Fort Bliss Army Air Defense Center

Fort Bliss Partnerships in Education Program provides an on-going supplemental resource program for 27 schools in El Paso to promote educational excellence and to support programs in preparation for life-long learning. The program involves more than 3,700 soldiers, civilian employees, and their families in school activities designed to improve educational achievement and keep students in school and on track. It began in 1985 when the general’s office at Fort Bliss approached the school district about becoming more directly involved in the local community.

The Partnerships in Education Program employs several different activities that are designed to manage behavior problems better, to provide positive role models, to stimulate academic achievement, and to assist in providing resources to supplement government funds. Activities range from an interactive bicultural history program for children, incentive programs for reading, and tutoring, to field trips, safety patrol at campuses, and donating computers and materials to the schools.

Fort Bliss soldiers serve as one-on-one mentors and role models in the About FACE (Favorable Attitudes Change Everything) Program, an elementary school drop-out alternative program to help students succeed behaviorally, socially, and academically. During the students’ 30-to 75-day tour at one of two alternative campuses, adult volunteers are paired with students to help them develop self- discipline skills, build self-esteem and concentrate on academic achievement.

Students’ scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) have gone up as a result of the program. At one elementary school, students’ scores in reading increased 18.5 points in two years, and math scores increased 20.3 points, according to the school district. More students are involved in school activities and high school graduation rates have risen well over the 90% Goals 2000 goal during since the partnership began. The program has also benefited the soldiers as school personnel and students have reached out to soldiers who are away from home to share family holiday meals and other support.

Fort Bliss funds the program and soldiers are given time off of normal duty to volunteer. The army is using this program as its worldwide model.

YouthFriends

YouthFriends is a Greater Kansas City metropolitan area initiative which connects young people, ages five to 18, with caring, adult volunteers in schools. The program began in 1993 and serves 13 school districts. It was born out of a community task force coalition comprising the Kansas City Community Foundation, YMCA, and the Partnership for Children. The goal is to provide responsible, caring adult role models for young people in order to improve educational achievement and community participation.

There are more than 3,500 adults that serve as YouthFriends. The volunteers connect with more than 30,000 young people in one-on-one and small group relationships within 167 schools throughout the area. The volunteers participate in a wide variety of activities: reading, academic tutoring, school-to-work transition, career and college coaching, job skills and resume building, as well as traditional mentoring. There are 70 businesses and corporations that participate in the program, many giving employees paid release time to spend with the students. Institutions of higher education encourage students, faculty, and staff to volunteer. Religious organizations also encourage members of their congregations to get involved.

The program addresses the need for drop-out prevention, student attitude improvement, academic achievement, and crime reduction. Beyond the impact the program has on the students, the organization conducts surveys of the volunteers that have found 91% of the volunteers had a meaningful experience and 95% would recommend others to volunteer for YouthFriends.

More than 6,000 students have been matched with volunteers in one-on-one mentoring. Most matches are for one year or longer, while some special programs range from three weeks to a semester. Volunteers are matched with students based on their interests, needs, and availability. The average volunteer spends two to three hours a week with their student.

YouthFriends is funded by the founding organizations, with supplemental funding provided by the school districts and the United Way. The organization has had many calls from other communities in order to replicate the program; however YouthFriends is waiting until it evaluates the actual, quantifiable impact of the program before they advise other programs.

The Perlyn Family (Don, Marilyn, Chad, Eric & Amanda)

Don and Marilyn’s goal was to not only serve the community, but to help their children create a solid life-style foundation upon which to build caring, useful and successful lives. Their children have done just that, all three have separate programs that help the needy.

Chad Perlyn the oldest at age 24 started the “Doc Adopt” program when he was 14. The program matches children who are in need of medical and dental care with doctors who are willing to donate their time and effort. To date the Doc Adopt program has given care to between 400 and 500 children. The program started in Boca Raton and has expanded through all of Broward County. Chad is currently a third year medical school student at the University of Miami. The Doc Adopt program is now part of the Broward County’s Medical Association’s Wee Care Program. Chad’s latest volunteer activity is focused on the Miami Chapter of Operation Smile, an international organization dedicated to facial reconstruction of deformed, impoverished children throughout the world.

