DODGE CITY CITIZENS POLICE AUXILIARY

In the fall of 1996 the Police Department had just graduated from its first Citizen Police academy with fifteen graduates; the Department was searching for a new police chief and was experiencing a 22% vacancy rate in its sworn-officer ranks; and a gang related killing had galvanized the community to take action. These near simultaneous occurring events proved to be the catalyst that provided the foundation to develop a very unique community policing partnership. That partnership became known as the “Citizen-assisted Policing Program”.

The program was constructed on the premise that highly trained “Citizen Police Assistants” could augment the staffing of the police department, provide law enforcement services not requiring the presence of a commissioned police officer, and most recently, assist the department in accomplishing Homeland Security initiatives. Our primary strategy was to develop and equip a citizen-assisted policing initiative, as additional “eyes and ears” to combat gang, drug abuse and violent crime activity, and to assist officers with routine tasks that can be completed by non-sworn volunteers, allowing the officer to return to active patrol.

After having a fully operational Citizen-assisted Policing program in excess of seven years, we have attained our three initial project goals. We have developed (1) a responsive, long-term and meaningful partnership with the community, the members of the Citizen Assisted Policing Unit, and members of the police department; (2) the public’s awareness of the need to assist their police department and maintain an open line of communication to help in combating crime and ensuring homeland security efforts are met is present; and (3) the Citizen-Assisted Policing Unit has and continues to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the police department contributing trained, volunteer citizens assistance to the department.

It has taken commitment, changes in traditional structure, and limited funding to create a partnership that has made a lasting change in the way we view citizen participation in community policing and the delivery of law enforcement services. They had not solved all of our problems, but they have empowered our community to be responsive to is needs, developed a bridge of communication and understanding, and changed community perceptions of law enforcement. Our Citizen-Assisted Policing program has become a key ingredient to a tangible community policing orientation and is responsible in part for increased officer efficiency.

Dodge City, and all of its public safety partners, endorses the validity of a program of citizen-assisted policing. The City Commission passed an ordinance making the program a permanent unit of the Police Department and has funded it with a line item budget. Over fifty-five agencies, coast-to-coast, have inquired about this initiative and an Evaluation and Implementation Guide has been developed, to assist other agencies in their development of similar programming.

VERONICA OSORIO

Veronica Osorio is a leader and role model for the All Stars Project, Inc. in Newark, NJ. A junior at Montclair State College with a major in political science, Veronica devotes a generous portion of her spare time to transforming a short-staffed local operation into a solid opportunity for social change in Newark’s inner-city community. She initiated the Phyllis H. Hyman Phat Friends Awards Youth Committee in Newark, which is now in its third year. The Phat Friends Awards serves to honor adults who have distinguished themselves by their concern for and involvement with young people.

Thanks to Veronica’s leadership, inspiration, and motivating spirit, the Phat Friends Awards Committee has developed into a solid group comprised of inner-city youth who organize a city-wide campaign for young people to nominate, interview, and select their own leaders from within their community. Young people select nominees from among church leaders, teachers, and volunteers who have worked with them in such capacities as after-school programs. It is both a great honor and a character-building experience for young people to salute their own unsung heroes. The Phat Friends Awards are then presented at an awards reception attended by donors and community leaders. This ceremony is fast becoming one of the most moving and inspiring annual events in Newark.

Veronica’s strength and drive have empowered many inner-city youth to evaluate what is genuinely important to them. By supporting young people in their endeavors to honor a special adult or adults who have made a key difference in their lives, Veronica has inspired many young people to develop strong values and acquire focus.

Veronica’s energy, sense of purpose, and generosity has led her to additional volunteer opportunities both within and outside of the All Stars Project. She has also acted as a youth assistant for the Development School for Youth (DSY), a leadership training and career education program for young people aged 16-21; helped to organize the National Hip Hop Political Convention; and served as an advocate for the Essex County Rape Crisis Call Center.

As for her own future, Veronica hopes to attend George Washington University and work toward a master’s in urban development. She also plans to join the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. Wherever her path may take her, Veronica will always seek out ways in which she can serve her community by creating a safe haven in which children, teenagers, and adults alike can learn from each other and grow.

