TAMARA GREET

Tamara Greet continuously exhibits a strong degree of responsibility to her community through her many ongoing volunteer activities and accomplishments in both the public and private sector by:

Volunteering as the Publicity Chair for the American Cancer Society’s “Relay of Life” event in 2003. This annual activity meets a real community need and concern and leads to a long-term solution in the area of cancer research and education by raising thousands of dollars for researching, treating, and educating the public concerning that disease. The event builds a connection between those afflicted by cancer and those in the community desiring to help find a cure. Tamara also developed a relay team for the 2004 (and future) event(s), creating a partnership and ongoing involvement between the Long Beach Junior Chamber (Jaycees) and the American Cancer Society in Long Beach, California that will continue in the coming years.

Receiving State re-certification and serving as a volunteer S.A.C.A. Crisis Hotline Counselor and Sexual Assault Response Team Advocate in Los Angeles County since 2003. Through this ongoing, voluntary activity, Tamara provides the sort of hands-on service that builds connections between the community and those in crisis or who have been victimized by sexual assault-related crimes.

Serving as a Commissioner on the City of Long Beach Board of Health and Human Services since 2003 (Nominated by former Council Member Robert M. Webb and appointed, twice now, by Mayor Beverly O’Neill with the approval of the full Long Beach City Council). In this voluntary capacity, Tamara helps to establish public policy in the City of Long Beach that directly and positively impacts homeless children and families in our community.

Serving as the Vice President of Marketing for the Long Beach Junior Chamber for 2003 and 2004 (Tamara has also recently been elected to serve as the Vice President of Membership for this organization in 2005). In this voluntary role, Tamara develops and implements marketing strategies for the Long Beach Junior Chamber, a community involved leadership training organization. As a Board Member, Tamara also participates regularly in most of this organization’s community development and charitable fund-raising activities. Such activities and partnerships have directly assisted such well-known charitable organizations as Habitat for Humanity and the Family Aids Network with their local charitable goals.

Currently serving on the Site Council for Bryant Elementary School (Long Beach, CA). Volunteering to serve with this organization allows Tamara to assist the Long Beach Board of Education with developing, implementing and supporting policies that directly affect Bryant Elementary School in Long Beach, California.

Currently serving on the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA’s) of two Long Beach Schools. Tamar’s voluntary membership on these two local PTSA’s allows Tamara to support and assist with policies that directly effect Bryant Elementary and Hill Classical Middle Schools in Long Beach, California.

Each of the enumerated activities and affiliations is current, voluntary and ongoing. Tamara is actively involved in each of the organizations and activities listed. Tamara receives neither salary nor stipend for any of the activities and affiliations listed.

SUN WEST BANK

Sun West Bank was founded in 1998 with a true commitment to the community. Over the years this commitment has grown in size and stature. The bank institutes a variety of giving programs for its employees and plays an important role within the community through support of a wide range of community organizations.

Sun West Bank has been nationally recognized for its dedication to America’s Promise, the charitable initiatives centered on the “five promises” of former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s America’s Promise Initiative. It has also been honored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada for its continued support of their mentoring program. The bank raises donations and funds for organizations and programs such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Classroom on wheels, The Shade Tree Shelter for Women & Children, YMCA youth programs, Project Literacy and Teach Children to Save.

Each winter Sun West Bank assists with the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, and every Christmas participates in the Adopt-A-Family program of HELP of Southern Nevada. The bank’s involvement in the program allows them to “adopt” nine children for the holidays, providing them with gifts and other elements of a happy holiday that they would otherwise have to go without.

Going beyond holiday gifts and food, Sun West Bank’s charity programs also take into account the educational needs of at-risk children. The Bank Day Program, an expansion of the annual Teach Children to Save Day, allows Sun West employees to mentor local elementary school students and endeavors to teach kids basic Bank Skills.

Each Halloween Sun West Bank gets involved with Classrooms on Wheels, a program through the Clark County Schools which sends special school buses, painted like cows and outfitted inside like a preschool classroom, to neighborhoods where children otherwise can’t access preschool services.

