JAMES RHODES

James Rhodes answered the call of his country to serve in combat in the Vietnam War. While serving with the 6th Special Operations Squadron Search and Rescue, he truly took to heart the meaning of duty, honor and justice, which served as motivating factors for Rhodes in serving his community.

Rhodes has been a part of the Camp Hill, Alabama community for approximately six years, and during that time he has been a catalyst for change. This small community of less than 1,500 people has accomplished extraordinary gains as a result of Rhodes. Camp Hill had the highest unemployment rate in the county, highest secondary dropout rate, lowest school test scores, highest rate of teen pregnancies, highest percentage of people on social services and they had no youth services.

When Rhodes and his family arrived in the area, the school system was ranked one of the worst in the state. That was a major concern to him so he began to take action. Rhodes began by establishing an after school and off-site tutoring program to give additional needed help. He founded a youth sports program with a “flagship” of American Legion baseball. He established a working relationship with the farm club of the Cleveland Indians, and professional baseball has hosted numerous seminars and clinics to upgrade the skills of the disadvantaged Camp Hill teens.

Rhodes also worked with the Children’s Trust Fund of the State of Alabama and established the country’s first programs for at risk students. They deal with potential dropouts, anger management, teen pregnancy and alcohol and drug abuse. Now the Camp Hill School System is no longer on the state probationary list, and several students who went through Rhode’s baseball program are in college on baseball scholarships. In addition, Rhodes assists in running local Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous programs.

Rhodes also takes the time to assist local veterans. He works with them one-on-one and on a case-by-case basis. Rhodes helps the veterans with requests to obtain medical and mental coverage that they are afforded by law but have not been awarded. Though many of the veterans face “red tape,” Rhodes takes the time to make sure they are aware of their rights and he fights to help them get what they fought for and are entitled.

Rhodes has produced change in Camp Hill, and sadly sometimes doing what is correct and needed has negative consequences. Initially, many opposed Rhode’s integrated baseball team. His family suffered vandalism to their property and vehicles and even death threats. However, Rhodes continued to make a positive change in his community. He taught residents about their rights and laws, and for the first time in Camp Hill history, community members signed state petitions against their own public officials because of corruption, misappropriation of funds and theft. Rhodes continues his campaign for justice and has generated statewide support. He has been featured on “20/20” for his tireless efforts, and he tells everyone his service has been a family effort.

DAWN MONTANER

In January of 1998, Dawn Montaner and her husband, Victor, discovered their youngest daughter had two eating disorders. The ravages of disease devastated them; however, they were more disturbed by the lack of information, resources and treatment. The Montaners looked for treatment facilities for their daughter and discovered she would have to go out of state for quality care. In addition, they would have to pay between $1300 and $1500 daily for treatment and this was a cost not covered by their insurance. The Montaners were on a mission to save their daughter’s life, and they did just that. However, Dawn Montaner decided she had to make a difference and make that road a little easier to navigate for the next family.

Montaner fought for basic coverage, and they were able to secure treatment for their daughter at the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Florida. She threw herself into a campaign for education, awareness, and prevention of eating disorders. Her time and energies resulted in Lifelines Foundation for Eating Disorders, an institution that is recognized not only in Texas but also across the entire county. It is one of the largest grass-roots eating disorder organizations in the United States.

Montaner has a full time job, but she uses her vacation days to travel all over and share the message of prevention to school districts and students. Last year alone, she traveled to Washington, DC to be a part of the Eating Disorder Coalition for Eating Disorders where she met with Hilary Clinton and representatives from her home state of Texas.

Because of her dedication and commitment, Eckerd’s Drug Store’s National Division selected Montaner as one of the Top 100 Women Volunteers in American. She has received two proclamations from now President George W. Bush when he was Governor of Texas, one from Governor Rick Perry, two from the Texas House of Representatives, two from the Texas Board of Health, one from the Texas Senate, and many letters of support and endorsement from Senators and Congressmen from all states.

