SENIOR STITCHERS

June Roberts is an RSVP volunteer who created and leads a sewing/craft group call the Senior Stitchers. They meet once a week at my Volunteer Action Center. As a result of June’s personal dream, leadership and the hard work necessary to make it come true, the Stitchers are creating textile treasures that have been distributed around the world.

In June’s own words, “There are a lot of people out there who are just lonesome, and they need to do something. Here they can come and sew and give back. It’s our desire to give back to the community. We believe we can still serve others. We still have much to give, and our hearts go out to the children and the elderly in need.”

Besides an abundance of compassion, June’s understanding of the nitty gritty details necessary to keep a volunteer effort together truly sets her apart. As the head dietician at a nursing home, for years, she saw elderly in their most vulnerable state. Later she served as bookkeeper at the local Volunteer Action Center. When the time came to think of retirement, her knowledge of senior volunteers, her love of sewing and her innate need to serve, all coalesced into a plan for a community sewing room.

Sewing machines were procured, space was donated to the project and materials came pouring in. June patiently, but persistently, recruited volunteers until they now number more than 20. Additionally, they have attracted the RSVP Sewers from a local Baptist Church, who specialize in creating blankets and other unique items.

The Senior Stitchers stockpile and distribute items, such as, aprons for Alzheimer’s patients, head gear for cancer patients, heart pillows for the local open heart surgery center, clothing protectors for nursing home patients, walker gear for those with walking disabilities and even provide catheter bag covers.

Word has spread and items have been requested by the Humane Society, the community theater, Head Start, pre-schools and foster family agencies. Some of the Stichers’ handiwork even went to Russia.

Two years ago, June was struck with a brain hemorrhage, leaving her critically ill and hospitalized for many weeks. Throughout her trauma, her group of volunteers continued to serve the community. Jean defied the odds and is again back at work with her sewing group. They continue to reach out to those in need, converting their energies and talents into tangible signs of caring throughout our community.

June has received the West Virginia Governor’s Award and was acknowledged by President Bush when he visited this month. She asks that a Points of Light be given to her Senior Stitchers for their outstanding contributions to seniors and other vulnerable people in our area.

MARGARET FRETWELL

Margaret has served as a mentor to children at Concord Elementary School since the inception of the school district’s Legacy Mentoring Program in 2000,when Concord Elementary School established a partnership with First Presbyterian Church called “Presbyterian Partners.” The nominee’s functions in the program include being paired with a child for the length of a school year(s), tutoring the child on a weekly basis, mentoring the child with support in the form of checking on the child’s well-being, getting to know the child as a friend who can be trusted and depended on to be here for the child, and being like “family” (in this case “grandmother”) to the child. Margaret has certainly been here for children in those ways over the past five years. The children she has been paired with have had tremendous needs in that they have been from families with special circumstances such as a lack of parental support, or are living with other family members other than parents, or have tremendous educational needs as a result of these other factors. Four children in need have benefited from this wonderful, compassionate volunteer over the past five years. When one child was ready to go on to middle school, this nominee arranged for a mentor to see him weekly at McCants Middle School. She could not bear to think of him being there without some support from the mentoring program. She has touched the lives of children by faithfully coming weekly, never wanting to miss her time with her child. She follows up on them when she sees a problem by either coming to the principal or teacher. She continues to follow up on them after they leave her care at the end of the year, always wanting to know how they are or if they are getting support. She plans activities to reinforce classroom objectives, assists with homework, gives support with hugs and pats on the back and much verbal praise. She brings quarters so that they can get special treats in the cafeteria.

Ms. Fretwell has certainly made a difference in the life of a child, one child at a time, week by week, over the past five years of this program. While the numbers may not be high, the results are phenomenal. There is no way to measure what one adult can do for a child in a one-to-one positive relationship. Becoming a “significant” adult in the life of a child when the parent is not in the picture, when the child is stressed with life’s blows, or when the child just needs to see a friendly, loving face that says, “I care about you” cannot be quantified.

Margaret brings compassion for children and their families, dedication to the school and its partnership with her church, the realization of the needs of so many students who do not receive the support at home that they need, a willingness to be a part of a volunteer effort that benefits our community now and over time, and the initiative to come out regardless of personal circumstances, to see that today’s youth have the support they need. Because she reads and keeps up with educational issues, she frequently voices her concerns about education’s’ budgets, its testing programs, etc. She likes to be on the “forefront” of what is happening in schools.