With more than 550 children enrolled throughout Las Vegas Sun West Bank has helped out the last five years by packaging Halloween bags with coloring books, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toys, candy and bi-lingual reading materials for at-risk children who use Classroom on Wheels.

A long-standing program Sun West Bank developed for employees is Cool and Casual Days, which allows any employee the option to dress down for work as they wish, simply by making a small donation of a non-perishable household or food item which is then given to HELP of Southern Nevada or The Shade Tree Shelter as part of their “wish list” of supplies.

Another fundraiser at Sun West Bank is the semi-annual in-house silent auctions held during one week each spring and fall. Employee’s auction homemade dinners and other food items prepared by employees and on average, raised more than $450 for American’s Promise and other causes.

HARRIET CUMMINGS

Mrs. Harriet Cummings has been a volunteer at Northern Metropolitan nursing home for ten years. She began while her husband was a resident here. Her volunteer work continued after her husband passed away 3 years ago.

Mrs. Cummings’ compassion and love for our residents comes from her deep faith. She is guided by the principle that it is our duty to help and cherish our fellow man.

Her gentle nature, beautiful smile and warm personality make her a natural with our residents. Every Wednesday, Harriet takes her keyboard and goes through the halls, day rooms and resident’s rooms, playing lively tunes for all to hear. She is always encouraging residents to sing along even if they are not sure of the words. “Humming counts just as much as singing”, she says.

There is no task too large or too small for Harriett to undertake, from stuffing envelopes, to wrapping gifts, to serving lunch. Harriet is always there to give of herself.

On the rare occasion that she is not here on Wednesdays, it sis because she is a volunteer at a local elementary school where she reads to and works with children who are having some difficulty with reading.

Harriet’s other love and devotion is to her family. She has family across the country – Maryland, Louisiana, and California.

Harriet Cummings is a true asset to the facility and the tasks she performs are a vital part of our program. Her devotion and unwavering support of our residents is truly inspirational.

BEACHES COUNCIL ON AGING, INC./DIAL-A-RIDE PROGRAM

Founded in 1975, the Beaches Council on Aging formed the Dial-A-Ride program to provide transportation to senior citizens and/or handicapped persons for attendance of medical appointments and completion of such necessary tasks as grocery shopping, personal grooming and any other required transportation needs.

The Beaches Council on Aging serves to assist those residents of the Beaches communities who are incapable of providing their own transportation, in maintaining their independence and dignity, by providing reliable, personalized transportation services through the Dial A Ride Program.

The Dial A Ride program needed transportation to individuals, who otherwise would be homebound. The program participants either lack transportation or are limited in some way (i.e. medical limitations) form providing their own transportation. The Dial A Ride program bus operates out of the Beaches Senior Center in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

A volunteer Board of Directors oversees the program. Two dedicated senior volunteers perform day-to-day administration of the program: Bennie Furlong and Gail Ennis. Grant funding from the City of Jacksonville pays for a part-time dispatcher who works in tandem with the bus driver. The Bus is in service five days per week.

In 1999, beaches Dial a Ride provided approximately 3,000 round trips to approximately 200 unduplicated clients in Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach. As of year-end 2004, through the efforts of the all-volunteer professional staff, rider ship has increased to nearly 7,500 round trips and over 300 unduplicated clients.

Three years ago, funding was obtained from the City of Jacksonville in the form of a Public Service Grant, which has provided the stability needed to expand their services to five days per week.

One of their most recent innovations has been the addition of Pharmacy pick-up and delivery, where Dial A Ride will pick-up prescriptions and provide home delivery to heir clients. This of course does not involve any narcotic drugs, only other medications such as high blood pressure medications.

CRAIG DOUGLASS

Psychologists and counselors across the state were beginning to note; primarily, that before 1970, there was virtually no help for battered women and their children in the Pittsburgh community or in Pennsylvania.

