URBAN MISSION MINISTRIES, INC.
Forty-one years ago, Urban Mission Ministries, Inc. began as an outreach of local churches in Jefferson County, Ohio. Over the years, as individuals, churches, businesses, schools, and community organizations has stepped forward as contributors and volunteers, the Urban Mission has grown to become the largest charity in the Upper Ohio River Valley Region of Appalachia.
The Steubenville (OH) – Weirton (WV) metro area has been cited as having the third largest percentage population decline among U.S. Cities in the 1990s.1 The steel industry’s decline, the cause of this loss, has also left in its wake a substantial population of low income households. Steubenville’s 1997 per capita net earnings were just $9,502 compared to a statewide Ohio figure of $16,018 and a national figure of $16,787.2 Another economic indicator of this region’s poverty is found in the fact that 40% of the 1999-2000 student body in Steubenville City Schools received free or reduced price lunches.3
In response to this need, the Urban Mission has developed a variety of program for low-income individuals and families, including:
- A “soup kitchen” which served 13,000 hot meals in 1999
- A “food pantry” which distributed 300,000 pounds of groceries to 1,300 families in 1999
- A homeless shelter (Hutton House Homeless Shelter) which housed 330 adults and children in 1999
Homelessness is a serious problem in the entire Upper Ohio Valley region (Jefferson, Harrison and Columbiana Counties in Ohio, plus Hancock and Brooke Counties in West Virginia). For example, in Jefferson County alone, it is estimated that there are 145 homeless individuals at any given point in time with a total homeless population of 1,204 per year. Urban Mission’s Hutton House Homeless Shelter is the largest homeless shelter in the five-county Upper Ohio Valley Region. The Hutton House housed seventy-eight percent of all children in the region’s homeless shelters, which is primarily attributable to Hutton House’s commitment to help families remain intact as they struggle against the overwhelming obstacle of homelessness.
The Urban Mission began grocery distribution in the 1970s with a first distribution of 22 bags of groceries. Operating on a shoestring budget with very limited resources and food supplies, the service area was limited to Jefferson County (OH). On May 8, 2000, the Urban Mission announced the expansion of grocery distributions services to include families in Brooke and Hancock Counties (WV) as well as Harrison County in Ohio. It is estimated that this expansion of service will double the total annual food distribution from 300,000 to 600,000 pounds.
Volunteerism is at the heart of the Urban Mission’s community involvement. Each month, more than 230 volunteers contribute nearly 3,400 hours to aid less fortunate members of their community through the programs of the Urban Mission.
TECUMSEH PUBLIC SCHOOLS G.I.F.T. PROGRAM
It is the intent of G.I.F.T.-Getting Involved For Tecumseh- to help fill the need for fundraising community and socially responsible individuals in the City of Tecumseh. By implementing this program into grades one through six, currently expanding it into the middle and high schools with grade specific projects, Tecumseh Public Schools will be continually reinforcing service-learning throughout the student’s educational journey.
As in many other cities of Tecumseh’s size, there are areas that are in need of attention. The need in the community for a “fixing up” of a building or unraked leaves at an elderly person’s home exists, but the real need is the institution of a mind set in the youth of the community. Some are taught at home that giving without expecting in return is important, but the majority of any population needs to be taught this concept and have it reinforced continually. This is the real need in any city. With that statement in perspective, Tecumseh Public Schools have developed a Service-Learning Program entitled G.I.F.T.-Getting Involved For Tecumseh.
In May of 1997, a letter was sent out by then Intervention Coordinator, Susan Reeder and Executive Director Of Communities in Schools, Sue Nielson to Tecumseh Public School Teachers and Principals in grades first through sixth. This letter was to gage reaction to forming a program designed to promote volunteerism. The 40% returned were all positive responses. Since then, the G.I.F.T. Program has been growing by leaps and bounds. Currently, 12 elementary classrooms are working on projects for the remainder of the 1999/2000 school year. These projects range from starting a school recycling center to building blue bird houses for a community park. Twenty-eight high schools are involved in a mentoring program in which students work with fifth graders. ALLY-Aiding, Listening, Learning with Youth is yet another project which incorporates working with a Vista/Americorps volunteer.
G.I.F.T. is designed to reinforce academic achievement of students involved in a project. All prepared activities are formulated by the Learn-Serve Grant coordinator and funded through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education. The activities will correlate with specific areas that each classroom is studying. For example, a third grade classroom developed a project on seatbelt safety after two of their students were injured in separate car accidents. Preparation of this service-learning project included extensive use of writing skills, computer skills and the study of government legislation—all subjects they were currently studying.