Montaner has made presentations for the American Cancer Society, The Texas State PTA, 6 of 20 Educational Service Regions in Texas, Texas Board of Health, the Texas State Board of Education, and many school districts. She has been an advocate for the cause and has lobbied for the revision of the Texas Mental Health and Parity Act along with the commitment of the Texas legislation in mandating insurance coverage of eating disorders as a severe mental illness.

GAYLE CRABTREE

Gayle Crabtree founded HopeforHealing.org . In 1995 she was raped while working for a national motel chain. In the town where this traumatic incident occurred, there was no rape crisis center for her to turn to. To help make it through this ordeal, she turned to her family and searched the Internet. She had to battle with the motel and worker’s compensation, and it was a long fight that caused her to have to relieve her ordeal over and over again. Finally, she was able to resolve a portion of the incident so she could close a chapter. However, the offender has not been captured or brought to trial. Now, Crabtree is deeply involved in innovative work with the survivors of rape and sexual assault using the medium of the Internet.

Crabtree has taken a personal tragedy, a violent workplace rape, and turned it into the basis for a Web site where rape survivors can get help and encouragement from someone who has been in their shoes. Her site, HopeforHealing.org, is one of the largest on the Internet and often the first stop for a person seeking help. She has offered words of encouragement, healing and hope, and has made a life and death difference by helping those who were suicidal over the pain of dealing with rape.

When she first put up the site in 1996 it was one of the first of its kind on the Internet – it continues to be one of the largest and most comprehensive. Through her site, Crabtree reaches over a quarter of a million people each year and emails literally thousands. She does this without pay, just to help others. There are a huge number of women and men dealing with the aftereffects of rape, a group often shunned by family, friends, and society. She has devoted countless hours to emailing with those who need help without concern for race, gender, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.

Crabtree’s efforts have had a tremendous impact, which is evidenced by the amounts of “hits” for the site. There is a plethora of information on the site for both survivors themselves as well as their loved ones. You can learn about Crabtree and her story, advocacy, awards, books poetry by other survivors, police departments, child abuse information, Christianity, crisis centers and date rape drugs to name a few. There are more than 40 topics on her Web site alone. One portion of the site is a guest book sign in used to give encouragement and hope to all in need.

Crabtree is continually working to improve the site. Since the site’s inception, it has grown to more than 200 pages and there is a forum on Delphi and Yahoo Club. Crabtree is constantly corresponding with survivors from all over the country, to encourage them and help them with the healing process. She also speaks to churches and survivor groups as well as advocating. Crabtree’s selfless devotion and her positive impact on a group that is often ignored or marginalized will hopefully result in a book to continue to aid some in their healing. She also hopes to turn the Web site into a nonprofit organization.

JENNIFER RIXMAN

Jennifer Rixman is an inspiration to her classmates. Throughout the four years she has been a student at Manchester College, Jennifer has demonstrated a commitment to service that is second-to-none. As part of, and in addition to her campus leadership role as Director of Communications for the col1ege’s Office of Volunteer Services, Jennifer has organized and participated in countless volunteer efforts in the community and beyond.

Jennifer is adept at finding innovative ways to meet the needs of others. One example is Haunted Forest, a fun Halloween activity cosponsored by the col1ege’s Office of Volunteer Services and North Manchester Community Service Parks and Recreation. She was responsible for recruiting enough student volunteers to staff the forest, which included costumed tour guides, assorted ghosts, ghouls and monsters, a set-up and teardown crew, and registration table volunteers. In addition, she mobilized and organized several campus groups and clubs who participated as haunted forest sites. Registration volunteers col1ected a smal1 entrance fee and the proceeds went to North Manchester Community Service.

Jennifer has also worked to fight hunger and homelessness. She helped organize a petition to end hunger, Offering of Letters for Jubilee 2000, Give Up a Meal Day (students skipped one meal, and food service donated the money to Oxfam America and Heifer Project International), and a service project (students raked leaves and sorted clothing at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission). She also helped recruit students to raise money to provide food for those in need.