Legal Advocate Volunteer, Craig Douglass, pondered the same situation. His outstanding history with Crisis Center North (CCN) for the past 1 ½ years, has been through his enthusiastic work….quality of time overshadows quality of time. Increased legal services, increased education and ultimately, the tool of empowerment, for victims of domestic violence in the communities have definitely made a positive impact.

Crisis Center North’s mission is to serve victims of domestic and relationship violence and to eliminate the community held beliefs and behaviors, which perpetuate it.

Craig is an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary mission. Without expectation of reward or recognition, his solution to further benefit the immediate, and lead to the permanent, needs of victimized individuals was to initiate the opportunity for personal assistance and Night Court on Friday evenings.

When contacted for the Spring 2003 Training Class, Craig was required to complete the Volunteer Survey and Data Forms. Craig mailed those forms back and more. Attached were his thoughts and feelings, down in black and white, about the crime of domestic violence, the vital need for empowerment and the vision of connecting the isolated crime victims with the appropriate legal referrals. Craig focuses and believes that all human beings are created equal and deserve to be treated as equals without regard to their race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic class.

A nervous victim stands alone in the hallway…who can help with what’s going on in her life? Who would believe the terrorism she and her children have faced…in their own home?

This is the situation volunteer Craig Douglass witnessed when observing an Emergency PFA procedure at Allegheny County Night Court.

CCN has always required “on-the-job” training for new volunteers at the New Family Court Facility to witness the PFA (Protection From Abuse) process; but the procedure at Night Court was not required. Night Court allows victims an avenue to obtain and Emergency PFA, offering a small sense of security from their abusers. Obtaining their Preliminary and Final PFA’s at the Family Court in the ensuing days, assure a longer-term solution and safety period.

Armed with this protection and knowledge…tools received from the Courts and CCN, victims and their families can feel safe for possibly the first time in a long time.

The Judges at the Night Court are also aware of Craig’s initiative and are tremendously impressed with his determination to supply a vitally needed service that was never offered in the past. As of now, Craig, representing CCN, is the only Legal Advocate volunteer making this innovative commitment to these crime victims. In the past seven months, 56 victims have received overdue personalized advocacy.

Besides holding down a full-time job, each month Craig typically volunteers 1-20 hours a month at Night Court. Those hours added to his volunteer Hotline Hours total approximately 50 hours a month.

MAURA MCGLYNN

Two years ago, Maura, an honor roll student and star athlete at Althoff Catholic High School, was lost and happened upon the Don Bosco Children’s Center. Intrigued, she walked into the center and learned that their mission was to care for neglected and abused children. Maura, who had worked with children in a variety of capacities, asked if she could volunteer there. The staff was a little surprised, and replied that no one had ever volunteered there before but that they would welcome a qualified volunteer.

Maura soon became the first volunteer at the Don Bosco Children’s center and has worked at the center ever since. There after, the Diocese of Belleville instituted a formal volunteer program at the Don Bosco Children’s center as a direct result of Maura’s efforts. There are now over 20 young persons volunteering at the center as a consequence of Maura’s first efforts there and her leadership.

However, the remarkable thing about Maura’s decision to volunteer at the Don Bosco center is how un-remarkable it is for Maura. Maura is a young practicing Catholic who seeks to live out the faith she has learned form her parents. Maura’s way of life has as its consistent theme respect for all human life. This respect for human life is what has lead her to help care for the abused children at the Don Bosco Children’s center and her many other charitable activities.

At the Don Bosco Children’s center Maura helps the children in a variety of ways through tutoring them in reading, coaching them in Athletics and simply being a friend to those most in need of love. Maura’s influence over the lives of the children she know, both at the Don Bosco Children’s center and elsewhere, is profound. Recently, she saw a young boy that she had worked with for years ago when she was a freshman and a camp counselor, the boy told Maura that he would never forget her.

On another occasion, Maura came across information that the Smith Lake Elementary School in New Mexico, far away form her home in the mid-west, was in desperate need of school books. This school, located on a Native American reservation, had fewer than ten books for each classroom. Maura, on her own initiative, organized a book drive for the school, collected over 2,000 books and then obtained a donation of over $300 form local businesses to ship the books to New Mexico. Maura did all this for people that she has never seen, but whose urgent need came to her attention.