Community problems G.I.F.T. will address include Awareness of Public Safety, Maintenance and beautification of Public Parks, development of a Senior-Student Relationship program and an emphasis on filling wish list needs of nonprofit organizations in Lenawee County.
The hope in Tecumseh is to fill the need to raise community-minded, healthy role models that will aid before being asked.
SOLDOTNA ELEMENTARY FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM
There is a national literacy program called “ America Reads.” This program reaches as far as Alaska, where in the city of Soldotna, grandparents volunteer their time to share love as well as academic skills. The Foster Grandparent Program at the Soldotna Elementary School have giving hearts, patience and a concern for the generation to come.
The mission of the grandparents is literacy. Fourteen volunteers come to the school on a regular basis to have time with the children. This time is used to teach and reinforce reading skills. Each grandparent has a specific classroom where they work with the students two to four days per week. These grandparents are involved in the Foster Grandparent Program for a second year.
The Foster Grandparent program continues during the entire school year. The grandparents receive a $2.55 per hour stipend for their services, and the grandparents tutor up to 20 hours per week. In addition to the stipend, transportation costs are provided as needed. The dedication of the grandparents goes far beyond the 20 hours, and you will find them at the school more than the scheduled time. Their dedication to the program is inspiring.
Many students need extra practice and help learning to read. Working parents often find it hard to read with their children as often as it is needed to reinforce the skills they learn. The grandparents help to fill that need. They usually sit in the back of the classroom, and the children come and read to them one at a time. Their patience, compassion, and diligence is a joy to the children and makes the children feel as if they have one more special person in their life that loves them.
The Foster Grandparents also do related activities like reading comprehension. They will have the children retell the story after they read it and review their word cards. The volunteers had to go through a training session to learn how to help children learn to read. They coach the child to sound out the words and to use other reading strategies. The coaching, encouragement and loving attention are doing wonders for the students at the elementary school.
This group of grandparents are building a stronger community by helping the children read, the teachers be more effective, and the school be more of a family atmosphere where there are numerous opportunities for love and sharing. All of these factors contribute to a stronger and healthier environment for the children and a brighter future for the community.
VOLUNTEER SERVICES DEPARTMENT OF HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Hackensack University Medical Center has risen to the top of the health care industry in the State of New Jersey and at the root of their organization is the Volunteer Services Department. The 1,600-member department has delivered more than 194,000 hours of service to patients and the community of Bergen County.
According to the Director of Volunteer Services, Angela Altschuler, the Junior Volunteer Program and the Pet Therapy Program are the most recent proof their commitment to innovative advancements in patient care. These services reinforce the charter of Volunteer Services by helping to support the medical staff in the performance of their jobs while giving the Medical Center an air of warmth and friendliness, which in turn promotes faster patient recovery.
The Junior Volunteer Program educates participants in the spirit of a Good Samaritan and also in how a medical center functions. Claudia Boehm is the program coordinator and she ensures that the volunteers learn the language of the hospital, the strict codes of conduct, professionalism and cleanliness demanded of all staff. This program also teaches the priority given to a patient’s individual health and comfort as well as the limitless potential of medical science in the fact of never-ending human need. These volunteers soon become champions of HUMC’s advancements, communicating back to the community the quality and capability that the Hospital embodies.
The Pet Therapy Program is an application of nontraditional volunteer manpower. Research states that children who are hospitalized are often more vulnerable to emotional stress and fear than adults. A service was needed to help quell this stressful event, to refocus – even if only for a few moments – the attention away from the child and their illness onto an object of joy and affection. Thus, the Pet Therapy Program was born. By utilizing registered therapy dogs to visit pediatric patients, the frightening and often traumatic experience of a hospital stay is lessened. The children know that they are able to care for someone else rather than being the one cared for. The 30-minute visits provide a positive and uplifting experience for the pediatric patients. In many cases, the patient benefits with improved morale and a faster recovery. As a result, this program may also be implemented for some adult patients.
HUMC trains volunteers to become skilled members of a world-class medical team. Over time, these individuals become an example to their community and are living proof of the Medical Center’s unique value. The volunteer program has been a shining example of how people do make the difference. Volunteers run errands, provide patient transportation within the hospital, assemble charts, relay messages, perform guest relations tasks, and a plethora of other services. Most importantly, volunteers help deliver personal services to patients in need. On a daily basis, more than two hundred volunteers are on-site providing supplementary and complimentary serviced to the patients at HUMC. “A Bond of Caring” is the motto of the Volunteer Services Department as well as they way they serve each day.
