CAROLYN MOORE

In 1992 there was an urgent need in Havasu, specifically at Interagency, to help desperate individuals who could not receive help in other areas. For instance, when someone hit hard times, lost a job, couldn’t pay the rent or electric, had a debilitating illness, needed a safe place to stay in the middle of the night when running from domestic violence, etc. they would go to Interagency to see if they would qualify for any federal, state or county funding. There were many who did not qualify and they were falling through the cracks. Carolyn Moore recognized the need to somehow rescue these individuals during their emergency and give them a hand up before their life became even worse.

Ms. Moore began C.H.I.N.-U.P., (Caring for Havasuvians in Need-United Project.) By starting a “grass roots” operation, including churches, service organizations, schools, Senior Center, Snowbirds, the homebound and other individuals she began a coupon campaign to raise funds for the needy. The organization cuts, sorts, stamps and hangs manufacturers’ coupons on the corresponding products in four Supermarkets, (Bashas North and South, Smiths and Food City). When the consumer purchases the product with a coupon on it, the cents-off goes to C.H.I.N.-U.P. to aid those in need. There are no paid volunteers and all the money stays in Havasu.

Through the last 12 years, C.H.I.N.-U.P. has raised more than $426,000 and helped more than 5,500 needy individuals. Through this achievement, many others are attracted to volunteer their time and energy to C.H.I.N.-U.P. Churches regularly add this activity to the Ladies group programs to set aside a month or two, or a whole year donated to working with C.H.I.N.-U.P. Many churches and organizations have a drop-box in their buildings for people to drop off their coupons each week.

Ms. Moore is just as active with C.H.I.N.-U.P. now as she was 12 years ago when she started. She is constantly going to different organizations or churches to encourage them to join, with all the others, in making a difference in people’s lives in Havasu. Daily and weekly she cuts, sorts and stamps coupons and you can find her every Tuesday and Friday morning hanging coupons at Smiths and Food City.

Though it may seem impossible, her efforts with C.H.I.N.-U.P. are not Ms. Moore’s only volunteer achievements. She also started a neighborhood watch program, in which she has engages 70 households in neighborhood activities. She started Random Acts of Kindness in Havasu and has the good deeds printed in the newspaper beside the police column to show the goodness in the Havasu people. She has also volunteered to help with First Step, a program to observe interaction between new babies and parents in the hospital to catch any possibilities of physical, drug or alcohol abuse. In addition, she helped in raising more than half of the $12.5 million secured so far to help Columbia College’s building program.

In an ongoing project, Ms. Moore originated the idea for a rolling library for the children’s ward at Havasu hospital and presented the idea to Tri Delt sorority. She then suggested the same idea for the adults—and made it happen.

EVAN RICHARDSON

When most 5th graders are outside skateboarding or running up and down the street on a Sunday afternoon, Evan Richardson, age 10 and known as E.J., is volunteering at the Orange County History Museum.

E.J. first moved to Orange County nearly six years ago. His family enjoyed hiking at Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. One day, they thought they were entering the ranger station to ask a question, when they discovered it was the Orange County Natural History Museum. They started visiting the Museum for about a year when one day E.J. asked the volunteer coordinator, Michael Butler, if he too could volunteer at the Museum. Michael answered E.J. that he had to be 18 years old to volunteer and E.J. retorted, “What if my mom comes with me?” Michael said they would try it and see how it goes. That was two years ago; E.J. has been volunteering one to two weekend days per month as a museum docent since June of 2001.

E.J. said he really likes everything about his volunteer experience, such as helping people when they have a question, holding the snakes and when no on is in the center, going around and reading the signs to make sure he is familiar with the information. Once a little girl about the same age as E.J. came up to him asked, “What is “Frass?” He answered very calmly, “it’s animal feces.” The girl said “okay” and went back to the exhibit, just like that. She came up to him two more times and asked him more questions. He not only answered the questions but also walked over to the exhibit with her to explain in more detail what related to her questions. Even adults ask him questions. They never seem to look at him like he is a child. They observe him helping others and just fall in line with their questions. E.J. is very comfortable in the Museum and it shows.

While E.J. is in the Museum talking to visitors, his mom, Linda is usually at the counter when you first enter the Museum. She greets you and takes your donation and if you make a purchase she is the one to help you with that. She loves supporting E.J.’s interest and his love of Science and they do very well as a team. She says E.J. is already thinking of College and wants to be a Naturalist for his career. This young man is also involved with Cub Scouts and plays baseball.

The Orange County Natural History Museum is proud to have E.J. as a volunteer. Since E.J. and his mother have started volunteering in the Museum, another family has volunteered together at the same Museum. And at the Irvine Regional Park Nature Center there are also mother and son and father and son teams.

