CARL & ARLENE SHIPLEY

Late in 1993, Carl and Arlene Shipley learned about a young girl that had contracted AIDS through sexual abuse. They were childless, and they thought carefully about this serious responsibility. Their doubts and fears disappeared when Tashia flew into their arms at their first meeting and asked Arlene was she going to be her new mommy.

In 1994, Carl and Arlene Shipley opened their hearts and home to Tashia. As medical foster parents to this abused and neglected child (and after her death, foster parents to 27 teenage boys from Juvenile Justice) the Shipleys learned that love and attention can and does work miracles in the lives of abused children that others have forgotten. The Shipleys lost Tashia to AIDS, but their love and care allowed Tashia to live two years as opposed to the two months the doctor had predicted.

Tashia was believed to have been the first child in Florida to have contracted the HIV virus through sexual abuse. Government reports show that the abuse began as early as two years of age with her first sexually transmitted disease. She hid in closets out of fear and was inflicted with pain at a young age. The Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services removed Tashia from her abusive home. The Shipleys introduced Tashia to religion and spent most of their days encouraging her, giving her positive attention and loving her.

To the Shipleys, Tashia was not a statistic; she was their child. She was a real person who was never allowed to just be a child. After her death, they realized that there was more to be done. The couple founded AngelAID in 1995 in Tashia’s memory, and turned their pain into positive action.

AngelAID is a nonprofit agency solely devoted to providing services and support to children with life-threatening illnesses or situations. A grass-roots organization that has made significant contributions to the Jacksonville community, AngelAID serves more than 2,000 children. AngelAID includes a free clinic, Thanksgiving services are coordinated for 1,500 annually, more than 55,000 Christmas gifts are given to AIDS children and families every year, and dozens of families have been moved out of homeless environments.

The Shipleys were pleased to be able to relocate the AngelAID offices into a two-story complex, “The Tashia Shipley Building”, that was renovated entirely by volunteers. AngelAID now has party rooms and a sanctuary on the first floor that holds the weekly five-hour children’s respite party. The second floor houses a free medical clinic where Carl Shipley, who is a licensed nurse, and doctors donate their medical expertise and counseling on-site. The Shipleys also visit schools, churches and organizations to educate the community about death, abuse, AIDS and at-risk children. They believe they are angels on earth, a belief to which Arlene Shipley is a living testimony because she was able to overcome 16 years of child abuse and be a loving, productive citizen. Carl finished his PhD in family and marriage counseling in December 2000, and now runs private and group counseling sessions at AngelAID. Dr. Shipley and his team of doctors offer families a place to vent their fears and losses.

In the future AngelAID will begin a model children’s program, AngelWARRIORS. This program will be a “good gang” concept that gives real life rewards to children in any program for taking personal responsibility for their decisions and giving back to their community. Their aim is to make it “cool” to be good and give back.

ANNE MOCHNICK

Seventeen years ago Hospice of Marion County was established with the mission of providing humane and compassionate care to those with a life-limiting illness, impartial without regard to race, national origin, age, gender, religion, disability, place of residence or ability to pay. Family and Friends are a vital part of the Hospice Care Plan. The Hospice team worked closely with family members, friends and care givers to respond to the patient’s needs. Education, practical support and emotional support are provided to insure that a Life of Quality is maintained for all those who have contact with the patient.

Anne Mochnick has been a champion for Hospice and its philosophies. She has been a volunteer with Hospice of Marion County for 16 years. During that time she has provided extensive community outreach especially to the Silver Springs Shores community where she is “Hospice.” Mochnick is a bereavement volunteer who provides support to individuals who have lost a loved one. This service is provided for thirteen months by specially trained Staff and Volunteers. The Bereavement Program provides group support meetings, private one-on-one assessments, ongoing workshops and a Speakers Bureau for the general public.

Seeing the need for support for the bereaved after the 13 months provided by Hospice, Mochnick started a program to meet the needs of her clients in the Silver Springs Shores area. The program is modeled after the Hospice program and that of the Catholic Church. Her wisdom and tactful, intelligent suggestions have found her to be the best source of information.

Hospice of Marion County has designed a Bereavement Program for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one through death. Mochnick is specially trained to provide follow-up support to those who have lost a loved one on their service. Grief is a health human response which could be experienced differently by each person. Grieving people share certain feelings.

Mochnick has accomplished her goal of providing service to her clients. One client that she provided support to needed extensive “hand-holding” to achieve a goal of true independence. Mochnick provided that hand to hold through those most dark and challenging moments. That clients has achieved her independence and Mochnick is truly grateful for the chance to help someone.

