City of Union, Kentucky Adopt-a-Unit Program
The City of Union, Kentucky adopted military unit, HHT, 1-32 CAV from Fort Campbell, KY, through Americans Supporting Americans, a nonprofit that links active military units with strong, supportive communities across the country.
Since the city adopted the military unit, Union residents have gone well beyond the call of duty to assist the unit’s soldiers and their families, especially during its two deployments to Afghanistan in the past four years. In support of its adopted unit, Union residents have raised funds to support activities at Fort Campbell, and to send care packages to deployed soldiers.
Within the past year, the group’s volunteerism has reached new heights. Now, the group sponsors the entire 1-32 CAV squadron. Therefore, the group has increased the number of soldiers and military families it supports from 100 to a little over 600. They have hosted many soldiers in their community, and created an annual road race in Union in support of the unit.
Union City Adopt-A-Unit volunteers are an incredibly kind group of people who have provided amazing support to soldiers and their families. The group continues to seek new volunteers and community sponsors. They actively participate in unit activities at Fort Campbell, a little more than four hours away from Union, to maintain close ties to the unit.
Jody Gouldsberry
As the leader of Black Diamond Girl Scout Troop #4609, Gouldsberry works tirelessly to ensure scouts, ranging in age 5 to 18, contribute to the community through a variety of service activities. Over the years, Gouldsberry has organized numerous service projects for the girls. For example, they have held drives for animal shelters donating much-needed items to the shelter, including 100 cat toys the scouts made themselves. They have organized toiletry drives for the House of the Carpenter, a local shelter serving the physical needs of the disadvantaged and disenfranchise.
This past December, Gouldsberry and her troop help make Christmas brighter for less fortunate children. The troop applied for and received a grant. They used the money to purchase 100 Hasbro toys, which they donated to their community’s “Caring Tree” program to help ensure every child had a gift to open on Christmas morning.
In addition to improving the lives of girls as a scout leader, Gouldsberry is active in Boy Scouts and 4H serving in several leadership roles with the groups during the past eight years. For the past five years, she has served as a Lego Robotics coach engaging youth in STEM education.
Bill Muckerman
In 2009, Bill Muckerman, a sales executive from Mooresville, N.C., decided he wanted to devote some of his free time to volunteer work. He approached the community service organization Hands On Charlotte and since then has become one of its star volunteers, having logged more than 500 volunteer hours. In addition, he volunteers dozens of hours each year for other community projects in the Charlotte area.
Of the programs he discovered through Hands On Charlotte, a HandsOn Network affiliate that matches volunteers with local projects, Muckerman has become most active in Special Rollers, a bowling league for teens and adults with developmental or physical disabilities. Saturdays, Muckerman oversees two bowling lanes, where he assists seven to nine members of the league.
“I’ve been doing it long enough that many of the bowlers know me and want to bowl on my lanes,” says Muckerman, who has volunteered around 145 Saturdays with Special Rollers. “I work with many of the same people every week, and it’s very gratifying. Mooresville is 30 minutes from Charlotte, so it takes up a fair part of my Saturday to participate. But when I get home, I always feel good.”
Inspired by Hands On Charlotte’s work, Muckerman started a community service project of his own. He had learned that Hands On Charlotte volunteers took part in Steve’s Coats for Kids, an annual winter clothing drive sponsored by a local television station to support the Crisis Assistance Ministry Free Store.
“My home in Mooresville is beyond the suburbs of Charlotte, so it seemed like a great area to gather more coats,” says Muckerman.
Muckerman launched his own Brawley Peninsula Coat Drive. For five years, Muckerman has left self-made flyers at homes in the Brawley Peninsula neighborhood of Mooresville. Neighbors leave coats at Muckerman’s home, and he drives out to make pick-ups. In his first year, 2009, Muckerman collected 182 coats. In 2014, he delivered more than 400 coats and other winter clothing items to Steve’s Coats for Kids.