ZACHARY HICKS

Share-A-Book Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Zachary Hicks for the purpose of promoting literacy and the joy of reading among young children in disadvantaged communities. The foundation’s main goal is to collect new and gently used children’s books from wealthy communities and redistribute them to communities in need in Essex County, New Jersey. There is an urgent need to promote literacy among young children in this country as the illiteracy rate is about 44%, which is more than double the national average. Since its inception, Share-A-Book has collected more than 6,000 books and distributed them to organizations in Essex County such as the Read-Up Challenge 100 Book Club in East Orange and the Reading Is Fundamental Program in Newark, New Jersey.

The Share-A-Book Foundation was founded in 2000, originally conceived as a Bar Mitzvah project. The project’s intent was to have Zachary show his commitment to community service and to literacy and it grew out of his love of reading. It began as a book drive on his Bar Mitzvah day, but has now become a year-round effort. He has initiated four book drives at the Temple and has extended its scope to include book drives in his town’s elementary schools. The response has been incredible and these books drives have been remarkably easy to establish, maintain and control. A flyer is written and distributed and a collection box is set up. Zachary has learned that a simple idea can have an enormous effect and resources can be redistributed to benefit children and communities.

The Share-A-Book Foundation has donated most of its resources to the Read-Up Challenge 100 Book Club in East Orange, New Jersey. The Read-Up Book Club is a United Way initiative with the goal of promoting reading among children ages 6-9. The organization gives out new books every month, but the additional component of distributing the Share-A-Book’s new and gently used books was a natural extension to their program and a great outlet for Zachary’s books. Share-A-Book enables each child to bring home and own four books each month. Through Zachary’s efforts, children can practice their reading skills and share their knowledge with their family and friends. This helps to create a new generation of good readers in a community desperately in need of literate adults.

Furthermore, Share-A-Book Foundation has had another wonderful, but less expected outcome. Over the last 3 ½ years, Zachary has attended Read-Up Book Club meetings every month and volunteered his time to help run the program and distribute the books. In addition, he has helped to recruit at least six other young volunteers from the Temple that also help on a regular basis. This face-to-face volunteering experience at the Book Club has enabled him to grow in innumerable ways. He has learned to interact and appreciate people of different races and cultures and help them learn to read first hand. Specifically, he has developed a special relationship with a young boy named Diego. They are unlikely partners in most ways i.e. race, age, background, but both share an interest in reading.

DR. JOSEPH GEBHARDT

Volunteers are the backbone of Associated Services for the Blind (ASB). Without them, ASB would be unable to provide programs and services that give people who are blind and visually impaired greater independence.

Seventy-nine year old Dr. Joseph Gebhardt has been an ASB volunteer for 34 years. A retired chemist, Dr. Gebhardt has used his professional expertise to enrich the lives of people with visual and other disabilities. Each month, he spends 20 to 25 hours reading and recording Scientific American and Smithsonian magazines, for people who are unable to read for themselves. This service is part of ASB’s Recorded Periodicals Division. This service offers a wide variety of magazine subscriptions on cassette tape, and helps bring the world a little closer for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Dr. Gebhardt’s recordings are also broadcast over ASB’s Radio Information Center for the Blind (RICB). RICB is a 24-hour radio reading service that broadcasts local and national newspapers, advertisements, magazines, television listings, movies and programming of special interest, to those who are unable to read print.

Recorded periodicals and radio reading services play an important role in the independence of people who are blind or visually impaired. They give people access to news and other information that otherwise would not be readily available. Without the dedication and commitment of volunteers, Associated Services for the Blind would not be able to provide these services, which are almost entirely run by volunteers.

In addition to recording, Dr. Gebhardt repairs the playback equipment that is issued free to listeners. He spends a half a day a week fixing these machines that enable listeners to hear the recordings.

Dr. Joseph Gebhardt has made a difference in the lives of so many people throughout the course of his life. During his career he was dedicated to the advancement of science. As a retiree, he is dedicated to the promotion of independence for people who are blind and visually impaired. His commitment to helping others has made him a role model for all volunteers of ASB.

SPENCER FREE

Spencer Michael Free, known as “Mike” Free, has since October 1998 been a dedicated volunteer for the Cruisin’ Not Boozin’ Program, a non-profit community educational program of the Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital of Malvern, Penn.

