World T.E.A.M. Sports-The Vietnam Challenge
Americans and Vietnamese veterans and non-veterans comprise the Vietnam Challenge Team, a group dedicated to healing wounds leftover from the Vietnam War. Completed in January of 1998, the Challenge was an international athletic event intended to bridge the gap between citizens of the United States and Vietnam. The Vietnam Challenge was the third global event conceived by World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports in five years. The hatred and anger sparked by the Vietnam War have existed as the fabric of the U.S./Vietnam relations for decades. The purpose of the Vietnam Challenge Team event was to forge a solution to this problem that is based on hope, reconciliation and peace.
Throughout 16 physically challenging days of riding, the participants in the Vietnam Challenge survived a 1,200-mile bicycle journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Both able-bodied and disabled veterans, men and women, cooperated to achieve their goal, a practical demonstration of the unifying nature of sports. Those who were physically unable to ride conventional bicycles rode hand cycles. Blind participants even mounted the back of tandem bicycles with sighted individuals as their guide in front. As a team united in solidarity, this caravan of bicyclists traversed the uneven countryside, conquering the Hai Van Pass, which is the most difficult mountain road in Vietnam. Together they accomplished a feat that not a single one would have perceived as being within the realm of possibility.
Yet, it was when Vietnam Challenge participants dismounted their bikes that they performed their greatest volunteer service in Vietnam. The men and women of the Challenge visited schools and rehabilitation facilities to enlighten and inform others about the reconciliation and hope that was the intent of their journey. It is in this aspect that the educational components of the Challenge continue to be realized. Those participants who returned to America now act as educated spokespersons on the issue of Vietnam as a country today and the betterment of relations between these two nations to ensure a harmonious future. Challenge volunteers dedicated to preserving the mission of the event have already given hundreds of presentations in 50 states and across continents.
The future looks promising for the legacy of the Challenge to continue. A television documentary about the event which aired on NBC in December, and is scheduled to be rebroadcast on April 17, brought the intensity and success of the Vietnam Challenge to millions of American homes. The film, Vietnam, Long Time Coming recently won the Directors Guild Award for best documentary. As an educational tool, medical exchanges will persist and classrooms will maintain correspondence via the Internet. The impact from the Challenge is unmistakably obvious when the more than 500 newspaper articles and planned celebrations to honor the Team are taken into account. Perhaps the most significant of the outcomes of the Vietnam Challenge is the orthotic brace and rehabilitation clinic at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi that will serve thousands of disabled people in Vietnam. Event fundraising made it possible for the World T.E.A.M. Sports organization to make a large donation of funds for the establishment of the hospital.
Crayons to Computers
Crayons to Computers (C2C) is a “Teacher’s Free Store” providing new and recycled school supplies at no cost to 110 needy schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. Started in February 1997, Crayons to Computers grew out of a group project of Leadership Cincinnati and the creative vision of retailer Shannon Carter. Headed by a board of trustees and President, the Crayons to Computers volunteers work to ensure that the major goal of this non-profit organization, to make a lasting impact on children’s lives by enhancing educational resources, is achieved.
Founder and board president Shannon Carter opened the store in 1997 with the motivation of serving the more than 50,000 children in Cincinnati. Since then, her idea has flourished with help from a network of businesses such as Proctor and Gamble, Gibson, The Kroger Co. and United Dairy Farmers, which donate surplus materials to the store.
Schoolteachers selected to participate in this program are deemed eligible based on the poverty index. Those schools that have 69% of students enrolled in the free or reduced price lunch program are allowed to shop for supplies at Crayons to Computers. In the eight counties that the program serves, teachers often have to provide money from their own pockets to supplement the minimal supplies the school is able to purchase for student use. Approximately 95% of the volunteers who assist with Crayons to Computers are teachers themselves, thus illustrating the extent of teacher support for the program.
The organization’s partnership with the Free Store/Food Bank supplies the 6,000 square feet of warehouse space, product and parking that is necessary to maintain optimal operation. With 1032 working computers placed in classrooms and more than $2,465,000 of goods distributed to its credit, the “free store” is an endless reservoir of materials available to teachers so that students have the supplies necessary to obtain a quality education.