PAMELA TREFLER
Pamela Trefler is a beacon to the city of Boston and a role model for the nation. While her experiences range from investment banking to cooking, her passion is the education of underprivileged students. She and her husband, Alan, established the Trefler Foundation in 1997 as an interactive funder to Boston’s public schools and the non-profit organizations that serve them. However, rather than blindly funding projects intended to meet the needs of struggling schools and organizations, Trefler provides networking resources and consulting services as well.
Pamela Trefler works with everyone involved in the educational process – from the superintendent of schools, headmasters, and teachers, to executive directors of non-profits, university chancellors, and local business people. She has incorporated community service as part of the foundation’s mission. Everyone on staff contributes in a hands-on fashion, and even the administrative staff and interns volunteer in schools, as tutors and mentors.
When Dorchester High School (DHS) was at risk of losing its accreditation, Trefler stepped in and worked with the school, local universities, and non-profits to turn the school around. Not only did she initiate the refurbishing of the school as a facility, but she is an integral part of the school’s restructuring movement. Together, she and DHS staff, and all of the school’s partners have created small, learning communities that make the large city school more manageable for the students and staff.
Boston’s district high school students have long suffered from a lack of resources and opportunity. Trefler is working to ensure that each high school student is exposed to quality education and has the opportunity to succeed. By funding a program to aid ninth-grade repeaters, she has given students that are struggling to perform on grade level a chane to succeed. She is also responsible for bringing advanced placement classes in physics and calculus to high school seniors who otherwise would never have had the exposure to challenging course work.
Trefler has given hundreds of Boston students the opportunity to see options in their futures. She has provided them with challenging and competitive educations and the chance to advance to higher learning. Not only has she opened doors for Boston’s teens, but she continuously works to expose other funders to a more innovative style of funding. By serving on the steering committee for the Boston Annenberg Challenge, she has encouraged other funders to take a closer look at their grantees. She challenges them to look at who is being funded and how. She challenges grantees to be self-sustaining; to work with their constituents instead of for them. Not only has she changed the face of the schools she works with, but Pamela Trefler has helped to strengthen the souls of those housed inside the schools’ walls.
RD & TS TECHNOLOGY, EASTMAN CHEMICAL CO.
Within Eastman Chemical Company’s many divisions and organizations, the Research, Development & Technical Service (RD & TS) department is just one piece of the company. Each division has their own team or group of people who work together on a regular basis to keep an ongoing communication with their community needs. Several years ago, this Technology group adopted the local chapter of American Red Cross. In the prior two years, they have also adopted Small Miracles Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters. The team meets periodically to discuss the ongoing activities with each of their partner agencies to find out how they can help or what service is needed.
With regards to the American Red Cross, they have many annual and regular projects. The building that they are located is on the property of another local business so they are required to lease the building. It is an older building, so the employees in RD & TS help keep the building safe and presentable by painting, replacing floors, replacing light fixtures, plumbing, landscaping and even power-washing the building. These projects are done on an as needed basis. The volunteers also participate in community education by distributing various types of disaster bulletins and brochures to area nursing homes, assisted living homes, trailer parks and other at-risk environments. There are volunteers who serve on their personal time in addition to the time allotted by Eastman Chemical Company.
In the communities of Kingsport, there are many children growing up without the guidance of a mother, father or parental figure. Many of the children have not bee matched with a big brother or sister so they are on a waiting list. RD & TS volunteers get the children together and do activities with them throughout the year like their annual back to school picnic where there is games and food as well as school supplies to give to the children.
Small Miracles Therapeutic Horseback Riding is a relatively new organization in the community. RD & TS volunteers have helped to provide information to the community about the organization. The organization purchased land to build a new barn for their facility, and the volunteers will be working on the land building fences, painting, building sheds, delivering materials and solicit donations and volunteer labor from other organizations.
Eastman Chemical Company is proud of their RD & TS volunteers. They have impacted the entire community of Kingsport, Tennessee, in some way. They are proud to give back to their community and to teach the youth to mature and do the same thing.
THE NON-VIOLENCE PROJECT
Since its inception in 1996, the Non-Violence Project of South Florida has engaged high-risk youth in positive alternatives that are designed to build safer, healthier communities. Mr. Donald Warshaw, Chief of Police, along with Mrs. Columba Bush, brought the Non-Violence Project to Miami from Sweden with the intention of making a difference and reducing violence among youth. The Miami Police Department serves as a central partner in the development of the Miami program, providing ongoing funding, information on communities in need, gang issues training, collaborations with police youth programs, and other resources.
