JONATHAN ATWOOD

Jonathan Atwood is a 16-year old high school student. He is also a dedicated volunteer at Southeast Missouri Hospital since he became eligible for participation in the Junior Volunteer program two years ago. Since June of 2001, he has consistently volunteered two days every week and also responded to urgent calls for additional assistance with special projects. He is very dependable and could be an example to many adults with regards to timeliness and dedication. Jonathan has given more than 500 hours of service and he increases these hours annually.

Jonathan works in many department and capacities throughout the hospital. He has also worked his way up to his current responsibility of transporting patients for different departments, an activity that demands close attention to patient care and safety. Jonathan took the initiative in asking for a service position involving more responsibility. He was excited about volunteering in a capacity where he would have patient contact. He also assists them in a way that uplifts the patients and enables them. Jonathan is the only 16-year old at the hospital who is entrusted with transporting patients.

Jonathan has assisted in excess of 500 staff members at the facility. Most of the members of the large employee team know who he is and are pleased to have him assist them. He has made a name and a place for himself in the “adult” world. It is difficult to quantify the number of lives he has impacted because his scope has been wide at the facility. In addition to the human impact that his volunteering at the hospital delivers, the dollars saved in healthcare costs are significant. His service hours were a part of the 46,700 hours contributed by volunteers there in 2002. These hours multiplied by just minimum wage is an indication of the monetary impact that volunteering as well as Jonathan’s service has on the facility and the community.

Jonathan has responsibilities in school, but he also undertook the challenge of learning to deal with the complexity of the hospital system and various personalities. He had to learn to get along with the employees and patients as well as the processes of the various departments. Because of his service, Jonathan has developed self-confidence in dealing with people of all ages. Having a young adult in the workplace adds a special spark to the workday for all those with whom Jonathan comes in contact with.

PHILIP WRIGHT

Philip Wright has been characterized as personable, confident, caring, charismatic, kind, funny, positive and joyful. Despite getting academic and basketball scholarships offers from Harvard University and Boston Architectural Center, he came to South Mississippi to be closer to his family. He holds a degree in Architectural Engineering from University of Southern Mississippi and has committed his life to building strong young people in the state of Mississippi through his affiliation with the Boy Scouts and his church. He achieves success through his devotion to daily and untiring contact with hundreds of youth.

Wright is the Urban Emphasis Director for the Pine Burr Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Four years ago, scouting was non-existent and parental involvement was a dream. Wright has been able to transform the community by providing opportunities for the children and gaining support from their families. Wright’s Scoutreach program has resulted in Hattiesburg growing from 300 youth in scouting to more than 1,200.

Wright’s work has yielded national recognition for the newest and fastest growing Urban Emphasis Division in the Southern Region of the United States and has achieved the honor of leading the fastest district to produce Eagle Scouts in the 92-year history of the Pine Burr Council. Wright’s innovative, Scoutreach was featured in the May 2003 Boy’s Life Magazine. He is a positive role model to all who know him and he produces a ripple effect that impacts thousands of lives.

Wright is a Godfather to nine children ages 10 to 15. All are from single parent homes, but they are bound together through scouting. Because of scouting and Wright, they will all go to college. Three of them have already attained Eagle Scout status and the rest are working toward that honor. He is also Youth minister and coach of the First Priority Venture Crew at Hattiesburg High School. This is a coed, student-led prayer group of 45 that meet weekly to pray for the campus, the community and the country. The HHS Venture Crew was featured in the Hattiesburg American and Time Magazine after the tragic events of September 11th.

He is also a role model to adults who want to improve Southern Mississippi. He and his scouts built the Family Education Center Outdoor Classroom as part of the Martin Luther King Day of Caring, Life of Service Event. They work as leader members with the local chapters of the Jane Goodall Institute Roots to Shoots, Lessons of Hope Program. They actively participate in the Phi Delta Kappa International Ethical Leadership League and engage in community, humanitarian and environmental service projects. Wright is also inspiration for the more than 3,500 urban youth as he helps them become leaders, nurturing hope and building futures through goal-setting and compassionate actions in the community.

RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OF ORANGE COUNTY

The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Orange County celebrated 30 years of service in September of 2003. Since 1973, the RSVP has helped thousands of seniors become involved in the community through meaningful volunteer service. During the past ten years, 2,266,246 hours valued in excess of $37,000,000 has been documented in all aspects of Orange county community life by the seniors ages 55 to 100.

From mediating at the courthouse to relieve the judicial system of heavily loaded dockets to rocking crack cocaine babies to calm them; the volunteers give generously of their time. They impact the lives of vulnerable children and frail adults, the hungry, the lonely, the sick and infirm, and those with many needs.

When the President called for individuals to be trained in Homeland Security, the RSVP program responded. Quickly, Orange County’s seniors became prepared to assist in disasters through knowledge gained in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Citizen Fire and Police Academies, Citizens for Neighborhood Watch and Citizen Observer Program. The volunteers are ready and anxious to respond if any disaster strikes Orange County, and age is no deterrent.

One volunteer spent more than 2,100 hours at the Police Department, manning the gun range. Opening and closing almost daily, he is busy scheduling training, ordering supplies, answering telephones and doing whatever else needs to be done. His service frees the police officers to fight crime and aid citizens. This same volunteer also transports blood for the blood bank.

The Orlando VA Healthcare Center could not operate without the support of RSVP volunteers. More than 160 volunteers served in excess of 23,700 hours last year assisting thousands of veterans from all wars, conflicts and peacetime service. The volunteers help with medical records, act as receptionists, prepare charts for doctors and nurses, file, dispense filled prescriptions, work in supply rooms and escort residents from the nursing home to appointments.

RSVP’s four musical groups spent 21,785 hours visiting nursing homes, retirement communities and playing at community functions last year. Their music is therapy to both those who play the instruments as well as those whose four walls seem less confining when people care enough to come in weekly and play beautiful music for them.

An annual favorite service activity for RSVP is the Santa Shop. It is now in its 12th year and steadily growing to serve the needy. Volunteers use their talents to make clothing, toys, games and household items for children to select for their family members. A volunteer accompanies approximately 450 children from Head Start programs and Children’s Medical services as they select just the right gift for their parents and siblings. This experience teaches them early in life the joys of giving and thinking of others.

THE MYLES FAMILY

Darren and Tonja Myles have been involved in ministry work together for the past 12 years. Darren is an ordained minister and he and Tonja also own their own plumbing business. The work they perform is done out of concern for their community. It has been consistent throughout the years without either one of them being salaried.

Ten years ago, the Myles set up a ministry called Set Free Indeed whose purpose is to reach out to others in their community who suffer from addictions such as drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc. It has become so successful that President Bush recognized it in his State of the Union Address. The Myles are now called upon to go to other churches to help set up this faith-based initiative program.

The Myles family has been going to the local Salvation Army in Baton Rouge for the past 12 years sharing God’s word and reaching out to those in need. They have also been involved in prison ministry in Louisiana at both Hunt Correctional and Louisiana and Dixon Correctional Institution. For the past eight years, they have visited the centers to reach out to people who otherwise may not hear a message about a higher power. Some of the inmates have begun attending Set Free Indeed on Friday nights after being released from prison.

About five years ago, the couple started a Day of Celebration. It is an event that is held at a local park in the highest crime area in the city. They provide fun activities, food for needy families, counseling for addictions, motivational speakers and gospel music. This event has grown so much that the Governor’s office, the Mayor-President’s office, area businesses and local law enforcement have partnered with Darren and Tonja for this event.

The Myles family has also been serving at the O’Brien House, which is a halfway house for recovering addictive disorders. Darren and Tonja have been volunteering there for the past several years. Tonja made a vow 17 years ago when she was freed from her addiction. She promised that she would spend the rest of her life reaching as many people as possible in order to help them secure their personal freedom from addiction.

The Myles family is doing as much as possible to make changes in their community. They do not shy away from drug-infested streets or high crime areas because they believe their mission is to reach those in need.