Hands On Charlotte also introduced Muckerman to the Race Against Hunger project at Charlotte’s Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides food to social service agencies in 19 counties. Muckerman has volunteered on more than 50 occasions to sort food delivered by large grocery chains to the Second Harvest warehouse. He also volunteers many additional hours each year directly for Second Harvest.
Muckerman says he is grateful that Hands On Charlotte helped get him active in volunteerism, and that he is now committed to community service.
“All the volunteers I’ve talked to say they benefit more than the people they help, and I agree,” says Muckerman. “I feel good about the people I help.”
Friends of Underwood, Iowa
Underwood is a small community of 917 people located in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. A recent survey of residents reported that 81% of young people would volunteer in the community. However, only 31% reported they knew of opportunities to serve. In addition, young people are leaving the community for other opportunities due to the lack of job opportunities, and philanthropic and social activities to keep themselves busy.
The Friends of Underwood is working to revitalize the community and engage young people. It is a completely volunteer based group and the goal is to make Underwood a better community to live and improve the quality of life. The group focuses on four areas: local leadership, expanding community philanthropy, energizing entrepreneurship, and engaging young people. It leverages community assets and builds up local leadership.
The Friends of Underwood have been involved in a number of community-based projects. They work closely with the City of Underwood, Underwood Optimists, Underwood schools, and other organizations and volunteers to leverage their leadership and service in supporting the community. For example, they started a Monday Market in an effort to support local entrepreneurs, build strong businesses, and increase career opportunities in their hometown.
Through their collaboration with the Underwood Optimists, the group held a Bicycle Poker Run to raise funds to build a hiking trail. They also hold teen nights to provide a safe, drug-free environment for youth. Most recently, Friends of Underwood have begun building and placing Little Free Libraries in the community. These libraries are small wooden boxes shaped like houses where neighbors share their favorite literature. Anyone may stop by and pick up or drop off a book.
The Friends of Underwood are a group of citizen-minded volunteers that want to see their community thrive. They volunteer many countless hours and are willing to try things at the suggestion of community members. Their hours of dedication have created a positive change in the community.
Kyle William
Following his belief that creativity has the power to heal, Kyle William is using the fiber arts to help raise awareness of important issues. Using knitting and crochet patterns as a mechanism to share knowledge and resources about breast cancer, he created a project that puts this information into the hands of some of those who are likely to need it most.
William's most recent project, Good Deeds, is a collection of hat patterns created to benefit Breast Cancer Connections; a California based nonprofit. He coordinated the models, photography, pattern donations, and even did the layout for the project. Included in the eBook is information about breast cancer risk, as well as resources for further information. William donates 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the eBook to the nonprofit. Those who purchase the collection are also encouraged to make hats for those in need, either by donating directly to Breast Cancer Connections, or by making hats for others. Continuing the spirit of "paying it forward" is a central theme in Kyle's work.
William's website, social media presence, and business model include the desire to empower others with knowledge about issues such as breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, and animal rights. Using a non-stop positive attitude, he takes every opportunity to share with others the joy of helping his community – either as a HIV test counselor in San Francisco, or by arranging a community knit-a-long to make a blanket for a fellow fiber artist facing terminal cancer.
William believes creativity has the power to heal, and that when we share our story with others, the world becomes a better place.
Kayleigh Barnes
In 2011, Kayleigh Barnes, a high school student from Seaford, Delaware, decided she wanted to provide more opportunities for young women to develop self-confidence, public-speaking skills and a foundation of community service.
As a result, she founded Barefoot Beauties, which engages young women and their families in community service and pageantry as a means to build self-confidence and a spirit of service. Barnes believes that engaging youth in service at an early age leads to a lifelong commitment to community involvement and leadership.
Barnes collaborates with local nonprofits including the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and Alex's Lemonade Stand to organize service activities for Barefoot Beauties participants. In addition, she encourages participants to engage in service opportunities they feel passionate about and share them with others.
Through Barefoot Beauties, Barnes has engaged more than 100 youth in various service opportunities and over 200 adults. She was presented with a youth leadership award by the local chapter of the American Red Cross for her efforts in recruiting youth volunteers and educating others on the importance of disaster preparedness. In 2012, she was named a Build A Bear Huggable Hero finalist for her work to start Siblings of Children with Special Needs, an organization focused on supporting youth who have disabled siblings.