The Cruisin’ Not Boozin’ Program is an injury prevention program which focuses on educating teenagers and adults about the devastating combination of using alcohol drugs and driving. This unique program uses speakers who were involved in alcohol/drug related accidents, survived, but were left with permanent life altering problems such as traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries. For the past 15 years, the program has not only reached ½ million teenagers and young adults at middle, high school and college assemblies but has proven very effective in changing attitudes about drinking and driving through a student measurement survey developed by the Cruisin’ Not Boozin’ Program and administered by participating schools.

Initially, Mr. Free was a Volunteer Driver, driving speakers to program assemblies since most of the speakers cannot drive due to their impairments and the program does not have the funds to hire staff. He still continues to be a driver even though his abilities and expertise go far beyond the skills of driving a car. His contributions to the Cruisin’ Not Boozin’Program has been offered with the attitude that he will do “whatever it takes.”

Mr. Free is also accomplished inventor, statistician, and writer; it is clear that his chosen job as a driver is a labor of love. He has offered his professional knowledge of math and statistics to help design and implement a measurement tool and survey to statistically show the impact of the speakers in affecting a change in the attitudes of students we present to our school assemblies. Because of his efforts, operational grants from foundations and corporate funding sources have been identified. The Student Survey, which is also shared with participating school, provides important data about student’s profiles, which can in turn be used for PTA meetings, funding sources, and School Board meetings.

Perhaps his most important contribution is his commitment to the speakers in the program, which goes above and beyond his duties as a driver. He has used his own funds to purchase a computer for one of the speakers, who is paralyzed, brain injured and lives alone. He helped another young lady suffering from a traumatic brain injury to start a mini chicken farm behind her house because he felt it would help her with her rehabilitation.

For the past nine years, in addition to the Cruisin’ Not Boozin’ Program, Mr. Free has volunteered as a Biostatistician Consultant to a research project at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. This research project involves cancer cell research and the search for a cure. As a result of his contributions, the program director secured a $120,000 grant and12 other researchers have generated funding for their respective projects.

AUDUBON AREA FOSTER GRANDPARENT HOMELAND SECURITY TEAM

Following two local disasters, and the bombing of September 11, 2001, a study done by the local Red Cross Chapter determined that many families were not prepared to evacuate their homes with necessary items. In his speech on November 8, 2001, President Bush cited the Senior Corps (which consists of Foster Grandparent Program, Senior Companion Program, RSVP) as he called on Americans to help fight terrorism on the home front by “making a commitment to service in our own communities.” As part of the President’s initiative, Senior Corps members will help prepare Americans in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, places of worship and public spaces to deal with the potential consequences of terrorist attacks.

With this goal in mind, Audubon Area Senior Service Corps, Foster Grandparent Program, applied for and received a grant form the Corporation for National and Community Service. This homeland security grant was to focus specifically on children’s issues and concerns of safety and security.

Five volunteer stations in two large counties, linked with the Audubon Area Foster Grandparent Program Homeland Security Team to help minimize the concerns of children pertaining to safety as well as disasters, both man-made and natural. The Foster Grandparent Program has formed partnerships with Red Cross, AmeriCorps/VISTA and local community agencies to help educate children in the area of Homeland Security through Disaster Preparedness/Awareness.

Two teams of Foster Grandparent Program senior citizen volunteers age 60 and over, consisting of five members each, receive a wide variety of training. The teams work with each station to coordinate presentations that deal with all aspects of safety/security questions or concerns on a child’s level. Presentation topics include Bike Safety and Emergency Evacuation Plan/Fire Safety.

Two hundred children in after-school programs were educated on the importance of being prepared for a disaster; how to recognize and deal with different types of danger or disasters; and how to prepare and store an emergency bag (E-bag). Two area hospitals donated bags for all 200 children to implement in preparing their own emergency bags. An ‘Emergency Bag’ guideline, developed by Audobon Area Senior Service Corps and approved by Red Cross was used in preparing the E-bags. Local pharmacies donated first-aid supplies (rubber gloves, Band-Aids, gauze and ointment) to help get their “first-aid” kid started.

These ongoing, monthly presentations, which will continue through the year 2004, will have helped children feel more confident when they are in “scary” situations. Their self-esteem has been boosted. They have a better understanding of how to handle themselves in difficult situations. Having an E-Bag ready, with some of their things of their own, provides reassurance to a child who has to evacuate their home during a disaster.

MIMI HUEY

For the past 14 years, Mimi Huey has donated thousands of hours to ensure that critical, basic needs of the abused and neglected children served by Child Protective Services (CPS) are met. In 1989, she co-founded Dallas Community Partners, an organization designed to achieve this mission through two major programs: Adopt-A-Caseworker, a program that connects businesses and organizations with CPS caseworkers who then work to meet the needs of individual clients; and the Rainbow Room, and emergency resource center stocked with all new items (such as clothing, diapers, baby formula, and hygiene products) for CPS caseworkers to access for their clients.

