Janice Crawford
Janice Crawford serves as the Executive Director of the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce. She has managed to see continual growth in the Chamber while successfully battling breast cancer twice. As an advocate for women and breast cancer, she has created a fund for under-insured women to receive free health screenings.
Additionally, Janice is passionate about supporting a young professional community, understanding that youth making a life in the Valley is important for its longevity. She has created and facilitated Leadership Mt. Washington Valley, which is a 6-month program in which she helps mentor young professionals to become civic leaders in our town.
Apart from sitting on the board for the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, she is on the board of trustees for the Memorial Hospital and the White Mountain Community Health Center.
Kyle Ruffin
Kyle Ruffin’s commitment to the work of nonprofits is stellar. As a board member of the Hispanic Family Center for more than five years, Kyle consistently pursues big and important board ideas persistently and with a solid presentation followed by her own time and talent dedicated to bringing the idea to fruition. Additionally, she serves on the board of a new nonprofit in South Jersey: The Community Foundation of South Jersey. With that organization, she has also spearheaded the work of several committees.
Her work crosses many nonprofit organizations often creating connections where none existed. Although her paid work is marketing and consulting, her volunteerism is full of many hours of unpaid labor to improve the work of the nonprofit community. She is a true shining star as a nonprofit board member and gives of her time selflessly but not foolishly; always with the goal of improving the work of the organization she serves and pushing them to pursue their mission.
Terry Grahl
Terry Grahl founded Enchanted Makeovers, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to transform long-term stay homeless shelters for women and children into places that inspire behavioral and psychological change.
Terry started out as an award-winning decorator with her own business just outside of Detroit. One day, she received a call from an event coordinator at a Detroit homeless shelter asking for her assistance in improving the deteriorated shelter by painting the walls. Terry’s initial visit to the homeless shelter changed her life. Immediately, she realized the shelter’s problems went well beyond paint and bedspreads. She realized it lacked the message that everyone is worthy of more than just the bare necessities and basic needs.
Terry’s visit to the shelter moved her so much so that she took a leap of faith and founded Enchanted Makeovers to help the homeless with the goal of creating a unique model that nurtures women and children living in shelters. The various projects and programs of Enchanted Makeovers introduce women and children to a way of life, a way of thinking that helps to shift their outlook about the possibilities for the future. Terry and her team at Enchanted Makeovers transform shelters physically and emotionally into a beacon of hope.
It is not just about decorating or just painting a wall. There is great significance behind what the team of volunteers at Enchanted Makeovers accomplishes with each shelter transformation. A stronger foundation is created helping improve overall outcomes. Residents are more likely to complete programs, move to the next step of transitional housing, and ultimately re-join their communities as productive citizens.
The team at Enchanted Makeovers is different from other volunteer groups in homeless shelters because no other organization approaches or executes a process that takes care of the “vision, mind and spirit” quite like Enchanted Makeovers. It gets people locally and nationally involved in the future of their own lives as well as the people we serve.
Terry has learned through her journey that women and children do not need a superhero to save them; they want someone to walk beside them. Her heart has led her to introduce women, children and volunteers to a way of life, a way of thinking that helps to shift their outlook about their lives, how we see each other and possibilities for the future.
Andrew McMahon
In the spring of 2005, Andrew McMahon and his band Jack’s Mannequin embarked on their first U.S. headlining tour. However, before completing the tour, Andrew paid a visit to his voice doctor because he became concerned about his health. Andrew McMahon soon learned he had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia at the age of 22.
During his battle with leukemia, he realized there was a severe need for young adult cancer research. Despite being the number one disease killer among young adults, survival rates have not increased since 1975. In an effort to initiate change and provide a voice for the generations of young adults diagnosed with cancer, Andrew founded the Dear Jack Foundation in July of 2006.
The Dear Jack Foundation (DJF) advocates for and supports initiatives that directly benefit young adults battling cancer. The foundation supports organizations that recognize the challenges that the adolescents and young adults faces while undergoing cancer treatment, through targeted research, hospital development, and patient services. Through outreach, collaboration, and focused programs, DJF works to create more positive health outcomes and improved quality of life for all young adults facing this fight.
Andrew is able to influence many people across the country due to his success in the music industry, but he is more than that. An independent artist, Andrew has been a friend to his fans and supporters. He fought cancer and won and instead of walking away from the battle, he has not only connected with individuals around the world fighting the same disease, but he has made it his personal mission to do something about it and to obliterate cancer.
Read to Learn Adult Literacy Volunteer Program
The Read to Learn Adult Literacy Volunteer program helps adult members living in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs who do not meet the criteria of literacy as defined in the National Literacy Act of 1991. This program began with eight students and eight tutors in 1985 and has since trained over 5,000 community volunteers, and serviced over 10,000 adult beginning readers.
The Read to Learn program is committed to improving the quality of life in the community by raising the level of literacy among adults. The volunteer led program has demonstrated achievements by helping adults to gain employment and improve employment, communicate better at work and as a consumer, better understand the health professionals, and be involved with their children's education.
