THOMAS OWENS

For the past two years, Thomas Owens, a Vietnam Era Veteran, has been the primary case manager with the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), a $250,000 annual grant from the Department of Labor to mitigate factors that contribute to veterans being chronically homeless. Prior to working with the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center, Mr. Owens selflessly served for many years as a social worker/case manager with the Catholic Social Services in their homeless and disenfranchised programs.

Mr. Owens has personally helped well over 500 veterans, most of whom were homeless, unemployed, suffering from mental and/or physical illness, despondent, and beaten by the “system” into despair and defeatism. He painstakingly identifies the client’s priority needs and their root causes, and using his extensive knowledge of the Sacramento Community, starts to connect them to the available resources, adding extensive leverage to the HVRP funding. More importantly, rather than passively providing service referrals, he cultivates the client’s active participation in the problem solving and rebuilding process.

One of Mr. Owens favorite tools is the Center’s “Winning the Employment Game (WEG),” a two week workshop for veterans that does a great deal more than just address job search techniques. During this time Mr. Owens, in partnership with the WEG instructor, gauges the client’s work ethic, ability to follow simple orders, sense of timeliness, level of social skills, self-direction, motivation, and readiness to deal with the underlying problems that have contributed to their being homeless and isolated from society. For the client, it is a chance to evaluate feelings, attitudes and past behaviors that have probably gone unanalyzed for years.

Upon completion of the program, many clients are able to rediscover the strengths and talents that once allowed them to be successful in their military career. Others realize how the same negative beliefs and actions that didn’t work for them in the military are still at work in their current lives. By the time the client successfully completes the workshop, Mr. Owens usually has sufficient information to work with them to develop an individualized plan that maps out, step-by-step, the actions that are necessary for a return to self-sufficiency, and to motivate them to give themselves another chance.

Mr. Owens professionalism is confirmed in the HVRP program’s solid performance achievements, as reported to the Department of Labor. While there are two HVRP case managers at the Center, health reasons have greatly limited the other staff member’s contribution, causing Mr. Owens to do the “yeoman’s” share of active case management. For the last annual contract, which ended in June, 258 client assessments were reported, or 129% of goal; employment places were at 157, or 131% of the goal, and averaged $10.96 or 133% of the goal; and retention of employment at the 180 day point was at 148% of the goal. As impressive as these accomplishments are for any agency, it is even more impressive when it is recognized that many of these clients are the “hardest” to serve of the “hard to serve.” Mr. Owens can take a large share of the credit for such accomplishments.

PAUL LILIENFELD

Paul Lilienfeld, 14, attended the annual Christmas party for children with cancer and their families the past two years. The party was given by Candlelighters of Brevard, Inc., a local non-profit charity dedicated to children with cancer and their families by offering emotional support and financial assistance to childhood cancer families during the most difficult time of their lives. The experience had a very profound impact on Paul. He often expressed gratitude that this dreaded disease had not afflicted members of his own family and he also expressed admiration for the courage exhibited by the stricken children and their families. He also desired to help in some way. He was encouraged in this desire by his family and his Boy Scout Troop.

Paul decided to spare the burden of purchasing school supplies for a total of 107 children from 29 different families. Due to the financial difficulties they were experiencing because of their battles with cancer, many were unable to purchase required supplies for the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year. Paul conferred with the Executive Director of Candlelighters of Brevard, who agreed this would be a very useful project, which would satisfy a very real need.

In March 2003, Paul began planning and enlisting the help of friends on the project. He determined the age and gender of each of the children to ensure that appropriate supplies would be obtained. He then decided to use three primary sources for donations – corporate donations, personal donations and money earned by organized carwashes.

Paul solicited donations of all supplies and equipment needed for the carwashes as well as food for his friends assisting him and the printing of carwash tickets and flyers. They also sold carwash tickets and distributed flyers at high volume fast food outlets. The carwashes earned $250, personal donations totaled $185 and corporate donations totaled $1,450 for a total cash amount of $1,580, which was presented to Candlelighters of Brevard in September, two weeks prior to the beginning of academic year 2003-2004. In addition, a vast amount of various school supplies were received from individuals and corporations at drop off points Paul had arranged with local businesses.

Paul did not receive a stipend or salary for any portion of the project, but he was recognized in his school newsletter and the Candlelighters of Brevard’s newsletter. He also received a personal letter from Mitch A. Needleman, State Representative, District 31.

SCOTT REDDIN

On most weekends you can find Councilman Scott Reddin mentoring, driving, distributing food to the homeless or raising awareness about the dangers of drunk driving. And this is only on the weekends!