The adage that “actions speak much louder than words” certainly holds true when considering Anne Mochnick’s service and how it relates to exemplifying the universal concept of “volunteerism serving as an inspiration to others.” Mochnick exemplifies not only the spirit of hospice, but the true essence of volunteerism. Her efforts have benefited patients and families, have visibly enhanced the community presence of the organization and have had a positive influence on staff members.

VIRGINIA DEVERY

Councilwoman Virginia Devery exemplifies volunteerism in her community. In addition to volunteering her time as a city council member, Devery organized an annual Volunteer Fair in 1999 to highlight local community and county organizations that need the support of volunteers. The event is held each year at the beginning of National Volunteer Week. If past year’s events are an indication of this year’s results, Devery’s fair will be extremely successful once again.

The third annual volunteer fair will be held on April 22 to kick start a week of recognition for volunteerism throughout the nation. The volunteer fair features up to 40 local organizations that are seeking additional volunteers to assist in their endeavors. In the first two years each participating organization garnished approximately five new quality volunteers. Overall the fair, as a result of Devery’s efforts, has linked more than 150 people to organizations that desperately need assistance.

The organizations that receive assistance vary as much as the volunteers themselves. Devery has placed individuals with halfway homes, battered women shelters, soup kitchens, the local library, emergency medical squads and the fire department. She has helped organizations that provide animal and nature learning, assistance to the elderly and the physically and mentally handicapped, youth athletics and the local YMCA. Her efforts have helped residents from high school students to senior citizens. She provides a necessary link between those who can serve and those who need service.

For Devery, this is not a one-day or one-week event. She has created a volunteer pamphlet for the community, which provides additional information for individuals who may not be able to attend her event. Additionally, she has provided a volunteer resources opportunity Web site on the township Web site (www.mountlaurel.com) to provide further opportunity for awareness of her efforts. Devery recognizes that her position as a Councilwoman can be used for the benefit of the community and neighboring towns.

BRITTANY EASTER

Many may wonder how you could call a fourth grade student a hero, but that is just the title placed upon Brittany Easter. She is a shining star in her community and aides in bringing her peers quality education and cultural diversity through her work with the Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, and the Tulsa Youth Opera.

A student at Brassfield Elementary School in Bixby, Oklahoma, Brittany has an exceptionally strong family life, and has been exposed to art and culture. Brittany has participated in plays, musicals, theater productions, and has been on stage with the Tulsa Opera’s TOSCA, Tulsa Ballet’s NUTCRACKER, Theater Tulsa’s MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, and Theater Arts Children’s Theater THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Most of her fellow classmates have never attended a professional play or even know about opera. Her hope is that they, too, will develop an appreciation for culture and the arts. She gives performances in her community, and many of her teachers, classmates, their families, and other community members attend. Easter showcases what she has learned in her participation in various productions, giving added insight to show learning something new can be fun.

Even as an elementary school student, Brittany is motivated by what she sees in life and is conscious of making the world a better place. In first grade, she noticed there were several students in her class unable to read. She thought of a creative idea to interest her peers in reading so they would have more of a desire to learn. She wrote stories and drew illustrations, and her teachers allowed her to read and show them to her class. The children enjoyed the stories and soon asked the teacher to add Brittany’s stories to their reading nook. This small project may have been a turning point in the lives of some first graders who may have never learned to read and subsequently fallen through the cracks of the educational system.

In addition to that, Brittany helps in other ways at school. She knows that some of the children come from low-income families, and she always speaks a kind word or shares a story to make her classmates’ time in school more focused and enjoyable. She also befriended a young man who had learning and physical disabilities. He was brought into her class for several hours daily, and none of the other students seemed interested in him because he was retarded. She became his special friend and helped him to feel wanted and appreciated. He is no longer in her class, but when she does see him, she always makes a point to say hello and ask how he is doing.

Science fairs, invention conventions, and other school-sponsored events have also been a platform where Brittany shares the joys of learning and sharing her talents in crafts, music, writing and art projects. She loves to write stories filled with interest, fun and excitement. She is never asked to do the things she does; she just recognizes a need and looks to formulate a solution. She recently won first place in her school’s Reflections Program Visual Arts.

She is also involved in her school’s SWING CHOIR music program. The students have sung for Channel 8 television on Christmas Day, a local nursing home, the Bixby Chamber of Commerce, the Bixby Horizon’s Club and the YMCA Christmastown.