While age should never be considered an obstacle, it is often a limitation. This nominee has not let age slow her down in her volunteer efforts. She will be 91 on her next birthday, which is coming up on May 6. There are not many volunteers her age, and that is why this nominee is so special to Concord. She is diligent in her pursuit of volunteering with children.

VICTORIA THORNTON-LUCAS

Victoria was born in Sumpter, South Carolina on May 19, 1940. She grew up in a family of nine. While life was not always easy, her mother was a loving and charitable woman who taught her children, by example, the importance of sharing and serving others. Her mother helped their disadvantaged neighbors, as well as strangers, by providing them with food, clothing, and shelter in her home.

In 1969, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas moved into the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. At that time, the community in Bushwick was flourishing. By the early 1990’s, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas began to see a disturbing change happening in her beloved neighborhood. Drugs, AIDS, homelessness, joblessness and hunger were ravaging Bushwick, bringing the community to the point of utter destruction.

A turning point for Mrs. Thornton-Lucas came when she saw an elderly neighbor eating out of a garbage can and eating cat food to sustain herself. Mrs. Thornton-Lucas saw other elderly friends abandoned by their family members, struggling to support themselves in their golden years. With homelessness growing, and jobs scarce, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas witnessed many families going without food and shelter.

“I’ve seen the community change completely,” said Mrs. Thornton-Lucas. This heartbreaking change from strong, middle-class families, to poverty stricken individuals, provided the motivation for her to continue her charitable deeds. She decided to become part of the solution, instead of being a victim of her environment. Wanting to help suffering members of her community, she started the Bushwick Community Council Service (BCCS) Soup Kitchen and Pantry in 1996. At first, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas used her own funds all of the food that was distributed to those in need. Later, she began to receive limited funding from outside agencies.

Mrs. Thornton-Lucas presently serves as BCCS’s Director. Her position is unpaid, and entirely voluntary. Under her leadership, BCCS has grown steadily over the years. They began serving 125 clients per month, providing 25-50 meals per week. They now serve over 2,700 clients per month, providing 500 hot meals a week and 250-300 food pantry bags. Her program serves meals to more than 30,000 people each year. Mrs. Thornton-Lucas began with two volunteer. The soup kitchen now utilizes 14 volunteers who serve on a regular basis. They provide sit-down meals in the soup kitchen, take-out meal service, meal delivery service, to homebound senior residents in the community, and a full functioning food pantry. In addition, free clothing, job referrals and various job-training services area also provided to those in need, through the Bushwick United Methodist Church, which has housed the BCCS since its inception. Like her mother before her, Victoria Thornton-Lucas continues to share and serve, and is an example for others to follow in her footsteps. Her future plans involve developing programs that would allow youth and older adults an opportunity to serve and give back to their community.

EMIL SPERLING

Buddy Sperling has been volunteering at Huron Healthcare for the past two years. Prior to this he volunteered at a hospital and care center. He helps in the activity department and always brings smiles.

He volunteers every day at the Center and as part of his daily routine, he visits each resident giving out hugs and encouraging them to participate in the planned activities. Staff at Huron HealthCare state that the residents all react to Buddy, while Buddy feels that it is his mission in life now to help the residents as much as he can and that shows in the way they respond to him. When he enters a room they all light up.

He is always willing to do whatever is needed including participating in field trips and other activities. In addition to volunteering at Huron Health Care Buddy is active in his church. When asked about Buddy and his volunteering the staff says, “he is faithful, dedicated and giving.”

JACK REYNOLDS

Jack Reynolds took a day off from school in April as he was sent to the governor’s office. Reynolds is a 78-year-old volunteer known as “Grandpa Jack” at Centennial Elementary. He’s also a member of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program agind was recognized as an “outstanding volunteer” at a ceremony at the governor’s mansion on April 18.

Reynolds is heading into his 18th year at Centennial where he has his own desk in the third-grade classroom of teacher Linda Cohee. Though Reynolds volunteers in excess of 1,000 hours a year doing a variety of tasks, Cohee said she’d be lost without him. When Reynolds was out with an illness recently, Cohee said she found herself scrambling to her work and his as well so he wouldn’t come back to a pile of work.