She organized several on-campus blood drives for the American Red Cross, helped organize and participated in a food drive that brought 35 student volunteers together to col1ect needed food and supplies for the North Manchester Food Pantry, and spent two spring breaks in West Virginia & Mississippi helping to build homes for families in need with Habitat for Humanity.

She also organized service projects and performed important services at several organizations, including South Bend Homeless Shelter, Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, Tumstone Center for Disabled Children and Adults, Fort Wayne Food Bank, and Path Finder’s Group Home. Services included raking leaves, sorting food and clothing, and fundraising.

Jennifer Rixman is especial1y good at connecting with student volunteers to help them understand the importance of service, and to motivate them to actively participate. Although she is graduating this spring, she has planted the seeds for further volunteer opportunities at Manchester College.

JAY GOLDINGER

After much research, Jay Goldinger single-handedly founded, funded, and facilitated a unique feeding program for the homeless and poor in Los Angeles called Food on Foot. What began as a few dinners out of the trunk of his car in 1996 has expanded to the distribution of hot, nutritious chicken dinners, healthy snacks, and clothing to more than 500 homeless and poor toddlers, youth, and adults. Food on Foot is available every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year, rain or shine. Food on Foot is in areas that make it accessible to the homeless so they do not have to worry about finding transportation to get to a nutritious meal.

Sensitive to the needs of the homeless, Goldinger buys prepackaged chicken dinners that are healthy and nutritious. He also buys granola bars, fruit roll-ups, peanut butter crackers, fresh fruit, bottled water, milk, and bread. He realized those living in the streets need food with a long shelf life. In addition to food, he also purchases clothes and blankets. Goldinger is present every Saturday and Sunday personally; he is consistent and reliable.

In addition to meeting their physical needs, Jay also helps to change their economic situation. Goldinger works to find the homeless full-time job opportunities through a trash clean-up program he developed called “Work for Food.” In return for a $5.00 food gift certificate he purchases, any individual can receive two empty 64-pound trash bags and fill them with street trash. Not only does the food certificate provide food, but also it rewards them with the confidence needed to get back on their feet again. Through “Work for Food,” after an individual trains for at least two months and shows a desire for full-time employment, he or she is given an outside job opportunity he has found for them.

Since Food on Foot is made up of over 1,200 volunteers that he has recruited, all donated funds go directly toward the purchase food. When donated funds are not enough to cover the cost of almost $2,000 per weekend, Goldinger supplements the remainder of the money from his own pocket.

SOUTHEASTERN COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING EDUCATION RCPI

Southeastern Community Oriented Policing Education (SCOPE) is a Regional Community Policing Institute (RCPI) formed by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office to provide assessment, planning, technical assistance, and instruction to law enforcement agencies and communities in Tennessee and seven surrounding states. Its specialty area is to build and sustain community policing. The SCOPE staff focuses on the issue of youth violence so that teens, as well as adults, have the opportunity to gain skills while working to make their communities a safer place to live.

A community policing team consisting of various community representatives is formed in each participating community. The SCOPE RCPI provide skilled facilitators to assist with the initial organizational meeting of the team, teach problem solving skills, and bring in other subject matter experts to teach community and agency representatives the process for successful organizational transformation. The Challenge to Change model is distinctive in that it provides communities the flexibility necessary to determine the problems they face and develop solutions that will work in their community. By introducing the problem solving techniques that have been successful in community policing, the SCOPE facilitators encourage team members to focus on problems that are unique to their community.

The Challenge to Change project focuses on the reduction of youth violence and brings all the service providers; educators, community volunteers and most importantly – the young people together to participate in an ongoing community improvement program. The project was developed by The University of Tennessee’s SCOPE RCPI in December 1998 to combat youth violence. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services approved the plan, and SCOPE has provided these services and technical assistance to a total of eleven communities in seven southeastern states.