Maura’s service to the community has inspired not only her sister Margaret but her other classmates to devote their time and effort to the service of others. In an era defined by selfishness, Maura is a selfless leader who leads by the hard sweat of service while remaining a well rounded young adult. In fact, it is hard to convince Maura to talk about her service to others; she simply takes that service as something required of all of us as a normal part of our lives.

In addition to the Don Bosco Children’s center, she has found time to regularly volunteer at the Belleville Area Humane society, the Red Cross, her Parish and as a Camp Counselor at the St Louis Zoo where she now works to save money for college. Considering that Maura is a honors student and an athlete with letters in both Varsity track and cross country, her consistent commitment to those in need is all the more remarkable.

BRADLEY SEARS

Orchard Village is a non-profit organization, which provides support services to persons with developmental and multiple challenges. Based in Skokie, Illinois, the organization serves 300 persons annually in Chicago and its north and northwest suburbs.

In 1996, Mr. Sears contacted Orchard Village, seeking a volunteer opportunity as a means of “giving back” to the community. Bradley joined the Orchard Village Finance Committee at that time, working with both staff and other volunteers to ensure the financial stability of the organization.

Within two years, Bradley was asked to serve on the Orchard Village Board of Directors. He accepted and has continued to serve the organization since that time, providing governance with hard work and dedication. Bradley continues to serve on the Finance Committee in addition to participating on the Board of Directors. Through his committee work, Bradley has contributed to the development of both a strategic plan for the organization and a retirement benefits policy for agency staff.

Bradley has also provided much to the organization in the way of direct services; that is, work of direct benefit to the persons supported by the organization. Through Wells Fargo’s Team Member Volunteer Program, he and other Wells Fargo team members whom he has recruited have performed important rehabilitation work at Orchard Village small group homes and supported apartments. These include:

1. Pleasant Street Apartment, Oak Park, IL. Replaced wall paneling, built new walls, and installed new flooring.

2. Oleander Group Home, Niles, IL. Renovations and refurnishing.

3. Luna Group Home, Morton Grove, IL. Renovations and painting.

Finally, Bradley has performed important work in the area of resource development for Orchard Village. Mr. Sears has been a consistent support of Orchard Village’s fundraising events. Bradley attends, with guests, Orchard Village’s major fundraising event, The Blossom Gala, and has consistently supported the organization’s summer golf events through the attendance of a foursome of his invitation.

Mr. Sears has also given of his own resources to meet critical needs of Orchard Village. His donation of a vehicle assisted the organization in meeting the transportation needs of many small group home residents. Bradley was also instrumental in the development and implementation of a 2002 renovation and community building project funded by the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. Bradley has been an exemplary volunteer, demonstrating his capacity for both generosity and dedication.

DIANNE CRISP

DiAnne Crisp has worked tirelessly for the past 4 years to help send youth in our community to college. Each year she volunteers months of her time and money to a fundraising effort called “Ducks on the Tuck”. “Ducks on the Tuck” is a ducky derby held on the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, North Carolina. DiAnne, her husband Mitch and daughter Katie came up with the fundraising idea to benefit the local college access program called New Century Scholars.

New Century Scholars is a unique program that provides deserving students in grades 7-12 college preparatory support and a local scholarship guarantee. Each year approximately 60 students are selected as rising 7th graders to become New Century Scholars. When a New Century Scholar reaches toe 12th grade and upon satisfactory completion of program requirements, they are awarded a tuition scholarship to our local community college and university.