For his part, Reynolds tries very hard not to miss a day of school. But his sense of humor comes out when he explains why his desk is in Cohee’s classroom even though he volunteers all over the campus. “They won’t let me out of the third grade,” Reynolds said.

BILL & GAIL MARTIN

Bill and Gail Martin are the ultimate volunteering machines, contributing thousands of hours to our community through various efforts. As charter members of Lake Anna Rescue Squad they were involved in much of the planning efforts for the organization. Bill has been an emergency vehicle driver since 1998; Gail joined in this capacity shortly thereafter. Gail is also the Historian and Communication Chairperson and serves on the Hospitality and Fund Raising Committees, and chaired the Emergency Medical Services annual picnic for two years. Bill has held various officer positions, including President (2 years), Secretary (2 years) and Treasurer (1 year).

Another charter member effort revolved around Volunteers of Louisa, the local volunteer organization for Louisa County. Bill was one of the community leaders who were instrumental in the organization obtaining its corporate and non-profit status in 2002. He has served as a Director (3 years) and Treasurer (3 years). Gail has been Secretary (3 years), Historian and has assisted with the annual reception each year.

They are also very active on the Lake Anna Civic Association, where Bill served as Secretary (4 years) and Treasurer (4 years). Gail is the Association’s Historian and Hospitality Chairperson, planning and often catering their social events. They both are active recruiters for the organization.

Having retired from the federal government, Bill wanted to stay involved in ways that would help his fellow retirees. He was elected as President for the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), Louisa Chapter 2065, and also as Area 8 Vice President Virginia Federation of Chapters. Gail serves as Historian and handles program development for this organization. Also interested in local environmental issues, they are both heavily involved in the Louisa County Clean Community Commission. Bill serves as the Jackson District representative and Gail is the Historian and Board of Directors Secretary. They also maintain a 4-mile stretch of Adopt-A-Highway roads.

The political arena also benefits from this duo. Bill has served as the Chief Poll Officer, Jackson District for 5 years. Gail serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisa Republican Committee and is a member of the Lake Anna Republican Committee.

Other activities for Bill include Jefferson Area Board for Aging – currently serving on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee and as the Vice-Chairman of their Advisory Council, and Louisa County Crime Solvers, serving as Treasurer. Gail loves to cook and is constantly providing her catering services for various fundraisers and organizations like Habitat for Humanity. She also serves as President of the Piecemakers Quilt Club, where she initiated and planned their Annual Quilt ‘N’ Craft Community Luncheon, Quilting Marathon and Quilting Retreat. Needless to say, these two are energetic and caring individuals who are dedicated to their community!

ELIZABETH MINCEMOYER

“Before birth, a baby is kept warm by its mother’s body. Its own thermostat is not challenged. After birth, a baby’s temperature regulation system is on its own. Placed in a cool environment, a baby may have trouble adjusting. Compared to the rest of its body, a baby’s head is relatively large. Its provides a large area of skin from which heat can escape even if the baby’s body is bundled. The purpose of the cap is to preserve body heat. We do not know whether it also makes a baby more comfortable. Hands and feet are as you pointed out, little. They are unlikely to be a major source of heat loss for a baby. Booties seem to make grandmothers more comfortable and may be recommended for that reason alone.” Rockford Register Star

Betty has been knitting hats for SwedishAmerican Health System in Rockford, IL since 1994. The article above featured in the Rockford Register Star by Mondena Wilson and Alian Joffe, for the Baltimore Sun, demonstrates the importance of the work that Betty does but let me tell you more.

To date, Betty has knitted a total of 823 bonnets spending to date, 3292 hours knitting for infants in the community. Most often, these hats are placed on babies after birth preserve body heat. Local hospitals often provide the bonnets to newborns so that they all have the same level of quality in their hats. A SwedishAmerican hospital has approximately 2500 each year. Those children that may be less fortunate or cannot afford a bonnet are given the same as any other child. She continues to do this even though she has been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and urged by doctors to discontinue knitting.

Betty has spent much of her life volunteering to help better the lives of our children in the community. Her golden years have been dedicates to this work. Since age 74, she has been active in local organizations that work for children. She has served as President of the Rockford Day Nursery. She was also honored by SwedishAmerican Health System at their 2002 Volunteer Recognition Banquet for her ongoing support of the newborns.