Volunteers in Protective Services (VIPS) was established in 1977 to match trained, carefully screened, caring adults with abused, neglected, isolated and/or troubled Bergen county children. Referrals come primarily from the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services, the state child protection agency. Councilman Reddin completed training in 1996 and has since served as a VIPS Volunteer brother to eight boys, each having numerous behavioral challenges and family issues. Since 1996, Councilman Reddin has spent literally hundreds of hours in shared activities and experiences with these boys, one-on-one, and has provided his mentees with a caring shoulder to lean on and an open heart that will listen to them.

Councilman Reddin gives of himself freely and willingly. He sets boundaries with the boys he mentors, having told each and every one that all he asks for is a phone call if the mentee cannot make their scheduled time together. Acknowledging the frustrations he has experienced in some of his mentoring relationships, Councilman Reddin recently stated that he’s learned what unqualified love is all about. He has made himself available to these boys; he does not judge them and he does not expect anything from them except that they believe in themselves (and that phone call if they have to cancel!). He is an incredible advocate for these children, which overflows into his day job as assistant to U.S. Representative Steve Rothman (D).

And as if that isn’t enough, Councilman Reddin is the honorary disc jockey of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County! With no hesitation and never a fee, you can find him spinning out those songs at mentoring program events and at other Volunteer Center events. A boy at heart himself, Councilman Reddin makes sure the kids are dancing and laughing, as he recognizes how important it is for these children to be just that…children.

Councilman Scott Reddin exemplifies the qualities that we need in mentors: caring, empathy, the ability to listen but not judge, and he is the embodiment of the word “fun”. He is an incredible role model to each and every boy he mentors. He has enabled the boys he has mentored through the years to believe that they can achieve anything they hope to, with help from caring and sensitive adults.

DR. WYNN OKUDA

ROBERT GRAHAM

Robert Graham has been a volunteer counselor at St. Andrew Baptist Church Benevolence Center for more than five years. He volunteers two days per week, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am until 12noon. He has been an encouragement to the hundreds of persons whom he has counseled that have visited the center.

Many of those who visit the center have lost their jobs. They cannot find employment. Utilities have not been paid, and they have been served with a cut-off notice. They do not have adequate food for the family. Children have outgrown much of their clothing, and winter is fast approaching.

Some are in the process of divorce and are uncertain of the new circumstances that now surround their lives. Many are already divorced and are living in a state of uncertainty, loneliness, fear and anxiety. Often the children are not adjusting well to the new lifestyles that have been forced upon them; they are having problems in school.

Very often when parents and families visit the center, hopelessness has made deep inroads into their lives. Mr. Graham is a perpetual optimist. He has the capacity to enable those whom he councils to see and accept a re-direction for their lives. He abounds with hope and freshness of life, which he is able to communicate to those that are losing, or have already lost, hope and cannot see clearly because of the dark cloud of defeat that overshadows their lives. Mr. Graham is a ray of sunshine, wisdom, hope, optimism and encouragement that points the way to a new day.

GERARD BOWLES

In one moment on a dark night on the Interstate, Jerry Bowles’ life changed forever. He witnessed a horrible automobile collision. A body was flung into the highway. He stopped to help. As he was getting a flashlight from the trunk of his car, another car plowed into him and both of his legs were crushed, requiring amputation above the knee. He also suffered a broken hand, shoulder and wrist. After many months of hospitals, surgery, therapy and trying to reconstruct life, some people would have become sedentary and bitter, but not Jerry Bowles.

Each week, Mr. Bowles comes in his power wheelchair to the Methodist Rehabilitation Center where patients deal with the effects of stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. His actions are a shining example of the true spirit of volunteerism, sharing his time and talents to improve the quality of life for patients whose lives have been altered by severe injury or illness. Everyone at Methodist Rehabilitation Center knows him and looks forward to his upbeat attitude and happy smile. Mr. Bowles says, “Life is too short for me to think about what happened in the past.”

Isolation and depression are severe problems for anyone suffering from a disabling incident. Many believe that life is over for them. Mr. Bowles visits patients’ rooms, and tries to make the transition into the hospital easier. He delivers mail, newspapers and greeting cards, and sometimes he just talks to them – or simply lets them talk to him. When they meet him and see how he has not only survived, but also thrived, they know that they too can have hope.