JEAN SACATSH

In 2003, Jean Sacatsh was honored for her exemplary volunteer service with the Retired and Senior and Senior Volunteers Program’s Outstanding Quality Service Award, given to the volunteer who most displays the qualities of leadership, assistance and performance above expectations for a volunteer agency.

At first glance it might seem odd that working with young would be what keeps Jean Sacatsh coming back to volunteer at Judson Retirement Community in Cleveland. But that is how this seventy-five-year-old RSVP volunteer is involved with the Eden Alternative, a program that aims to temper the institutional aspects of long-term care by introducing animals, plants, and children into resident’s lives on a daily basis.

Jean, who worked for thirty years with special education students as a speech and language pathologist, was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease some years ago. She began volunteering at Judson as a way to say ‘thank you” for the support and camaraderie she received from water aerobics class there. Staffers who were developing implementation and expansion of the curriculum used for the weekly visits and “summer camp experience” of fifty kindergarten and second grade children from St. Joseph/Collinwood School. Although previously able to teach on he own, she now team teaches with a staff member, at her own request, because she doesn’t want her cognitive issues to interfere with the information presented to the children.

Arriving for programs dresses appropriately for the theme, including her earrings, Jean always has a big smile and a cheerful hello for everyone. Her sense of fun is contagious. Jean herself says, “The best thing about my experience at Judson is loving the kids and watching the kids, residents and myself grow. And when something clicks, when the “ah-ha” moments come – those are the best!”

She also served as a volunteer at the forerunner of the Cleveland Botanical Garden. She continues to work at the Hershey Garden in the summer, and for the Botanical Garden on indoor projects during the winter. She also gardens for her church.

Jean’s enthusiastic efforts to enrich the lives of Judson residents, especially in light of her own personal situation, are a testament to her strength of character and her commitment to volunteer service.

CLIFFORD BENFIELD

Clifford J. Benfield is the contributing resource behind many successful historic educational efforts in Southold Town. As Southold was founded in 1640, there is a wealth of history to convey to the children of our community.

Mr. Benfield has been a dedicated volunteer since 1956, being active on the Union College Alumni Council for forty-eight years and serving as president of the New York-New Jersey chapter for nine years. He is an avid volunteer for Friends of the Library in Greenport, NY, and the Church of the Redeemer in Mattituck, NY. His wife Eunice, a busy volunteer also, stands firmly behind him on all his projects. Some of Mr. Benfield’s most far-reaching efforts provide historical educational venues for future generations.

Mr. Benfield has served as an Advisor to the National Lighthouse Museum and the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society since their inception. He served as Chairman of the Southold Landmark Preservation Commission. He is a major volunteer for the East end Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation, having served as its Curator and as an Advisor to the Board. He is a major volunteer for Lady Stirling Committee, conducting Tall Ships events in Greenport, NY. He has been an extraordinary volunteer for Southold Historical Society (SHS) since 1977.

In late 1989, Mr. Benfield gathered a small but effective group of SHS volunteers, namely Robert Petit, Donald Bayles and Robert Kaelin, to restore the vandal-plagued and abandoned Horton Point Lighthouse. Horton Point had been selected in 1756 as an ideal lighthouse location by George Washington, then 25 years old, and Ezra Hommedieu, but the building was not built until 1857. In 1990, after six months of hard labor, they opened The Lighthouse Museum to the public. The Coast Guard installed a modem light in the Lighthouse’s lantern room and Horton Point Lighthouse literally became a point of light again, most fittingly on the Coast Guard’s 200th anniversary. The Coast Guard also donated a fourth order Fresnel lens to the Museum. Mr. Benfield’s coordination of the efforts of the community, SHS volunteers, Southold Park District which owns the property, the Town, and the Coast Guard resulted in a working educational Museum. In 1994, the Lighthouse was named to the State Register of Historic Places and the National Registry of Historic Places based on Mr. Benfield’s application.

The Lighthouse, with hands-on learning opportunities and extensive exhibits gathered by Mr. Benfield and others, is a popular destination for school groups and families, serving over about 5,000 people each year. Admission is free (adult donations accepted). In 2003, visitors came from twenty countries and forty-one states. Mr. Benfield has handed over the daily operation to an able volunteer staff, but remains as curator and still conducts the maintenance on the structure. He serves as a mentor to our next generation of local history experts like Robert Windhorst and Robert G. Muller, and is a sought-after lecturer.