OAK GROVE SHADOWS 4-H CLUB

The Oak Grove Shadows in Missouri do many community projects each year. They have a dozen families that pitch in and help. They have won the President’s Volunteer Service Award for over 1000 volunteer hours as a group for one year.

Some of their activities are collecting items to donate to the community services league at the holidays for their town, they send cards to the troops in Iraq and make Grandparent’s Day cards for the resident’s in their local nursing homes. Some members participate in National Youth Service Day. They rake yards, pull weeds, clean gutters, and etc. for those people who may need help. They also volunteered to help the Hy-Vee program make up candy bags for Santa’s visit. They have also volunteered at numerous horse events at town, county and state levels. Once such event was the Equus America in Kansas City. They help out with the elderly, kids, Girl Scouts and trash pick-up around the community. It does not stop here! Some members work at food pantries and assist church groups.

A member, Serea Watson hosts a Japanese Exchange Student, Asami Kusunoki. “I think more people should host Japanese kids because we can learn more about their culture and they can learn more about ours,” Watson said. During Asami stay with Serea’s family, she participated in 4-H club activities and family outings. She celebrated her 14th birthday with the 4-H club. The group made the Grandparents Day cards, which will be given to nursing home residents.

Shadows 4-H members joined 50 other volunteers April 17th in Independence for National Youth Service Day. Program “Helping Hands” was coordinated by Fran Daniel at the Fairmont Community Center. Volunteers were given t-shirts and went to elderly residents’ homes to rake leaves, wash windows, clean out sheds and other jobs.

MURRAY KAMENS

Murray Kamens has been an advocate for the disabled in the Fort Collins Community for over 8 years. He is always available to assist those in need. Along with the Disabled Resource Services, he has maintained the loan closed, which provides mobility equipment to the disabled, most of the time delivering the equipment himself to the people in need. Many times he has gone to homes to access what they need to make their homes accessible to them. Then finding people to help do the work. In Spite of his own mobility problems, breathing problems and diabetic neuropathy. He leads his life with humor and a big heart.

Murray who has respiratory and mobility problems, said he enjoys helping other people with disabilities. He received both the Volunteer of the Year and the Dorothy Lasley Memorial Award, which goes to a person with a disability who works to raise awareness of people with disabilities and increase their quality of life.

He garnered the nominations and awards for his work with Disabled Resource Center where he has been volunteering for eight years, including six years of the Board of Directors. The organization specializes in employment counseling and job placement. They also lend equipment such as wheelchair ramps and hospital beds for people with disabilities. Kamens does a variety of work as a volunteer with the nonprofit, including helping people with disabilities make their homes more accessible, transporting people and equipment and matching up people with disabilities with those who can help them with household chores and repairs.

“I’m not doing this for recognition,” Kamens said. “But it is an honor to be recognized.” He said, he likes to help people get along easier in life. He found out the hard way. “I’ve gone through it for many years, and I know what its like. I don’t want anybody else to have to go through what I did.” Murray says. Along with assisting others, Murray is a caregiver, advocate and a loving husband to his wife of 32 years.

TIFFANY BAKER

Tiffany has dedicated an uncountable amount of hours to the Explorer Post 119 program. The program is designed to make a safer community, investigating crime scenes and putting on community events as we learn more about leadership and law enforcement. As a member of the post, Tiffany’s volunteer hours help her communities by parking cars; directing traffic, crowd control and crime scene investigation. She also assisted the police with the program shop-with-a-cop. This is where they took children from low-income families shopping for Christmas gifts.

Tiffany has made an extreme impact on her community. Besides various individuals and groups commending her on her achievements and strides to make the community a safer place, but she volunteered to search for the body of a missing 10 year-old boy. This situation impacted Tiffany life to in that it made a stop and look around. It allowed her to realize that she took those around her for granted. In this, Tiffany continued to impact the community with Explorer Post 119 to keep the neighborhood safe.

Tiffany continues to be a part of the Explorer Post and is involved in such activities as assisting with community events, raising funds, going to various events nationally and any other areas that the department may need assistance. The experience that Tiffany has gained by giving herself unselfishly to see that others are safe warrants a job well done.