RUSTI LANG

Rusti Lang, a senior at Santana High School in Santee, California, was like many other students involved in the line of fire when another student opened fire from a bathroom, killing two and wounding 13 others on March 5, 2001. The next morning, Rusti met with community leaders to propose a student-led rally of hope for Santana students as well as all Grossmont High School District students. Rusti felt that students needed a time to meet where they could grieve and comfort one another as well as send a positive message about themselves to the community.

When Rusti had secured a location and date, she contacted fellow students to assist with planning and implementation of the rally. Rusti contacted students from the Denver area who had been involved in events after the Columbine shootings and invited their participation in the rally.

Rusti organized student prayer time at the flagpole on the day students returned to the Santana campus. More than 200 students attended this prayer service, in addition to community leaders and school staff. Rusti also attended community meetings in the following days to promote the rally of hope with the goal of showing that students at Santana could find hope and did not need to be held captive by fear. Internationally known musicians offered their services at the rally at no cost; the 1,200-seat auditorium was offered also at no cost. Rusti appeared on NBC 7/39 for a Townhall meeting to advertise the rally, was interviewed on local radio and in print media, all of which provided promotion countywide at no cost. In short, the event was held debt free with donations from the community.

Originally the rally was to be held in an auditorium in the city of Santee, but when the family of a student who died asked to have the funeral there Rusti and her friends’ responded by expressing that the student’s family was more important than whether or not the rally took place. Due to the students’ response to the family’s need, in less than three hours Rusti was contacted with news that another auditorium was being offered at no cost. The rally was held in the sister city of El Cajon.

Approximately 800 people attended the Rally of Hope, including groups of students, parents with their teens, teachers, youth workers, pastors and local politicians, who came together to grieve, find hope and look to the future.

The following week Rusti contacted local merchants for water donations to the campus Christian Club “Fresh Jive.” The Santana Peace Council, a group in which Rusti is an active member, sponsored Peace Week and Fresh Jive gave away the bottles of water to students during lunch as a random act of kindness. Rusti has since had the opportunity to speak at schools, community meetings, churches and camps in Southern California, Oregon, Washington and Romania regarding her experiences, encouraging students to work for a violence-free school and community. Her involvement has been on a strictly volunteer basis.

She is currently working on a performing arts outreach from Santana students to students of New York City, in the wake of the Sept. 11th attack.

WOODMEN OF THE WORLD/OMAHA WOODMEN LIFE INSURANCE SOCIETY

Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society is dedicated to helping people when disaster strikes, as seen through Woodmen’s Disaster Relief program with the American Red Cross. The innovative program encourages local Woodmen lodges to volunteer with their local Red Cross chapters and provides support for Red Cross relief efforts across the nation.

“We are pleased to work with such an outstanding institution as the American Red Cross, which has long been regarded as the world’s foremost disaster relief organization,” said Woodmen President James Mounce.

In June 1998, Woodmen signed an agreement with the American Red Cross to provide disaster relief to people and communities nationwide. The Woodmen/Red Cross program brings together the people and resources of two organizations who share a commitment to help people in time of need.

Nationwide, Woodmen has 1,500 members certified by the American Red Cross serving on 150 Disaster Action Teams. Team members receive training from their local Red Cross chapters and, once certified, are on-call to respond to a number of disaster situations, such as floods, fires and hurricanes.

In addition to the volunteer efforts of the Disaster Action Teams, Woodmen provides vehicles, equipment and supplies to assist in disaster relief efforts across the nation. Woodmen also coordinates the use of its youth summer camps and lodge halls as Red Cross training sites and temporary shelters.

“By taking part in Disaster Action Teams and through their support of local Red Cross chapters, Woodmen members are making a great impact on the lives of those in need,” said John Clizbe, American Red Cross Vice President of Disaster Services. “I salute their fraternal spirit and the important contributions they make.”

In November 2000, former American Red Cross President and CEO Dr. Bernadine Healy visited Woodmen’s Home Office and met with Society officer to discuss ways to expand the program. At its National Convention in July 2001, Woodmen presented the American Red Cross with 33 automatic emergency defibrillators for use in emergency situations across the nation.

Through the commitment of its members, Woodmen is pleased to support the American Red Cross and help people when disaster strikes.

VIVIAN HANSON MEEHAN

Vivian Hanson Meehan, R.N., D.Sc. serves as President and Executive Director of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), and she continues to lead ANAD through the extensive programs she created. During her tenure, and currently, thousands of lay people and health professionals have volunteered to work to change the lives of victims of eating disorders and to prevent anorexia nervosa and related illnesses.

