WHITMAN COLLEGE MENTORS PROGRAM

In 1993, Jamey Wolverton was a senior at Whitman College and had a passion for academic excellence as well as community service. He designed a program that matched 23 at-risk elementary school children in the third, fourth and fifth grades with Whitman College students who served as their mentors. The program was designed to discover if an ongoing mentoring relationship would positively affect attendance rates, academic performance, behavior and self-esteem for the children.

When Wolverton graduated from Whitman College in May 1994, he was asked by the College President to coordinate a newly created office called the Center for Community Service. It was at this time that the Mentors Program became officially affiliated with Whitman College. In the past eight years, the program has continued to grow, while remaining true to its original purpose.

When the Mentors Program started, students mentored in one local elementary school. Today, the Whitman Mentors Program is actively involved in all six public schools located in Walla Walla, Wash. Transportation is provided so that elementary schools located some distance from Whitman College can also benefit from this program. In the beginning, there were 23 students serving as mentors. Today, more than 100 Whitman students participate as mentors each year.

Originally, one person easily handled all the logistics, as there were a limited number of elementary school children and mentors participating in the program. Today, there are two college students who serve as Center for Community Service Interns that invest 17 hours per week coordinating all aspects of the program. They advertise for mentors, host informational meetings, attend staff meetings at the local schools to keep teachers up-to date, select the mentors, train the mentors, interview all the elementary school children participating in the program, match the elementary school children with a mentor, communicate with parents, arrange transportation, handle all aspects of the evaluation process and deal with any issues or concerns.

Though the program has grown, the most fundamental aspects of the program have not changed; and the program is still effectively meeting the needs of local school children. Its mission remains that college students reach out to local elementary school children and give them hope for their future. While attending college, it is very easy to be self-focused and forget about the community in which you live. The Mentors Program engages college students to meet the community children’s needs of encouragement, companionship and tutoring.

GIRL SCOUTS OF TRAILWAYS COUNCIL TROUP #146

Girl Scouts of Trailways Council Troop #146 is a group of nine first-grade girls from Joliet, Ill. They collected new and used children’s books from November 1-25, 2002 (which coincides with National Children’s Book Week) and gave them to Will County area agencies to help promote reading in children. The motto of “Together we can make it happen” was used to help pull the troop members and their community together.

The troop contacted three agencies in Will County that provide services for children. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Catholic Charities Headstart Mobile Library and the Guardian Angel Home. To help support the drive, and involve the community, the troop contacted the Cunningham Grade School Principal, the Joliet Public Library, the City of Joliet and the Joliet Police Department. They then contacted a local storage facility business and received boxes with which to make receptacles. The designed flyer was given to the Principal, who had them copied and sent to each student as a home handout. A press release was given to the local paper and an article ran in the community section on October 27,2002.

On November 26,2002 the troop counted and sorted all the books received. The final count of books collected was 1,981. They sorted the books into two categories of easy and hard readers and boxed them for distribution. While delivering the books, they talked with individuals in charge. They wanted to know what the books would be used for and if there was any other help needed. They discovered that DCFS is using the books to start a new reading room and distribute amongst their day care centers. Catholic Charities is using the books to start up a mobile library program and a young reader’s program. The Guardian Angel home is using the books for several programs such as tutoring and after school reading programs. A new press release was given to the local paper and an article was published December 15, 2002.

This project brought a community together to help fight illiteracy. They thanked the Joliet Public Library who donated books from their basement collection, Joliet City Hall who handled all questions from the public, the Joliet Police Department who helped by loading the books when they were picked up by the troop, Cunningham Grade School, their classmates and the community itself. Through this drive, GSTC Troop #146, the City of Joliet, and Will County showed that reading does matter. By putting books into the hands of kids and helping implement current and new reading programs the whole community benefits.

Today they are still receiving book donations. To date the number of books collected is 2,258 books. Each member of the Troop #146 has given 15 hours of time towards this project and the troop intends to follow up by visiting the places that received the books.

