WILL SCHOENHALS

Will Schoenhals is a “Jr. Naturalist” volunteer at Three Forks Nature Center in Sequoyah State Park. He started working at the center in December 2002 at the age of 10. He has since worked over 330 hours through July 2004. Will is 11 years old and currently in the sixth grade.

Will has provided outreach nature programs to schools in the area and also to Boy Scouts day camps. Will is also one of our Jr. Naturalist instructor. As an instructor he helps with the training and orienting of the new volunteers that go through classes which includes both kids and adults. These classes are taught in the spring on 4 different Saturdays. In order to teach the class he has given up soccer games and Boy Scout campouts. He is our only Jr. Naturalist that has taught the entire set of classes.

This past year Will painted and relocated 20 signposts to re-open one of the trails as a self-guided trail. The trail had not been properly marked and used as a self-guided trail in over four years. He assists with the daily maintenance, rehabilitation, and care of the animals that we have at the center.

Will is able to provide information about the park and activities to the visitors at the center and also leads or assists with programs. He works closely with visiting scout groups helping with their advancement requirements. On the Saturdays that he is working, he leads the rock painting program and assists with the reptiles program.

Will has earned the Gold Presidential Community Service Award both in 2003 and again this year.

Due to reduction in funding, the staffing as the center has been reduced. It is because of volunteers like Will, that quality wildlife education programs continue to be provided to visitors that come to the park.

WENDELL CUTTING

Wendell Cutting is the District Chief of Staff to Congressman Duncan Hunter, he is responsible for district offices and staff and is the Congressman’s representative and spokesperson when the Congressman is in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Cutting is a former teacher and school administrator and served as the Mayor of the City of San Jacinto. He spent many years in the Middle East and Asia building and operating a successful business that by the time he returned permanently to the United States, had over 2,500 employees in 12 countries. He returned to the U.S. in 1990 to handle foreign policy, defense and economic issues for the Republican Leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives with special responsibilities for Middle East and Arab affairs.

Mr. Cutting is the volunteer Vice-President for Rescue Task Force, a non-profit, all volunteer, international relief agency founded in 1988.

During the war in Kosovo, Mr. Cutting made two trips to Albania (the second trip included being among the first civilians into Kosovo) where he set up a distribution system for incoming relief supplies and delivered tons of supplies to the region and refugee sites. In 1999 he spent time in slum areas of southern Thailand teaching residents hygiene and ways to prevent dengue fever. While in Thailand, he also counseled cancer victims and their families. Traveling by bush planes and dug out canoes, he has delivered many emergency response teams deep into the jungles of Honduras’ Miskito coast to provide medical care, water pumps and hand tools to forgotten disaster victims who has never before has contact by outsiders. He has built and equipped a medical clinic in this remote jungle area where native tribes people have never before received any medical care.

Mr. Cutting is also engaged in delivering large quantities of food and medical supplies to various Mexican orphanages, clinics, and hospitals. This past year in El Salvador, he worked with refugees from the civil war and helped put in water wells in settlements without water while providing books & materials and roofs for schools. He is currently building a suspension footbridge over a river separating a settlement from their school. Several children are drowning each year trying to attend the school.

Mr. Cutting returned to El Salvador immediately following the January 2001 earthquake where he set up a distribution system for relief supplies into remote areas as well as distributed medical supplies food blankets and tents in remote areas that were hardest hit.

He recently returned from Pakistan and the Pakistan-Afghanistan border where he set up a distribution system for relief supplies for Afghan refugees. While there he provided immediate assistance to a pro-American, anti-Taliban tribe and helped to stop the delivery of goods to the Al-Queda network of terrorists.

In 2000, Mr. Cutting was honored by the El Cajon Rotary Club when he was presented their “Service Above Self Award” and then was surprised when the Club announced that the perpetual Award would hereafter be designated the “Wendell Cutting Rotary Service Above Self Award.” He was recognized for his service with the “President’s Award” by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce for the year 2000 and was recently named the “El Cajon Citizen of the Year” by various service organizations and churches. He is a recipient of the “Lifetime of Achievement Award” by the East County Economic Development Council.

