SACHEM EAST HIGH SCHOOL

The volunteer-interact center at Sachem East High School is deeply involved in the community. Just this past fall, Sachem students participated in the Walk for Beauty in an effort to help fight breast cancer. During the winter months, they put together Blizzard Bags in memory of Katie Ann Fuller, who was a Sachem student killed in a car accident last January. The purpose of the blizzard bags is to help out the senior citizens in our community by making food readily available for them in case of inclement weather. Sachem also has made strong connections with the elderly. Aside from delivering blizzard bags, many volunteers from Sachem East rake lawns for those who are unable to.

Many activities of the volunteer-interact club must be ongoing such as scholarship fundraisers in which students plan and participate in activities to raise money for scholarships. Some recent examples of the fundraisers are bowling for Katie Fuller and Mini Golf to Support Matthew Perfetti scholarship. When a new student comes to Sachem East, a member of the club escorts the new student around the school so that they become familiar with their new atmosphere. Other activities include the prom gown boutique (students bring in old dresses from past events and they’re donated to make new prom gowns for those who cannot afford it), and involvement in helping the friends of Ryan (Ryan is a Sachem East student with a rare form of Ewing’s Sarcoma). Students also have hosted a gourmet omelet day, and Ryan Schakne night in which the Boys Varsity Basketball team played a game in honor of Ryan and raffle tickets were sold.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

KELLY B. HAWKINS

Kelly Hawkins is an extraordinary young woman – a leader in the fight against child abuse in Alabama. At the age of 23, she has already co-authored a piece of legislation, Act 2003-272, and has seen it through the legislative process. This act was signed into law on June 18, 2003 by Gov. Bob Riley and later named the “Kelly B. Hawkins Child Abuse Prevention Act.” This law amended Alabama’s mandatory child abuse reporting law to include clergy. Miss Hawkins is working with federal legislators to take this act to a national level. She is also working with Alabama state representatives to determine a method of funding an act similar to Florida’s recently passed “Jessie’s Law” making it easier to track convicted sex offenders after they are released from prison.

Miss Hawkins has gone beyond her legislative pursuits to help Alabama’s children on a more personal level. Along with her mother, she raised over $75,000 to fund the Pike County Child Advocacy Center and was able to participate in its grand opening on May 16, 2005. Earlier this year, Kelly went through the appropriate training and has been named a Jefferson County Court Appointed Special Advocate. In a recent update on her website, Kelly says, “By far, the most gratifying aspect of my platform work has been my work with the CASA program. Through CASA I have the opportunity to be an advocate for abused children in the courtroom. It has been fulfilling because of the children I get to work with. Most of these children have experienced more pain in their few years of life than I will in a lifetime. But yet, they are the reason I do what I do.”

Kelly has spoken to local organizations about the plight of child abuse victims; most recently at a May 11, 2005 volunteer appreciation lunch for the Parents and Children Together Family Resource Center. On April 4, 2005, Kelly was a speaker and entertainer for the Etowah County, Alabama Candlelight Vigil for victims of child abuse.

Miss Hawkins has chosen to make child abuse prevention her life’s work and will begin law school at Regent Law School in Virginia this fall. Her passion for child abuse victims has led her to this vocation.

Kelly B. Hawkins has made a difference in the lives of abused children. She continues to be a role model to other young people as she fights to make a difference in the world around her. Her work in the area of Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention has shown her sense of caring and responsibility for those unable to speak for themselves – the abused children of Alabama. Kelly’s work is helping build a stronger Alabama.

LAS VEGAS WEST ROTARY

For nine years, Las Vegas West Rotary has partnered with Twin Lakes Elementary School through the Focus School Project. During this time, LV West Rotary has worked tirelessly to meet the needs of our students, staff and community. Twin Lakes is located in a lower socio-economic area where over 75 percent of its English language speaking population is considered in poverty.