The Challenge to Change model relies heavily on the involvement of youth members on the community policing team and includes a ten-month project timeline so that both short and long-term successes are experienced. While many programs initially meet with success, the Challenge to Change model is consistently effective in meeting the needs of young people in communities throughout their region. One project was so immediately successful it was adopted as the statewide model for all schools to follow during the 2000 school year. A Youth Summit was convened in Knoxville during 2000, and more than 200 Challenge to Change participants (teens and adults) met to learn about topics of importance to young people. Most importantly, the teams developed an action plan to take back to their communities that will help them combat youth violence in their schools and neighborhoods.

The SCOPE staff is working to select the 2001 Challenge to Change communities, and they planned the 2001 Youth Summit. While their model undergoes occasional refinement, the successes of the first and second year participants continue to positively impact the communities with a reduction in the incidents of youth and school violence.

MARK MILLER

The Metropolitan School was founded in 1967 as a private 501(c)(3) co-educational school serving grades five through twelve. They provide comprehensive educational services for children with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and other atypical learning styles. These learning disabilities often lead to chronic failure in traditional school settings, resulting in higher dropout rates. According to the 21st Annual Report to Congress, only 29.4 percent of children with multiple learning disabilities receive a high school diploma.

Mark Miller fully understands that a high school diploma is essential to the learning disabled child along with the community. High school dropouts are, for the most part, lost in today’s job market. Productive, employed adults contribute to their community while those who are unemployed have a difficult time meeting basic financial needs.

Mark Miller is a volunteer who is definitely a benefit to the children he serves. He defines his organizational role by thinking how he can serve the school and its students, donating whatever the school needs at that particular time. He gives of his time, knowledge, contacts, and finances. He participates in all of the fundraisers, sits on the Financial Aid Committee, and conducts the school’s Annual Commencement Ceremony.

Miller brought both his business expertise and his fund raising expertise to Metropolitan. He has made numerous phone calls, wrote letters, and met with individuals on the School’s behalf. His efforts have successfully landed numerous funding sources that gave rise to several new programs like the Ethnic Percussion Group. The Metropolitan students would not have these programs otherwise. His full-time job is serving as Vice President of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Through his employer, Miller has been able to secure grant money, which aids the Metropolitan School in its efforts to continue its mission.

Mark Miller is not only a volunteer with Metropolitan; he also supports the Springboard for Learning, Girls, Inc., the Kirkwood Public School District Foundation, and the Kirkwood High School Athletic Department. Healthcare is also a cause close to his heart, and he supports the Juvenile Diabetes and Cerebral Palsy Foundations. He has also maintained membership in the United Way’s Toqueville Society for six years. Miller is also committed to education through recreation, donating to the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, and the St. Louis Symphony, and Gash Voigt Dance Theatre.

SHELTER FOR ABUSED WOMEN OF COLLIER COUNTY

The Shelter for Abused Women of Collier County is committed to solve and prevent the serious social problem of domestic violence. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Shelter formed a committee with the support of the Collier County Sheriffs Department, the Child Protection Team, Naples Police Department, Marco Island Public Safety, the Collier County Schools and Collier County Parks and Recreation. They developed an ongoing, educational outreach event called “Peaceful Hands.” It is an innovative and unique program applicable for all ages and is easy and fun to do.

The event takes place regularly at one or more of the City and County Parks and the Collier County School System. The program has three main objectives: 1) To help participants learn and understand that hitting and violence are never okay, and that people can learn how to manage their anger, 2) to assist in teaching positive alternatives in dealing with feelings, such as anger, sadness, fear and frustration, and 3) to demonstrate the positive things people can do with their hands.

The program starts off by allowing the participants to leave their painted handprints on the banner titled “Hands are for Helping, Not for Hitting” in order to get their attention. Next, the storybook “Hands Are Not For Hitting” by Martine Agassi, Ph.D., is read using some of the interactive ideas suggested in the back of the book. The “Interactive Ideas” section is a crucial component in reinforcing the concepts in the book and maintaining children’s attention throughout the program.

Local businesses are very generous in supplying the needed materials such as: paper, washable non-toxic paint, paper plates, marker, crayons, etc. Many volunteers are mobilized to organize the project. The community is responding very favorably and hence the public is becoming more aware of domestic violence existing in their hometown.