STUDENTS SERVING STAFFORD

The tradition of service to the community can be traced to the example of our Founding Fathers; some of whom were Stafford county residents. However, the county’s character has changed markedly. Stafford is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, with a 53% growth rate and will open five new schools in the next two years. With a dramatic rise in population and an increasingly transient nature, students no longer share the same sense of community.

Student Serving Stafford (SSS) began 10 years ago as a very limited program and has expanded to include service-learning opportunities for students at the high school level either through enrollment in Learn and Serve classes and/or after school placement for credit. Experiences while in school allow students to hone citizenship skills and develop the ability to lead projects, develop action plans, and organize other to the betterment of the community as a whole.

Last year SSS engaged 120 students in 58 community projects and logged more than 8,000 volunteer hours. These students developed a strong sense of community by participating in the SSS program. They see themselves as citizens of their county, region, state, nation and world community. To this end, specific activities included, but were not limited to:

National Make a Difference Day:

· Students coordinated the fall Rappahannock River Clean Up with the Friends of the Rappahannock with over 200 participants resulting in 12,000 pounds of trash collected as well as environmental education provided to youth participants.

· Students’ responsibilities were as follows: design and distribute event flyers, develop a participant data base, provide safety briefs to participants, solicit food donations, design and deliver environmental education, and send Thank You letters to participants.

Month of Youth Service:

· Spring Rappahannock River Clean Up (description and duties listed above) – 175 volunteers and approximately 12,000 pounds of trash.

· Glories “Happy Hats” workshop – 120 youth and 50 adults contributed over 271 hours of service to the community by participating in a 2 hour, 12 step workshop to design and complete over 300 court jester style hats for children at Inova Fairfax Children’s Hospital.

· Designed and built a “Jeopardy” board game for the Stafford County “R” Board. The Stafford County Beautification Committee uses the “Jeopardy” board game in an effort to bring environmental education to the students of county students. Students served as peer mentors as they demonstrated the need to be kind to the environment by utilizing by utilizing the “Jeopardy” board game on Earth Day with over 500 middle school students.

· Attended training to understand the need for and specifics on growing Bay Grasses. The program replenishes underwater vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

· Students served on committees to implement service projects for the Month of Youth Service.

Ongoing volunteer service includes a project where students tutor twice a week at seven elementary schools and once a week at Head start Family Literacy Night. The SSS program is a well respected program in the community providing the community with well trained students that are prepared to plan, implement, and evaluate projects and programs in their communities. Students Serving Stafford build strong citizens and gives students the opportunities to give of themselves and establishes an expectation of service. Our students are tomorrow’s leaders.

RITHA MAY

Ritha May is the original chair of the Northern Utah Division of Friends for Sight (formerly Prevent Blindness Utah). She established the division in 1988, and has developed the territory to include not only Weber County, but also Cache, Summit, Davis and Morgan counties.

Through her relationship with the Ogden Junior League, approximately 800 children receive a vision screening, an eye exam and eye glasses if needed, via the Community Health Connection. Under Ritha’s leadership, approximately 3,500 children are screened each year in Northern Utah – that’s over 50,000 children to date.

Vision screening for children is a philanthropy of the Delta Gamma alumnae, via Friends for Sight. Since 80% of learning is through our eyes, it’s vital that children enter school with good vision. Amblyopia, lazy-eye blindness is the leading cause of teen-age vision problems, yet is almost 100% correctable if caught before age 7. Sixty to eighty percent of delinquent behavior is due to vision problems (impair ability to read, and reading affects delinquency). The vision screening Friends for Sight provides is vital to students learning ability and social adjustment.

Without Ritha’s dedicated leadership, many children would not have an eye exam and parents would not be educated about the importance of eye exams.

KATHY MARTIN

In the spring of 2003, Hope Bertelsen, a seventh grader, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a rare cancer that usually strikes very young children. Hope, along with her family – homemaker mother Gemma, computer-professional father John, and two young brothers – was facing a year or more of dangerous and often experimental surgeries. Treatment was begun immediately at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), which is located more than an hour from the Bertelsen’s home. Because of the seriousness of Hope’s condition and the complexity of the frequent medical decision to be made, one of Hope’s parents need to be in residence at CHOP most of the time. The burden on this family – emotional, spiritual, and financial – was enormous.