In founding Dallas Community Partners, Ms. Huey gave numerous community presentations and engaged every important community leader in the process. The project was so successful that the Board of the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services asked that it be replicated throughout the State. Laura Bush, First Lady of Texas, actively supported this effort and in 1996, Ms. Huey was appointed as Founding Vice-Chair of Greater Texas Community Partners (GTCP), the organization charged with the planning and implementation of the replication process. As a result of Ms. Huey’s hard work, Community Partner groups had been established in 25 Texas cities by the end of the first year. In 2003, the number of sites grew to 103. Ms. Huey’s commitment and dedication were key factors in this incredible growth.

Ms. Huey’s ability to connect with diverse groups of people and encourage collaboration is one of the reasons for the success of GTCP. In the beginning, Ms. Huey decided that the best way to engage communities throughout the state in this project was to encourage the Junior Leagues to start programs in their communities. Because of this strategy, Junior Leagues throughout the state have been the foundation of Community Partners. And this strong foundation has encouraged wider community involvement, and ensured that the programs remain strong and viable.

The Dallas Community Partner program has been phenomenally successful. Each year, an average of 50,000 children are served through the two programs statewide and $3.3 million in cash and gifts in kind is donated to help these children. In 2003 alone, 4,678 volunteers donated 45,263 hours to this important cause. To date, Ms. Huey’s efforts have created a brighter future for more than 242,000 Texas children.

Ms. Huey has been actively involved in Dallas Community Partners projects sine 1989, and has donated thousand of hours of service. Since the inception of GTCP in 1996, she has been actively spearheading or working behind the scenes to help the children of Texas.

The phenomenal success of this program would not have happened without the leadership of Ms. Huey. She is extremely creative and has the ability to think strategically. She is equally adept at seeing the “big picture” and the immediate tasks that need to be accomplished to achieve the goal. Ms. Huey holds a Masters Degree in Psychology and has been honored as Sustainer of the Year for the Dallas Junior League and was honored by Kappa Kappa Gamma as an Unsung Angel in 2001.

MENTORING MOMS PROGRAM

While mentoring usually evokes an image of an adult and a child, mothers need mentors also. The Mentoring Moms Program of Volunteer Center of Bergen County provides role models, advocates and friends for mothers involved with the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) and the Welfare to Work Program. The Moms Program recruits, trains, screens, matches and supports volunteers who serve as friends, mentors and role models to isolated and overwhelmed mothers referred by Bergen County DYFS. This program provides a personal relationship for women in highly stressful situations.

Mentoring Moms is in its 8th year. The mentors come from all demographic groups and from towns in and around Bergen County. However, they all have in common a desire to help another women cope with the stresses of being a mother in various life situations. They offer caring hearts, listening ears, life experience and a willingness to encourage, guide and befriend a mother in need. The mentees enjoy the fact that their mentors listen, help them and encourage them without judging.

One particular mom was referred to Mentoring Moms due to a history of alcoholism, depression and family dysfunction. A college graduate and experienced nurse, she had no friends or family to turn to and was in danger of losing custody of her daughter. Shortly after they met, the mentor recognized this mom’s skills and abilities and worked with her so she could build on them. Her progress was not steady or easy, but this mom knew that her mentor was there for her and believed in her. The mom was diagnosed and received appropriate medication for her depression, became active in AA and found success in small accomplishments. Because of the Mentoring Mom’s program, this mom is active in AA, moved out of an unhealthy situation and is involved in the Welfare to Work Program.

Each volunteer has an initial interview, 15 hours of training and a thorough screening. The screening included written references, police, prosecutors and driver record checks and state and federal fingerprinting. Each volunteer participates in selecting the woman she will mentor and has an opportunity to speak with the referring caseworker to clarify any questions. The mentoring relationship builds self-esteem, helps develop coping strategies and produces long-term benefits for the mentee and her family.

Once matched, the mentors spend two to three hours each week with their mentees. Activities vary and can include walks in the park for exercise and conversation, going out to eat, running errands, accompanying the mentee to school or health appointments, taking the children to a library program, planning for a job interview and discussing goals and how to meet challenges. The staff is always available to offer guidance, identify resources and be a mentor to the mentor.

AARON OBERNE

Aaron Oberne has been associated with the Norfolk Neighborhood and Leisure Services Therapeutic Recreation Division for the past several years – first as a participant in a Wednesday bowling class taught by Steve Errante and now as a valuable volunteer for several programs. Aaron has overcome his disability to become a very good bowler by designing strategies that allowed him to circumvent the neurological obstacles of cerebral palsy.

