MARILYN GRAFFT

Marilyn Grafft has been a volunteer with Montalvo Association since 1994. This nonprofit cultural center, which resides in the former home of Senator James Phelan, is dedicated to the mission “to inspire the love of arts in everyone-through creation, presentation and education-in extraordinary ways and settings.” A member of the Montalvo Service Group, Grafft has devoted her volunteer time for the last three years to the educational aspect of the mission, as a liaison to the Education and Outreach Department.

Education is important to Grafft, as she is a retired teacher. In her assignment, she recruits, trains, schedules and recognizes the 60+ other Outreach program volunteers. Her peer-to-peer relationship with the program volunteers fosters enthusiasm and dedication to the goals of the program. She also serves on the Outreach committee, which helps define the program’s mission and goals. Grafft also “does her duty” with the other volunteers at program presentations as an usher or hosting a reception, often filling in when other volunteers cancel.

In the words of the program’s director, Grafft is, “extremely reliable and detail-oriented.” She assists staff with the annual Outreach volunteer training. She maintains solid communication between the staff and volunteers so that all are informed about program details. She gives feedback to the staff to help the program stay on track with its goals and ensure a “best fit” for both volunteers and participants.

As a volunteer leader of volunteers, Grafft’s impact is immeasurable. Although her time donated may seem small—about 250 hours annually—her work with the other program volunteers at nearly l00 activities reaches more than 12,000 school children each year. Many of the participating schools would not otherwise be able to provide quality arts experiences to their students. Grafft contributes of time and self, and is dedicated to Montalvo and the arts in her community.

DAYTON MEDIATION CENTER

Throughout the world, the name “Dayton” is synonymous with a mediated peace agreement. What is less well known is that thousands of Dayton citizens mediate their own peace agreements with the help of volunteer citizen mediators. The Dayton Mediation Center of Dayton, Ohio is a leader in helping citizens make and keep peace.

The Dayton Mediation Center, with the help of skilled citizen volunteers who act as mediators, has clearly shown that people are willing and able to be responsible for resolving their own disagreements.

The Center receives over 2,000 referrals and conducts more than 575 mediations annually involving over 2,000 citizens. Local research shows that when citizens engage other citizens through mediation, calls to the police fall between 50 and 85 percent. Overall this service to the community represents an estimated value of over $270,000.

The mediation process used in Dayton has a clearly developed theoretical foundation. It is based on a belief that people, even when in conflict, are willing and able to engage each other in a positive, constructive manner. In order to develop a practice of mediation that truly incorporates this belief, citizen volunteers spend 50 hours in training their first year and up to 30 hours annually thereafter. The center has 75 active volunteer mediators who in the past year alone have spent over 4,000 hours in training and in mediations.

Dialogue is considered essential for a functioning Democracy. Mediation can be democracy at its best when “We the people…,” are skilled at helping one another engage in productive dialogue. The Dayton Mediation Center incorporates the following principles to foster this dialogue:

* Mediators do not assure they know the way for people in conflict to interact. Mediators work with them to develop an individualized mediation process that embodies how they want to interact in their mediation.

NYSARC ADULT DAY SERVICES AMERICORPS PROGRAM

In July 1998, the United States Bureau of Census documented in Nassau County 175,962 residents aged 65-84 and 21,170 aged 85 plus. As the population of elderly citizens grows, their needs also continue to grow. One such need lies in the area of nutrition – food. The burden and concern related to obtaining food and other essential errands continues to grow for elderly Nassau residents.

NYSARC Lifestyles/AmeriCorps members are volunteers that are making a difference. These volunteers enable elderly home-bound residents, temporarily disabled, and recently discharged hospital patients to stay independent in their own homes in their local communities by providing food shopping services and assistance with other community based errands to alleviate the physical and emotional burden of these tasks. Since October 1998, these volunteers have been effective in enabling a total of 210 elderly/homebound residents to maintain their independence and dignity in their own homes as a part of their local community.

These 60 Nassau County AHRC Lifestyles/AmeriCorps members are all adults with developmental disabilities. However, they reap the benefits of their volunteer work in increased independence, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Being an AmeriCorps member gives them the unique opportunity to work alongside non-disabled volunteers to give back to the community, rather than being the recipient of services. By helping others, these members are also breaking down stereotypes in the community about people with disabilities by demonstrating their capabilities and dedication.

These AmeriCorps members volunteer their services for at least nine hours per week. They embark in small groups twice weekly to the homes of the elderly/disabled homebound to obtain their lists of community based chores like picking up prescriptions, doing laundry, or returning library books. They complete all of the requested errands and shopping before they return to the home to deliver the goods and put them away. In addition, the volunteers stay and visit with the seniors. The warmth and friendliness shared with the seniors by the volunteers is heartwarming. This visit may be the only company the senior receives.