ALIANZA DOMINICANA

Two days after the World Trade Center tragedy, Alianza Dominicana’s staff began working seven days a week to provide crises intervention, day care services, and emotional support to the families of Washington Heights and Inwood who were affected. Alianza’s response, offering the concern and services each individual family needs, typifies this organization’s approach to strengthening the neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood at the northern tip of Manhattan, which together contain one of the country’s oldest and largest Dominican communities. Also typical was Alianza’s ability to draw on the neighborhood’s other resources – whether neighbors, local businesses, or government agencies – to help affected families.

Founder and executive director, Moises Perez, founded Alianza in 1989. Connection and collaboration have characterized Alianza Dominica from its earliest days. Responding to community needs, Alianza started the area’s first drug treatment program and first community-based mental health program. In 1991, Alianza opened La Plaza, a school-based community center that was one of the first Beacon Schools in New York City. Today, La Plaza offerings include after-school programs, adult education classes, and a cable television production facility. Alianza also played a key role in rebuilding the community following riots in 1992 by convening families and working with local health care, education, and business organizations to fill service gaps.

Alianza’s initiatives help families build the emotional, educational, and economic resources to thrive. Alianza offers day-care services coupled with job training for low-income women; a family assistance program that includes alternatives to traditional foster care for families troubled by domestic violence; and a “Family Center” that helps those newly arrived from the Dominican Republic adjust to a new country. Another initiative, Best Beginnings, is a home visitation primary prevention program that provides prenatal care and health information to expectant mothers. Best Beginnings continues supporting them and their families until the children are of school age. “My Best Beginnings family service worker taught me the importance of watching my weight when I was pregnant and breastfeeding after my son was born,” says Juana Pereyda.

A collaboration with Columbia University and the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Best Beginnings exemplifies Alianza’s commitment to working with local institutions to address neighborhood needs more effectively. Best Beginnings arranged child care when Pereyda had health problems and provided translation services for a dispute with a landlord who didn’t speak Spanish. When Pereyda’s young son began having difficulties speaking, Best Beginnings worked with Pereyda to enroll him in speech therapy. “I learned how to work with my son at home,” says Pereyda. “But when I felt depressed or overwhelmed, I knew someone from Alianza would be there for me.”

Alianza Dominicana, Inc. is a 2002 Honoree of Families Count, the national honors program that recognizes organizations that are making a difference in the lives of families struggling to survive in tough neighborhoods.

THE GLICK FAMILY

Cascade County Aging Services is an umbrella organization for Meals on Wheels, Foster Grandparent Program (FGP), Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and seven Senior Centers in and around Great Falls, Montana. Through hard work and dedication to the community, the Glick family has achieved many worthwhile goals for Aging Services.

The Glicks have worked with staff and volunteers to make sure that the needs of the seniors are known in the community. An example of this is the Thanksgiving dinner the Air Force Base volunteers provided for the needy seniors. Last year, the squadron in charge of this project was overseas and the agency did not have the resources to prepare for the event. The Glick family saw this need and came in and took charge. They advertised in the Base newspaper for volunteers and solicited local donations. For Thanksgiving Day, they had recruited over 30 Air Force families in the Meals on Wheels kitchen. This group completed the project and delivered 300 meals and strengthened relationships between the young base families and the seniors. This year on Thanksgiving will again find the Glick family in the Meals on Wheels kitchen orchestrating the meal preparation and delivery. They have also taken the lead in organizing the delivery of Christmas presents to seniors.

The entire Glick family has enjoyed the opportunity to fill in, sometimes at the last minute, delivering Meals on Wheels. They not only personally deliver meals, but find other volunteers to help out. The Glick children invite their teenage friends to come along. This provides the young people the opportunity to interact with the senior population.

RSVP distributes boxes of food to low-income seniors every other month. The Glick family has taken on a rural area about 15 miles from the city, visiting with the isolated seniors they serve. They have also been successful in finding other families to help cover the wide-open spaces. FGP has an annual dinner and the Glick family participates each year with this and other special events. Their trademark is showing up with a rose for each volunteer, and FGP looks forward to seeing the Glick family with flowers in hand.