Aaron’s determination and developing maturity prompted Mr. Errante to ask him if he would be interested in helping out during the bowling class. He did not hesitate to lend a hand, which involved monitoring scoring and assistant an older participant who is a quadriplegic with limited movement. Aaron assisted in bringing the participant his bowling ball, adjusting the ramp, using strategies to improve bowling, and giving positive praise.

As Aaron grew into his role as a bowling assistant, Mr. Errante felt he should become a full-fledged volunteer with the Therapeutic Recreation Program. Once again, Aaron responded positively to the idea of being a volunteer and became involved in several of Mr. Errante’s classes and programs. His responsibilities include equipment set-up and breakdown, lending assistance and encouragement to individual participants during specific activities. Low Impact Aerobics, Sports Night, and Movie Night are just some of the classes he has been a volunteer. He shared his personal workout routine with others and gave them proper techniques in using hand held weights.

Recently, they were fortunate to have a large screen TV and sound system donated to the TR Center. Mr. Errante was attempting to connect it together to use for their movie night and had difficulty with wiring and set-up of the two units. Aaron came to the rescue and figured out wiring and using the TV/DVD menus, which made for a successful evening for all.

Aaron is very well read and became a real asset when they would go on outings to museums and historical sites. He would be their personal tour guide and was able to answer many questions asked by the participants. This past June they traveled to New Jersey for a three-day camping trip. He was involved in every facet of the trip. Along with the usual camp set-up and breakdown, Aaron helped the campers learn how to gather the right type of wood for the campfire, marshmallow roasting, and hot dog grilling. He gave insight on their nature walks, helped campers make and hang bird feeders, and pitched in cooking and cleaning up afterwards. He was in charge of his tent making sure to notify staff if anyone needed assistance or helping them find the bathroom in the dark.

Aaron is assisting Mr. Errante this fall in his classes, as well as assisting other instructors. This year alone, Aaron has contributed more than 1000 documented hours of service. He will be greatly missed when he attends college next year.

DILLARD UNIVERSITY CAMPUS KITCHEN

The Campus Kitchens Project is a national network sponsored by DC Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization in Washington DC. This program utilizes existing resources within college communities to fight hunger and its causes. The Dillard University Campus Kitchen is housed on the campus of Dillard University, a historically black university in New Orleans, LA. In kitchen space shared with campus dining, the program mobilizes students to recycle surplus food, prepare meals in the Campus Kitchen, and deliver those meals to agencies and individuals in the community.

Poverty is widespread in New Orleans. The DU Campus Kitchen’s 80+ student volunteers help fight hunger by cooking and delivering 650 meals per week for 15 individuals and families and seven nonprofit organizations, thereby relieving some of the strain on their budgets.

The Campus Kitchen promotes social awareness. Volunteers from Dillard, who are predominately African-American, partner regularly with the mostly Caucasian Tulane University volunteers. This fosters interaction among college students of different races, religions and socio-economic statuses, who have the common goal of bettering the community they share.

In summer of 2003, the DU Campus Kitchen partnered with two church summer camps. Volunteers provided food and education for kids who receive free or reduced meals during the school year. 47% of Dillard University students are first-generation college students, so they are excellent role models for African-American kids from low-income neighborhoods. At the Kids Café, DU Campus Kitchen volunteers share meals with the children. They consistently provide companionship, nutrition education, and mentoring for the kids.

The DU Campus Kitchen prepares and delivers meals three days a week, utilizing existing kitchen space in the university’s dining hall, donated food from Sodexho Dining Services on campus, and the energy of student, faculty, and community volunteers. Unserved food that would normally go to waste is donated to the program, and student volunteers use the kitchen space to turn that food into healthy, hearty meals. Volunteers then deliver the meals to individuals (such as homebound seniors) and agencies (such as shelters, after-school kids’ programs, and senior programs) in the community surrounding the Dillard University campus. The Campus Kitchens Project receives funding from private donors, as well as a grant from the Sodexho Foundation.

From October 2002 through October 2003, the Dillard University Campus Kitchen served over 16,000 meals to nine partner agencies, while The Campus Kitchens Project served more than 73,000 meals since its October 2001 inception. The DU Campus Kitchen engages more than 80 student volunteers from Dillard and Tulane Universities to contribute 200 volunteer hours each month. The program also provides programmatic services with its meals. For example, Campus Kitchen volunteers at a local after-school kids’ program conduct regular nutrition education sessions, led by education majors from Dillard University, to teach kids from low-income families about the importance of a balanced diet.