Eric, the middle child, started Stepp’n Up, a program that gives shoes to children who need them. When Eric was 13 he bought shoes for six needy brothers with his Bar Mitzvah money. To date Stepp’n Up has donated more than 9,000 pairs of shoes in south Florida and has been nationally recognized. Donations come from shoe stores, manufacturers, private individuals and the state and local Podiatric Medical Associations. Retail stores like Pay-Less Shoes and JC Penny have also donated shoes, and the national chain The Limited Too has been the biggest supporter, donating close to 2,000 pairs of shoes. Right now Eric is a sophomore at Duke University in Durham, N.C. For the past two years his Stepp’n Up program has contributed more than 2,000 pairs of shoes to needy children in the Durham area.

Amanda, now 15 and the youngest of the three, started a nonprofit corporation called To Have and To Hug at age eight. Her program provides stuffed animals to abused children who are taken from their homes and brought to a temporary shelter home. When a child arrives scared and confused there is a stuffed animal waiting there through Amanda’s efforts. During the past seven years To Have and To Hug has donated more than 2,000 stuffed animals. Amanda is currently a sophomore at Spanish River Community School.

All three of the organization services are provided through the Children’s Home Society and several other local charitable organizations. The children’s motivation for service is that they want to give back to the community and help others who need it. All of the programs are funded through private donations.

In addition to helping each of their children with their various projects, Don and Marilyn recently co-founded the Miami Chapter of Operation Smile and are currently working on arranging several medical missions to South America.

Paul Hackman

Since his own nearly fatal health failure from Diabetes & End Stage Renal Disease 20 years ago, Paul Hackman has been educating teens, adults, and health care professionals about organ donation, the effects of diabetes and kidney disease, and the prevention of renal failure.

Much of Mr. Hackman’s time is now spent as a volunteer for the Kidney Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, and the Ohio Valley Life Center. Each year, he gives 150 to 200 presentations on Organ Donation and Renal Health in high schools, nursing schools, fraternal organizations, churches of all denominations, and in area businesses. His talk has become a major community resource for public and professional education in the Greater Cincinnati area, reaching approximately 7,500 to 10,000 people each year.

He speaks to all area high school students about the choice they have to designate themselves as possible organ donors when they get their driver’s license. They are then advised to get their families involved, by to going home and talking about organ donation and the difference that it can make.

He also speaks to 6 and 7 year old elementary school children as part of the “Everybody Counts” program, to teach them that people with disabilities should be treated with respect and understanding.

Mr. Hackman has served on the Executive Board of Directors of the Kidney Foundation of Greater Cincinnati for the last 16 years, and is the founder of the Kidney Patient Council, a support group for End Stage Renal Disease patients and their families. He has served as chairman for Organ Donor Awareness Month in Cincinnati, has served on the boards of the Clovernook Home for the Blind, the Radio Reading Services for the Blind, and had been instrumental in getting House Bill 650 passed, which allows the Uniform Organ Donor card to be a part of the Ohio Driver’s License. He is also a Third Degree Knight with the Glenmary Council Knights of Columbus #5674.

Even though Mr. Hackman has had Juvenile Diabetes since age 17, is blind, has had a renal transplant, and lost a leg as a result of his Diabetes, he has continually channeled his time and energy to educate, motivate, and support other members of his community, while others, who are perfectly healthy, claim that they cannot find the time to volunteer.

West Virginia Health Right

West Virginia Health Right, Inc. (WVHR) was founded in 1982, by a small group of physicians and nurses who recognized the need for a source of ongoing health care for the uninsured living in West Virginia. Initially, service was provided mostly to homeless people at Manna Meals, a local soup kitchen. After a few months, the clinic was moved to Covenant House, where it shared space with other services for the homeless. The clinic operated two nights per week and was staffed by a rotating volunteer group of approximately 12 physicians, 30 nurses and 15 receptionists.