MONTAUK POINT LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM

The Montauk Historical Society Lighthouse Committee is active in the Montauk, New York community. Their dedication to lighthouses has resulted in a complex of historical buildings being saved and the education of many school children and adults.

In 1986, the Historical Society petitioned the U.S. Coast Guard to open a museum at “The Montauk Point Lighthouse.” No governmental agency from federal to local jurisdictions wanted the responsibility; however, this committee saved the historic and beloved complex from being boarded up and abandoned.

Since the late 1980’s, the Historical Society has restored additional buildings, created educational exhibits and programs and celebrated Long Island, local and maritime history. In addition, they have served more than 1,500,000 visitors. Operating as volunteers during the past 18 years, they donate countless hours to the stewardship of this nationally significant historic site. President George Washington initially commissioned this site in 1792.

The Montauk Lighthouse is the fourth oldest working lighthouse in the United States and the oldest in New York State. Until construction of the Statue of Liberty, this beacon symbolically marked many immigrants’ arrival into our country. Today it still remains as an important aid to navigation and mark of arrival by sea to the U.S.

WALTRAUD VALERIO

Waltraud “Ruth” Valerio is a symbol of success to clients and students at The League for People with Disabilities and an enduring light for the Learning Center. Ruth is a volunteer tutor for The League and has shown extraordinary commitment to helping others learn.

Valerio came to The League as a client when her employer closed their Baltimore factory. Although she earned a high school degree in Germany, she needed an American degree and attended pre-GED classes at The League. She worked hard in class and with a volunteer tutor. Eventually, she attended Fairmount-Harford High School and earned – not her GED, but – her American high school diploma, which is a great source of pride.

Since coming to the League for People with Disabilities, she has been a dynamo, constantly searching for and absorbing information to help her teach. She works one-to-one with clients at The League. All of her students have some type of disability, which requires her to find unique approaches in her teaching. In her studies, she has learned to do research on the Internet. She is constantly using this skill to help her find teaching materials and techniques to help students with learning disabilities and other impairments caused by stroke.

Besides her own research, Valerio has sought out other opportunities for learning. This past fall, she attended Power Through Participation, a 3-day conference convened by and for people with disabilities. She volunteered to help a client attend the conference; although the client was unable to attend, Valerio accompanied the Executive Director and was exposed to many issues affecting people with disabilities.

Valerio has also completed three tutor-training programs outside of The League. Three of The League tutors attended trainings at Baltimore Reads, Inc. Valerio also participated in an extensive training program through Volunteers-in-Progress, a program through the Community College of Baltimore County and Literacy Works, Inc. She uses these experiences to help her students and shares information with The League’s volunteer tutor program and classes run in the adult medical day program. In addition, she has recently started volunteering in the community as a tutor in an ESOL (English as a second language) class.

DR. KEVIN FULLIN

Dr. Kevin Fullin dedicates his life to helping individuals to heal and lead healthy lives. A cardiologist by day, thousands of local folks have found a new lease on life in his skillful hands. Since 1991, Dr. Fullin has been helping individuals to heal from wounds to their psyche and self esteem caused by domestic abuse. Dr. Fullin serves as medical liaison for the Pathways of Courage, a hospital based advocacy program for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

Representing and working with victims of domestic abuse, Dr. Fullin was instrumental in the development and implementation of guidelines and protocols for healthcare workers to recognize and effectively work with victims of domestic abuse. This information was published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal in 1992.

In 2001, Dr. Fullin learned that WoMen and Children’s Horizons, the local advocacy center and emergency shelter for victims of domestic abuse, offered programming to stop men from abusing their partners. He contacted the agency and was trained to work with abusive individuals. Since then Dr. Fullin has volunteered as one of the group facilitators in the program that is known as Circle of Change. Dr. Fullin is one of two facilitators who meet with a group of 20-30 men, many completing the program as part of the conditions of their parole.

