TIFFANY CHOU

Tiffany Chou, 18, a senior at Seabury Hall School in Makawao, was inspired by her special-needs brother to create “The Dancing Palette Project,” a weekend social program offering art, drama and dance activities for special-needs students and their teenage mentors.

“My brother loves to hang out and socialize with kids his age, although he has trouble gaining acceptance from other kids,” said Tiffany. So she conceived a program that would enable her brother and others like him to dance, decorate cookies, make T-shirts and participate in other fun activities while socializing with other teens in a supportive environment. Tiffany received approval to use high school facilities, and recruited several teachers to help plan the program. She also encouraged other teens to volunteer as mentors to the seven special-needs students in the program, which consisted of three weekends of art projects and then three weekends of dance and music.

“What we do so easily comes very hard for some kids – what seems like just one small step can be a huge victory and major step forward,” said Tiffany.

The Dancing Palette has been very successful in its first and second year and has now doubled in size. It is going on its third year and it will be expanding even more to other communities throughout Maui County. I wrote a grant last summer and The Dancing Palette has received a $1000 grant from The George P. Ida Tenney Castle Trust. This year I donated my $1000 scholarship from the Prudential Spirit of Community award for the program this coming 2005 year. I am currently a college student at The School of Art Institute of Chicago. I plan on continuing “The Dancing Palette” as a summer program this 2005. My website is dancingpalette.org, please e-mail me at [email protected]

INDEPENDENCE MISSOURI PARENTS ANONYMOUS

This past year has seen the Hawthorne Place Community in Independence, Missouri moving in a new and expanded direction as the Hawthorne Place Community Center project is completed. Hawthorne Places’ mission to improve quality of life always comes first. It’s not just a saying that hangs on the wall. It is a genuine commitment shared by the board and staff. So, during the past year, efforts have been made to reach as many residents as possible with housing, social services, health, community safety, technology and wellness programs developed to meet identified needs.

One of those groups helping this low-income community was the Independence, Missouri Parents Anonymous Group. A Parents Anonymous (PA) support group can have a tremendously positive impact on an individual. Co-chairs from the Cler-Mont Randall Community Partnership – Nina Falls and Adaire Stewart – had the opportunity to attend a Parents Anonymous group. After sitting in on one PA group they were convinced that PA is something that is needed in Independence.

Through much deliberation and long planning meetings, a training event was planned for March 22, 2004 whereby there were trained facilitators and parent leaders to kick off the first Parents Anonymous meeting April 19, 2004. Thirteen parents have been supported through Parents Anonymous in the past four months. There have been new participants monthly. Recruitment for PA is ongoing. According to the Program Bulletin from Parents Anonymous, “All parents have the capacity for positive change and a critical factor in their change process is the opportunity to transform their attitudes and behaviors and to learn and practice new skills in a supportive environment”. Parents are taking on a stronger role in schools and in the community.

The facilitators saw another need come from the Parents Anonymous group – a children’s program. The Children’s Program is a place where children give and get support from one another. The Children’s Program staff assists children in building health relationships. They learn positive ways of interacting, problem solving, and supporting gone another. Hawthorne Parents Anonymous has begun branching out to local faith based organizations. They are planning have their parent support group in operation by September 1.

Change happens slowly and the word is getting our about Parents Anonymous. This group is providing support and encouragement for parents dealing with the stress of parenting. They provide a place to freely discuss difficulties in raising children. They provide a program for children that are structured to work on self-esteem, cooperative play and confidence building. Finally, this group has provided a network of parents to assist each other with everyday needs, including childcare, phone contact, and support and caring.

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY YOUTH SERVICES STUDENTS OF PROMISE

Rockingham County Youth Services Students of Promise are high school students who serve as role models and tutors for Support Our Students (SOS) middle school youth. Students of Promise equip at-risk middle school students with the skills they need to succeed in life while, themselves, having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Statistics show that most juvenile crime occurs in the afternoon hours between 3:00 and 6:00 PM and that middle school youth are less likely to quit school and more likely to succeed when they have caring, positive role models in their lives. Students of Promise volunteers work and play with these middle school kids during these crucial hours after school and give them the attention, help and tools they need to make good choices. In return, these at-risk middle school students, through the guidance and example of their mentors, are empowered to give to others and their community – turning “at-risk” to “at-promise”!