Meehan has contributed more than 25,000 volunteer hours. Last year, other volunteers contributed more than 40,000 volunteer hours to ANAD. She began volunteering in March of 1976. At that time, few people or health professionals were aware of anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Because of that, she created ANAD; and it is the oldest nonprofit education and support organization in America dedicated to providing caring services for victims of eating disorders and their families.

Though Meehan works to effect change, she has been recognized because of her dedication to this cause. She led the fight to develop extensive education and prevention programs that have impacted the lives of millions of people. Today, there is a plethora of community based and national programs that she has instituted. Some of the free services Meehan founded are ANAD Support Groups that are in the United States and 14 foreign countries. There is a National Counsel Hotline, National Referral List, Early Detection, Consumer Advocacy, Education and Prevention Presentation, and Presentations to State and Federal Congresses and Health and Education Departments. In addition, Meehan and ANAD fight Insurance Discrimination. Each of the programs she has developed was in response to the unmet human needs of more than eight million people suffering from life-destructive illnesses.

Meehan sought to provide desperately needed programs and services. Her work has evolved into an ongoing system of recruiting and mobilizing volunteers to work with fulfilling the purposes of ANAD. For more information about ANAD, please check out the website at www.anad.org

MADGE BURTON

Madge Burton lost three of her children at one time in a brutal murder and had to deal with the paralysis of her young son only a few months later. While dealing with these tragedies, Burton turned her grief into a positive collaboration. She made changes in her community and even within her state to make life safer for many. Her love for people has caused her to become an advocate for those who never had a voice.

Madge Burton impacts the lives of thousands of individuals by standing with them through their darkest hours. She organized and founded, Victims United, an emotional support group. Victims United’s voice has been heard throughout the state. Burton was a key factor in opening up Ohio’s parole authority to public scrutiny; and she has helped to make changes in laws that have given victims a stronger presence in the legal process.

Burton provides a service to victims at night and on weekends after other offices are closed. These services are invaluable when someone is dealing with a traumatic event and has nowhere else to turn. Every year, she organizes a candlelight vigil for the community at the local courthouse. She involves crime victims, accident victims, the prosecutor’s office, the sheriff’s office, local churches, and county commissioners.

Last year, Burton helped observe the first National Children’s Memorial Day. She placed red roses on deceased children’s graves. This year, she and other members of Victims United placed angels in memory of young people on a tree that was placed in the Governmental Services Building.

Burton has donated thousands of hours of her time and money into this program since 1987. The past two years, she has received funds from the county commissioners. She is recognized throughout the state of Ohio because of her work as a community activist. She has strived to dedicate her life to helping the unfortunate. Burton’s personal story has been the driving factor of her advocacy. Though she had to deal with personal trauma, she kept living and has helped others work through their own tragedies.

DEBBIE PARNHAM

After her teenage son was shot to death, Debbie Parnham wanted to prevent others from a life of devastation and pain, so she turned her pain into a nonprofit organization, Life Sentence.

Her son’s murderer was found and sentenced; however Parnham and her family have received a life sentence without their beloved son and brother. Debbie Parnham passionately shares her story and talks to teens about choices. Her message has been taken to schools, churches, detention centers and prisons. Since she co-founded Life Sentence almost four years ago, she has spoken to approximately 27,000 adults and children.

She is not compensated for her labor; all of it is done on a volunteer basis. The donations received are used to pay for expenses. Parnham lets the people she meets know that choices have a rippling effect. The young man that killed her son made the choice to commit his crime – whether it was anger, a moment of passion or indifference. However, that one choice has had an effect on a marriage and other siblings who now have to deal with the loss of a family member. It only takes one split second to change someone’s life forever; the split second that killed her son almost destroyed her family.

Debbie Parnham has a hard time reliving her son’s death over and over again. For the most part, she still is not able to get through a presentation without shedding tears and taking time to regroup. She will continue with her mission, because it is well worth it. She will cry and talk and cry and talk with hopes of sparing at least one family the suffering she endures daily.

JENNY EVANS

Jenny Evans has been involved in service and volunteerism her entire life. She has traveled to foreign countries to offer aid and has always worked as a valuable volunteer within her local community. She is currently serving as the President of the South Summit High School Interact Service Club, and in September 2000 Jenny organized a mentoring program that utilizes high school students as positive role models for every seventh-grade student in their district.