Through the 26-week Circle of Change Group, men who have been controlling and abusive in their relationships learn to identify the issues surrounding domestic abuse in their lives, become accountable for the things they say and do, get in touch with their own issues of child abuse or witnessing violence as children, begin to heal and express themselves emotionally, face the consequences of past abusive behavior and choose non-violence each day.

Several men have graduated from the Circle of Change Group and have encouraged the development of an “after care” group that helps them to maintain the healthy environment where they can discuss relationship issues. Dr. Fullin facilitates that group. He is a crucial element of the Circle of Change Group. He presents a positive image of what it means to be a man that the program participants can use in the development of their new violence-free lifestyles.

Dr. Fullin has been a leader in the movement to stop family abuse not only in Kenosha, but the entire medical and domestic abuse communities. He has been the President of the Board of Directors for Columbus Park Housing from 1992 to present and has served as medical Liaison and been a speaker at National Domestic Violence Project from 1991 to 2003. In addition, he is a member of the Senior Action Council Ad Hoc Committee Elder Abuse and Neglect, the National Coalition of Physicians Against Family Violence, Physicians for a Violence-Free Society and Physicians for Social Responsibility.

ROSE PIERCE

Rose Pierce, 84, has provided dedicated volunteer service to the veteran community in Poughkeepsie, New York for 54 years. She takes the time to organize and facilitate social activities for veterans, visiting others in local hospitals and visiting veterans who are nursing home residents.

Pierce is a lifelong resident of the City of Poughkeepsie, and she has spent her entire life assisting those less fortunate. During her career at the United States Post Office, Pierce was known for her willingness to always go beyond the ordinary call of duty. Since her retirement in 1979, Pierce dedicates her days to volunteer service.

Pierce works to bring sunshine into the lives of other senior citizens. She takes neighbors to the doctor’s office, grocery store, or out for entertainment. She is also active in community affairs and has been Treasurer and Leader of the Dutchess County Chapter of Statewide Senior Action Council, a member of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and Chairperson for Voice of Discovery and Arts for youth groups. In addition, she has just completed two terms as President of the Poughkeepsie Area Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons.

Pierce spends many hours on the telephone making contacts to various groups to assist veterans. She also helps with the Parades at the City of Poughkeepsie for Memorial Day, VFW Day at Castle Point and Loyalty Day at the VA Medical Center procuring musical units. In addition, she works at the Castle Point Medical Center putting on monthly birthday parties, distributing birthday cards and gifts. She also bakes homemade cakes and cookies for patients. She sings, dances and visits with the wheelchair and bed-ridden patients along with feeding those who needed assistance. Recently Pierce has started a program called History of the Flags. She speaks on the history of flags in various schools and organized activities.

The Dutchess County Legislature designated Pierce as a Dutchess County Senior Citizen of the Year in 1988. Mayor Robert A. Bleakley gave a Proclamation to Pierce on March 4, 1989 because of her service.

CODY FREAS

In the fall of 2000, Cody Freas founded a nonprofit agency called Operation Paws. Inspired by his love of animals and his commitment to teaching children community service, Cody developed and implemented a fundraising project to benefit the homeless animals of Operation Kindness.

After volunteering for the National Honor Society and learning the value of community service, he began to realize that are many young children that never have the opportunity to contribute to their community. Cody started Operation Paws to bring children and animals together. His idea was to offer elementary school children the opportunity to sponsor or “adopt” an animal at Operation Kindness for a $12 donation. Every child received a personalized adoption certificate and a photo of the dog or cat that they “adopted.” The children also receive a goodie bag which contains a bio specifically about their animal, dog bone candy, a dog or cat bracelet and an invitation to the Adopt-A-Paws Parents party at the shelter. They are also listed on an Honor Roll. By giving something back to the children for their participation in Operation Paws, Cody hoped that he could emphasize the value of community service at an early age.