Students and their parents face many hardships associated with poverty and depend highly on the school for support in meeting some very basic needs. The Las Vegas West Rotary has always been there for the students – from winter coats for students that otherwise would have to go without; shoes through the Happy Feet program; grants for teachers to implement new programs in their classrooms; and monetary gifts which have allowed the school to purchase much needed equipment.

They are always on hand to help with anything the school needs. One of the most important contributions has been the human resources to provide quality time for many of our students. Every year, volunteers from the LV West Rotary come for an hour a week to read with students on a one to one basis.

With many of our students and parents being second language learners, it is difficult for them to read at home to an adult that can help with pronunciation and comprehension. The reading mentors are always here to help close the literacy gap for students. While working with the mentors, the students also learn to socially relate to others in a positive and respectful way.

The difference for many of these students becomes apparent to teachers and parents as the students’ reading skills increase more rapidly from the extra practice. Most of the readers return year after year, and students always ask about the person they read with, having formed a positive relationship of trust and acceptance. The LV West Rotary is a true asset to the school, the community, and the Clark County School District.

PAUL SEDOR

Paul has made outstanding volunteer contributions to Milledgeville through Pi Kappa Phi. He has held many leadership positions within his fraternity such as philanthropy chair, the Push chair, social chair, as well as two other executive roles, the secretary and the position of the chaplain. Paul has worked with The GIVE Center as a liaison to other groups that have done community service and volunteering. He was the team captain for Relay for Life for two years for different teams.

Paul has helped his fraternity to understand the importance for PUSH America, their national philanthropy as well as community service as a whole. This past summer, Paul decided to participate in Journey of Hope with Push America and he raised over $5000 (he was only required to raise $2500). He also participated in “Give a Push” weekends and encourages his fraternity brothers to get involved with this service endeavor. He planned an entire week of events, called No Boundaries, to educate the campus and community about serving people with disabilities. This week featured speakers, fundraising, advocacy, movies, and adaptive recreational sports. Paul wrote a grant for $1,000 to cover the cost of the first No Boundaries Week, and was very successful in getting the funding.

To ensure that this type of programming continues on campus he decided to start the No Boundaries Club which is now an official, registered student organization. One goal for the No Boundaries Club was to purchase a set of Kids on the Block puppets, which are puppets that have disabilities (they cost $10,000). Working with others at the university, Paul submitted a proposal and was awarded a grant for $9,999 from the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. He is determined to have this program on our campus and make it a success. With his determination this program will be functional by the fall semester.

Paul has a great way of working with students and individuals. He is a well respected young man among his peers along with the university staff. Not only does Paul work well with others but he also holds other leadership positions outside his fraternity. Paul has been the student coordinator for campus blood drives for the last three years. Since he has taken on this leadership position, there has been a dramatic increase in the participation on campus. Last year, CG&SU received the gold award for having collected the most blood at the university setting within a given region.

Paul is a staff member in our community service office and it is amazing what an asset he is to our office. He currently gets paid for 10 hours a week of working in The GIVE Center; however he is in the office about 30-40 hours a week volunteering his time over the 10 hours he gets paid. Paul has decided he would rather give his time to volunteer and broaden his leadership skills and horizon than to get a paying job.

He has also recently won the National Presidential Volunteer Service Award. His fraternity has recently received the National Presidential Service Award as well. Pi Kappa Phi was able to receive this award mainly by the volunteer hours that Paul had completed as well as encouraging his brothers to participate in the “Give a Push Weekends.”

STEVE STROHSCHEIN

When child protection workers remove abused and neglected children from their homes, they are placed into foster care to keep them safe. For many children, this temporary solution continues for years while the child has no stability and no permanent family.

In the early 1990’s, Baton Rouge attorney Steve Strohschein learned that the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program helps these children reach safe and permanent homes. Steve quickly decided to get involved with CASA in his community – only to learn that there was no local CASA. Undaunted, Steve started organizing community members to discuss the need for such a program. After securing start-up funding, he coordinated the organization’s 501c3 status. Capital Area CASA Association opened in 2002 with Steve as chair of its Board of Directors. Under two terms of his careful guidance, the program took root and flourished.