South Summit School District is located in a small town called Kamas where the youth were struggling with drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and crime. With the help of other concerned youth, Jenny established this program as a preventative measure to address the issues that were facing these young people. With the recommendation of the principal at the school, and because of the generally impressionable nature of that age group, Jenny and the club chose to focus their efforts on the seventh grade class. The volunteers help the children feel accepted while teaching them about the benefits of service. They join together monthly to participate in the service endeavors that are planned and carried out solely by members of the Interact Club. The younger children are given important responsibilities that help them feel a sense of ownership for the projects they participate in.

This program truly connects not only the middle school and high school students, but also affects the entire community. The youth carried out a program for local senior citizens for Halloween and joined with other clubs at the school to collect money and sponsor a Sub-for-Santa project for needy families in their area. They are currently planning a hunger banquet that will involve the entire community as they raise awareness about world starvation and invite attendees to make a monetary pledge to a charity of their choice.

The effects of this program are significant and enduring. Although this particular program began in September, the Interact Club has been participating in service since 1997, and club members plan to continue their mentoring efforts into next school year. Most importantly, as these young people realize the wonderful benefits of service, many will embrace an attitude of service that will continue throughout the rest of their lives. The young people that are participating in this program are gaining self-esteem, learning the value of service, and are truly helping to improve others’ lives. The volunteers are providing positive role models for the children as they teach, and learn themselves, more about the powerful impact of offering selfless service.

The idea of a mentoring program in general is not new, but the approach that these youth, led by Jenny Evans, have taken is very impressive. They are addressing so many needs through this one program because they have integrated numerous goals into one program that benefits everyone involved. Through innovative service ideas that reach out to a variety of people and address a plethora of community challenges, they truly are making a difference.

Z. SALTY LEATHERWOOD

Hundreds of mentally ill adults in two Central Florida counties have fought the stigma of their illness, regained some measure of self-esteem and either re-entered the mainstream community or made plans for a self-sufficient life due to the volunteer work of Z. Salty Leatherwood. These are largely men and women who were placed in institutions or group homes and identified by their case managers as having no support system in the community.

Leatherwood founded PROJECT CARE, INC. initially to provide Christmas and birthday gifts for these forgotten people. Their excitement being visited by “someone who is not afraid of us” and their eagerness for human contact – especially hugs – led her to expand the operation of PROJECT CARE. She gives parties, calls BINGO (and brings all the prizes) and provides for special needs at adult living facilities and at a socialization center for the mentally ill.

For the past two years, she has prepared individually tailored packages of household supplies – dishes, linens, pots and pans, etc. – for mentally ill persons who have stabilized enough to move out of group homes and into apartments under case management supervision. No one else provides this service in this area! This service is called “Fresh Start,” and is designed to provide a financial and psychological boost to help the recipients find success in independent living and stay free of the mental health system. Most have limited disability financial aid and would otherwise have to choose between food and a dish from which to eat it.

Every cent collected by Leatherwood for gifts is spent on gifts. She used her own money to incorporate PROJECT CARE as a 501(c)(3) corporation and paid all fundraising costs until a local business (Daytona International Speedway) agreed to take care of the postage expenses. Leatherwood’s tireless work serves a forgotten population – a population that is not always easy to help. No other population has more unmet human needs.

The fact that she is willing to sit down and visit with the severely mentally ill perhaps has accomplished more than any other activity could have done. At the socialization center, they love her so much they named her an “honorary consumer,” in other words gave her honorary status as one of them – an honor only those working in the field can truly appreciate.

Leatherwood’s hands-on approach to bring the mentally ill back into the community as functioning individuals is a direct contrast to the usual series of committee meetings and summit discussions which end with an agreement that there is a problem and someone ought to do something about it.

Leatherwood realizes that it is necessary to recruit others to help champion the cause, and she is working to recruit special people who would enjoy being a part of her efforts. She has even recruited her granddaughter who has worked with her since she was five years old and now understands those who may behave a little differently than she does.

Over the past 12 years, the community of Daytona Beach has benefited from the passionate work of Z. Salty Leatherwood. She initially began her crusade for the mentally ill with the Mental Health Association, and then through PROJECT CARE, INC. Though she has survived two heart attacks and triple bypass surgery, she continues to find time to work and to help the homeless populations of both children and adults who are also underserved.

FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM AT LINCOLN HILLS SCHOOL

Foster Grandparents at Lincoln Hills have been serving incarcerated youth for 28 years. They have been assisting teachers with adolescents who are falling behind, assisting in vocational classes, and spending time in the living units. They bake, plant flowers to help students take pride in their surrounding, and play cards. Though these are enjoyable activities, they also help in other areas like aiding with math skills and increasing their attention span.