Cody had to convince many schoolteachers and administrators that he was committed to this project. One teacher told him that she believed he could never make the project work and gave him a list of volunteer opportunities that would be better. He faced resistance, but persevered. He created displays, photographed the animals, negotiated prices for his supplies, and marketed the final product to schools. Cody also recruited members of the National Honor Society and the Environmental Club at his high school to volunteer to help make the bags. In all, he has 100 volunteers working with him on this project.

Operation Paws has been a great success. Cody teaches many children about community service and helping others. Eleven Plano schools have participated in his project thus far. He has raised approximately $10,000 for animals. In addition, Cody has raised community awareness of the shelter and the plight of homeless animals. His organization donated more than 200 stuffed animals to the Plano Children’s Medical Center for children without medical insurance.

President Bush sent pictures of his pets, Spot and Barney, to be Operation Paws mascots. Cody has also just recently been chosen one of three international winners for the “Yes, I Can! Foundation for Exceptional Children Award for his service to young people and community service and will be honored in Seattle, Washington in April. He was recognized as the Dallas Youth Volunteer of the Year in 2003.

Cody is a true inspiration. Although he is learning disabled, he does not allow that to be a deterrent to him. He is truly passionate about his project and is a role model for volunteers of all ages.

DEIDRE DOWNS

Deidre Downs is a 22-year-old college graduate whose future plan includes medical school and a career as a pediatric oncologist. She was recently named as a Rhodes Scholar finalist. However, her commitment to community service is her most outstanding achievement.

In 2000, Downs founded an organization entitled Making Miracles. The mission of Making Miracles is to provide services to pediatric cancer patients and their families. The program enables student volunteers from various high schools and colleges in the Birmingham, Alabama area to engage in direct volunteer service with children who have cancer.

During the 2000-2001 school year, Making Miracles volunteers worked one-on-one with pediatric cancer patients at Children’s Hospital and held a Rock-a-Thon to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. The following year they planned and directed activities for patients at Hope Lodge, a residence facility for patients undergoing cancer treatments. In addition to the work with her volunteers, Downs mentors a teenage cancer survivor and serves on the American Cancer Society’s Junior Board of Directors in Birmingham.

In August 2002, Downs began her current project, a specialty license plate for the state of Alabama. The proceeds of this plate will go directly to pediatric cancer research. Teaming up with Dr. Robert Castleberry, head of pediatric oncology at UAB/Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Downs designed the tag and has begun implementation of this project. The Legislative Oversight Committee for License Plates has submitted the license plate to the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles for approval. Upon its approval, Downs will be promoting this license plate across the state of Alabama through public speaking engagements, public service announcements, media coverage, and mailings.

Time is of the essence for Downs and the success of her license plate project. She has only a year’s time to secure at least 1,000 purchase commitments, in order to ensure that the plate is mass-produced. In its initial commitment year, this license plate has the potential to raise a minimum of $41,000 for research, with the extended potential of hundreds of thousands in the future. More information about Downs’ license plate and her efforts to help find a cure for pediatric cancer can be found on her Web site at www.curingchildhoodcancer.org

Downs is dedicated to children and to pediatric cancer research, which is evident in her community service efforts as well as her career choice of pediatric oncology. Through Making Miracles, Deidre Downs has provided services to families suffering with sick children and she is in the process of mobilizing a community and statewide effort to support pediatric cancer research.

SHER DIL & GAY LE-CLERC QADERI

Through their organization, Friends for Afghan Redevelopment (FAR), Sher Dil and Gay Le-Clerc Qaderi raise money for school supplies and clothing for Afghan children. They also bring Afghan women to the United States to train them in the principles of small business development.

Shortly after the tragic events of September 11th, the Qaderis formed an organization to aid Afghans in rebuilding their country. FAR is working to better the lives of all Afghans through two principal programs. First, it raises money to purchase school supplies, clothing and medical services. Second, FAR selects Afghan women to come to America for five weeks. During this time they are shown and taught small business development skills.

