GIRL SCOUT TROOP 1991

Although traditionally Girl Scouts (and Boy Scouts) are notorious for providing community service and meeting all types of community needs, our Girl Scout Troop has done an exceptional job of giving their time and talents to a wide variety of organizations in our community this year. These 13 and 14-year-old girls have been in Girl Scouts for a number of years, some of them for nine years. Every year they have been active in community service, some of it required for advancements and patches through the Girl Scout program.

This has been an exceptional year for our girls. This past year their volunteer hours have gone well beyond the normal Girl Scout requirements. As a group of six girls, our girls have accumulated over 1300 hours of community service from January through November 2004.

These hours involved assisting Boy Scout groups, younger Girl Scout groups, Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps and badges/belt loops, assisting with Special Olympics, assisting with church activities (such as vacation bible school), school volunteer (such as PTO, athletic boasters, high school band), assisting with Senior Citizens, assisting with community organizations such as the Optimist Club and the American Red Cross.

Two of the girls completed their Silver Award this year. For their project, they each made twenty no-sew fleece blankets for Senior Citizens who reside at a local nursing facility.

One of the interesting events that the girls participated in this year was the “Make A Difference Day” on October 23rd. For this national day of volunteerism, the girls “pampered” seniors’ citizens in the Alzheimer unit. The girls gave hand massages, painted fingernails, applied lipstick and rouge and curled residents’ hair. After the residents were pampered, the girls put corsages and boutonnieres on the seniors and they held a dance featuring music that was popular during the seniors’ younger years.

Their altruism continues into 2005, when in conjunction with the National Youth Service Day in April 2005, they are organizing a health awareness fair for our community. They have applied for seven grants to fund this activity and are contacting local health related business about participation.

As you can see, this group of girls has gone above and beyond to help many facets of our community and I feel that they are very deserving of the “Daily Points of Light Award”.

TINA BREWER

Tina Brewer is an amazing individual. At 81 years young she has been volunteering in the Foster Grandparent Program in Sacramento California for 8 years at Gold River Discovery School Tutoring 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders in reading comprehension among other things. She moves across this campus with a sense of urgency to get to her next station, set up and call in the children assigned to her by their teacher. Her face is always a glow and is genuinely glad to be with these children as they discover they can learn. She happens to be very organized, as she must because she is shared by 6-7 teachers in three different areas of the school. Most Foster Grandparents volunteer 3-4 hours a day but Tina volunteers 6 hours a day quietly moving from room to room grade to grade working with a variety of needy boys and girls who need assistance in reading comprehension, arithmetic and spelling.

One day I was conducting my monthly visits and she was helping the children with money concepts. She has a jar of coins, pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters on the table and as each second/third grader came to her table she had them identify each coin. Then she had them use the coins to make a variety of totals, for example she had them make 15 cents three ways. This can be very confusing for a second/third grader. 10 pennies and a nickel, 2 nickels and 5 pennies. She was so very patient with them explaining these basic concepts. Yet, that is the way of Grandma Tina. She makes learning an adventure for these fresh minds and brigs confidence to them as they go through their tasks.

Her on-site supervisor reports “Tina has enriched our 3rd grade reading program by providing one on one instruction, and loving guidance to struggling readers. Children become more confident oral readers, better writers, and become quicker and more accurate with math facts. They are all eager to work with her. The children’s daily reading charts demonstrate growth. She is a role model and demonstrates eagerness, calmness, patience and cheerfulness. It is wonderful to see these children sparkle when they realize they can be successful readers.”

Tina is a very humble team player when it comes to her impact on these kids. When asked she said, “I work with children from grades one to three, helping them to improve their reading skills. I begin by having them read the words that they must know before they go to the next grade. The teacher keeps adding more words as we go along. After that they read a short story from a book that is assigned to them every week. The teachers find that what I do is a great help. The children show improvement when they are tested. Being part of the program has given me the opportunity to help the children improve.”