Brittany was on the 4th grade Whitey Ford Basketball Team the “BOBCATS” and she received a certificate for outstanding performance and achieved first place trophies in the regular season and post season tournaments.

She has volunteered for the Gatesway Foundation in Tulsa at their Gatesway Balloon Festival, a fundraiser which helps kids with disabilities. She is also an active member of Tulsa Zoo Friends.

Though a young girl, Brittany Easter has been honored on many occasions for her giving spirit and service to her community. She was honored as Student-of-Month, “Shining Star” in her classroom, and she was chosen as a “Mark of Excellence” by her principal as well as being awarded a Good Citizenship Award.

LAMBUTH AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

Within Jackson, Tennessee is the third largest neighborhood in Tennessee, the Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association. The neighborhood consists of approximately 1,500 homes situated around the Lambuth University campus in midtown Jackson.

Initiated out of a desperate need to revitalize their neighborhood, a group of individuals began to meet to discuss concerns and how they could facilitate changes that would better their neighborhood and curb its continued decline. Soon thereafter, the group organized, became proactive, and continues to be an instrument for urban renewal and the elimination of urban blight for the Lambuth University area.

Since its beginning, the Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association (LANA) has been recognized for its positive influence in bringing about change to improve their neighborhood. Through these efforts, LANA has served to empower sections of their neighborhood with the voice for change that they may not normally have had prior to their existence.

An example of their positive efforts has been a successful campaign to down zone the neighborhood to prevent the further encroachment of absentee landlords seeking to turn historic homes into low-priced rental apartment units. The absentee landlords failed to make necessary maintenance improvements to the older homes and soon their appearance began to deteriorate. The area also began to decline from a rising crime problem. An increase in car thefts, attempted rapes, burglaries, and purse snatching cause the remaining middle class families to leave the area, which caused even further decline.

Although met with skepticism by city officials initially, the persistence of LANA to facilitate a zoning change for the neighborhood led to major long lasting impacts on the area in regard to the preservation and revitalization of the area. One such increase occurred in a newly approved local historic district within the neighborhood. The sale price for these homes has risen by more than thirty percent.

Another victory for the neighborhood group came when they were instrumental in keeping pressure on the local school board to locate the city’s newest elementary school in the LANA area, and when they were instrumental in organizing police neighborhood patrols for the area. LANA also organizes special events to raise citywide awareness of the neighborhood’s uniqueness. Such events include a Christmas and spring tour of historic homes in the neighborhood.

While many problems have been addressed, LANA continues to be a proactive voice for the elimination of absentee landlords, substandard housing and awareness of racial diversity, infrastructure improvements, and historic preservations.

JERRY PAUZUS

Jerry Pauzus works with several programs including the DAD’s Day Campaign, United Way Project Ramp, Children’s Hospital, Festival of Trees, Cancer Fund Raising, and Dollars Against Diabetes.

Pauzus got involved with Dollars Against Diabetes, an annual campaign spearheaded by the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. It is one part of the Blueprint for Cure program, which was created to bring working men and women together to raise money to fight a cure for diabetes. This cause particularly touches him because his son Daniel was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of two.

Pauzus opted not to just live with the disease and be complacent; because of his son, he became involved with Dad’s Day. When he started with the program, there was not much fund raising activity in the Detroit area for the campaign. Pauzus knew that had to change, and he dedicated himself to make an immediate difference. He contacted other parents of diabetic children and his union friends initially. He mobilized a network of volunteers that would specifically work on fundraising. His eight year commitment to DAD’s Day has made the Detroit chapter area, which was previously not in the top fifty cities for fundraising, number one in the United States.

Pauzus’ leadership, influence, and determination are the reasons for the chapter’s success. Thousands of dollars have been raised to help find the cure for diabetes. His organizational skills, commitment, and dedication has resulted in their chapter growing from eight members to more than 300 members. The volunteers work on busy street corners requesting donations from passing motorists to benefit diabetes research. They have also utilized golf tournaments, raffles and other local events to raise money.

With Pauzus as the DAD’s DAY Chaiman, union members, civic organization, and community leaders have come together working toward the same goal – finding a cure. As George Bush said, “The DAD’s DAY program is a shining example of volunteerism in action and a reminder of how we as American citizens must learn to measure success – not by the sum of our possessions, but for the good we do for others.”

Because of Pauzus’ son Daniel, who is challenged personally with the disease of diabetes, he has refused to take it sitting down. He has opened the community’s eyes to the disease, is a staunch advocate of finding a cure, and will continue to work diligently to raise money to do so.