In addition to its base of operation, Crayons to Computers has expanded and branched out into other aspects of volunteer service. “Crafts with Conviction,” a program that involves correctional facilities in Ohio, allows inmates to create journals, flashcards and holiday ornaments from materials donated to C2C and then returns the finished product for the teachers to use in their classrooms. C2C is also affiliated with Matthew 25: Ministries (M25M), a non-profit church-based organization that donates school and hospital supplies to Nicaragua and Honduras. Crayons to Computers is working to expand its impact nationally through a collaboration with SHOPA (School, Home, Office Products Association). Stores modeled after Crayons to Computers were opened in Orlando and Atlanta in the fall 1998.
The need for more stores like this one is clear – quality education requires basic learning tools such as pencils, paper, and notebooks. Crayons to Computers seeks to fill this need while preventing the throwaway of usable, surplus product of all types that can be used by needy children.
BOOKS for the BARRIOS
BOOKS for the BARRIOS, Inc., a non-profit, all-volunteer corporation, defines itself as a project of the heart. As an organization that guides American schoolchildren to collect, pack, ship and distribute books and other educational materials to the remote, impoverished public schools of the Philippines, BOOKS for the BARRIOS fits that description. The largest program of its kind that operates in the United States and the Philippines, the corporation funneled 3,700,000 pounds of textbooks, educational learning aids and devices to disadvantaged children.
Many of the schoolchildren in the poorest barrios (villages) of the Philippines have never seen a bound book written for children. They lack libraries and very few have access to a dictionary during their four or five years of formal education. Through donations from individuals and civic groups and corporate sponsorship, BOOKS for the BARRIOS is striving to improve the educational conditions for these children. Financially, the organization has developed a streamlined approach in which a network of volunteers in the U.S. and abroad is able to turn every dollar of financial support into $100 worth of educational resources delivered to those most in need.
BOOKS for the BARRIOS began in 1981 when an American family, stationed at a naval base in the Philippines, witnessed the conditions of the public schools and decided to take action. Coordinating logistical resources available from the U.S. Navy and Philippine Airlines, they began the distribution nationwide of desperately needed materials. From that modest beginning the program has blossomed into a global network that continues to be guided by the mission of spreading literacy to students in underdeveloped regions as the coin of the foreign policy of our nation.
American schoolchildren are an integral part of the BOOKS for the BARRIOS program because they sponsor youth book drives and donate from their personal collections. Books are also gathered from publishers’ overstock and discarded texts from local school districts. American children also participate in a school character development learning unit by working in the corporation’s production warehouse, the National Children’s Education Sharing Center, helping to screen, sort and pack the materials for shipment. They are proud to include messages of encouragement to their classmates from across the globe. When the product reaches the Philippines, local organizations work closely with the local departments of education to ensure that the materials get to the intended beneficiaries.
The BOOKS for the BARRIOS National “Model-of-Excellence School” Program is an outreach that develops scores of large, severely deprived elementary schools into world-class learning centers that other schools can emulate. These schools are furnished with every conceivable material resource as well as the state-of-the-art technology devices and staff extensive development. They serve as a catalyst for national investment in basic education.
BOOKS for the BARRIOS conducts National Teacher Training Conventions that prepare thousands of local instructors to train their peers in advanced teaching methodology. This substantially improves the quality of classroom instruction throughout the country.
In essence, BOOKS for the BARRIOS has successfully implemented a global community action program operated by American children that empowers millions eager students from rural, poverty-stricken villages with access to knowledge. By sharing the gift of education the children bond in friendship and goodwill as they face the challenges of the global village in the new millennium. Over one million children are served by BOOKS for the BARRIOS each year.
Center for the Homeless
Since 1988, the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, IN has developed a nationally-heralded service model that provides homeless individuals and families with a step-by-step process to break the cycles of poverty, addiction, violence and isolation prevalent in their lives. This innovative model featuring the Homelessness to Home Ownership Continuum of Care is founded upon partnerships with every sector of the local community. In all, more than 16 local service providers, 25 corporate sponsors, 4,000 volunteers and countless religious congregations and benefactors help provide a full range of services to the 2,500 people per year seeking refuge and assistance at the Center.