CONSTANCE BROCHU

Connie has truly made our world a better place and touched the lives of so many, began when she was asked to help with the soup kitchen at OLC and Notre Dame. From there, came a request from Fr. Leon Maynard, who was at Notre Dame at the time, for the banding together with the Blackstone Valley Emergency Food Center, where she serves as working-Director.

The Emergency Food Center serves “People with no income or very low income, generally referred by agencies, churches or others in need. Those referred must show a photo ID, current rent receipt, income verification and ID for children as well.” The center helps on the average of 400 families a month, ranging from a family size 1 to 12. “We always start the day with a prayer, because we are working for God and include the prayer of Saint Francis, ‘Lord, make me an instrument of Your Peace.’”

With deep dedication she relates, “A lot of people who come have tragic stories… if we only know the stories behind the situations we would be thankful for what we have… we often forget to thank God.”

Sadly, she retells of a young expectant mother with a young infant who had left Columbia because guerillas had extorted money form their small business. Her husband had stayed to close up shop, but suddenly suffered a stroke. She now stands all alone in a new country.

Part of Connie’s ministry is not only to give, but to receive as well. She does this by giving of her time as a compassionate listener. Another time, a woman came in with two young children, and when asked if there were other children at home, the woman began to weep…explaining she had 4 sons who had been killed by guerrilla warfare. “We hear of the tragedies of Liberia, Haiti, and all over the world. These are hard working people, who try very hard, but have run into bad luck, and in many cases, tragic situations. It’s also hard for many of them because of the language barrier.”

One of Rhode Islands greatest benefactors is Alan Feinstein, “an extremely generous, modest man who is dedicated to stop hunger in Rhode Island.” The Alan Feinstein Drive awards the Blackstone Valley a percentage of their yearly drive. Connie is also on the Board of Advisors for the Food Banks of West Warwick. “It’s a collaboration of organization, that get together to help the Food Banks organize better service for over 500 soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters that they help.”

LAWRENCE AND MARILYN LAW

Larry and Marilyn Law have been faithful volunteers at Urban Christian Ministries (UCM) since its inception in 1969. They began volunteering as tutors in the Ellicott Mall Housing Projects in 1970. At one point in the early 1980’s, things had taken a turn for the worse at the ministry and the Board of Directors was contemplating the closing of the ministry. Larry and Marilyn worked diligently with a few other volunteers to keep the doors open.

Because of their dedication and commitment, Larry and Marilyn have touched the lives of countless people through Urban Christian Ministries. Larry is a retired college professor and Marilyn is a retired registered nurse. Marilyn began to cut back on her working hours in order to volunteer longer hours at the ministry. She has since retired from her nursing job and continues to volunteer full time for the ministry as its Volunteer Coordinator. Both have served on the Board of Directors for many years.

The Laws are not just physical volunteers – they also put their money where their hearts are. In 1989, when Urban Christian Ministries needed to find a new home for the ministry, the Laws bought the new building. Their peers comment that the couple is so committed to God and to the people of Buffalo’s eastside. Both are now in there seventies and still active volunteers. The other members at Urban Christian Ministries are all impressed with this wonderful couple, which for thirty-five years has served the people of inner city Buffalo.

There is a young lady named Renee and she works for Urban Christian Ministries (UCM) part-time. Twenty-five years ago Marilyn and Larry met Renee when she was ten and participating in UCM’s Tutoring Program. Through good times and tough times, Larry and Marilyn were there, helping Renee and her family all the way. Larry and Marilyn have also taken young people into their home in Williamsville, New York as an alternative to living on the streets. Some of these guests were not just “over nighters,” in fact; one young man lived with them and their three kids for two years. Many of the people whose lives have been touched by the Laws have gone on to college or entered into ministry. Larry and Marilyn are completely committed to the challenge of changing the lives of young people in the city.