The Bromfield Family
Cassandra Bromfield and her family work through the Family Education Training Center of Hawaii and Hawaii 4-H to provide much needed assistant to homeless families.
Homelessness has become a chronic social issue in Hawaii. When the Bromfield family moved to the state a few years ago, they noticed the need for homelessness assistant right away.
Stationed at a local military base, the Bromfields reached out to the Family Education Training Center of Hawaii and Hawaii 4-H to learn about the needs of the local homeless community. Soon the family’s children came up with a proposal that included a grant, donations, food, and volunteers to feed hundreds of homeless individuals several times a month.
Now, the family is engaged in providing food, clothing, and personal items to women, men, and sometimes entire families throughout the year. Due to the Bromfields' efforts, many homeless families have been able to find jobs with the clothing provided. They have provided over 1,000 individuals with nutritious meals and children with uniforms, books and school supplies.
Walter Suquilanda
Walter Suquilanda began his volunteer work as a food pantry worker at Pronto of Long Island Community Outreach Center in Bay Shore, New York.
Then, he became involved in different aspects of Pronto, including teaching GED classes, working with domestic violence victims, and connecting families in need with community resources. In addition to his work at Pronto, Suquilanda volunteers as a catechist at St. Anne’s Church in Brentwood and serves as a mentor for non-custodial parents.
Suquilanda is constantly networking with others in his community, and most recently has dedicated his time to finding ways to help fund programs for Pronto of Long Island. The organization struggles and has difficulty in providing necessities for their programs, such as paper and pencils for its GED students.
Prior to Suquilanda’s involvement, the GED program at Pronto of Long Island was not running due to a lack of teachers. As various community members began to inquire about the GED preparation program, Suquilanda contacted them and asked that they return to Pronto, as he would take on the task of teaching it.
Suquilanda’s hard work and dedication helps families in need secure brighter futures.
Larry Adams
Larry Adams has volunteered thousands of hours helping disabled veterans and children.
He is an active member and President of the Winchester Shrine Club based in Winchester, Virginia and serving most of the Shenandoah Valley. Through this organization, Adams helps to provide free transportation for children in need of medical treatment to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The trip takes up 10 hours and is over 425 miles from Winchester, Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To date, Adams has driven 44 times or over 18,000 miles to the Shriner Hospitals. In addition, Adams volunteers for the Boys Scouts of America as a Unit Commissioner.
He also transports disabled veterans to their doctor appointments at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers located in Martinsburg, West Virginia all while working full time for the U.S. Coast Guard's National Maritime Center.
Julie Deemie
In Johnson City, New York, Julie Deemie is fighting economic disenfranchisement, blight, urban decay, and overall despair in a terribly economically disadvantaged area due to postindustrial decay as well as two major floods within the past ten years.
Over the past year, Deemie has served as the president of Johnson City Partners, a non-profit organization comprised of neighborhood residents and community partners, all working together for the economic revitalization of the city. Deemie has played an integral part in improving the quality of life for the city’s residents by dedicating countless hours towards grant writing and implementation to acquire funds to restore the city. Furthermore, she plans and executes fun family events to foster hope within the community and initiates group cleanup efforts to ensure the city is aesthetically appealing.
For example, during her first year in office three years ago, she acted on her vision of "Carousel Day" to renew community pride by creating a free, family-oriented arts and educational event for city residents. Today, Carousel Day continues to be an annual event featuring skilled musicians, artists, crafters, and artisan demonstrations, held at a park the featuring the county’s largest and most intricately carved carousel.
Wherever Deemie sees an opportunity to help the residents of Johnson City, she takes it. From the flower planters Johnson City Partners puts on Main Street to the many economic development meetings and seminars she attends.
Deemie also has a soft spot in her heart for veterans, and is always certain to attend and contribute to any service, observance, or activity recognizing them.