Recognizing that a lack of food and shelter is often symptomatic of more acute crises in a person’s life, the Center challenges its guests to take responsibility for their past, present and future choices. The Center has also forged strategic alliances with other service providers to provide a comprehensive range of services to assist people in transitioning out of homelessness. The Center and its partner agencies provide counseling and case management, medical, dental and eye care, AIDS education and testing, mental health care and drug and alcohol treatment, adult education, job training and placement, budgeting and debt reconciliation and rental and home ownership assistance.
These programs are designed to address the depth and diversity of need present among homeless persons, especially families. The Center’s Continuum of Care has six phases: Emergency Shelter, Personal Development and Job Education, Job Training and Placement, Job Retention/Budgeting, Supportive Housing, and Home Ownership. This six-step plan motivates participants to achieve long term self-sufficiency.
With families comprising the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, the Center serves as home to an average of more than 40 homeless children each night and the Center has partnered with several agencies and numerous volunteers to offer comprehensive on-site services for homeless children, including an occupational therapy program for infants, developmental screening and full medical care, Individual and family therapy, a full-day Montessori pre-school program, school liaison services, and after school; tutoring and recreational activities.
With the help of more than 500 volunteers each month, the Center has created a safe and nurturing environment where homeless children can heal from abuse and neglect, interact with positive role models, and find hope and opportunity for their future. These collaborative efforts are helping to restore a sense of community and care in the lives of all Center guests.
Andersen Consulting
Andersen Consulting is a global company that is known for being a leader in management and technology consulting. Lately, the Atlanta office is leading the way in community service as well. The company promotes employee involvement by sponsoring monthly volunteer projects and incorporating these projects into the orientation process for new employees. The valuable work that is done by Andersen’s staff is recorded in the pages of a civic newsletter that highlights volunteer activities.
Five hundred Andersen employees from the Atlanta office contributed more than 20,000 hours of service to the Atlanta community through Hands on Atlanta, a citywide volunteer program. The company established its partnership with Hands on Atlanta in 1993. Dedicated employees have the option of participating in monthly projects or large scale quarterly projects that address a specific community need. The services performed by these employees for Hands on Atlanta are diverse, addressing a wide variety of community needs, Project Open Hand and beautification at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
Two hundred and fifty Andersen Consulting volunteers and more than 175 students at Southside High School collaborated to create an overhead art gallery on the ceiling of the school to beautify the drab, dimly-lit hallways. Using overhead projectors, they traced paintings onto 35 large, wooden tiles. The volunteers then painted the tiles and later helped landscape the school grounds. In another instance, 130 Andersen volunteers from the Products Industry Group poured their energy into fixing the grounds and facilities of the Virginia Highlands YMCA. This beautification process was in the spring of 1997, when Andersen Consulting conducted a series of projects including the Bellwood Boys & Girls Club, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Norcross Elementary. More than 450 total Andersen employees participated in these four projects.
The Andersen Consulting outstanding community outreach directives extend beyond the scope of most corporate service and inspired Hands On Atlanta to develop a model program called the Corporate and Group Volunteerism Program (CGVP). This program draws a great amount of support from Andersen Consulting, who has contributed their skills, expertise and funds to achieving maximum program growth. A manual designed by Andersen Consulting guides corporate liaisons in methods to create meaningful volunteer opportunities for their employees. In 1997, there were more than 150 corporate groups involved in community service through the CGVP as a direct result of Andersen Consulting’s continued support for the program.
Planting Partnership
The Planting Partnership sprung up in April of 1998 from local farmer Eric Freeland’s resolution. He wanted to utilize the talents he acquired throughout the years and make his vision of growing food for the homeless and less privileged a reality. When physical injury prevented him from tending the farm he operated for years, the desire to help others led him into a partnership with the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling, WV. The partnership yielded a donation of 2,000 pounds of produce to the Soup Kitchen. The Planting Partnership turned out to be a shining example of what can result from the combined efforts of community and business.
Volunteers for Planting Partnership came from area businesses and church groups all over the Ohio Valley and joined the Soup Kitchen staff to work in the fields. Community businesses donated all of the supplies necessary to till the field and grow a bounty of crops. Volunteers tilled, planted and plowed the two-acre farm twice a week. A youth services group also contributed manpower to the effort on Tuesday mornings.