Montgomery Township is a close-knit and affluent exurb, and many individuals immediately became aware of the Bertelsen’s situation. Members of the community, those who knew the Bertelsens through their involvement in the church, Scouts, children’s sports, and the local chapter of Mothers of Multiples, as well as those who did not know the Bertelsens at all, wanted to assist this loved and deserving family. But, as often the case, people were hesitant to intrude at such a difficult time. What was needed was a point person – someone to be in constant contact with the Bertelsens and who would be able to coordinated financial and domestic support on their behalf. It would be an enormous task to undertake.

Within days, Kathy Martin – a friend of Hope’s mother – took control and established the Hope for Hope project to assist the Bertelsens in numerous ways. For the next year Hope for Hope bound the community of Montgomery together in a common goal – to allow Gemma and John the time to be with their daughter without distractions.

The Hope for Hope project included the following efforts:

· Hope for Hope fund at a local bank

· Prayer and volunteer sign up event at Hope’s church

· Hope for Hope T-shirts and note cards – both of which used artwork Hope created during therapy at CHOP – were donated by local businesses and offered for sale to the public at numerous businesses and project events.

· Belle Mead Hot Glass, a local artisan, donated handmade blown glass ornaments for sale to the public at numerous local businesses and project events.

· Kathy Martin, jewelry designer, donated handmade “hearts and stars” necklaces and bracelets for sale to the public.

· A local deli named a sandwich for Hope and donated a percentage of the profits to the fund.

· Rummage sales

· Bake sales

· Blood drives

· Home cooked meals delivered three times a week

· Sale of individual quilt squares, which were signed with good wishes from members of the community and then sewn together and presented to the Bertelsens at An Evening of Hope

· An Evening of Hope, a dinner and auction event, with the venue and food underwritten by a local private school, raised over $125,000. This event was sold out with 550 attendees.

Kathy emailed project volunteers regularly with information on Hope’s medical condition and upcoming Hope for Hope events/volunteer opportunities – as well as requests for prayer – and asked the volunteers to forward the information to any local “group lists” to which they had access. Up to date information and requests for assistance reached hundreds of people frequently – and several times a day during periods of crisis.

What Kathy gave Montgomery was more than Hope for Hope. She gave us power and strength and vision. She inspired us with her commitment, her willingness to sacrifice herself, and reminded us that when there was nothing left to be done we could pray – and tat our prayers would make a difference. She taught the community of Montgomery that with love and sacrifice we could be each other’s safety net.

Hope attended her Girl Scout Silver award ceremony in May and her eight grade graduation – at which she received a standing ovation from her classmates – in June. She spent the summer at home or on her various outings and vacations with her family. She began home tutoring in the ninth grade curriculum this month. She remains, every day, in the thoughts and prayers of her neighbors and friends.

SUPPORT HOTLINE

The SUPPORT Hotline provides telephone crisis intervention and is a program of Portage Path Behavioral Health, an adult community mental health center in Summit County, Ohio. After two months of rigorous training, hotline volunteers provide a skilled combination of empathic listening, crisis intervention, risk assessment, community referrals and, if necessary, emergency intervention for callers in crisis, some of whom may be suicidal. Free and confidential, the SUPPORT Hotline has operated in Summit County since 1968, with volunteers on the front lines since its inception. Each of our over 30 volunteers commits 200-250 hours in their first year of service; and, more than half continue to volunteer well beyond a year. Currently, almost a third of volunteers have given 5 or more years of service.

A call to the hotline is often the first contact an individual makes to talk about suicidal thoughts, symptoms of mental illness, loneliness, abuse, addiction or other overwhelming life problems. The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) reports that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the nation; translating to one suicide every 16 minutes. According to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (2001), 23% of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year with half reporting impairment of their daily functioning due to the mental illness and about 9-13% of children have a serious emotional disturbance. Poverty, discrimination, fear, and shame often prevent people from seeking needed help. Individuals with persistent mental illnesses may lack the support and resources needed to find and maintain life-enriching treatment. Our volunteers are at the other end of the phone with the nonjudgmental support, understanding and information needed to break through barriers and isolation.