Over the years, the clinic's patient load has continued to grow at an accelerated pace. By fiscal year 1988, WVHR was providing medical care to more than 2,600 needy patients. In addition, total patient visits increase from 500 in FY 1982 to more than 8,600 in FY 1988. As the demand for the clinic's services increased so did its pool of volunteers. By FY 1988, more than 200 individuals, including 65 physicians, were offering their time and skills at Health Right.

Operating as a 501(c)(3) organization, WVHR provides free medical services to individuals whose income is below the federal poverty level and who are without private insurance or Medicaid. Patients served at WVHR include homeless people, the elderly, the working poor and the unemployed who have exhausted their benefits. Over the past year, WVHR's fastest growing population is individuals who previously had Medicaid coverage. In age, they range from infants to the elderly, with the greatest majority being between 20 and 59 years old.

WVHR does not duplicate the services of any other medical provider. Among the services WVHR does provide are: primary health care services, including medications; diagnostic laboratory services; preventative health care services; and patient education services designed to maintain healthy individuals and a healthy community. Diagnostic x-ray services are provided off site through an arrangement with Charleston Area Medical Center. Dental services are provided via an arrangement with the WVU School of Dentistry. Psychiatric services are provided on-site by the WVU School of Psychiatry.

WVHR operates on the idea of maximizing volunteers, donations and community support. Funds for the clinic are provided by the WV Department of Health and Human Resources- Division of Health, United Way, foundations, churches and individuals. Pharmaceutical companies, area hospitals and private practice physicians donate medicine to the clinic. An essential component of the high quality care offered at the clinic is it volunteer staff which now totals more than 300 individuals. These volunteers include physicians, therapists, nurses, pharmacists, medical technicians and office personnel. Each volunteer works at WVHR for at least two to three hours a month.

There is no charge for the services provided either on-site or off-site. In addition, there is no charge for the medications dispensed. Patients are encouraged to donate by volunteering at the clinic performing housekeeping, grounds keeping or office duties.

WVHR's significance to the community as a source of primary health care for the needy is evidenced by the clinic's encounter information. During fiscal year 1997, WVHR provided free diagnosis and treatment to more than 8,000 patients in more than 27,000 clinic visits. In addition, WVHR dispensed more than 75,000 free prescriptions valued at $3.0 million (Average Wholesale Price).

Nancy Berla

Mrs. Nancy Berla has been volunteering at Running Brook Elementary in Columbia, Maryland, since she established the FACTS (Families and Community Together with School) Program in June 1994, when her grandchildren were students. The goal of FACTS is to enhance school readiness for children ages three through four, improve student performance and attendance, increase family involvement at the school, provide greater support for academic and social needs of children, and strengthen the family-community-school partnership.

The program began as a summer program for low-income children and has expanded to involve parent workshops, a low-income pre-school program, English classes for parents with limited proficiency, and a month-long summer program for students in grades one through three working below grade level. Using foundation grants, Mrs. Berla also made $200 “mini-grants” available through the FACTS program in an effort to encourage faculty and school staff to undertake activities which will increase or strengthen family and community involvement. FACTS volunteers also provide child care during school sponsored events.

FACTS has about 40 volunteers involved in the school, including parents, community members and business partnerships. They have improved parent involvement, translated school forms into Spanish, helped several parents with their English and increased overall academic performance in the school.

The program has received funds from the Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore Gas and Electric Corporation, the Columbia Foundation, the United Way of Central Maryland, the FreddieMac Foundation, and the Howard County Arts Council. Facets of her program are now being replicated at other schools throughout the district.

Rescue Our Children

In 1995, a group of 20 volunteers created an organization committed to improving the self-esteem of poverty-stricken youth ages 6 to 18 living in Newton, Mississippi. Today the organization is serving more than 200 youth in Newton County.

