hard work and responsibility; however, Christiano has a special commitment to helping make life better for the women and children in her community.

Christiano is one of the founding members of 100 Women Strong and a long-time co-chair of the Steering Committee. She was also one of four key volunteers involved with the re-organization effort in 2002-2003 to ensure the survival of 100 Women Strong, as it continues its mission to assist women in Berrien County.

In addition to her volunteer service to 100 Women Strong, Christiano is also an active member of many other nonprofit organizations. She has been on the Board of Directors of the Readiness Center since 1995, the WCA for 6 years, two terms as President, and a member of the Women’s Service League since 1992, where she served as President for two terms and Treasurer for two terms. Christiano has been an active Board Member for the Krasl Art Center and a member of the Center’s Fair Core Committee. She serves with the United Way Day of Caring, American Heart Association, Twin City Players and the Harbor Habitat for Humanity, where she served as Family Advocate for Jimmy Carter Work Project in 2005.

Through Hospice at Home, Christiano has been trained as a Grief Facilitator, and she volunteers at Lory’s Place. There, she works with youth who have suffered the loss of a significant person in their life. Christiano has also recently joined the Foster Care Review Board for Berrien and Cass Counties.

Service is a lifestyle for Christiano. The staff members of the various nonprofits she works with look at her service as an integral part of their organization. Her volunteering allows them to free up other resources for additional projects. Christiano is admired by those she works with because of her dedication, organization skills and compassionate attitude. As a result of her extraordinary community service, Christiano has been nominated for numerous awards and was chosen as the 2005 Margaret B. Upton Volunteer of the Year award for Berrien County Michigan.

AMERICAN EXPRESS EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE

The American Express Employee Volunteer Committee (EVC), established in 1992, is comprised of 20 employees/retirees from 12 American Express sites. EVC members manage valley-wide volunteer events and meet monthly. Each member promotes volunteerism at his or her work site. In 2004, more than 2822 employees participated in team events contributing 14,415 hours to make positive change in their communities. In addition an even larger percentage of employees participated in company-wide drives resulting in nearly 275,782 items. The in-kind value of these donations totaled $387,500.

More than 100 members of the leadership team hold positions on nonprofit boards throughout the valley. Through these volunteer efforts, American Express has developed many relationships with nonprofits, schools, arts organizations and other corporations.

At the Salvation Army, American Express employees have been instrumental in support of community programs providing over 25 percent of the total number of volunteer teams throughout the year. Week after week, American Express teams bring their time, talent, resources and generous hearts to strengthen the neediest individuals and families in this community. These teams complete landscaping, painting, gardens and wall murals as well as hosting special events for youth, families and low-income seniors. The Salvation Army has also benefited by their generosity with two complete computer labs that offer educational opportunities to children and adults. Additionally between November and December, hundreds of American Express volunteers donate their time to the Christmas Angel program, a program that put smiles on in excess of 50,000 children’s faces in December 2004. This program is the largest in the country.

American Express employees continue to ask the question,” How can we help?” With the vast expertise of employees and the many community relationships that have been built, resources are endless. Whether it is equipment or supplies for work projects, food for families, clothing hygiene or baby items or the special knowledge and skills required to complete a computer lab, team members continue to meet the needs of this community making it stronger.

American Express continues to go “above and beyond” in their dedication to improving our community and making positive change for families in need. Strong partnerships have been developed with The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, West Valley Child Crisis Center, Valle de Sol, Westside Food Bank, Sojourner Center, the Corporate Volunteer Council and many more. American Express has developed a web-based customer service-training program in both Spanish and English for Northern Arizona University and Restaurant Management School.

Within these partnerships, the impact has been far reaching. American Express supports all partnerships by providing board leadership to help achieve their missions and the volunteers to help solve community issues. Many of these services would not have as far-reaching affects without the support of American Express.

LENNIE GARRETT

Grandma Lennie Garrett is an amazing and loving individual who has volunteered twenty hours a week at Marion Anderson Elementary School, a title 1 school in the Sacramento Unified School District for the past 15 years. Her primary goals are to tutor and mentor second and third grade students in reading/English who have special needs. She helps these students in their academics but also teaches them to “learn to love to learn”. Garrett volunteers in a quadrant area where the classes that send student to her who are low/marginal achievers.