The impact of crisis hotlines is difficult to measure. But it is hard to ignore the relief in a caller’s voice when someone finally listens to them and “gets it” or the calls to thank the volunteer for the life-saving help or the weekly calls from the person with a mental illness who needs a touchstone. Each year, hotline volunteers take calls from almost 5,000 people; provide over 3000 referrals to community agencies and provide emergency intervention for over 100 individuals. With the creative input of the volunteers, the hotline service has kept up-to-date by implementing improved procedures and technologies, obtaining national AAS crisis line certification and adding tools and resources for helping callers.

SUPPORT Hotline volunteers have been quietly touching lives for 36 years, expecting nothing in return and armed only with intense training, dedication, empathy, and a telephone. The concept of crisis hotlines is not a new one, rather, it models one of the oldest ways a community can help its own; people listening to one another.

MR. & MRS. MARK GRAY

There is a couple in the Harrodsburg community that continuously volunteer and sacrifice their own time and finances to help others. This couple is Mark and Mary Gray. Many times they work as individuals on various projects, but the last two years have increased their level commitment and service by starting a food ministry.

The “Garden of Good Eatin’” is a special food trailer that arrives at predetermined sites providing lunch, dinner and treats for various groups at no charge. The food trailer is designed to enhance any community activity by being a drawing card for entire families to come and enjoy whatever program is being presented. It is especially helpful in areas where it is known that the children and their families are needy. Along with the food trailer the Grays have committed virtually every single weekend and some weekdays all summer to providing these free services. Again, all costs are absorbed by the Grays and they steadfastly refuse donations towards their efforts. It is a true labor of love.

Another aspect with the Grays is particularly worthy of praise. They always use young people to assist in the food trailer and as helpers on the side. There are teenagers who have learned that serving others is not only rewarding, but fun as well. These young people now have special T-shirts setting them apart as workers. They wear them with pride.

Volunteerism, good citizenship and character development are all being fostered by the “Garden of Good Eatin’”. We hope that more people will not only recognize this level of service, but will be encouraged to go and do likewise.

JUDY JACOBSEN

Judy Jacobsen selflessly donates not only to the Community Service Council organization, but to the many other volunteer activities she performs elsewhere, such as the State Library For the Blind. This year, Jacobsen achieved “member at large” status in the social sorority, Beta Sigma Phi where she has been an active member since 1965. Currently working with her nephew making quilts and bears to give to children in need who visit the Utah Trauma Center and Children Diabetes Center, she also makes time to volunteer with the Council.

Commuting once a week from Woods Cross, Jacobsen volunteers with Community Service Council, specifically the Utah Food Bank, by providing invaluable services within the inventory department. Among her duties of organizing and maintaining shipping and receiving records, archived records, fiscal year reconciliation report and other vital paperwork.

Jacobsen also helps in other duties such as creating new donor files, verifying receiving tickets, and sending the many “thank yous” to recognize those who have donated food products. To many, this is very time consuming meticulous way to volunteer, but Jacobsen genuinely sees its value. Without her help, the shipping and receiving department at the Utah Food Bank would not have the time to fit her duties into heir already busy schedules.

Jacobsen has been an active volunteer here at CSC since 1996, coming in for four to six hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Her volunteer work alone provides the shipping and receiving department and amazing 460 hours a year in sorting, filing and make sense of the mountains of paperwork generated by the literally hundreds of thousands of donations, shipping requests and receiving tickets.

Described by her co-workers as both “reliable” and just plain “perfect,” Jacobsen is indeed “part of the family.” Jacobsen can often be found working diligently in the receiving department to which her manager has stated that she “never has to worry about her, ever.”

When questioned about her diligence, hard work and sacrifice, no one can remember a volunteer in recent memory being her equal. Utah Food Bank Directory of Inventory/Food Resource Development, Linda Trujillo: “Judy does not need direction. She has a key to my office and is more dependable than any volunteers and some past workers I have seen.”

Those working at Community Services Council know that without all the reliable volunteer hours that Jacobsen selflessly donates each week, this organization would struggle to keep up. Her tireless efforts, willingness to take charge, fix problems and be dependable are truly generous gifts to the Utah Food Bank.

The many countless hours of service that Judy Jacobsen donates here at CSC, in an area not visible to many, has made CSC a better operation, saving this non-profit organization money which is allocated elsewhere to serve the hungry.