DSS KIDS FUNDS

The Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS) cares for nearly 10,000 children subject to severe abuse or neglect in their home. In 1999, the Department established the DSS Kids Fund to provide comfort and assistance to these children. They have more than eight specific programs geared to give the children what they were not receiving at home. In addition to these programs, the Fund also supports the 30,000 needy children who remain with their birth families while receiving services from DSS.

The Department assembled a board of DSS employees, foster parents, and concerned citizens to develop the Kids Fund. By gathering the varied people, the needs of the children would be better served. The DSS Kids Fund is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that affects not only the children but the families that are caring for them also.

The Fund has a Placement Packet Project, which provides every child entering care with necessities. Many of the 8,000 children who enter foster care each year come without adequate clothing and with poor hygiene. The packets include items such as infant formula, toiletries, clothing, diapers and toys that make the transition to foster care as comfortable as possible.

In addition to the Placement Packet Project, the Fund sponsors a Foster Children’s Holiday Gift Drive to ensure that each child in DSS care has a memorable holiday season. They also have a Literacy Campaign that solicits donations of books and funds so that children in foster care can learn and grow. Foster Children’s Summer Campership Drive sends foster children to either day or overnight summer camp for one or two week sessions. Experiencing camp assists in the growth and development of the children.

Each of the 29 DSS Area Offices has rooms for supervised visits between foster children and their birth parents. The Fund uses donations to decorate the rooms to help make what may be a difficult visit a bit easier. The Fund also has a Computer for Foster Kids Program, Meals for Foster Kids Program and a Foster/Adoptive Family Recruitment Campaign. These programs help give the adolescent children a good start on their education, nourishment, and shed light to the plight of the children in the state.

Finally, The Fund has a Special Moments Fund. Knowing that foster children do not have the little things that other children may take for granted. This Fund helps to purchase things like visits to museums, amusement parks and camping trips.

DSS Kids Fund is caring extended across the generations. One young girl is particularly grateful for them. She is a teenager heading for college, though she was robbed of her youth by a drug-addicted mother who used drugs in front of her and left her for days at a time at the age of six with responsibility of two younger siblings. The teen was sent with a foster family with her siblings and is now looking towards her future. She advised, “it means so much to me, just knowing that somebody cared. DSS gets a lot of bad publicity, but I don’t know where I’d be without DSS and the Kids Fund.”

BREATHE EASY CORPS

The summer of 1999 found the Ohio Valley under almost constant Ozone Alert, and in January 2000 a tornado hit destroying many trees. The AACS “Senior Service Corps” (Foster Grandparent Program, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, Senior Companion Program) and the GRADD “Senior Connections” Americorps joined together to help in solving this problem by writing a grant to the National Tree Trust for 1,000 tree seedlings. This collaborative effort became known as the “Breathe Easy Corps.”

The Breathe Easy Corps project was created to address several serious social concerns. Senior Citizens within the Green River Area, who are an often untapped resource, have knowledgeable skills and abilities to assist in approving the environment. Older citizens need a sense of belonging and activities where they can use their abilities to improve communities. Programs are needed that encourage interaction between older adults and youth. Youth need to develop a sense of appreciation for their elders. Programs are needed that bring the youth and senior citizens together for social interaction.

The Breathe Easy Corps volunteers will plant and care for 1,000 seedlings within the seven Green River Area counties for a two-year period. After the two-year monitoring period, the trees will be direct planted at sites such as: schools, nursing homes, senior centers, churches, and senior housing complexes. Volunteers will care for the trees for two years, tracking their growth and survival rate.

Seedlings were provided by the National Tree Trust and arrived in late March 2000. The Kentucky Department of Forestry assisted with information regarding the type of trees received, helped with the planting of the seedlings in containers, and provides continuing guidance throughout this project.

Twenty-two adults and 35 youth from the school-based Alternative Learning Center of Ohio County spent one full day preparing the containers for the seedlings. The public school systems in the seven-county area were involved by taking trees to 30 different schools, where the students will care for them and eventually permanently plant them at those schools.

The 1,000 trees will provide approximately 143 trees per county. Each county has senior volunteers that will work with youth in maintaining the trees during a two-year reporting period required by the National Tree Trust. Containerized or direct planted trees were placed at 30 schools, three nursing homes, four senior centers, four senior housing complexes, four churches, and 10 senior volunteer homes within the seven counties.