Since its inception in 1998, as few as 48 and as many as 100 Students of Promise mentors form our four county high schools have volunteered after school at the four SOS sites each year. They tutor younger students in a variety of academic subjects and measure progress through reports cards, progress reports, and end-of-grade tests. Mentors organize community service projects, participate in anger management and conflict resolution and enhance the social skills of students in the SOS program.

Students of Promise mentors commit to volunteering at least 25 hours of service during the school year, to meet with the SOS students at least once a week and to participate in at least three service-learning projects. Projects completed by the Students of Promise and SOS groups include beautification projects, both at the schools and in the community, on-going activities with area nursing and retirement homes, coat drives, food drives, teacher appreciation projects, elder care projects, as well as collaborating with HELP, Inc., Samaritan’s Purse, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Rockingham County Pregnancy Care Center, Hospice fund raiser and Relay for Life Cancer Walk.

Students of Promise receive no monetary payment for their efforts, however, they are given incentives, such as fast food coupons, during the year and are recognized in their year-end assemblies and given t-shirts, certificates and other appropriate rewards. Since 2001, Rockingham County Students of Promise have volunteered 10,495 hours in the SOS program and their community. If compensated minimum wage, this amounts to $54,490, however, new statistics on the worth of a volunteer puts the hourly wage at $17.19 – amounting to a whopping $180,409!

School personnel as well as parents give credit to these high school young people and our SOS program for improved grades, behavior, attitudes and community awareness. Rockingham County is a better place to live, thanks in part to our Student of Promise volunteers.

CHURCH OF CHRIST MENTORING PROGRAM

The Church of Christ of Ruleville, Mississippi, Inc. is located in the heart of Ruleville in Sunflower County. This county is hit with some of the highest rates of need in the Delta. Thirty-six percent of the persons who reside in the Delta live in poverty, and the average household income of African-American in the Delta is 38.2% of the average white household. Statistics show the unemployment rate is 15.1%, 11.4% of the population receive public assistance and 30.5% of the births are to single teenagers under the age of 20. In addition, the juvenile incarceration rate for youth 10 to 18 is 10.3%. During the 2001 school year 100% of the students in the junior high and high schools were eligible for free lunch, almost 7% of high school students dropped out and almost 2% of junior high students dropped out.

These facts speak for themselves; living in the Delta is a challenge for many. Because of this, many residents in Ruleville suffer from low self-esteem. The Church of Christ saw this problem and developed its mentoring program in 2000. Since its inception, the program has targeted youth between the ages of 8 and 18 and engages them in positive experiences in an attempt to better the community by producing citizens who make positive life choices.

This year the mentoring program has been even more active, and they have geared many of the activities towards the community at large. During February, they hosted a Black History Program. They performed, “ Who Am I In Black History?” and enabled each mentee to research a person of choice and introduce a fact to the audience. They also elected a council in February and worked to ensure the mentees were educated on different aspects of the election process like nominations, debates and speeches. The volunteers provided interactive learning in hopes the youth would grasp the concepts better if they were able to participate.

Through a grant from the Points of Light Foundation, the volunteers donated a city flag to Ruleville. The mentoring group and other members of the community worked to design a city flag, and they presented the flag to the Mayor, Shirley Edwards, in a special ceremony.

The mentoring program also sponsors educational endeavors. Through a grant provided by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, the program teaches against tobacco use and encourages healthy living. They also sponsor an after-school program during the school year and assigns youth-to-youth study buddies. During the past two years, the average student improved his or her grade by one letter due the dedication of the mentoring team.

The Church of Christ Mentoring Program has helped to change the lives of many youth in Ruleville. In addition, they teach conflict resolution, team building and critical thinking skills. They are helping to build a strong community by strengthening the future of their community, the youth.

PEDRO LIZAMA

Pedro Lizama, 13, an eighth-grader at Jefferson Junior High School, collected clothing and school supplies to assist needy children and families in El Salvador. “The idea of the project began with a trip to El Salvador where I saw others my age with less than I have,” Pedro said.

With help from his family, Pedro solicited donations of new and gently used clothing, school supplies and other items. The family purchased other necessities from local stores. “Although budgeting played a key role, we were able to collect a lot of clothes for the people of El Salvador,” he said.