A vital part of any community is participation by all residents that make up a diverse group. These communities would not be as diverse without the local senior segment. AmeriCorps members with developmental disabilities help secure the ties that bind local communities together. The shared experience enriches the lives of both the Lifestyles/AmeriCorps volunteers and the homebound seniors.

THE SALVATION ARMY SENIOR COMPANION PROGRAM

The Salvation Army in partnership with the Corporation for National Service allows volunteer opportunities for low-income seniors through the Senior Companion Program. It began in 1968 with a Congressional interest in a program where senior citizens would be giving and receiving service. In August of 1974, the program was funded in New Jersey, by ACTION, the then Federal Domestic Volunteer Agency. In 1994, the programs of ACTION were formally transferred to the Corporation for National Service. To qualify seniors must be 60-years-old, or older, and they must be 125% below the poverty level as established by the Department of Health and Human Services. Senior Companions volunteer 20 hours per week and receive a tax-free stipend of $2.55 per hour and other benefits.

Senior Companions provide special care to other feeble seniors who are at risk of institutionalization. There are about 17,000 frail seniors in Essex and Hudson counties in New Jersey suffering from osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia as reported by the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Alzheimer’s Association. These seniors are in need of in-home care, because most do not attend adult day-care facilities or receive adequate home health aide assistance. The 1989 National long-term Care Study found that there were 3,454 seniors with acute medical disabilities, inclusive of cardiac problems, physical disabilities, and amputations who attended adult day-care facilities. However, they require person-to-person assistance in exercise, rehabilitation, and nutrition. All of the aforementioned conditions can cause isolation and can result in loneliness, depression, drug abuse, and premature death. Those frail elderly, who do not reside in senior residences, are also in dire need of transportation services to doctor appointments and other needed engagements.

During the last year, senior companion volunteers provided in-home care to 157 frail adults. Services like recreational activities, housekeeping, meal preparation, and nutritional information were offered. Senior Companions served in the area of companionship and outreach, peer counseling, support, writing of letters, reading, and talking to 386 frail adults to ease feelings of loneliness. They also provided friendly visiting, reassurance, and bereavement outreach to over 300 adults.

Senior companions also served as the link to the elderly by identifying potential problems, or needed services for case management professionals with over 100 frail adults. They assisted with supportive services and social activities at adult day cares benefiting over 100 elderly. The senior companions also assisted in the area of transportation by driving 15 people needing escort services for grocery shopping, errands, and doctor visits.

SUE GILBERTSON

Sue Gilbertson is a tireless advocate for mentally and behaviorally challenged children in the state of Arizona. She volunteers full-time, attending committee meetings, board meetings, advisory councils, and mental health coalitions. She has never received a salary, stipend or any other monetary compensation for her efforts.

Gilbertson began her career as a children’s mental health advocate after her teenage son fell prey to his own severe mental illness. It began in January 1984. Eric came home with more energy than she could handle. Eric’s thoughts were racing. He was unable to articulate the ideas in his head and Gilbertson was unable to calm him down. After dozens of telephone calls, she became aware of the lack of support available to parents and the stigma that shrouded mental illness.

In the 15 years since she first began her parent support group- MIKID, Gilbertson has received six local and state awards honoring her as an exceptional volunteer and advocate. Gilbertson’s brainchild, MIKID, has also taken extraordinary strides over the past decade. In a state that ranked 49th in the nation in 1984 and which offered virtually no services to families with mentally ill children, MIKID has established itself as a cornerstone agency.

Gilbertson has volunteered as president of MIKID as a board member every year without fail since its inception. MIKID’s employee and volunteer presence within the community is evident not only through her own dedication, but Gilbertson’s strides in the past decade also.

At 32 years of age, Eric is well past his adolescent years. And still Gilbertson plods steadily along, with no end to her volunteer service in sight. She has been serving children with special needs, not only within her home state, but also at the national level. She has spent the past 15 years mobilizing volunteers within her community to address a grossly overlooked human condition. Her approach was obviously innovative, as MIKID was the first effectively organized support and advocacy group in Arizona specifically serving parents and family members of mentally ill children.

One can cite the many programs at which Gilbertson has spoken an expert advocate, the countless support groups provided over the years, the educational presentations, the committee involvement, the information and referral and the hundreds of community events- all of which have slowly chipped away at the stigma behind mental illness. In the last year specifically, Gilbertson volunteered hundreds of hours towards MIKID’s many successes including but not limited to the Annual AC Green Celebrity Basketball Game, which brought more than 2,000 area children to a fundraiser for the Foundation and MIKID, and the ELVES Holiday Program that served more than 1,000 area children by providing gifts during the holiday season.