Mr. Bowles discovered that the patients at Blair Batson Children’s Hospital need books, so he regularly goes to book fairs and buys books to donate to the hospital and to Mustard Seed, the local home for mentally disabled adults. He also spends time combating the isolation and loneliness that is so common for the elderly. He visits, takes goodies and just makes the day brighter for the residents of the area nursing homes. He said, “I am so blessed! I have the privilege of meeting and visiting people I would have never met if I had never had my accident and never had to change my life.”

Mr. Bowles helps to give people the desire and ability to return to an active life. He does not try to tell patients that life is still worth living, he shows them – with his attitudes, his actions, and his body language. Sometimes he brings a special book for an individual or goes to the coffee shop and buys special coffee or other treat for a particular patient because he learned that they would enjoy it.

Jerry Bowles has been volunteering his time at Methodist Rehabilitation Center since April of 2002, as soon as he was able after his accident. Jerry was a representative in the wholesale clothing business before the accident and still is involved with the business and the people he met there. Recently he bought two wristwatches and gave them to the hospital to raffle and raise money. He also serves as President of the homeowners association in The Villas, the subdivision where he lives. Before his accident he was an avid square dancer and round dancer, and he still coordinates the clogging and square dancing exhibitions for the MS Square Dance Association at the MS State Fair even though he is unable to dance now.

MISSION OF MERCY PROJECT

According to a 1999 study published by the Joint Committee on Healthcare, Virginia has 43 underserved areas where the dentist to population ratio exceeds one dentist to 5,000 or more individuals. To respond to this critical situation, the Virginia Dental Health Foundation launched the Mission of Mercy (MOM) Project in 2000. Three times a year, approximately 150 dental professionals give up their weekends and travel to rural areas of the state to help patients with their dental problems.

For many in these rural areas, there is a lack of resources to address their dental health issues. Since it’s inception, the MOM Project has provided an increasing number o Virginians with cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures and other dental services that they otherwise would not have access to. Through the endless hours of planning and involvement by these volunteers, the Mom Projects have broken records for the biggest dental outreach clinics ever conducted in the United States.

These dedicated professionals have devoted their time, energy, resources and whatever else is needed to ensure that the MOM Projects are hosted every year and the number of people served by them increase. Without their diligent planning, coordinating and ability to get all of the resources required, the MOM Projects have the potential to be chaotic scenes and ending up as just another good idea that was not realistic to implement.

Because of the untiring commitment and dedication of this group of dentists, specialists, dental assistants, hygienists and staff, these projects continue to be successful in providing much needed dental care to those served by them. The number of uninsured and underserved Virginians receiving dental care has increased with each year that the MOM Project is held. Thanks to the nine MOM Projects that have been hosted, in excess of 7,111 people have been provided with desperately needed dental treatment. Without these clinics, most of those served would have continued to leave their dental needs unmet. Overall, because of this team’s belief that everyone is entitled to dental care, $2,587,274 worth of dental care has been donated to those who need it most.

Without the different resources and backgrounds that each member brings to the table, this project would not be possible. Some members are responsible for visualizing the project and work towards getting others on board. Other members have the resources to get funding, supplies and donations. There are also members who participate in the planning of the projects and treat those very people they have envisioned the project helping. Without each member of this team, the MOM Projects would never be able to have the impact on these areas that it currently does. It is through their efforts that the dental community came forward to volunteer their time and services to improve the lives of those in greatest need. The MOM Program recognized a need, mobilized the appropriate resources, came together and still continues to make a difference.

VISION CULTURAL MENTORING INITIATIVE

The Vision Cultural Mentoring Initiative is an outstanding community service effort by the University of Maryland to connect college students to the local community to effect change in the educational achievement of disadvantaged youth. The yearlong program pairs college students with high school students in the Prince George’s country area to expose high school students to college and to engage them in learning about multicultural communities.

The Vision Cultural Mentoring Initiative was created out of an identified need to expand the experiences of local public school students, so that they have greater interest, capacity and preparation to go to college. On the other hand, the program also expands college student understanding of civic and social needs in the community surrounding their college. For example, Bladensburg High School has one of the lowest SAT school average in Prince Georges County Maryland. Students at the school are struggling to achieve collegiate entrance. A lack of exposure to college, lack of mentorship, and lack of preparation all contribute to the students in this school not pursuing higher education. The Vision Cultural Mentoring Initiative was created to change this reality.