Throughout the summer of 1998, the farming continued in full force. Freeland often encouraged the volunteers to take home goods for their families to provide an incentive for those who had toiled all day in the sun. During the course of the growing season, the Planting Partnership drew nearly 60 volunteers, each working an average of three hours per week. When the crops were mature enough for harvesting, volunteers picked the produce for transport to the Soup Kitchen, a portion of which is frozen for later use.
At the conclusion of the harvesting season, the Planting Partnership was pleased to find that it had grown many usable crops such as tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes and green beans. This food fed the more than 200 people who come into the Soup Kitchen and gave the Soup Kitchen staff the ability to distribute 25% of the food amongst the 15 other agencies that use the facility as a collection point.
Due to the generosity of Freeland and the foresight of its staff, the Soup Kitchen gained a new sense of independence and saved money in overall food costs. The success of the first crop has many participants in the Planting Partnership excited about the prospect of producing even more food in 1999, and Freeland is also working with the Veterans Outreach and the Easter Seals Rehabilitation to extend the outreach of the program. The generosity of many fed a hungry few in 1998 and the dedication of those same people promises to feed many more in years to come.
A. Mark Gadue
A. Mark Gadue is responsible for the success of “Read to Ride,” a summer reading incentive program for children aged 6-14. Gadue started the program in July 1995 and oversees its operation along with his sister, Laurie Gadue Morgan. He is concerned with addressing the high family illiteracy rates in Vermont. The mission of the program is to foster literacy in all children and help them to become successful, passionate readers.
The guidelines of the program are simple—every child must read a book to receive a chance to win a bicycle. The parents of the child must verify that the child read the book and submit a free entry form to the participating sponsor, school, library or organization. At the end of the summer, Gadue collects all entries and winning names are selected at random in a drawing for bicycles and prizes.
“Read to Ride” has been an overwhelming success. Hundreds of children participate in this program. More than 1,500 books were read in the first year, which indicated that the program has great potential. In successive years, Gadue has expanded his program to include the involvement of libraries and other sponsors, which increased readership to 18,500 entries. Further plans for expansion of the program include making the reading incentive accessible to all youth, especially disadvantaged children. With the outpouring of support that Gadue has received from area business willing to donate time and resources to the program, it is likely that “Read to Ride” will continue to grow.
Fliers advertising the “Read to Ride” program encourage youth to read as many books as they can before August. Several students proudly claim to have read more than 100 books within this time. The students are allowed to enter a separate entry form for every book they read, thereby enhancing their chance to win a prize. Winners of prizes in August are announced by the local press and on posters in libraries and schools.
In the midst of the “Read to Ride” program, Gadue finds time to own and run his business, Gadue’s Dry Cleaning. The program is a large undertaking for a small business entrepreneur to maintain, but Gadue draws on the continued support of his employees and family. He also receives positive encouragement and support from professionals and parents who children and students have participated in “Read to Ride.” His hope for children to read when they otherwise may choose not to do so is a measure of his belief that children who read are better able to think and succeed in life.
EMC Insurance Companies
The employees of EMC Insurance Companies have demonstrated a long-term commitment to the elderly residents of their county. In partnership with Generations Incorporated, a non-profit health and human service agency, EMC Insurance employees are part of the “Meals on Heels” program, an unofficial title bestowed upon the operation by its volunteers. These hard workers help to make sure that their homebound elderly and disabled clients get meals delivered on weekdays to their subsidized housing complex.
The “Meals on Heels” program was originally started by Generations Incorporated in 1967. Since then, the operation has grown considerably with more and more volunteers donating their time to the cause. It is a particularly beneficial endeavor in Iowa because the state ranks first in the nation in the number of residents that are 85 years and older, increasing the demand for meal delivery through the Meals on Wheels program. The foot soldiers from EMC Insurance Companies’ have answered the call to service.
In January of 1994, EMC Insurance Companies began its corporate volunteer partnership with Generations Incorporated. “Meals on Heels” was created, based upon the Meals on Wheels concept, except volunteers deliver meals on foot. Volunteers for the program help deliver meals five days a week all year long. The 85 plus volunteers from EMC Insurance Companies, including the CEO, have already donated over 14,000 volunteer hours and served over 17,000 meals. Most take time from their lunch hour to help deliver the meals.