TRUMAN SMITH

Truman Smith has volunteered his time to help beautify the landscape of several local schools. His work includes planting shrubs, flowers and trees and the upkeep of the landscaping. He also takes the time to read to the school children. Mr. Smith has donated hundreds of hours of his time annually for the past several years to make the Cape Girardeau Public School District a better place.

There is a dire need in the Cape Girardeau School District to help keep up the school grounds and playing fields. Mr. Smith graciously fills this role. Currently the budget for the Cape School District is very tight, and without all his hard work there would be no way the District could afford the upkeep. His volunteer work has touched not only the students and teachers that attend the school, but the entire community benefits from the beauty.

Mr. Smith takes a hands-on approach to his work by interacting with all of the students and teachers when he works. In addition to planting shrubs and trees, Mr. Smith plants vegetables on school grounds so the students can study them. He also takes the time to listen to the children as they read to them and makes sure he impacts the life of each student he meets.

Mr. Smith suffers from some physical limitations; however, he never lets them slow him down. His continued dedication and optimism has inspired the entire community. While many ignore the problems in the community, Mr. Smith continues to find new ways to lend a helping hand. His hard work and unselfish contribution to the community has made Cape Girardeau Public Schools the attractive learning centers they are today.

BOY SCOUT TROOPS 513 & 108 AND PACKS 108, 513 & 60 OF THE COASTAL CAROLINA TWIN RIVERS DISTRICT

Boy Scout Troops 513 and 108 and Packs 108, 513 and 60 of the Coastal Carolina Twin River District have been volunteering at the Center for Forested Wetland Research (SRS-4103) for the last three years. These African American Scouts and Scoutmasters have been helping with field work at a time when there were few staff, and made it possibility for the USDA – Forest Service to conduct several important studies.

The Scouts helped plant seeds and plants that grew in the studies on sweetgrass ecology and management. The Scoutmasters are dedicated mentors to these mainly urban and underprivileged boys, and are assisting with outreach to this underrepresented population by helping to expose the boys and their families to this agency and the work that is being done.

Each of the scouts and their leaders are African-American, the majority of the Scouts lacking one parent in their households. Thankfully, the Scouts has Scoutmasters who tirelessly work to keep them involved in constructive activities that are helping them to grow in productive young men.

Cubmasters Macio Jacobs,Daryl Orage and Penelope Middleton, and Scoutmasters Robert Madison, Sr. and Sara Freeman, have on numerous occasions brought their groups of young men to the Center’s work unit facilities and to field sites on the Francis Marion National Forest to help with field work. The scouts helped propagate seedlings by mixing potting mix, filling pots with soil and planting seeds, weeding, and eventually using the seedlings to help install research plots by digging holes and planting the seedlings. The work was hot, dirty and hard, but the scouts and scoutmasters always got the jobs accomplished. Because the work unit has been understaffed, no other field assistance was available during this period and therefore important studies would not have been accomplished if it were not for the help of these Scouts. As a result of their hard work, there are now two field studies installed and hundreds of additional seedlings growing in the greenhouse and at the Seed Orchard, poised for use in future studies.

Most of the efforts contributed by the Boy Scouts has been focused on studies of the Ecology and Management of sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes). This native coastal grass is an important non-timber forest resource used by local Gullah people in the traditional coiled basket art form brought to this continent by enslaved Africans. “Sweetgrass baskets,” as they are called, are a source of income and cultural pride for many of those who make them and the baskets are historical icons for the Charleston, SC area where most of the baskets are made and sold. However, with the recent urbanization of the area, both the amount of the resource and its accessibility has declined dramatically. As a result, basket makers who used to personally collect the materials must now buy it at a high price from others who travel to less-developed coastal areas to collect it. The work of the Boy Scouts is important in helping to shift the balance and restore the population of sweetgrass in this area.

KATIE MURPHY AND MAGGIE HATFIELD

Katie Murphy and Maggie Hatfield were Community Service Board members for the Pembroke Hill Upper School (2003-2004). In this positiion, they were instrumental in organizing three major school community projects: Christmas in October, the Harvesters Food Drive, and the Serviceman’s Holiday card and letter writing campaign.