FLEET MATERIAL SUPPORT OFFICE TUTORIAL PROGRAM

The Fleet Material Support Office (FMSO) Tutorial Program is made up of more than 90 volunteers in 41 private and public schools. The program started as a community outreach effort of the Affirmative Action Program in 1992. Initially there were 11 volunteers in two city public schools. Support for the Tutorial Program has expanded over the past eight years.

The foundation and processes of the program have not changed much since its inception. The FMSO Program Coordinator establishes contact with local school officials and organizations to determine the extent of volunteer effort required. The Coordinator then matches the skills of the volunteers with the needs of the schools, organizations, and children. The tutors are responsible for selecting the day and time to meet with their students. FMSO authorizes tutors to use two work hours to meet with their students during school hours.

Teachers and tutors jointly decide if a particular student can work in a small group setting or if he or she needs one-on-one assistance. Once that is determined, the tutors attempt to tailor their approach to meet the special learning needs of the student.

When the FMSO Tutorial Program first began, volunteers were required to sign up for an initial six-week stint with the choice between one of two public schools. Since that time, opportunities include any school district that is willing to welcome tutors. Anyone who is willing to give of his or her time is qualified.

MERRILL LYNCH & CO, INC.

Holocaust survivor Frieda Kohl, now 82 and living in the Bronx, had faith that her sister was still alive. After years of searching, her hope was fading. That is, until administrators at the Tremont Senior Center located her sister in Sweden, and reunited the two women. This reconciliation was part of a special holiday initiative called Christmas Calls, created by Merrill Lynch in 1980 and held every year since.

From Toronto to Australia and Miami to London, seniors have reconnected with loved ones around the world after years of separation. In December 2000, more than 23,000 low-income seniors were invited into over 130 Merrill Lynch offices to phone their relatives and friends free of charge. Merrill Lynch employees and their families, and special guests including local Mayors and government officials greeted the seniors. Volunteers offered companionship, friendship and a delicious lunch, and coordinated the calls by wading through international directories, dialing the phones, mediating with operators, and offering general guidance and support.

What began as a single idea by a Merrill Lynch employee to put idle phones to good use during the holidays is now a global, grassroots effort by thousands of employees and their families each year. Christmas Calls reinforce two of Merrill Lynch’s guiding principles – Responsible Citizenship and Respect for the Individual–and serves the unmet needs of local communities where Merrill Lynch employees live and work.

The program works through partnerships with senior centers, churches, synagogues, and temples. Because not all seniors are physically capable of traveling to Merrill Lynch offices, the company also conducts an outreach effort in November and December (held four different days this past year) in which employees visited seniors bringing cell phones to connect seniors with relatives. Volunteers and seniors in many locations also enjoyed dancing, and singing at the Christmas Calls outreach parties. For those seniors who are homebound, the company coordinates conference calls.

For seniors who have reunited with estranged relatives and friends, Christmas Calls is a vital link to their past, their identity, and their future. Every year, thousands of people are revitalized in this healing, cross-generational community event, in which participants inspire one another with their remarkable stories, generosity and optimism.

GAIL SHAPIRO

After twenty-five years of both professional and volunteer work with women, Gail Shapiro, Ed.M., founded Womankind Educational and Resource Center to serve the women of MetroWest Boston in July 1993. As women called for help or came into the Center, she found that many of their questions had to do with money, or more specifically, women’s lack of knowledge about, or reluctance to deal with their finances.

After researching numerous programs, Shapiro and her Board discovered that there were no financial literacy programs specifically geared towards women and their unique financial fears as well as needs. With the exception of a few financial institutions that were trying to sell their products and services, she did not find any program or organization that would meet the requirements of community women.

So in 1996, Womankind developed its Financial Literacy Project R (FLP), which offers a six-week class in basic money management for women and girls, and teaches other women’s organizations how to do the same in their communities. The mission is to ensure that women and girls are financially literate and economically secure.

Topics include goal setting and record keeping, budgeting, credit and banking, major purchases, insurance, investing, estate planning, retirement and philanthropy. The classes are presented by women financial professionals from the local community – who range from accountants and attorneys to car dealers and financial planners, all of whom volunteer their time. There is a strict “no selling” policy, so the participants do not feel pressured. Enrollment is limited and the small group environment offers students an opportunity to examine their feelings about money and the social factors that may influence their attitudes. Many of the participants enroll during a critical life transition such as graduation, divorce, widowhood, or retirement, and the Project encourages women to become more aware and active participants in their own economic well-being.

Shapiro serves Womankind as volunteer Executive Director, and is assisted by an active volunteer Board of Directors. In addition, Shapiro was the editor and contributing author of the FLP’s handbook, MONEY ORDER: The Money Management Guide for Women (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Through local classes, the Leader’s Training Program and MONEY ORDER, Womankind’s Financial Literacy Project has helped more than 8000 women from diverse backgrounds to find the confidence and skills they need to manage their finances. These women are now better prepared for a more secure economic future.