One night in the early 1970’s, as Marilyn worked at Millard Fillmore Hospital, she had the difficult job of working with a patient who had a terminal disease. The patient eventually died. Marilyn came home crushed, and Larry told Marilyn, “I would rather see your life end on the streets, helping people, than for you to go the way your patient did.” At that point their commitment to serve grew even greater. Through coordinating numerous programs for children; visiting mission teams staying in the UCM facility; recruiting countless volunteers to prepare the quarterly newsletter or assist with our summer basketball league; cooking and feeding thousands of people in Mexico; packing thousands of bags of groceries for distribution at Christmas; or interviewing and screening hundreds of volunteers to serve in this ministry – Marilyn and Larry have always been there. Ready to work, serve, clean, or do whatever needs to be done, even when no one else would.

MARTIN DEAN DUPALO

Over the course of the past several months, M. Dean Dupalo has directly served the Las Vegas rescue Mission Men, Women and children’s shelter, the homeless population and greater Las Vegas community.

Through his initial and continued service, leadership and coordination, Dupalo’s direct impact on the homeless population/clients has been substantive, dependable and accomplished a significant positive impact.

Three nights a week without fail, after instructing in the morning at one institution and after working a normal eight-hour teaching shift a yet another institution, Dupalo coordinates amongst several instructor chefs is various kitchens and numerous students to collects and consolidate foodstuffs, properly package and catalog the donation, load and immediately transport the foodstuffs to the downtown area (a.k.a. ‘homeless corridor’) late each of the three evenings where it is unloaded, separated and stored for the weeks’ use by the shelter and the homeless clients. He does not and has not received nor sought any funds of credit from work, others, or us for all of his efforts formal and/or informal (i.e. no fuel, no time off, no reimbursement).

Simply, food donations are significant – responsible for feeding literally hundreds of homeless clients for dinner 3-4 nights a week. The foodstuffs provide a will-balanced diet for the men, women and children in the short-term and long-term shelter and recovery programs as well as an occasional treat that would not otherwise be possible.

Dupalo began the food donation program, where none has existed prior nor any planned, after witnessing a tremendous amount of edible food waste at which point he secured a legal document protecting all parties in liability action and quickly coordinated and managed the program to this day. In sum, Dupalo grasped a tremendous need and distinguished what was considered waste by many as a resource and solely through his efforts matched the two together much to everyone’s benefit.

The need for the homeless community is Las Vegas and the surrounding area is great with an average of 5,000+ new people monthly and hundreds added to the hungry and homeless population with little corresponding increase in homeless services and facing ever more competitive funding sources to serve the hungry and homeless.

Dupalo’s efforts have not been limited to solely providing foodstuffs alone, he has successfully written grants, again without any compensation, on our behalf to assist funding for the operation of the emergency shelter, encouraging his culinary students to consistently volunteer at the shelter as cooks, generally 4-5, on weekends (including a second women’s shelter) providing direct service to our homeless clients while garnering experience (creating a ‘Day of Service’ Award for 24, 48, 72+ hours of direct service for his students volunteerism), volunteered in the food service line itself with his family members and has personally contributed donations on several occasions. Furthermore, Dupalo has encouraged many of his university students to volunteer, even friends and neighbors, and donate their time and effort to the homeless shelter as public service. In sum, literally, M. Dupalo coordinates an on-going activity that directly supports community needs, not only directly feeds the homeless but builds connections and substantively impacts the greater community.

(He maintains a vigorous work schedule, working as an adjunt faculty instructor in Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, teaching basic government and public service to first-year students and a local culinary school. Another telling sign of Dupalo’s community involvement is that he sits on the City of Las Vegas Community Development Review Board, reviewing and guiding community non-profits for public funding for the past three years.)

JULIA CITRON

Julia’s love for Spanish motivated her to work with immigrant workers and their families. Living in Ecaudor for a year has helped her develop a love for the Spanish language, the culture and its people. She loves working with the immigrant and their families because they are so friendly and kind to not only to her but to others around them. Julia had to had to put a lot of self energy and understanding to volunteer at the Sterling Place. She helped with the children’s program by helping them answer questions they had about homework and she recruited some of her friends to come and volunteer even if they did not speak Spanish.