Confident that Capital Area CASA Association was self-sufficient, Steve realized his goal of becoming a CASA volunteer in 1996. Caseworkers, therapists and teachers may change during a child’s stay in foster care, so the CASA volunteer is often the one consistent adult in the child’s life. Though the CASA volunteer commitment is one year, Steve served six years on one case and two years on a second case.

On his first case, Steve advocated strongly for the needs of his three CASA children. Steve never let them down, staying involved until they were adopted or reached adulthood. Meanwhile, he and his wife chaired the agency’s 1998 fundraiser, which tripled in revenue from previous years. After serving on the Board of Directors again, Steve took yet another CASA case. His current CASA child is Tom, (not his real name) a 14-year-old boy from another country who does not speak English. Deaf due to ear damage from bombings in his home country, Tom was abandoned in Baton Rouge and had suffered emotional and physical abuse. Steve works to ensure Tom’s needs are met and continues to be a powerful voice for him. Tom has made solid progress with foster parents who have experience working with deaf children.

Steve is an outstanding example of what it means to be truly committed to children. Upon learning there was no CASA program locally, it would have been easy for a successful attorney and dedicated family man to put aside a wish to become a child advocate. Thankfully, Steve stepped up to provide the leadership to make CASA a reality.

As a result of Steve’s efforts, more than 600 volunteers have spoken up for more than 1,000 children since 1992. In East Baton Rouge Parish, a foster child spends an average of five years in the state’s custody. With CASA involvement, this is reduced to two years. Because Capital Area CASA Association exists, local children are reaching safe, permanent homes more quickly. Steve has clearly been a positive force for abused and neglected children.

TANISHA SMITH

Tanisha reported for duty as scheduled without tardiness or absence. She displayed a strong sense of duty where punctuality was concerned and served as an example to follow for Mental Health Service employees. Tanisha does not believe in idle time or unfinished projects and managed her own time as well as that of others to the best possible advantage. She was very talented, extremely reliable and dependable, had a very good sense of organization, and was consistent in carrying out her tasks in a fine manner. Tanisha established a sterling reputation for dependability due to the work she produced being correct, timely, and appropriate for the task in every instance.

Tanisha willingly accepts responsibility with grace, courtesy, and a smile. She is a tireless self-starter whose work is marked by accuracy, integrity, and thoroughness. She takes a great deal of pride in the quality of the work she produces, honestly answers questions about her work, and fully accepts responsibility for her actions. Tanisha is very resourceful, focused and dedicated when accomplishing her tasks and easily adapts to changes in policy, procedure, or assigned workload. She is very adept and successful at juggling multiple tasks simultaneously and was a very solid performer in our Service.

Tanisha possesses a cooperative, friendly spirit and is very pleasant and courteous to all she encounters. She is by nature a quiet person who displays a warm sincerity through her words, actions, and body language that immediately puts others at ease — which is extremely important in fostering relaxed interactions with patients in the Mental Health Department. Tanisha’s positive demeanor elicits trust and respect in dealings with patients, visitors, and staff. She collaborates and works very well with others at all levels in the Mental Health Service and in the Medical Center. She maintains an exceptionally positive attitude and is genuinely a very pleasant person to be around. Tanisha makes others feel good about themselves and patients especially enjoy her company.

Tanisha works very well with others in a cohesive, unified teamwork kind of way. She is motivated, focused, and does whatever it takes to accomplish her tasks in a highly acceptable manner. Tanisha is organized, welcomes change and new ideas, respects others, communicates clearly, is well balanced and well rounded, follows a strong code of ethics and values and encourages others to do the same, and seeks out challenges. She is, and will continue to be a role model for others to follow because she possesses the professional competence to know what to do, the fortitude to decide how and when to do it, and the ability to inspire others to accomplish it.