Census data shows that the community of Great Falls is growing older quickly. There are growing numbers of senior needs and diminishing resources. The seniors have built the community and now they need to be taken care of. The Glick family has an on-going relationship and interest with the senior population. They have come in on evenings and weekends for the past three years to prepare meals and make treats for the seniors who benefit from the Meals on Wheels program. They have also given hours of service to the Cascade County Historical Society, the Montana State Fair, the Great Falls Symphony Association, the Great Falls Spinners and Weavers Guild, and they personally go on visitations to see homebound seniors.

HEATHER PARKIN

Heather Parkin is very active in her community. Most youth and adults alike in Ottawa know Heather or know of some of the work she has done for Ottawa through Ottawa’s Youth Action Council (YAC) and Youth in Government (YIG) programs.

Heather currently serves as the Secretary of YAC, and she served as the Historian last year. Within the last 12 months she has dedicated more than 150 hours of volunteer service with this organization. Heather has been a part of working on Habitat for Humanity houses and taking at risk youth to various sporting events.

Through YAC, Heather has also served on several committees. She planned events for Make A Difference Day. She also serves on the fundraising committee, where she has helped raise more than $1,000 for several projects. Heather has also participated in all of the National Days of Service and has been to numerous communities including Arkansas City and Salt Lake City to speak about youth involvement.

Outside of YAC organized events, Heather volunteers at the hospital. She has various duties which include but are not limited to taking patients to x-ray, welcoming patients and bringing charts tot he doctors. She is more involved in the summer months when she spends a good part of her time during the day helping others. Last summer, Heather volunteered in excess of 50 hours at the hospital alone.

Heather also participates in YIG where she can continue to serve as a strong advocate for youth. She and the other seven YIG members spent five months planning a 7th and 8th grade Youth Leadership Camp. Their mission was to show youth that they could be leaders in their own community at any age. Heather was very involved and worked additional hours each week to make sure it was a success. The YIG members raised a little more than $10,000, which resulted in the camp being inexpensive for the participants. She was very happy about this because anyone who wanted to attend could afford to do so. The camp was a successful three-day and two night event.

Heather’s participation in YAC and YIG meets a community need; she is connecting other youth with opportunities to serve. She plans service projects and recruits her peers to join her in improving their community. As a direct result of the Youth Leadership Camps, five new youth joined YAC and have all applied to join YIG also. In addition, 40 other youth have expressed an interest in joining YAC as a result of Heather’s dedication.

GEORGE DOWNEY

George Downey was a founding member of Rebuilding Boston Together (RTB) more than 11 years ago. He recognized the need to provide home repair services to the constituents served by RTB as a way to preserve home ownership. This also resulted in reduced homelessness in the Boston area.

Downey has brought a lot of vision and experience about the nonprofit sector from other organizations like the Boston Food Bank to the RTB. His guidance and innovative ideas are valuable and keeps the organization running efficiently.

RTB has performed vital home repairs on more than 100 homes and community centers in the Boston area. This work has taken place in every Boston neighborhood that has a need. It involves blending skilled and unskilled volunteers to work together.

Downey served as the Board President and as an active fundraiser. Now in “retirement,” Downey continues to attend Board Meetings and remains an active contributor to RTB. He is a team player who brings inspiration and dependability to an organization that works make the community a better place to live while helping to keep citizens in their homes.

In addition to his service with RTB, Downey has served on the Board of the Boston Food Bank and was a catalyst for the Second Helping Program that takes food out of hotels refrigerates it immediately and brings it to area shelters.

EDUCARE INITIATIVE OF THE KANSAS CITY LOCAL INVESTMENT COMMISSION

Luwillis Canada remembers starting her childcare business without a single child to care for. Canada found resources and information she needed through Educare, an initiative with a twofold mission: give child care providers the skills to succeed in business while they help children in their neighborhoods enter school ready to learn. Last year providers in the Educare initiative served more than 2,300 families with high quality options for early childhood education. During the same period, 50 Educare providers earned their state credentials, increasing the number of children they could enroll, and another 120 women entered the program.