She helped the immigrant workers and their families feel more secure and happy in America knowing that they had someone to and someone who could relate to their culture and language. There were a few people who were directly affected by the help that she offered because she had grown closer and made a connection to these families.

Julia learned a lot from this experience. She learned the life of an immigrant from moving to a foreign place to working and living as we do in America. She was able to grow by listening to their stories and working with their children. She understands how connecting to others can make all the difference in the world. She learned various things about ESL and is interesting in continuing that learning. She can recall sitting with the children and learning about their day at school. Another experience is when a mother came in to get their child, and I was reading a book to the a child at that time; she came and started trying to pronouce the words and she was interested in learning English as well as her child. Today, the immigrant workers and their families still call Julia to talk to her and see how everything is going.

JOHN “JJ” JOHNSON

John “JJ” Johnson has been committed to volunteering to help children through little league sports and education for twenty-five years. His volunteer efforts have been in numerous capacities; from coaching in grassroots voluntary community programs to volunteering his time in high-level administrative capacities for non-profit community based programs. Mr. Johnson was responsible for single handedly starting the Southeast Michigan Pop Warner Football League (SEMPWFL) in 1997. At that time, he had a dream of building quality and competitive little league football & cheer programs under the banner of Pop Warner Little Scholars.

Mr. Johnson’s volunteer history began when he organized a little league baseball program in 1980. He later transitioned to become a voluntary little league football coach from 1987. In 1997, he saw an opportunity for the organization to grow and become part of something much larger and nationally recognized that placed emphasis on education and scholastics. As a result, he established a chapter of the National Pop Warner organization in the southeast Michigan area now known as Southeast Michigan Pop Warner Little League Football (SEMPWFL) and Mr. Johnson has served as President of SEMPWFL since its inception.

The SEMPWFL is made up of nine non-profit associations that are based throughout the Metropolitan Detroit area. For the 2004 season, the associations’ total 968 boys and girls. In addition to his role as League President of SEMPWFL, in 1999, John was appointed as the Mid-America Regional Pop Warner Vice President and two years later in 2001, he was offered the voluntary position of Mid-America Pop Warner Regional Director. In his dual role as Regional Director and SEMPWFL president, Mr. Johnson is responsible for the management and oversight of the entire Mid-America Pop Warner Region, which is one of the largest Pop Warner regions within the country. The Mid-America Region is made up of eleven Midwestern states. Counting the number of leagues and non-profit associations in the Mid-America Region, it is safe to say the Mid-America Pop Warner Region totals more than 15,000 youth; 1,500 volunteer coaches and more than 8,000 adult volunteers who all make it possible. Mr. Johnson is responsible for making certain that every coach and volunteer as well as his league (SEMPWFL) adheres to the Pop Warner principles. The driving force behind this remarkable man is his life long dream to provide the youth of Southeast Michigan with an enriching little league experience that does more than just teach sportsmanship and team play, but also recognizes and encourages youth to excel academically.

As a result of Mr. Johnson’s heavy emphasis on academics there has been significant increase in the overall grade point averages for children participating in SEMPWFL. Mr. Johnson has contributed to improving the life of others in the community through the league by developing and presenting positive coaching training modules for little league coaches. The trainings teach coaches how to positively motivate children and teach them that playing the game or cheering is not all about winning. The result of his passion for academics led to two of the league’s youngsters being recognized as scholastic first teamers and eight youngsters as second teamers within three years at the National Pop Warner level.