Tanisha displayed respect and empathy when dealing with patients and, because of this, they seemed to take to her very well and be very relaxed and comfortable in her presence. She is a very compassionate, caring person who consistently carried these traits over in her daily interactions with others. Tanisha’s quiet courteous, pleasant way of putting others at ease was an inspiration to us all and an example we would do well to follow.

SOLOME ALLEN

Solome Allen is one of the most devoted, conscientious volunteers at a local hospice where end-of-life care is provided to patients who have a life-limiting disease. Medicare requires that hospice match five percent of paid staff patient care hours with volunteer hours, so volunteer staff is vital to meet Medicare’s requirements for participation.

Solome has volunteered with Solari Hospice care since August 2003. In those 18 months, Solome has given more than 465 hours of her time caring for our patients and their family members. Solome is an Airman 1st Class with the U.S. Air Force and is currently assigned to Nellis AFB as a helicopter mechanic Crew Chief. She holds a job that is full-time with an erratic schedule where she is basically on call 24 hours 7days a week, and when she receives calls for help from hospice staff she drops everything and goes to the aid of a patient or patient’s family.

When Solome is assigned to see a patient on a regular schedule, she is always there when she says she will be and always stays as long as she is needed, even if it means trading shifts with a co-worker or calling in to her commander to ask permission to stay. She socializes with patients who are no longer able to leave their homes, she listens to their life stories again and again. She learns to play their favorite games, share their dreams and their anger – and she consoles their families when crisis strikes. She transports patient’s she’s never met to doctor’s appointments and waits to bring them home. She will do anything and everything she can to make sure their lives are made easier during this extraordinarily stressful time.

Solome has a kind, gentle personality and every patient she is assigned to is passionate in their praise about how much they love her and how much she has become a part of their family. Solome is still in contact with several families – even after her patient has passed.

Her capacity to care, to soothe, to listen and to help has been tested many times in the course of her time with Solar Hospice Care. Yet Solome is always ready to lend a hand and she truly loves the relationships she develops with her patient and families.

ALAN KARPINSKI

Alan Karpinski brings a contagious, kind-hearted spirit to his workplace, Aetna’s High Point, NC office. Coworkers say, he “gives light to everyone he comes in contact with” and “his compassion for others cannot be matched.”

In recent years, he has devoted much of that passion and his free time to raising funds for the local Multiple Sclerosis Society, including its Tour to Tanglewood, an annual bike ride. In 2004, he persuaded 27 people, coworkers and non-employees – many of them just weekend riders – to participate in the two-day, 90 mile event.

In preparation for the big ride, he organized and led evening and weekend training rides for “Team Aetna” and promised them that “no one will finish last alone.” He kept his word, crossing the finish line with the last rider of the team. The group raised $27,200, including a match from his employer. The MS Society awarded them a bronze medal for the amount raised and for increasing the number of participants over the previous year and named Alan “captain of the year.”

Alan also encouraged many Team Aetna members to partner with MS patients through the Linking Lives Program. Besides raising money for MS research through the Tanglewood event, he collects pledges and donations for each trip when he bikes to work, as many as 100 days a year. “When its 30 degrees out and you see Alan pedaling up on his bike, you can’t help but support his efforts,” said one coworker.

Michelle Zwissler, Special Events Manager for the local MS Society, says his leadership has inspired her organization to reach for, and achieve more ambitions goals. She gave him much credit for the Society reaching the $100,000 mark from the last tour. Another beneficiary of Alan’s dedication to the MS Society is Carolyn Moore, who says his fundraising and enthusiasm have dramatically improved her quality of life and others who, like her, suffer from MS. “I no longer have mornings in which I question whether it’s worth getting out of bed.” She says those with MS wonder every morning whether it will be a “good day” or a “bad day.” On bad days the simplest tasks, such as brushing one’s hair, are impossible, she said. Alan motivates and brings joy to everyone around him, she says. Co-chairman of the Aetna Volunteer Council in High Point, Alan has been a spirited leader and participant in many other projects, including the American Cancer society Relay for Life, Triad Health Project, Winter Walk for AIDS, Greensboro Human Race Walk, Make-A-Wish foundation, Project Linus, Santa for Seniors and Support the Troops.