The students are having academic difficulties for many reasons. Some come from single parent households that may not encourage educational success; families where both parents work and may not have time/energy to assist with schoolwork; families who are very poor and may struggle to survive and therefore school is not a priority; and then among other things, families who may not speak English and cannot help with schoolwork.

Garrett ‘s overall impact is significant to the children, school, Foster Grandparent Program and the community. The children she works with look forward to seeing her. She works well one to one with students giving them the individual attention, which makes each child feel special resulting in improvement in reading and math skills. She works to enrich fluency reading and comprehension with children not meeting grade level standards. Garrett is instrumental in promoting phonics, sound segmentation, blending, and ensuring that students apply these skills when practicing their fluency reading for first, second and third grade.

Garret goes above and beyond by editing homework with students who have no one at home to help him or her. She also retests students and by her example serves as an exemplary role model for the children. With her calm and loving demeanor, she is able to manage student’s behavior in order to help them learn.

One of the main sources for recruitment for the Foster Grandparent Program is word of mouth. Garrett was one of the original Foster Grandparents at Marion Anderson Elementary School and at times they have had as many as 15 Foster Grandparents at that site and many of them through her direct or indirect efforts. Garrett, along with the teachers and staff provide an excellent learning environment.

Garrett embodies a servant in her daily life and recently received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteering more than 4,000 hours in a lifetime. She was honored by that recognition; however, she is most moved when fifth and sixth graders come across the campus and thank her for what she did for them. Their testimonies of success encourage her to continue on in her mission and add to her 15,000 hours of service.

JWB AND THE WEALTH BUILDING COALITION OF PINELLAS COUNTY

The Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) of Pinellas County, Florida supports the healthy development of all children and their families in the county through advocacy research, planning, training, communicating, coordinating of resources and funding. The organization has conducted Earned Income Credit (EIC) outreach since 1989. In each of the last several years, JWB sent tax credit information to more than 7,200 chambers of commerce, human services agencies, schools and others. The organization also targeted businesses employing low-wage workers, including motels, hotels and restaurants. EIC and Child Tax Credit outreach materials were sent home with 43,000 children who attended day care facilities and were included in more than 135,000 bills sent to water customers in several municipalities. In formation in Spanish, Bosnian and several Asian languages was made available to groups serving people who speak English as a second language.

Since 2002, JWB has collaborated with the Wealth Building Coalition of Pinellas County, which recently expanded to cover the entire Tampa Bay are, to offer and promote free tax preparation services. This regional effort, renamed the Prosperity Campaign of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, has utilized both the staff and computer resources of several JWB funded Neighborhood Family Centers. These sites, which have only operated through the efforts of over 100 volunteers, have helped several thousand individuals claim the tax benefits to which they are entitled at no cost. By voluntarily extending its efforts beyond its usual functions and roles, the Juvenile Welfare Board has served as both the catalyst and foundation for a coalition of organizations and individuals that are directly impacting the lives of those most in need of assistance.

SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL BLACK NURSES ASSOCIATION, INC.

The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) is a professional organization representing more than 150,000 African-American nurses throughout the United States. The membership consists of Registered Nurses, Advanced Practice Registered (nurse practitioners) Nurses, Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurses and Nursing Students.

NBNA was founded in 1971 by Dr. Lauranne Sams and several African-American nurses in attendance at the American Nurses Association in 1970. The organization was in response to growing inequities in health care for African-Americans and the lack of voice from the African-American nurses on these issues. NBNA’s mission is to provide a forum for collective action by African-American nurses to investigate, define and advocate for the health care needs of African-Americans. In addition, strategies are implemented that ensure access to health care equal to or above health care standards of the larger society.

Affiliate chapters of NBNA are the primary mechanism through which the national, state and local community-based programs successfully operate. NBNA has 77 chapters throughout the United States.

The Southern Connecticut Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, Inc. was founded in 1990 by Anita Smalls and co-founders Jacqueline Johnson, Melanese Kotey, and Stephanie Wilborne. The Southern Connecticut Black Nurses Association, Inc. (SCBNA), since its inception has been guided by the NBNA principle that African-American nurses have the understanding, knowledge, interest, concern and the expertise to make a significant difference in the health care status of African-American and minority communities. Thus, SCBNA/NBNA’s goal of improving the health of African-Americans through the provision of culturally competent, community-based programs has been the cornerstone of the organization and continues to be its driving force into the new millennium.