An added bonus for “Meals on Heels” participants is the on-going relationship the volunteers and residents develop. This enhances the well-being of the clients and provides an opportunity for a daily check on the residents’ health and safety. Program evaluations have shown improvement in the nutritional health of “Meals on Heels” customers and enhanced feelings of independence and safety. The EMC volunteers find the work both rewarding and worthwhile. The few minutes that they take away from their lunch means so much to the “Meals on Heels” recipients. The contributions of EMC Insurance Companies to “Meals on Heels” and their commitment to volunteering every day is an example other businesses can follow.
Parents and Children Together
Organized in 1978, Parents and Children Together (PACT) is a community agency whose only purpose is the prevention of child abuse and neglect through strengthening families. More than 400 volunteers support the efforts of the staff to deliver a variety of programs throughout Morgan County.
Today, PACT, the oldest child abuse prevention agency in Alabama, has 15 programs that are provided without charge. Their goal is to reach as many people as possible; last year the staff and volunteers served more than 4,000 people.
PACT’S school programs include WHAT TADOO, a program that teaches first graders what to do if approached by a stranger; BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY, a puppet show for third graders detailing how to deal with all forms of abuse; FAMILY PRIDE, a seventh grade program dealing with the importance of families, problem-solving, anger management, and child abuse awareness; and THE PARENTING PROFESSION, a tenth grade parenting course which focuses on the roles of both mothers and fathers, as well as the needs of children.
PACT’S hospital programs are delivered to the two area hospitals. In the NEWBORN program, new mothers receive parenting information and referrals to other PACT programs. FIRST STEPS is offered to all new moms and provides a mentor for at least three months providing emotional and educational support as well as referrals to other community agencies.
Community programs include BABY TALK, which is a series of prenatal parenting classes; EVEN START, a weekly family literacy program that strengthens families through adult basic education and job preparation; NORTH ALABAMA SKILLS CENTER PARENTING, a six-day parenting course integrated into the GED curriculum; EMERGENCY DAY CARE, provided for children referred by local child protective services workers; and PACT’s largest program, HEALTHY FAMILIES, an innovative home-visitation program for first-time mothers which offers intensive services focused on parent education and support for the first five years of the child’s life.
This successful partnership of the home, the school and the community focuses on parental involvement and is based on the philosophy that parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers.
PACT has been recognized at the local, state and national levels for excellence in programming, effective use of volunteers, and community support and involvement. This organization’s work has had, and will continue to have, a lasting impact on the citizens of Morgan County, especially the children. Because of PACT, the children are safer and healthier and have a better chance to lead happy, productive lives.
Wilfred A. Barry
When Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Wilfred A. Barry speaks out about the tragic shooting death of his brother, Samuel, he always captivates his audience. He explains the graphic details of how Samuel's body looked in the morgue with half of his face blown away, his body riddled with bullet holes. The room full of people, young or old, are silent as he paints a picture of a scene so grotesque, the listener feels that they were there. What would cause anyone to relive such a horrible experience in front of an audience over and over again? For Barry, it is a personal mission to carry a message against drugs and crime to the youths and citizens of the Virgin Islands.
A member of law enforcement in St. Thomas for 22 years, Barry uses his story about the drive-by shooting in 1990 that killed his brother to make a point about saying "no" to drugs. His affiliation with the justice system and his brother's death give him real and practical examples about smart choices and opportunities that the people of his town can relate to. In the past 10 years, he has participated in panel discussions and served as guest speaker for school graduation ceremonies. His speaking engagements have taken him into public and private schools as well as the University of the Virgin Islands to deliver his message.
In addition to making these speeches, Barry takes time out to mentor youth offenders in Juvenile Court. He brings to these youth the objective of respecting others without resorting to violence and drugs. In March 1998, he addressed two youth groups at his church, Memorial Moravian Church, with a lecture, "Walking With My Neighbor." He also participated in the 1995 Youth Against Violence Symposiums sponsored by federal law enforcement agencies. Barry provided all of these services regularly as a volunteer because he truly believes in what he is saying and feels the need to help others stay on the right path.
On a personal level, Barry has the satisfaction that his words are being heard by ears that may benefit from his wisdom and varied experience. On a community level, people who have listened to his speeches agree that he has contributed significantly to awareness of the dangers of substance abuse and its harmful effects.