Recognizing Alan’s energy, devotion and impressive contributions to the MS Society and the community, Aetna recognized him with its 2005 Aetna Voice of Conscience employee award. The honor included $25,000 to be shared with nonprofit organizations of his choice: Central North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Camp Carefree, Greensboro Urban Ministry Food Bank and Triad Health Project.

ARDIS WEIBLE

In February 1996, Ardis Weible completed her 40 hours of orientation training for CASA and began working her first case. That was nine years ago. Since that time she has advocated for eight children. Taking her appointment by the court seriously, Ardis works with abused and neglected children in foster care to insure that their needs are being met, emotionally and physically, have appropriate housing, that their educational issues are addressed, and that they know someone cares and is looking out for them. She is involved in the big things in their lives, writing court reports on their behalf and attending court, and she is a celebrator of their lives, making sure birthdays and holidays are special occasions. Anyone who has ever transported two children with ADHD issues, or supervised them at a public gathering can begin to imagine some of the elements involved in Ardis’ volunteer contribution.

Ardis supports foster parents, and is respectful of the difficult job of caring for special needs children 24 hours a day. She is a team player, attending Child and Family Team meetings as an active participant; having frequent contact with her CASA kids, she has information that assists the team in decision-making. Ardis maintains regular contact with everyone involved with her CASA children. Her maturity, dependability, patience, and commitment to her kids earn her respect by those involved with a case. When there are family members available, Ardis builds relationships with parents, adult siblings, and other relatives, always looking for ways to promote positive experiences for the children she serves. Ardis always has her eye on the big picture – the permanent home for the children she serves, and works to assist others in moving toward that goal. Ardis makes a commitment to her CASA Children that will only end when they don’t need her anymore…however long that may be.

Ardis is committed to children and knows they are the key to the future of this community. Her work with each individual child helps to improve the quality of life for all children – and thus – for all of us. The more positive experiences we provide for troubled children, the more likely they are to become productive citizens. Ardis values the children she serves; they sense their importance to her and thereby understand their own value. They are not throw-aways.

ANTHONY JOSEPH TOOPS

A.J. Toops began his crusade to help other people at the age of ten. He heard a teacher at school talking about collecting blankets at her church for homeless people and asked if he had to be in a group, or church to do that. He was told that he didn’t and off he went with a wagon going to the neighbors asking for coats because he thought the homeless people were cold and needed coats. He sent out e-mails and made fliers and in two weeks had 125 coats. The coats were donated to the Phoenix Rescue Mission and they were glad to have the coats.

The following year he asked some of the neighboring kids to help and before long he had eight other kids collecting clothing and coats. This time they had 50 bags of assorted clothing. People from California even shipped boxes to A.J. because they were so happy to help him. Then it started to snowball, other people seeing AJ help, started to help, the teachers at his school served a meal at the Phoenix Rescue Mission for Christmas, other family members became donators to the Mission. AJ worked a radio tell-a-thon for the Phoenix Rescue Mission on a local radio station.

When the clothing drives first started it was once a year, in the fall, when the weather got colder, no people bring donations to our house, or ask at school, and it has turned into a year round long clothing drive. Each year AJ would add something or change something, once he collected stuffed animals for the kids at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. He had 95 stuffed toys to donate. He made toiletry bags with toothbrushes, soap, and other personal hygiene needs for the homeless also. Each year more and more people help. When AJ started high school at Brophy College Prep, he asked the football team to help and they did! He requested that the football team bring water bottles and they collected over 30 cases of water at one game! The hot summer months are very dangerous in Phoenix for the homeless and hydration is important. They also donated socks and underwear, sunscreen, and hats. The motto at AJ’s school is “Men for Others”, and he truly is that!! At the age of 16 he does more for the local community than any young person. In the past six years, AJ has helped hundreds of people and donated thousands of items of clothing to help those in need.