At this time, there is a 72% survival rate (according to the National Tree Trust, the average survival rate for a project this size is 40 to 60%). Approximately 448 volunteers were involved (including youth, inmates, students, and senior volunteers). The total year-to-date number of volunteer hours donated for this project is 579.5 hours. Soon, everyone will be able to “Breathe Easy!”

DAVID SACKEL AND LYLE FINKLER

Two ninth grade students approached a history department member of Trinity Preparatory School in 1997 with an idea for a community service project to help others. David Sackel and Lyle Finkler saw unpicked citrus and were troubled that large quantities of it were left to rot. Many of the citrus trees were not harvested, and they saw this as a solution to combat hunger. Constructing Ideas That Reach Underprivileged Sectors (CITRUS) Society was born that same year.

David and Lyle set out to make this program a success. The school was asked to recognize the new club and a meeting was scheduled to publicize the group’s mission. These high school students picked oranges and gave them to local charitable organizations. A local businessman who owned a citrus juicing and packing plant offered to process the picked fruit, and interest in the CITRUS Society began to grow.

The club scheduled four Saturdays to take its members to a grove to pick fruit. To further encourage interest in the program, Monday morning all-school assemblies were used to announce pickings, remind club members of meetings, and after each Saturday picking, to hand out several bags of fruit to faculty members. David and Lyle embraced their club and encouraged others to do the same. Their humorous public relations sketches were very successful and resulted in more members.

The purpose of this group is simply to utilize untapped resources to help others. At each picking, fruit is picked and bagged by the students and then loaded into a truck. While the fruit was initially juiced, it is now distributed in bags to local charitable agencies like the Second Harvest Food Bank, Coalition for the Homeless, Senior First, Inc., Community Service Center of South Orange County, Seminole County Better Living for seniors, The Salvation Army, and Spouse Abuse, Inc. Club members also help in the deliveries as well as the pickings. The volunteers find the pickings to be both meaningful and fun.

The CITRUS Society began with just an idea and two founders. The membership was 13 in the fall of 1997 and has grown to more than 60 members. The Society is also one of the most popular clubs at Trinity Prep, competing with nationally recognized programs. Since its inception, more than 1,700 half bushels of fresh fruit have been donated throughout Central Florida.

David and Lyle are genuinely concerned about their community and their quiet leadership has turned an idea into reality. Their concern gave birth to a worthwhile endeavor that is helping give nutrition to many in the Orlando area. The CITRUS Society is now well rooted at Trinity Prep and will continue even when David Sackel and Lyle Finkler have progressed into their college careers. They are pleased to know that this club will be their legacy to Central Florida.

RUTH WEAVER

Homeless mothers and their children are among the most vulnerable persons in our communities today. Their loneliness and despair stirs the desire of many to give these families a chance at a stable and secure life. However, caring people often admit to feeling ill-equipped to reach out in helpful ways to those who are homeless because many of them also struggle with abuse, joblessness, or addiction. Since 1989, Bridge of Hope has been a simple yet powerful planned ministry of friendship, in which church groups and other volunteers are mobilized to help reach the homeless that are hurting in their own community.

Ruth Weaver is a distinguished volunteer for the Bridge of Hope. Her volunteer efforts have continuously promoted the mission of the program, which is to end homelessness for women and children. The program partners with trained mentoring groups within congregations to help meet this goal. Bridge of Hope offers a combination of rental assistance; life-skills training and ongoing mentoring relationships to help homeless mothers and their children achieve permanent housing, stability and financial self-sufficiency through employment.

Weaver’s dedication has resulted in the Bridge of Hope tripling in size in the past five years. They went from serving 10 families annually to 30. This rapid growth was in response to welfare reform and the increased interest for church-based involvement in that undeserved portion of the population. She joined the Bridge of Hope in April 1994, and by April 1995, she had been voted President of the Board. She has served in that capacity since, and has modeled and taught the Board how to raise the funds needed to continue to serve this vulnerable population.

Her service has strategically focused on Bridge of Hope’s unique role in bridging the needs of homeless families with those who can address their needs. Their programs offer an effective way for families to break the cycle of homelessness by creating a secure home along with a circle of supportive friends.

Bridge of Hope is a volunteer driven organization. Weaver has contributed and will continue to contribute her best efforts to serve her community through this organization. She has consistently recruited, nurtured, and equipped many of the volunteers who range from previously homeless woman to young executives. Her work has enabled them to raise dollar after dollar so they can continue to serve one homeless family after another. As a result of her efforts, approximately 325 mentors annually give of their time in this “ministry of friendship.” Also, 22 volunteers serve on the Board of Directors.