Educare began in the wake of welfare reform, when public policy was focused on finding jobs for mothers, not on where their children would spend their days. About 75 percent of children in the Kansas City area under age five are in some form of non-parental care each week. In low-income communities, parents lack many choices for early childhood education. They often turn to neighbors and relatives in arrangements that can be fragile. Educare providers give working parents the security of knowing their children are in stable, safe environments that stimulate their children to develop and learn. At the same time, Educare has helped make home-based early childhood education into a viable employment option for people coming off welfare.

In Educare, childcare providers begin by learning to comply with city and state regulations. Workshops on business skills and planning give providers the skills they need to succeed. The next aspect of Educare’s classes focuses on creating childcare environments that support learning. Providers of early childhood education in Kansas City, Fort Osage, Independence, North Kansas City, Grandview and Raytown attend workshops on child development, cognition, motor skills and behavior problems.

“Educare helps me develop a curriculum that gets children ready for school,” says Canada, who now runs a childcare center with 50 children and nine employees. Canada creates daily and weekly lesson plans that are woven into every aspect of her center. If the subject is the alphabet, then there are alphabet books, puzzles and blocks throughout her center. Older children write in a journal about their trips to the circus or zoo. Younger children eat alphabet soup with Canada. “I also encourage parents to read at least one book a week with their child,” says Canada. “I’m always looking for more time to talk with them about how they can teach their children at home.”

Educare is an initiative of Kansas City’s Local Investment Commission (LINC). A citizen-driven community collaborative, LINC invests approximately $10 million from state, local, public and private sources in low-income neighborhoods. LINC coordinates initiatives to provide employment to those on welfare, create new businesses in the central city and improve the delivery of human services to change the lives of families and children.

Educare is a 2003 Honoree of Families Count, the national honors program that recognizes organizations that are making a difference in the lives of families struggling to survive in tough neighborhoods.

DR. ERIC VOGEL

Dr. Eric Vogel is a dentist with a mission. He wants to help as many people as he can while he is able. He serves with the Food and Care Coalition’s Dental Days along with volunteering at local schools and creating the “Share a Smile” program.

Vogel donates his dental services to the Food and Care clients in return for volunteer work from the patients. This monthly program began when Vogel started donating his services. By day, the Food and Care Coalition’s building serves as a dining hall for the homeless and needy. However, it turns into a dentist office when Vogel is in. The entire room is cleaned and Vogel and his staff set up two dentist chairs and a table for equipment. His philosophy is to help those who are trying to get back on their feet and not just coming to get free treatment. The patients are joyous once they have their teeth attended to, and they feel much better about themselves.

Vogel served a mission to Bolivia in 1980 and developed a love for the people there. He again went and met a family whose daughter had health problems. He worked to bring the little girl to Utah to have doctors attend to her illness while he cared for her teeth.

In September, Dr. Vogel founded the “Share a Smile” program. To fund the organization, he donates all of the proceeds from the teeth whitenings he performs to the organization. He also organizes a charity triathlon. This raised enough funds to buy portable dental equipment to take to the Food and Care Coalition of Utah County.

Vogel took Share a Smile to Bolivia this year. Fourteen people went with him for eight days. They worked 12 to 15 hour days donating their skills to the Bolivian people in need. Several days were spent working on Latin missionaries and caring for people in a remote village. On the last day the volunteer group was in the village, Vogel would not take a lunch so he could continue to share smiles. Their services donated during that eight-day period are valued in excess of $56,000. Vogel is planning to take Share a Smile to Russia in conjunction with the Utah Russian Institute to work in Russian Orthodox Orphanages. This will also promote good will between Utah and Russia.

In addition, Vogel serves with the Boy Scouts. He has volunteered his time to work with the youth for the past 11 years. Annually he takes off one week to attend scout camp with the young men. He also actively volunteers at local schools and serves on the Cherry Hill Parent Council.

Vogel also teaches two pre-dental classes on Thursday afternoons at Brigham Young University along with serving with CRA to evaluate and test the safety of dental products. He has also served in the Utah Dental Association for two years by accepting assignments to better educate dentists in the area.

Though he dedicates a great deal of his time volunteering, Dr. Vogel has a family. He is the father of eight children and spends quality time with his family while also teaching them to give back to their community by his example.