Katie and Maggie worked tirelessly on recruiting volunteers for the Christmas in October project, which involved cleanup and repair projects for needy individuals and neighborhood associations in the greater Kansas City area. They also helped organize the upper school food drive competition for Harvesters, which collects food for the homeless and needy in the Kansas City area.

Katie and Maggie both made the key contacts with upper, middle, and lower school art classes in order to put together a successful holiday greeting project for servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, and most impressively, these young women have become involved with a peer mentoring program in Kansas City, Kansas, for teens who are going through pregnancy and for teenage mothers. Not only have they been individually involved in the program, but have recruited other students into this program. They have spent many hours on the Athena Project, both organizationally, and in personal counseling.

MEGHAN AND LAUREN PARNELL

The Texas Department of Human Services recently named Meghan and Lauren Parnell, Senior Girl Scouts with the San Jacinto Council and members of the Delta Chapter Home School National Honor Society, the “Outstanding Volunteers of the Year.” The residents of Heartland’s Assisted Living Center nominated the Parnell sisters multiple times for their willingness to give of their time, talents and treasures to enrich the lives of others, namely those of senior citizens. Lauren and Meghan volunteer at Heartland’s regularly; the residents adore the girls and look forward to their visits.

Three years ago the Parnell Girl Scouts began visiting the Assisted Living Center and started exploring areas where they could be of use. Initially, they called bingo games on Monday afternoons and painted the nails of the residents. They spent time refreshing some residents on how to send loved ones e-mails or just reading from a chapter book. As they got to know the residents better, they noticed their need for independence. The Activities Director, Donna Martin, along with Meghan and Lauren, set up “The Country Store.” The store is stocked with items from food to hair bows. Residents can purchase these items on their own and never leave the facility.

Resident who enjoy getting out can now enjoy a shopping trip to Wal-Mart on a monthly basis. The girls, with others from the Honor Society, meet at Wal-Mart and await the transport bus. As the residents alight, the girls assist them with shopping by pushing the shopping cart or wheelchair, reaching tall shelves and just looking around without rushing the residents. After the shopping, the girls sit and talk to the seniors while they eat at the restaurant inside of the store.

As part of the Council Puppetry Troupe, Meghan and Lauren brought the life-like puppets to the residents of Heartland. Kids on the Block puppets Michael, in a wheel chair, and Renaldo, a blind puppet, are real favorites of the residents. At the end of the show, the girls brought the puppets to visit the seniors who spoke to the puppets directly. They seem to relate to the trials and limitations of the 3-4 foot puppets.

Christmas this year brought a whole new meaning to giving. The girls decided to have their Honor Society holiday party with their friends at Heartland’s Assisted Living Center. They brought their treasures of tree ornaments, some purchased and some homemade to decorate, along with the residents, their tree in the activity room. The girls recruited members of their Honor Society to give of their talents. The residents were entertained for more than 90 minutes with violin, piano, and dulcimer music. A group sing-a-long with accompaniment by one of the students playing the guitar and a very interesting Highland dance brought hand clapping and toe tapping – showing music has no age. The group served the residents punch and cake and cookies and the spirit of the season was truly felt.

NITSA GIANAKOULAS

Nitsa Gianakoulas attends Bishop Gorman High School, and up until this school year; her grandfather dropped her off at school each morning on his way to Mass. Most sixteen year olds think of school dances and high school football games; however, Nitsa uses her energy to raise public awareness about the devastating disease, ALS and to raise funds to support the patient and family programs of The ALS Association Nevada Chapter.

ALS is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressively paralyzing and always-fatal illness that strikes an American adult every 90 minutes. Lack of public awareness about the disease is one of its biggest obstacles. The ALS Nevada Chapter is the only resource of direct, hands-on assistance to Nevada’s ALS patients and their families. Nitsa’s grandfather was diagnosed with the illness in January 2003, and she has learned quite a lot in a short period of time.

Walk to D’Feet ALS is the annual, signature event hosted by a nationwide network of chapters of the ALS. Nitsa formed her own walk team, Fightin’4 Frank, to support her grandfather. She told her story to members of her gymnastics team and members of the Gym Cats began to donate their allowances towards the cause. Nitsa also told her grandfather’s story in a letter sent to more than 100 relatives and friends. She told of what a great role model her grandfather had been and how ALS has changed his life. He can no longer drive, so she is no longer able to ride with him to school each morning.