Rescue Our Children works to provide a safe environment for the youth of Newton County, lift morals, establish values and self-esteem, encourage productivity and responsibility, instill a sense of importance and need to succeed. Each year the organization provides many programs for the youth of Newton including an After-School Tutorial Program, a Drug Awareness Program, Youth Choir, Saturday Field Trips and a Summer Youth Program.

In Newton County, 20.3% of all families with related children less than 18 years of age live below the poverty level. When comparing all of Newton County’s female-headed households, 57.7 % are living below poverty level. Statistics show that youth living in one-parent families, where the parent has a low educational background, are at high risk of leading a life of poverty and welfare. In Newton County, 39.9% of the population did not finish high school. In 1992, there were 42 cases of violent or drug related crimes in the Newton County Youth Courts. In 1995, 68 teenagers in Newton County gave birth.

Rescue Our Children encourages parents and community leaders to volunteer and become involved in their children’s’ activities. The center provides programs such as the Father and Son Fishing Rodeo, Mother and Daughter Retreats, Family Day and Make a Difference Day to encourage parent involvement with their children.

This summer Rescue Our Children took the children to visit Six Flags in Georgia and roller-skating. In addition, the children had the opportunity to visit the Mr. Chester Thigpen tree Farm, the Governor’s mansion, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and the Lazy-Boy Corporation. The children have also had the opportunity to work with Isaac Milton, a local volunteer and a local computer expert who taught computer workshops at the center. The center’s after-school program has helped children improve their grade from a failing average to a B- average. Many former students who have gone off to college, often come back to speak at the center, sharing their experiences and giving the children hope that they too can succeed.

The Mentors at Drew University

In 1996 the Board of Trustees of Drew University, along with former New Jersey governor and president of the University, Thomas Kean, decided to start a mentoring program in partnership with 10,000 Mentors of Morristown. The program’s creators believed they had to do something about the kids’ feelings of hopelessness. The mentors are there to give the kids hope that they can make a better life for themselves. This program is designed to mentor the thousands of kids in Newark who have no positive role models.

A recent study conducted by a Philadelphia based research house, Public/Private Ventures (PPV), tracked youth who had been involved with one-on-one mentoring programs nationwide and compared them to with a group of youth who have never been formally linked with mentors. The results illustrated that youth matched with adult mentors were less likely to use drugs, become pregnant as teens and resort to physical violence. The students of Drew who participate try to provide and reinforce positive values through the development of a healthy child/adult relationship. The group addresses issues like teen pregnancy, drugs and physical violence and how they can be detrimental to a child’s progress in life.

The program is made up of close to 130 Drew University students who provide mentoring once a week to more than 110 at-risk youths. The children are taken to Drew University by bus, giving the children a chance to see a college campus with lots of trees and grass, as opposed to the asphalt and concrete of Newark.

Through the program there has been an improvement in children from the third to eighth grades. The kids have expressed an interest in going to college when that would not even be an option growing up in Newark. According to teachers, the children’s grades and classroom cooperation has improved. In addition the mentors get a feeling of being better citizens and personal fulfillment.

Funding for the Mentors at Drew University come from the Amelior Foundation who also funds 10,000 Mentors of Morristown. They raise money on their own and get a sizable donation from an anonymous donor.

Jestine Dennard

Co-founder of the Adopt-A-Role Model (ARM) program, Jestine Dennard has openly dedicated her life to ensure that local disadvantaged youth have the kind of support they need to rise above their circumstances and live productive, meaningful lives.

When Ms. Dennard and the other founder of ARM notices the increasingly drastic number of young, African-American boys who displayed negative behavior in the Macon community, they felt compelled to do something. They developed and implemented a plan in 1991 that would prove to be so successful that the waiting list of interested applicants would eventually be more than 600. ARM was created to link community leaders (role models) with deserving, yet distraught young boys (protégés).