The Non-Violence Project has a strong peer presentation program, Talk It Out! The field staff speak candidly about their own experiences and consequently build trust with their audiences. The staff talks about the ongoing health and social consequences of violence and recount stories about friends and acquaintances who have reached jail or death as direct results of violence. A central purpose of Talk It Out! is to motivate students to develop their own non-violence and skill-building initiatives within their schools and communities.
The Project also includes several programs that give youth alternatives to high-risk behavior and violent activities. The Ambassador Program acts as a catalyst for creative, positive youth action in schools and communities. Students receive training in conflict resolution and are guided to develop their own school initiatives. Upon completion of a six-week training, participants are rewarded with a field trip, a Non-Violence Project T-shirt, knotted-gun pin, and a certificate of completion. The Alternatives Program is a series of skill-building session designed to focus youth on art, sports, and technology. The Non-Violence Project has partnered with Bakehouse Art Complex, The Florida Dance Association, The Wallflower Gallery, among others, to provide opportunities for enrichment in the arts, which results in personal growth.
Studies show that the highest incidents of juvenile-related drug and crime activities happen during the weekday hours of 3pm and 7pm and on the weekends. Thus, the Project sponsors After School Academies, currently located at Town Park Plaza North in Overtown and New Haven Gardens in Liberty City, that have an open-door policy to those in need of a safe place to spend time during off-school hours. Project staff members lead high-energy, interactive workshops that complement the in-school efforts of the Project.
Other Project programs include “Parenting Academy,” in which tools are provided to assist parents in avoiding, moralizing, nagging, criticizing, or ridiculing to understand a child’s reason for misbehaving, and “Project L.O.V.E.” (Linking Opportunities to Volunteer Efforts), an ongoing community volunteer program that encourages young people to make a commitment to helping others through community service projects.
These programs represent only a portion of those operating under the Non-Violence Project umbrella. Future expansion of the Project includes an effort to utilize the Internet to develop services that support its mission electronically. For example, by establishing a neighborhood Web page that can integrate existing community youth development services to establish an electronic delivery system that is available to all residents.
JASON FENWICK
Recognition is definitely not the motivation for the volunteerism of Jason Fenwick. Rather, a deep sense of compassion, non-judgmental attitude and a kind and loving spirit drive this man. He has been recognized by an organization in which he is actively involved: The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Sedgwick County. He was nominated for Valvoline Caring Hands Big Brother of the Year and has utilized his networking skills to recruit teams from the radio station where he worked as well as his college fraternity to Bowl For Kids Sake. Jason Fenwick embodies the attributes of a true volunteer.
“Jason is not only a good employee, he is a good person. It is evident in this background and, importantly, the way he carries himself on a daily basis.” said Gerry Dick, President, Grow Indiana Media Ventures.
In 1991, Fenwick was matched with Bobby Prince in the Big Brother Program. Although the match technically closed when Fenwick moved to Indianapolis in the winter of 2000, he and Bobby have built this relationship into a lifetime friendship. The Big Brothers Big Sisters concept acknowledges that you change the world by changing one life. In this case, Fenwick became a strong foundation and positive male role model for a young man who desperately needed both. Fenwick looked through countless files of little boys when Bobby’s ear-to-ear grin and red bow tie jumped out at him. Instantly Fenwick knew this was his little bother. He knew something was hidden behind Bobby’s smile. Two weeks after the pair met, Bobby’s mother was jailed. His father resided in another state, so Bobby was forced to live in another home. Fenwick knew he had to give more than the mandated weekly visits.
The brothers began to not only play sports but to open up the lines of communication. He helped Bobby get over his fear of separation and helped him to focus on his dreams. Bobby had pure athletic talent, but not for some years later did Fenwick realize Bobby’s report card didn’t reflect his actual strength in the classroom. As a seventh grader, Bobby was getting “A’s” and “B’s”, yet reading on a second grade level. Fenwick met with his teachers and found and in-school tutor. In addition to that, he petitioned to have Bobby come stay with him and his wife for a summer and begin an intense tutoring program before high school. He and his wife hired a private tutor and had Bobby’s vision checked for dyslexia. By the end of the summer, Bobby’s assessment scores jumped four grade levels in reading and math.
When Bobby’s mother was incarcerated, Fenwick stepped up to the task of being a parent, a Big Brother, mentor and friend. Statistically, Bobby Prince should be a casualty of modern life – being a poor, at-risk, child of a single parent. Yet, Bobby earned a 3.06 GPA in his first semester of high school, and he plans to attend college. When Fenwick married last year, Bobby donned a tuxedo and was a groomsmen. Bobby has matured from six to 16, owns a car, and now mentors his younger cousin as Jason Fenwick did for him.