Mr. Johnson has left life-long impressions. Mr. Johnson continues to be the backbone of SEMPWFL. From my perspective, the challenge he’s faced on the local level (SEMPWFL) has been recruiting, training and retaining adult volunteers who possess the qualities and background that would make them excellent coaches. As a Regional Pop Warner Director, it has been a challenge for him to travel hundreds of miles to resolve issues within other states and at the same time to try to stay healthy, maintain a household, hold down a full-time job, and get some quality time to spend with grandchildren. Mr. Johnson’s volunteerism takes up as much as 35 to 40 hours each week. This means balancing much of his personal life around SEMPWFL and Mid-America Regional Director activities. This man has had a tremendous impact on my life. He has shown me by example how to manage volunteers, how to motivate people, and how to achieve big goals with only the desire to make it better for our youth. In my opinion, Mr. Johnson is the ultimate volunteer who has been on the front line for a very long time. Ever since I have known him, little league football and cheer has been Mr. Johnson’s passion.

PEER PARTNERS

“Peer Partners”, is a youth volunteer group founded in 1997 to help others, while inspiring other youth and community members to share in the rewards of volunteerism. Peer Partners has organized community based service projects that have mobilized hundreds of community members as they work together to meet the needs, health and well being of others in need. They have collected toiletries for the homeless, hats for children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, books for children who lost theirs during disaster, quarters for breast cancer research, and more. They have handcrafted valentines to remind our veteran’s that they are loved by today’s youth and created “pillow pals” to provide comfort to hospitalized children over the holidays. They even organized the first ever community talent show to raise money for the children of the victims of September 11. Inspired by a photo of a five frail children from an impoverished village in Ghana West Africa, they also set out to raise awareness and subsequently provided those children and their community with basic necessities including educational supplies, clean water, sandals, clothing and a building for them to learn in! This past July they organized a wonderfully successful bake sale to raise funds that are now earmarked to prevent child hunger in our local community and across America! In addition this past month they raised desperately needed funds to help build a “field of dreams” so that handicapped youth could enjoy the game of baseball.

In an effort to deliver the anti-tobacco message to teens and community members throughout our county and state, they enlisted the support of all New Jersey Little League Presidents. Those Little League Presidents have since posted the “tobacco-free/smoke-free” signs that they designed, funded, and distributed, on their ball fields to send the message that tobacco affects the health and well being of our youth!

Their entrepreneurial skills can be recognized in their ability to succeed with raising awareness, funds and merchant support. They have written and received grant monies, organized bake sales and lemonade sales, and even washed cars to help in funding their efforts. Their “Autographs from the Heart” program designed to support children and adolescents who experienced a personal illness or trauma has generated signatures of famous people to include Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, the Back Street Boys, Ricky Martin, LeeAnn Rimes and many others. Their “Talent Benefiting Others” fundraiser to assist the children of the victims of September 11 resulted in donations of signed sports memorabilia from the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Our “Quest for Education” efforts in support of the rural children of Ghana West Africa received sponsorship support from Swiss Air Cargo, The Ghana Embassy, Ventnor VFW, the Ghanaian Times, and Harcourt Publishers to name a few! Caesar’s Casino and Oral B, as well as local medical groups to include dentists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists and podiatrists donated toiletry supplies to Atlantic City Rescue Mission homeless projects. Their recent bake sale caught the attention of actress Masiela Lusha from the George Lopez show, who flew to Ocean City to join us in our fundraising effort to help end child hunger in America. And, just last month they had their wish granted by the Oscar Mayer and subsequently had the Weiner mobile at their fundraiser event geared to raise funds to help build the Field of Dreams for local handicapped youth!! The list goes on, as they enlist the support of others to help those in need!

Peer Partners motto of “volunteering together and making a difference’ has allowed them to advocate healthy youth lifestyles locally and worldwide by serving both the immediate and long-term needs of their community. Their program has empowered other in volunteerism, while improving community awareness and developing a stronger sense of self in their peers. They have become role models to their peers, positions they respect and do not take for granted. In fact, they are recipients of the 2004 Service to Women and Girls Award issued by the Atlantic County Advisory Commission on Women.