ARM not only focuses on the individual well-being of its participants, it encompasses everything that influences their existence. With facets that train single, working mothers to rise above the welfare system, ARM also equips additional siblings with lessons in family responsibility. Ms. Dennard plans workshops for the mothers that focus on parenting, conflict resolution, stress management, nutrition and role-playing.

Ms. Dennard is the backbone of the successful ARM program. Some of her specific areas of involvement include planning educational and leisure activities monthly for the protégés and their role models. She wants them to gain exposure to a variety of activities, such as the arts, camping and college life.

For every anxious protégé entering the program, an equally excited role model is recruited. With a knack for pairing just the right combinations, Ms. Dennard stays on the mission to increase and maintain the number of role models. The role models have to make commitments to spending time each week with their protégés.

Ms. Dennard has also established a clothing bank and has received a commitment from a shoe store to donate $100 worth of shoes monthly to protégés who are less fortunate. This store also gives discounts to all protégés and their families who present an ARM I.D. card.

Ms. Dennard leaves no stone unturned. With the activities that she develops for the ARM program, she makes sure there is more than adequate funding to cover all aspects of her plans. Last year, McDonnell Douglas donated $30,000 to ARM’s drug and alcohol prevention program, which teaches the boys alternative ways to “get high” through recreation and education.

Ms. Dennard uses every resource available and she realizes that media coverage is of great importance to the success of ARM. She keeps them abreast of activities and successes, giving the community a positive view of what can happen if, indeed, the entire village raises a child. Through advertising and news articles, Ms. Dennard recruits additional role models and proteges.

Ms. Dennard operates a florist shop and works for the Middle Georgia Black Pages.

100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

The 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Inc. is a nonprofit organization comprised of local business and industry leaders whose mission is “to nurture and enhance the growth, development and opportunities for young Black males of Middle Tennessee.” The organization was founded in 1991, as an affiliate of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc.

The members of the organization are firm in their belief that students must have guidance in order to realize their full potential. Accordingly, the organization’s objectives are to raise the academic standards and social values of its male constituency. To accomplish these objectives, the organization sponsors programs that to provide mentors, tutors, and role models to young males.

Most of the organization’s mentoring/tutoring efforts are done through three main programs. The first, Project YES (Youth + Excellence = Success), was started in 1991 as the organization’s earliest initiative. This program is designed to enhance the academic success of students (mainly in grades one through four) enrolled in 100 Black Men partner schools. Typically, members and collegiate volunteers serve as educational assistants to teachers and students. Tutorial assistance under this program occurs both during and after school. There is also an eight-week Summer Enrichment Program under this program.

The Victors of Peace Program, the second mentoring program, was created to offer young boys positive alternatives to negative lifestyles. Its objectives are to stimulate responsible behavior, develop leadership skills, and self-esteem. Professionals are invited to partner schools to conduct workshops that promote awareness and informed decision-making. Periodically, participants are treated to overnight retreats and mini-camps for extended sessions.

The third mentoring program, The Collegiate 100, is comprised of male collegians at local universities. These students volunteer to support 100 Black Men sponsored programs. To participate, each student must attend orientation/training sessions on the organization and its programs, proper mentoring and tutoring techniques and the importance of volunteer service.

The most recent effort of 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, “Read to Achieve,” is designed to inspire students to increase the number of books they read and time spent in the library. This new initiative, launched October 1997 as a part of Make a Difference Day, is intended to encourage boys in grades four through eight to read 10 to 20 books through August 1998. The organization provided more than 60 boys with library cards, grade appropriate reading lists and incentives for reading books. Book reports and oral summaries must be done to verify that books were read, and once approved by a volunteer review committee; prizes such as movie passes, books, school supplies and fast food coupons will be awarded. All students reading more than 20 books will be awarded a plaque and the top three readers will receive savings bonds.

To accomplish its mission, the organization relies on the volunteer support of all persons and groups interested in supporting the mission of the organization and on donations and gifts.