In 1997, the Grandparents took on an additional responsibility. Initially the Title One Reading Buddy Program began as a pilot project. It matches a Grandparent with a 14 to 17 year old student whose reading skills range from a 2nd grade level through a 5th grade level. Many have learning disabilities and social issues to overcome. The Grandparent gives individualized attention to the student for one hour daily, four days a week. However, by its sixth month of operation, the Reading Buddy Program became a regular part of the institution’s educational program. There are currently 22 Foster Grandparents participating in the Reading Buddy Program.

The institution provides a classroom with individual private workstations. It has a library equipped with double copies of books labeled by grade level. The student and the Grandparent together pick out a book, and the student reads while the Grandparent follows along. They give assistance when necessary, and the workstations are equipped with a dictionary so the children can look up unfamiliar or difficult words.

During the year 2000, the reading comprehension increased collectively 109 grade levels. The average increase per student was two grade levels; and one student in particular, increased five grade levels in six months. The vocabulary increased collectively by 57 grade levels. The average was one grade level per student in this category. In addition to this, the students received ¼ school credits in language and remedial reading for every 35 hours they participate in the Reading Buddy Program. The students also improved with their social skills after having the personal attention of a Grandparent, and they are excited about their newfound reading skills.

BILL DERBY

Bill Derby is a 78-year-old gentleman who has lived a life of service. In 1958, after the death of his five-year-old daughter, Heather, Derby promised his Higher Power that he would be a servant the rest of his life. Derby, a former Navy serviceman, is an inspiration to all in the Council Bluffs area. He has been a volunteer at Christian Home Association – Children’s Square U.S.A. for over ten years. He also volunteers as a Youth Ministry Leader at Children’s Square, a volunteer for the Spiritual Life Program, and an art instructor in the recreational therapy program.

In the spring of 1989, Derby came to Children’s Square as a volunteer art instructor when they were still an alternative school. He is still a part of the Children’s Square family and they are a part of the Council Bluff’s Public School District. Another Heather came into his classroom at Children’s Square. This young lady had been severely beaten, abused, and abandoned on the streets of Chicago at the age of eight. She was in such a condition that she was unable to stand erect. Because of her past, she was afraid of men and initially was afraid of him. Her peers, teacher, and Derby, still supported her through her “rehabilitation” and Heather was finally able to gain self-confidence and a surrogate family.

His volunteer service does not stop at Children’s Square. He also works with VODEC, which is a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates and teaches daily living by placing clients with varying mental deficiencies in productive working positions. Derby worked with a group that painted faces on Halloween pumpkins for clients and became known as Mr. Pumpkin. He is involved in building a Second World War memorial with the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He also prepared silver point drawings of endangered animals and birds for Hitchcock Nature Center’s Loess Hills project.

One day he passed a neighbor’s yard where a dead willow tree had been cut; later Derby took out a knife and carved a cane. Since that day, he has created more than 300 canes, giving over 200 away to charitable organizations and those in need who appreciate the assistance and the art.

CHRISTIAN WHITTON-2

Christian Whitton has been a role model in his community since the age of nine; at that time he began to serve his community as an advocate for those who needed aid. He has learned about the government and private, local, federal, and state laws so that he can assist the poor and elderly.

When Christian was nine, one of his friends who was physically challenged wanted to play sports. The football league and coaches turned him away. Christian did research and fought to get the league and coaches to allow his friend to play. Since that day, Christian has worked for the rights of the physically challenged and the disabled.

Christian has worked with the State Office of Disability Affairs and the United States Justice Department, seeking and notifying violators of the American with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act of the Disabled. Christian takes the time to give his own written notices to violators; and if he does not receive a reply, Christian files a complaint with the United States Justice Department in Washington DC. They can issue fines up to $50,000 for first time violators and up to $100,000 for subsequent violations. He has been successful in getting wheelchair accessible walkways, handicapped parking spaces, handicapped restrooms, and handicapped facilities.

Christian takes the time to visit places to ensure they are not in violation. He makes preliminary inspections of certain areas with the acknowledgement of the Justice Departments. On these visits he lists what he believes the violations are, and he then researches his findings. He then returns to make sure the violations are still there; if they are he sends violation notices.

Christian is 17 years old now, but he is just as passionate as he was when he was nine. Since the summer of 1995, he has donated half of his summer income to buy smile alarms and carbon monoxide detectors for neighbors and friends that do not have them or are not able to buy them. He did this as a result of a house fire not too far from his home in 1993 that claimed the life of two people. The fire department advised the community that smoke alarms could have stopped these deaths. Then Christian took $200 he won selling candy at school and bought smoke alarms as opposed to the bike he had been saving for.