In 1995 the former public school superintendent and the former community college president recognized the need to harness the untapped potential of middle grade students in the community and direct them on the path to college. The New Century Scholars program is designed to improve academic readiness, bolster student persistence toward high school graduation and increase the college-going rate. The program benefits the community by increasing the educational level of the workforce and fostering a sense of community ownership in the youth. This sense of ownership is achieved through the many volunteer hours the students participate in while in the program. The program is funded through the contributions of individuals, businesses, churches, civic groups and the fundraiser “Ducks on the Tuck”. For each student who is selected to be in the program, $500 must be raised. This money is invested through the community college foundation to meet the student’s future educational needs.

DiAnne has served as chairperson of the “Ducks on the Tuck” steering committee for the past 4 years. She has donated funds to support the purchase of derby ducks and other supplies on a yearly basis. Through her efforts “Ducks on the Tuck” has become an annual community event. Each year the event raises approximately $12,000 to benefit the New Century Scholars program. Twelve thousand dollars will allow twenty-four students the opportunity to become New Century Scholars and receive a tuition guarantee to the local community college and university. Over the past 4 years approximately 96 students have been given the opportunity the attend college because of DiAnne’s vision and leadership of the “Ducks on the Tuck” event. She has led her volunteers by example as she has done everything from selling duck tickets to dressing up as “Tucker Duck” at school events.

When DiAnne is not organizing the duck race she is volunteering for the high school booster club, mentoring students with senior projects, volunteering at church and helping out wherever there is a need.

STEVEN WHITE

Steven White has served the community of Moab in the official duty as a detective for the Grand County Sheriff’s department for the past seven years. Steve also has a passion for the young people of Moab, volunteering through the city recreation department as a football, softball, slow pitch and girl’s basketball coach for over the past ten years. He also finds time to man the start gate for the youth BMX races during the summer season.

Steve has served as chairman of the Special Olympics Committee in Grand County, organizing “Tip A Cop” fundraisers for the past eight years. Raising on the average, fifteen hundred dollars a fundraiser, the monies raised help insure that special needs children in Grand County can participate in Special Olympic Competitions at the state, national and world levels. Special Olympics help to raise the self-esteem and to empower children and youth with mental illness. Steve was honored by being chosen represent Utah at the International Special Olympic Torch Run held in Europe in 2003.

In 2002, Steve as chosen “Outstanding Children’s Advocate” of the year, for his work with the Grand County Children’s Justice Center. Working on a professional basis, Steve assures that children feel safe during interview sessions while reviewing uncomfortable and painful memories. Protecting the victim from further hardship, is Steve’s mission at the Children’s Justice Center.

Steve, as a volunteer firefighter, goes into the public schools, teaching fire prevention, fire safety and always includes in his presentation – “Good Touch, Bad Touch” as a prevention to sexual abuse. Steve has served in this volunteer position for three years.

CLAYTON HEINEMANN

Clayton is a volunteer with the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, Senior Companion Program. Clayton is a Senior Companion serving homebound male seniors in their homes without receiving a stipend as other Companions receive. He is only reimbursed a lunch allowance and a small mileage allowance. Clayton visits 3 or 4 male clients per week for 2 to 4 hours per day, 4 days a week.

Clayton meets a real need for volunteers to visit elderly male clients. Clayton has improved the quality of life for the seniors he visits. He encourages them to be as independent as possible despite their particular limitations. Clayton’s consumers say he is very caring and helpful and never says no to any request while giving 101%.

He provides a respite relief for the caregiver of one of his consumers. Another consumer welcomes his visits to “shoot the breeze.” All of the male consumers he visits are between the ages of 77 and 91 years of age. Clayton’s supervisor has only positive comments about him, as he goes above and beyond the requirements of a Senior Companion. He has consistently been a dependable and caring companion meeting his consumers’ individual needs. Clayton encourages his wheelchair bound client to independently dress and groom himself, thereby being as independent as he can be.

In addition to volunteering as a Senior Companion 4 days per week, Clayton also volunteers every Wednesday for the “Meals on Wheels” program.

Most Senior Companions in this Federally-funded program receive a small tax-free stipend. Clayton has not been deterred from serving the consumers who welcome his visits, even without the stipend. He continues to serve their needs without the incentive of a stipend payment. Clayton is very deserving of this award.