Pedro was able to personally distribute everything he and his family collected when he traveled to his grandfather’s house in the Central American nation. “Because of our efforts, nearly 35 kids will benefit from the clothing and school supplies. I feel that I might go to El Salvador someday or even to another country and help them in any way that I can.”

ART NICHOLS

Art Nichols makes life a little easier for older adults and the disabled in Kalamazoo County. He helps seniors navigate the Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) by answering questions and solving problems to ensure that they get all the assistance that is available to them. He counsels and teaches older adults on how to fill out insurance paperwork and is available when they find themselves suddenly alone due to the death of a spouse. Nichols provides transportation to seniors and the disabled for shopping assistance and medical appointments. Since he likes to cook, Nichols also visits homebound older adults and prepares a home cooked meal for them. His awards and recognition have both alerted the public to the needs and the community and engaged others to volunteer.

As an RSVP volunteer, Nichols donates about 30 hours each month as a certified counselor. He has completed the 40-hour State of Michigan training and enjoys what he does. Nichols is happy they do not charge anything or sell anything; they are just available to meet a need.

Nichols makes community presentations to provide the public with up to date information on medical insurance eligibility and also offers to the homes of clients who live in outlining areas or who are physically unable to attend the presentations. He is a compassionate counselor with financial expertise and offers reassurance to those who are overwhelmed with complicated and unfamiliar applications and insurance jargon. Nichols utilizes resources, makes referrals and seeks support from community organizations that provide food, home repair, case management and home care assistance.

Art also serves with GIVE, which is an In Home Support program in Kalamazoo. He is a gourmet cook and he saw a flyer requesting volunteers for light meal preparation. That is a perfect match for Nichols, and he now annually donates approximately 400 hours per year to the program. Nichols goes above and beyond the call of duty, which is evident in his car for one of his GIVE clients. This man was scheduled for knee surgery and was bout to lose his house because he could not make the mortgage payments. Nichols cooked his meals, got him Meals on Wheels, and sold his house before foreclosure. Nichols then got him out of debt, on a budget and taught him the tools necessary to manage his own accounts.

Nichols offers all services he can provide along with RSVP and then he makes the clients aware of resources in Kalamazoo County where they can get additional aid. He offers service and hope to frail seniors worried about their future. Though Nichols wears many hats, he still makes the time to volunteer and help others. Nichols is a pioneer in Kalamazoo County who is forging a path for others to follow so they can make a difference too.

CHRISTINA KWONG

Christina Kwong is an 18 year-old senior at Desert Vista High School who established a tutoring center at her church to help immigrant students improve their English skills in a friendly, supportive environment. Aware of her mother’s struggles as a young immigrant student from Taiwan, Christina discovered one day that there were high school students in her own church that were experiencing the same difficulties.

To Christina it was impossible to imagine how hard it is to be in a foreign country without the ability to fluently speak the language. Because of this, she thought of creating a tutoring center. She did more research and then obtained permission from her Chinese church to use its resources. Christina then called immigrant students personally to invite them to her new center, posted fliers in supermarkets and schools, and recruited native-born American students to serve as tutors.

The center now provides one-on-one tutoring for immigrant students to help with homework, public speaking skills, conversational communication and socialization. The tutoring has fostered a significant improvement in the students’ English skills, and as a result, many parents have also joined the center. Christina hopes to expand her program soon to include Hispanic and other immigrant students in addition to Chinese youth.

DANIEL CAYCE

Daniel Cayce is a 16 year-old junior at Bearden High School. Daniel started a nutrition program that provides night and weekend meals to more than 60 needy students and their preschool siblings in his school district. He also distributed donations of school supplies; dental care products and food to the children of poor families as well as organizing an effort to provide fashionable, fun hats for mothers with cancer.

Inspired by President Bush and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s initiatives to “leave no child behind,” Daniel decided he could help by working to keep poor children from going to bed hungry at night. “I wanted no child in my school district to be left behind in nutrition,” he said. After compiling a list of the neediest students in his school district, Daniel solicited donations of food and backpacks through speeches to church and civic groups, letter-writing campaigns, and an appeal to the Arkansas State Food Bank. Donated food was then stored in a school gym, sorted and bagged with help from Daniel’s Boy Scout troop, and picked up by recipient students at the end of the school day.