MAX MADRID

Max Madrid is the Director of Gang Prevention for Community Services Programs (CSP) in Orange County, California. He is totally committed to making a difference for the next generation in his county, and that is evident in his professional and personal life. Madrid faced the challenge of being independent at a young age. Though he had a large extended family, his immediate family all but disappeared and he had to fend for himself. He looked to the United States Navy as his niche for excellence for the next 20 years of his life after his emancipation.

Madrid is flexible, accepting of people’s differences, and has a love of people. These are excellent characteristics for a recruiter in the military. Because of his qualities, he was able to guide young people into their own Naval career. He was there to do whatever the recruits needed in the area of assistance to pass their entrance requirements and become part of the Navy recruit class. Madrid helped to develop young men and women into believers because he believed in them and his heroic commitment of time was never ending.

When Max Madrid came to CSP to work in Gang Prevention, he converted Navy recruitment into prevention for adolescent gang recruitment. His mission was to bring a complete commitment to bettering the conditions and potential of underachieving, at-risk youth in Orange County. He has been involved with CSP for nine years and has been an integral part of their team.

Madrid has coordinated the annual Toys for Tots drive that provides more than 20,000 toys annually to children in the community. At least 15 volunteers participate every year, giving an average of 2,000 hours of service. He has also collaborated with Restaurant Garcia in the “We Give Thanks” dinner where lines of parents and children stretch for two to three blocks on Thanksgiving Day to receive dinner. Max Madrid recruits 50 volunteers who work hard the entire day, but all leave with personal enrichment because they have helped better someone else’s life.

In addition, Madrid developed the Tattoo Removal Program with more than $200,000 of in-kind medical services donated. One young woman sung the praises of this program because having her tattoos removed opened doors of employment for her. She was no longer labeled “at-risk” because of her “clear skin.” Other recipients of the service found it easier because they no longer have to explain tattoos to their small children. Madrid has recruited members from the California State University Spanish Club to volunteer academic tutoring for the past four years. He has also recruited volunteers from Lockheed Martin to tutor failing students, coordinated four workshops for Logan Street youngsters, and coordinated and promoted an annual golf tournament that raises money for gang prevention.

WOMEN’S AUXILIARY TO GOODWILL INDUSTRIES

For the past 35 years, the Women’s Auxiliary to Goodwill Industries in North Louisiana has been a strong influence within the Goodwill Family. The auxiliary is comprised of women from different economic backgrounds, with the youngest volunteer being 70 years old. Their mission is simple: they use their time, talent, and resources to ensure that members of the “Goodwill Family,” (i.e. employees, are touched by simple acts of kindness). They believe that the word “goodwill” should be used as an action verb, where helping the handicapped is not charity, but a chance for a hand up, not a hand out. The Auxiliary exemplifies love in action for all races, and creeds.

The Auxiliary members meet every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Unique Shoppe to create handcrafted items, which are sold at their Shoppe. The proceeds from these sales are used to benefit Goodwill employees. Over the years, they have helped provide plant facilities, supplemented the purchase of tools and equipment, provided an attractive and comfortable break area, provided and served Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to employees, and at the beginning of each month, they give that month’s celebrant a birthday card with $10 cash.

The crafts created by the Women’s Auxiliary provide a wonderful resource to their community. All projects are a labor of creative love. The workmanship utilized by these ladies is becoming a lost art in today’s world. There are two events that receive regular acclaim: the annual Easter basket sale and the Christmas Bazaar. The Auxiliary assumed the Easter basket project when the Association For The Blind ceased to be involved. The Easter baskets require approximately 8 hours of labor and sell for around $25.00. The Christmas Craft Sale provides “one of a kind” items.

The Women’s Auxiliary to Goodwill Industries in North Louisiana, while currently only about 20 strong, gives more than 10,000 volunteer hours annually. Last year, they returned about $10,000 to be used to assist members of the “Goodwill Family.” They prove that age is not a barrier to success while supporting the mission of Goodwill – teaching people to work and helping people get jobs.