NICHELLE BROWN

Nichelle Brown is a leader and role model of The All Stars Talent Show Network (ASTSN), the flagship program of the All Stars Project Inc, which without any government funding has become one of the largest and most successful youth development programs in New York’s poorest neighborhoods. The ASTSN uses performance as an alternative to violence and destructive behavior and as a vehicle for emotional, personal and social growth.

Brown has been a powerful and extremely creative contributor to the All Stars for more than 10 years. She first got involved in early 1989, when she was part of a group who brought the All Stars to Far Rockaway, one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city. In 1989, Brown was a young mother living on welfare, who had already spent years of her young life hanging out on the streets. Her first experience of the ASTSN was when she performed in a talent show with 25 youngsters that she had organized to accompany her as part of her performance. Many of these subsequently became active volunteers. Soon after, Brown began volunteering regularly at the shows and worked in her own community to encourage and prepare young people to audition. She is now a spokesperson and ambassador for the All Stars Talent Show Network – as well as continuing with the work she does at the Shows.

Brown’s standing and background in the program enable her to perform invaluable donor relation activities which involve her in meeting and greeting donors who are attending a show for the first time, or speaking to them about a particular aspect of the program. She also continues to volunteer at every event, where her hands-on experience is much sought after – she often provides on-site training for new volunteers or can be found performing tasks ranging from security supervisor to staffing the registration desk.

Last year she was the primary organizer of an All Stars Show in Far Rockaway. And in 1999, Brown was invited to write and perform a rap song at the Castillo Theatre, an off-Broadway theatre for adults and a sister project of the ASTSN, in a healing play called “Crown Heights.” The play was about the racial tensions in Crown Heights between the black and Jewish communities. And she doesn’t stop there. Her daughter is now a participant in the ASTSN and Brown is an active recruiter of her daughter’s friends and peers into the program.

Brown’s flair as a performer and her dedication as an organizer have inspired hundreds of teens. Though busy with a full-time job and raising her daughter, she maintains an unflagging commitment to helping youth develop, which is why she has become a pillar of the All Stars volunteer corps. She is the reason that many of the young people who currently perform and volunteer in the All Stars signed up in the first place. And she continues to inspire the staff at the All Stars Project with her talent for communicating to all types of people across cultural and social divides. Her special message is how volunteering and giving to one’s community can change one’s life, as it did hers.

PAWS ACROSS TEXAS, INC.

Paws Across Texas, Inc. (PAT) is a nonprofit, incorporated, charitable organization based in Fort Worth, Texas. PAT aids people in an innovative way as opposed to using traditional methods of treatment. Children and adults stressed by illness are able to relax and have fun with dogs. The animals bring out hidden physical abilities in patients and give hope to some of the patients who are fighting depression.

Research has shown many humans have a love for animals, and PAT promotes the therapeutic use of canines for the purpose of physical, psychosocial, and emotional interaction. The animals provide emotional support, stress relief, companionship, entertainment, sport, and sociability. This type of interaction evokes responsive interactions which otherwise may not occur.

PAT is proud of 15 plus years of community service to 10 counties in the Metro areas. PAT has an all-volunteer membership and provides all services at no cost to participants. They started in the Fort Worth area in 1986 and are a local organization with services only in the geographic area. All of the PAT representatives must have proper qualifications, provide a completed application with a Health Certificate form, provide proof of basic obedience training, and attend the screening and orientation program. Screenings are held three times a year, and each accepted team is re-evaluated bi-annually. Approximately 10 weeks of obedience training is a prerequisite, and evaluations, orientation, and supervised in-field training within 30-days is required.

PAT collaborates with psychiatric, medical, and physical rehabilitation hospitals, Children’s Medical hospitals, schools for Special Education, mentally/physically challenged, long-term care for the elderly, and adult day care centers. Some of the hospitals serviced include Columbia, Health South, All Saints, Harris Health Systems, Cook Children’s Medical Center of Fort Worth, and Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas.

The populations serviced by PAT include, but are not limited to, children and adults in mental care centers, persons with physical disabilities, patients with head and spinal cord injuries, strokes, and orthopedic related injuries. The PAT dogs personally interact with each person through acts of brushing, ball playing, walking, and command executing given by the patient. PAT has on-going schedules each month with facilities being serviced at least five days a week. Some days multiple facilities are planned for service on the same day. They provide summer programs for special needs camps for children with terminal illnesses and physical and mental disabilities.

PAT is extremely proud of its positive image in the communities it serves and the positive reputation it has earned since its inception. They have been nominated for the Tarrant County Volunteer Group of the Year as well as the JCPenney Golden Rule award. PAT was the recipient of the 1998 Volunteer of the Year Award for Dallas County.