Nitsa sees ALS up close through her grandfather. It seems to her that something else is taken from him each week. After giving up driving he then went to using a cane. From there he had to progress to a walker, and now he must use a wheelchair. His voice is even getting weak and he has difficulty swallowing sometimes.

Nitsa’s letter was distributed and then some of those she wrote to also shared it with their friends, neighbors and co-workers to help garner more support for Fightin’4Frank. Soon she began to receive donations from total strangers.

On Walk Day, members of Nitsa’s gymnastics team joined members of her family and the other 43 members of Fightin’4Frank. Their team received the Golden Tennis Shoe Award for the largest family team, and Nitsa received the award for the most donations raised by youth. She was able to collect a little more than $5,100.

Nitsa’s thank you letter continued to paint the picture of the challenges her grandfather and other victims of ALS face day to day. She thanked all the contributors and advised them what they accomplished will help the ALS Association who will help those suffering with the disease. Her grandfather received a motorized wheelchair from the ALS Association, and now her grandmother can walk beside her husband instead of behind him.

The ALS Nevada Chapter has already utilized more than $3,000 of the funds raised by Nitsa to purchase aids for daily living (ADL’s). These items such as special eating utensils, special light switches and long-handled bath sponges will be given to other ALS patients.

GARY TURNER

Gary Turner, a network engineer for First National Bank since 1997, and his wife Penny regularly take their Bernese Mountain Dogs, Archie and Moritz, to visit the children of Spofford Home, a modern multi-service family treatment agency connecting child, family and community with foster care and child adoption programs. Spofford Home is located in Kansas City, Missouri.

The children of Spofford Home have all suffered some type of abuse. The animal-assisted therapy Mr. Turner and his wife provide during their weekly visits allows residents the opportunity to work on anger-management, sharing and socialization skills in a non-judgmental environment with the dogs. While providing comfort, the children also have the opportunity to learn the importance of caring and nurturing their animal friends.

Mr. Turner’s faithfulness to the children doesn’t stop with his visits with Archie and Moritz. He and Penny are now considered “special dorm friends” because of their unwavering commitment to the children, as well as the external support they provide.

An example of Mr. Turner’s loyalty to the Spofford residents is a one-on-one mentorship he had with a young male resident who has special needs. It was evident that this resident in particular needed not only a mentor, but also a friend who genuinely cared about him. Mr. Turner was able to form a special bond with the teen by gaining his trust and proving his reliability and affection. Mr. Turner’s attentiveness helped the adolescent’s self esteem and also helped him become more involved in activities.

In addition to volunteer activities, Mr. Turner sponsors a dorm of 10 residents. He brings in movies and endless snacks for the dorm members to enjoy. He also provides treats for all 49 Spofford residents during the holidays.

Mr. Turner, Penny, Archie and Moritz also make regular visits to Good Samaritan Home, which is a residential care facility for seniors. Good Samaritan residents include many Alzheimer’s patients. “Seeing the seniors, especially the Alzheimer’s patients, respond to the dogs is particularly gratifying,” said Mr. Turner.

Archie and Moritz are registered by Delta Society (www.deltasociety.org) and the Turners are members of Mo-Kan Pet Partners (www.mo-kanpetpartners.org).

Mr. Turner is driven by service not only to Spofford Home and Good Samaritan but also to his employer, First National Bank. The same dedication he shows to Spofford Home and Good Samaritan carries over to his work as a network engineer at the bank. He volunteers to take the early morning Help Desk pages and calls from opening tellers as early as 6:30 a.m. He is also ready and willing to be on call around the clock if there are questions or issues about the bank’s computer network. “The First National family is so supportive of our efforts. They are the best,” said Mr. Turner.

GERI MURGOLA

Mrs. Geri Murgola consistently embraces the spirit of volunteerism and selfless giving that embodies the best elements of our great nation. She has volunteered at Bering Omega Community Services for the past 11 years. During that time, Mrs. Murgola has diligently managed the volunteer schedule for Omega House, a residential hospice program that compassionately cares for those dying due to HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. Murgola goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that there are always caring and committed volunteers to meet the clients’ many needs. She also works tirelessly to make certain that the volunteers are not emotionally overwhelmed by their role as bedside support and caregivers to those with critical health needs.