PARTNERS FOR YOUTH PROGRAM
In 1991, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter (SEPA) of the American Red Cross established the Partners For Youth Program. Partners For Youth is dedicated to the idea that given support and guidance, youth can – and do – make healthy choices in their lives and positive contributions to their communities, thus their motto, “Yes Youth Can.”
The Red Cross has traditionally had a strong presence in schools and through the Partners for Youth Program students joined Junior Red Cross clubs to aid in local disasters and to help local chapters canteen during wartime. Youth involvement peaked in the 1940’s with over 400,000 youth volunteers in the SEPA Chapter alone, yet began to wane in the 1960’s. A revitalized understanding in the 1980’s that youth could be powerful resources for change and leadership in the community facilitated the inception of the Partners For Youth Program.
Partners For Youth is a service-learning oriented program dedicated to promoting the healthy development of Philadelphia’s low-income children. The youth in that city are in a precarious situation that makes them disproportionately vulnerable to economic, social and programmatic inequities in income, welfare, education and crime. The Partners For Youth Program addresses these concerns through a life-skills curriculum, and after-school program and school-wide safety workshops. These three components provide students with the tools to make healthy and informed decisions, to develop leadership experience, and to make important contributions to their communities.
Since its inception, the program has grown exponentially from three to 16 middle schools. Today the program reaches over 1,800 students per year. SEPA supports the program through volunteer and paid staff. There are 14 volunteers who work six to 10 hours per week that provide the impetus for the program. The American Red Cross also employs 100 full-time salaried staff, five of which are dedicated full time to the Partners Program.
The Program was designed to teach youth empowerment, community service, ethics and leadership skills. The curriculum teaches values, goals, overcoming obstacles, community needs assessments and culminates in an individualized short or long-term community service project. Partners For Youth deliberately enters schools that receive Title One funding from the District, schools in which at least 85% of the student population lives at or below the poverty level. Students have historically focused on projects ranging from urban environmentalism to vandalism prevention, from food banks to elder care. All projects originate from youth ideas and the students are responsible for planning and creatively implementing their chosen projects. The Partners For Youth staff and volunteers feel privileged to assist the students in enriching their lives.
LEON OMAN
Leon Oman is an example of an individual that is committed to social, economic, and personal change. In the 15 years that Oman has worked for Community Education, he has changed the lives of countless individuals, both youth and adults. He has demonstrated his commitment to grassroots change by opting to remain on the “front lines” with the people who need him most.
Leon Oman is the Community Education Specialist at Andersen Schools. Although his position is 40 hours per week, he works far beyond his required hours. His average schedule has him at Andersen on weekdays from 9a.m. until 7p.m., and on Saturdays from 8a.m. until noon. In many schools, Community Education is an area in which adults take a Spanish class or brush up on their computer skills. Thanks to Oman’s ongoing commitment, Community Education at Andersen has reached far beyond this scope.
Community Education is an integral part of the Andersen Complex. In order to combat the fact that many Andersen students have working parents who are unable to be home when the school days ends, the After-School Activity Program was created. This program gives students the opportunity to expand their school day in creative and exciting ways. Students are able to choose between activities that focus on arts and crafts, sports, literacy, computers, and other areas of interest.
As the success of the After-School Activity Program has expanded, so has its scope. Oman spearheaded the creation of an after-school homework club entitled “Cool Kids.” In this program, students are placed in small classes where they receive homework help, tutoring, and mentoring. These students are able to extend their day from 2p.m. until 5p.m., often eliminating the problems that occur when kids are unsupervised after school.
Another way in which Oman has made an impact is in his role as supervisor of AmeriCorps members. His work as a supervisor is purely voluntary and is an example of his unending commitment to the program. This year, he supervised more than 11 members. He takes care to see that each person feels supported and encouraged and that every individual is able to utilize their particular interests or talents.
The impact that Oman makes on the lives of those who encounter him cannot be measured in a qualitative sense. It is measured in the stories that are told when someone at an AmeriCorps meeting chimes in with, “Guess what Leon did for me!” It is measured in the number of students in the Andersen Complex who do not think twice about bursting into his office demanding that he let them into an activity that is full or put them on the bus list because they want to join a friend in computer class. His success is measured in the everyday experiences that seem to go unnoticed because, in Leon Oman’s world, they are so common.