Daniel also held a free give-away of baby food, school supplies and dental care products to more than 500 children last October, and delivered 2,000 pounds of baby food to human service agencies in three counties. And when his mother lost her hair during chemotherapy treatments, Daniel organized a group of seamstresses to make hats for more than 200 young mothers with cancer. Daniel won a Prudential Spirit of Community Award in 2003, as well, for a project that distributed blankets and cooking utensils to needy individuals during the winter.

Daniel has now delivered over 10,000 pounds of baby food and over 600 hats for moms with cancer.

Daniel was inducted into the Hall of Fame for caring Americans November 2004 Washington D.C. and today at the opening of the Clinton School for community service. Daniel was honored by David Pyor with a Daniel Cayce Award given each year to a student at the school.

KOREH L.A.

KOREH L.A. the Los Angeles Jewish Coalition for Literacy was created by the Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee in 1999 as the Jewish community’s commitment to the literacy movement. Koreh is the Hebrew word for “read”. Inspired by the national literacy movement initiated by President Clinton, KOREH L.A. is non-sectarian, with both volunteers and the children they work with coming from every ethnic and religious group.

The mission of KOREH L.A. is to recruit, train, and place “reading partners” with elementary students, who are experiencing difficulty learning to read. While great readers aren’t always born, we know that they can be encouraged. When close to 80% of Los Angeles’ fourth graders are not reading at grade level, we know that we have an overwhelming problem. KOREH L.A.’s vision is that individuals in Los Angeles, from secretaries to lawyers, from business executives to students, can volunteer their time to help children love to read and develop necessary literacy skills. The volunteers are trained by a qualified literacy trainer in a three-hour training session and commit to work one-on-one, one hour a week, for the school year with a student chosen by the teacher. Over 3000 volunteers work as KOREH “reading partners” with 2000 students in 75 LAUSD schools throughout Los Angeles. Principals, teachers, and volunteers all share the real impact that KOREH L.A. volunteers have on the reading abilities, classroom participation, attendance, and self-esteem of the children.

An active Task Force has also developed a series of new initiatives. The first is a corporate partnership, which seeks to involve L.A. businesses in KOREH’s literacy efforts in a non-sectarian framework. KOREH L.A. has already trained employees of eight corporations, including Staples Center and MiniMed, to become KOREH reading partners. A second project is a book initiative to restock elementary school libraries. Four libraries have been restocked so far, with two more ready to go this fall. A third project, called Pre-K KOREH, plans to reach pre-school children. Working closely with Head Start, volunteers will work with 3 and 4 year olds to prepare them to enter kindergarten ready to learn to read.

The success of KOREH L.A. has been acknowledged in may different ways. In order to secure the continuation of KOREH L.A. after the completion of the seed money provided by the Jewish Community Foundation, KOREH L.A. applied for and received a generous five-year grant from the Winnick Family Foundation. In addition, generous funding from Verizon, Toyota, and the Amado Foundation, United Way, and the Riordan Foundation has also helped.

The idea that children are not learning to read and that therefore their expectations in life are severely diminished, has fired our community to real action. The result has been a program of more than 3,000 volunteers trained and working as “reading partners” for children who need that extra assistance in becoming literate individuals. The goal of helping children learn to read is an effort to create justice and opportunity for all.

SOUMYA KANTAMNENI

Soumya Kantamneni is a seventeen year-old senior at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama. Along with excelling as a student, she has made the time to help create and develop a summer camp to educate children of Indian descent about their heritage. This project began three years ago as an idea after a conversation between Soumya and an adult family friend about the fact that many young Indian people in northern Alabama have very little knowledge of their ancestral culture.

She was sad to know that there were other children her age who were ignorant of their rich heritage. These youth were sometimes confused and perplexed about their identity. Soumya and her friend gathered a small group of teens and adults and put their ideas on paper. The core group then began to let others know about their project and recruit other participants. In the following months, Soumya and her team campaigned for community support and raised nearly $3,000 to fund a summer camp.

The camp has now been operating for three summers and has grown to include close to 100 campers, 25 youth counselors and 15 adult directors. Soumya is still very involved in the camp and serves as one of its head counselors. Through her dedication and commitment, many young people’s lives have been changed and others minds have been opened in a positive way. She hopes that programs similar to hers can be instituted in other states so the country can truly take advantage of its diversity.