NORTH KOHALA COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER

North Kohala Community Resource Center is a three-year-old non-profit organization operating in the very rural northern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii. The community there is called North Kohala and is large in land (133 square miles) and small in population (6500 people in 1800 households). They are isolated by ocean, mountains and desert and are a blend of seven diverse cultures- Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Puerto Rican, Chinese, Portuguese and Caucasian. Like all small communities, opportunities for community development abound. This volunteer driven Center was founded on the premise that many of the community improvement projects have been successfully organized by volunteers. To put it simply,they help volunteer groups plan successful projects, teach them how to write successful proposals and find appropriate funders. In addition, they sponsor thirty-three projects to date–far exceeding initial expectations.

This past year has been exciting and busy for the Resource Center. The number of projects they support has grown to 33. During the year, they have worked with 38 project coordinators on a wide range of issues, and have witnessed the work of over 2,500 volunteers giving their time and energy to the community through these projects. All of this is made possible by the people, businesses and grant funders who support the Center.

Keeping the community informed about the Center’s work is very important. They talk to people who live in the community almost every day to give information about the Center and what they do. They also plan a newsletter with the hope that the community may stay current with the Center’s opportunities and projects.

One such project is the Kohala Country Fair. There were over one hundred volunteers and attendance was in excess of 5,0000. The 20th annual one day fair was a huge success during the its 2004 run. In addition to being a great day for the community, the fair raised more than $11,000 from the business community to help support the center. The Center also has a Read to Feed program where the Heifer International Curriculum is taught to eighth graders and fifth graders to learn more about world hunger as they improve their reading skills. Kohala Senior Citizens Club is where Kohala High School Seniors interview the kupuna to record their oral histories. This project culminated with a holiday luncheon at the Orchid Mauna Lani. Students were honored for their volunteer efforts. This collaboration was a milestone in bringing youth and elders together in the community.

Some other projects that the Center participates in are the Kukui Garden Restoration, Kohala Coalition Against Drugs (KCAD), Kohala Art Academy and the Kind Kamehameha Statue Maintenance.

KENDALL CIESEMIER

Kendall Ciesemier is an 11-year old girl, working to raise money to help AIDS orphans in Africa through World Vision, an international Christian relief and development organization working to promote the well being of all people – especially children. Kendall’s goal is to support a project in Musele, Zambia with an annual budget of $60,000. To date, Kendall and her supporters have raised approximately $13,000 through garage sales, lemonade stands, bake sales, and outright donations.

After viewing an Oprah Winfrey special in the winter of 2004, Kendall decided that she had to do something to help the 14 million AIDS orphans of Africa. She began by adopting a child through World vision with her own annual contribution of $360. In June, as Kendall faced an upcoming liver transplant, she organized her effort, Kids Caring for Kids, asking friends and family to send donations in lieu of flowers or gifts. Through the help of World Vision, Kendall has adopted a project and set up a Web page for on-line donation (www.justgiving.com/pfp/kendallc).

In her own words Kendall states: I’m just and 11-year girl who wants to make a difference for other kids. I first became aware of the African AIDS epidemic and the orphaned children when watching an Oprah Winfrey special last winter. I couldn’t believe that there were so many children living alone. I couldn’t believe that when their parents died there was nowhere for the kids to go! Kids, I realized, were caring for kids. I knew then that I wanted to do something to help. Kendall knows firsthand how fragile and challenging life can be and how important love and care are. Kendall does not want attention for herself and her trials, but wants people to focus on what millions of kids in Africa are going through who don’t have the benefit of a loving family, supportive friends, and superior medical care.

Kendall has become an example for so many people. She underwent not only one, but two liver transplants during the summer of 2004. Even as she was struggling for recovery, she began making and selling dog necklaces (Bow Wow Bling Bling) to support her effort. Kendall ahs inspired kids on their own and in groups to actively work to raise money in a variety of activities. Kids have set up lemonade stands, washed cars, cleaned housed, donated their allowances, etc. By watching Kendall thinking of others during her time of need, many kids have been inspired to look at how they too can be a kid caring for kids, seeking to make their own positive impact on the world.