The program brings students to the University of Maryland campus on a regular basis to demystify the college experience. Students shadow their college mentors in their classes, they attend campus cultural and social events, they participate in collegiate workshops, and they are guided through the college admissions process. What is most creative about the program is that students are simultaneously engaged in learning about their cultures and history. They are provided enhanced opportunities to affirm their cultural identity through reading culturally focused books and then engaging in scholarly discussions on the books with their mentors. The program was created with the belief that students must see college not only as an opportunity to gain a degree but to grow personally and culturally—to learn about themselves in ways that were not offered during their k-12 experience.

The program’s first year produced outstanding results: all of the high school students that participated in the program went to college. The Vision program has made an impact in the local community of Prince George’s County Maryland and positively impacted the lives of its high school and college leaders.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF FLAGSTAFF

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff (BBBSF) has served thousands of people in the Coconino County region with its mission, “to help children succeed by matching them with appropriate adult mentors.” They provide youth with tools to develop important life skills, as well as mentors with the training and support necessary to serve as role models to the “littles.”

Big Brothers of Flagstaff was founded in 1968, and Big Sister of Northern Arizona was founded 1976. They merged in 1999 and became BBBSF. This agency is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is associated with the United Way of Northern Arizona.

BBBSF addresses children’s need for positive relationships with caring adults. The majority of the little sisters and brothers are from single parent homes and may have other potential risk factors. Seventy percent of the mentees and 22% of the mentors represent minority populations. Mentoring is one of the best-known activities for building children’s confidence, competence and caring, and they do it with four successful programs.

Community Based Mentoring (CBM) is a 35-year old mentoring program serving 350 community members in 175 matches with 56 children on a waiting list. Little brothers and sisters are between 6 and 15 years old and meet with their adult mentors for at least two hours each week.

Vision in Progress (VIP) is a 15-year old mentoring program involving up to 30 court-referred youth and children on the BBBSF waiting list, in an after school recreation program with adult supervisors. VIP provides a safe place with structured activities for the participants, and has an outstanding track record for reducing recidivism; to date, only one participant in/from the VIP program returned to the juvenile system while in the program. The VIP activities include but are not limited to hiking, sports, art and creative writing.

Pipeline NAU is a seven-year-old mentoring program that matches 20 seventh grade students from first generation, college-bound families with 20 Northern Arizona University faculty members. This started in 1997 and the first class began this fall with GPA’s of 3.0 or better. These mentees will become big sisters or big brothers themselves when they are sophomores in college.

School Based Mentoring (SBM) is a five-year-old program that partners adult mentors with 1st through 6th grade students in an after school program where matches meet for two hours a week for 20 weeks each school. Currently, the program provides a safe place for more than 100 children in seven elementary schools who participate in structured activities that are recreational, health-based, community-based or academic.

COPALIS COMMUNITY CHURCH FOOD BANK

The Copalis Community Church Food Bank has been in continuous operation since the early 1980’s and the families served has grown from several to more than 125. It is the place those up in the beach go to when times are tough; it is a port of safety during the storm in troubling times. Many people say this house was built on love.

Betsy Rothchford was helping her husband at his medical office and she saw a great need to help provide local people with food and clothing. Times were hard and Ms. Rotchford had a soft place in her heart for those in need. She took the opportunity to meet the community’s need and founded the Church Food Bank.

As the needs of the community have grown and changed, so have the food bank and the serviced they offer. It is open the first and third Wednesday of each month from 9am until 1pm. Each Wednesday they are open from 12:00 pm to 1:30pm for bread and produce distribution. Every Saturday, food is taken to those who are homeless and living on the streets of Aberdeen, and on the fourth Friday of every month, a meal is provided for the Gospel Mission in Aberdeen. This summer the food bank had their first Summer Feeding program and served an average of 17 children free lunches daily. They are looking to greatly expand that program next summer to other surrounding areas.

The food bank meets a need in the community; there is a high rate of unemployment, and families need help with food. People are thankful there is a place to go for help, and when things get better for them; those clients give back to the food bank to help someone else. People from the community are involved at the food bank in many ways. There is the interaction of food distribution, clothing distribution, summer feeding programs and community appreciation days. There are also the people who get involved by giving regular donations of both money and goods.

The most noticeable impact seen at the food bank is the overwhelming appreciation the clients have for the services offered to them. It is not just food dispensed but a warm and friendly outreach to those in need. They offer help with housing, transportation, child care and have people available for religious counseling if requested. They also help to get school supplies for the children in the fall, and they assist in getting parents involved with organizations to provide Christmas presents for the children. The food bank volunteers are non-judgmental and make the experience of coming to the food bank less stressful and more of a personal shopping experience.