Sher Dil Qaderi is originally from Afghanistan. He shies away from stories of his youth. He does not like to talk about the fact that he was a son in a family of nobility, a teen-age guerilla warrior or a freedom fighter who broke Muslim law and left his land to secretly marry an American woman. At the age of 13, in 1980, he joined the Afghan freedom fighters in their campaign against the Russians. The revered Ahrnad Shah Massoud led the freedom fighters, a man who was later assassinated by the Taliban shortly before September 11th. He does like to talk about his many returns to his homeland. During the past year, they have traveled back and forth to the war-torn land to help build schools, orphanages and provide relief work.

Gay Le-Clerc is also not a stranger to efforts related to the Afghan people. In 1984, she set up a field hospital on the Pakistani-Afghan border. This infirmary provided much needed medical assistance to people who would have gone without.

The Qaderis believe that the future of Afghanistan can only be assured by educating its people. FAR, with a first class board of directors of some of Nevada’s most prominent individuals, is their vehicle for achieving their dream of not only a better Afghanistan, but also of a better world. In addition to contributing to medical clinics, schools and technology, the Qaderis will also be building relationships between the Afghan people and Americans. They share the belief that you begin peace in the world by building upon commonalities, not differences.

WILLIAM LEAHY, M.D.

Legends have it that true heroes must be passionate and compassionate. Dr. William R. Leahy is both. As a tireless volunteer he has unselfishly dedicated himself to community needs: seeing that the citizens of Prince George’s County can thrive regardless of age or station in life. His long and prestigious record in medicine is enhanced by his huge volunteer investment, in time, personal funds and especially hands-on leadership. He is an outstanding community educator and civic visionary: a volunteer extraordinaire in the broadest sense. Without fanfare, the determined William Leahy, M.D. encourages others to be better, kinder human beings. A steady voice of conscience in Prince George’s County for more than two decades, he is also a leading catalyst for new approaches both in educating youth and providing adequate and affordable health care for the elderly and homebound.

A practicing physician with and partner in Neurological Medicine, P .A. in Greenbelt, Maryland since 1979, he is board-certified in both Pediatrics and Neurology with a specialty in child neurology. His path to volunteer leadership was in part shaped by his mother, whose own life was marked by dedication to community service. A longtime Maryland resident, Dr. Leahy has volunteered all his adult life for church, for schools, and for community needs arising from his “professional” home, Prince George’s County. His dedication to helping grew from his deeply felt determination to respond to critical generational issues, to meet the challenges arising from both young and old, from illness, poverty and lack of education. His outstanding charitable efforts are highlighted by his work as a health care educator and service as volunteer leader of several Prince George’s County health care support groups.

Since many of Dr. Leahy’s patients are also elderly, and in urgent need of care giving, he has first hand experience with the dreadful impact of inadequate elder care resources. But most of all, for years he had been troubled by witnessing senseless murders and other violent crimes perpetuated by – and on – the County’s youth, some of which affected his own patients directly. As a consequence, he chose to devote more than six months to searching for a program that puts all these challenging issues together. When he discovered that no such program existed that helps BOTH the young and the old to care for one another, he decided to start one. Thus, Leahy became more deeply involved in home health aid education. He became more and more dedicated not only to making sure his patients received the best care possible, but also equally as important to give direction and meaning to the lives of young people in his community.

A decade ago, already involved in a lively medical practice, and teaching the home heath aide program at Bladensburg High School, he conducted research for and wrote the highly-acclaimed textbook: Providing Home Care: A Textbook for Home Care Aides. To fulfill the promise of the textbook in 1996, he became founder and leader of a visionary model-training program launched in Prince George’s County called The High School Home Health Aide Training Program. This program has witnessed a success rate in program completion and certification of 97% or better each year, and during the past year; its enrollment tripled.