Omega House is a residential hospice that provides housing facilities, medical care and psychological services to individuals in the terminal stages of HIV/AIDS. Volunteers perform resident care and most of the daily work of the house, from garden maintenance to bedside care. Geri Murgola, volunteer scheduler, masterfully coordinates and channels the energy of 200 volunteers into a seven day a week regimen of volunteer service. One shift of volunteers leaves as another arrives, providing seamless care to the residents, all orchestrated by Mrs. Murgola.

Mrs. Murgola goes far beyond her assigned tasks. She is an active member of the Board of Trustee level Volunteer Committee. She attends meetings, plans social events, welcomes new volunteers and stays in touch with the lives of old friends. She even carries this dedication into her personal life where she took the lead role in making sure a close family member received the support and care he needed.

What stands out most about Mrs. Murgola and her work is her concern for the volunteers. She takes to heart not only the needs of the residents for adequate staffing, but also the importance of a volunteer not being overwhelmed. She pays attention to who is a newer volunteer on the shift, matching them to a more seasoned buddy. Her mind is a library of travel habits, schedules and skills of 200 people. It is unique to find someone so dedicated to volunteer as an administrator, and work for so many hours a week, for such a long period of time.

Omega House’s record of training many longtime volunteers is due, in part, to Mrs. Murgola’s constant juggling of the needs of the residents with the needs of the volunteers. She helps maintain a balance that keeps the volunteers coming back year after year. Mrs. Murgola has volunteered for 15 hours a week, in addition to extra time during the weekend, for the past 11 years – which amounts to at least 8,580 hours. It is Mrs. Murgola’s commitment that makes the agency’s commitment a reality.

ANDREW HAYNES

Andrew Haynes is a fifth grader at Blue Lake Elementary School. Since he was enrolled in the first grade, he has been a diligent servant to the elementary school. Most children come to school to go to the morning line up; however, Drew begins his days doing a myriad of duties. He is a “Technology Assistant” and works to set up the LeapFrog and other electronic equipment in various teachers’ classrooms. He also shows some of the teachers how to work certain programs on their computers. He also aids in this aspect in the Media Center and goes into the newsroom to prepare for the Media Center’s morning broadcast where he is the announcer of the school’s news, Splash Live.

Drew has been a participant of the school’s Garden Club for two years and has been a member of Chorus and the Student Council for one year. Last school year, his peers elected him as the Secretary of the Student Council, and he was the first place winner in the school’s Science Fair. Drew is an honor roll student, and he has represented Blue Lake in the Junior Olympics.

Drew has also been trained and serves as a peer mediator to help students resolve conflicts. He cuts out letters and places them on the guidance counselor’s Word-of the-Week bulletin board, which is part of the Character Education program. Annually, the Guidance Department has a “Gift Giving” and food drive. Many faculty and staff members, business partners and some students donate toys to be given to the lower socioeconomic students before the Winter Break. During the last Thanksgiving Break, Drew purchased gifts with his personal allowance to place under the Holiday tree for students in his school. Drew also brings toys and food from home and helps to organize and box the items for the annual food drive.

Drew also serves educators during in-service, pre and post planning times. He organizes materials, sorts, counts, colors, and pastes, creates games, cuts, laminates and delivers materials. He completes these same activities for the after-school tutorial program, the summer Voyager Program and special activities throughout the school year. He also sets up and oversees booths for his class ruing Fall Festivals and organizes materials for the School Store. At the end of the school year, Drew assists with inventories of textbooks and calculators.

Drew also maintains his spiritual service in the Master’s Club and other activities in the Volusia County Baptist Church in Orange County where he is a member. Since his family’s recent move to DeBary, Drew sings to senior citizens in the Nursing Home in DeBary and he is a member of the Awana Club in First Baptist Church in DeBary.

Drew suffers with asthma frequently and has to miss days from school. His mother is a divorced, a single mom, and is raising two children on her own. In spite of all this, Drew makes the time to serve and place others first in his life.