Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers

The Pima County Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers (SAV) is a volunteer oriented, non-profit organization that was started in 1982. Since that time, the organization has provided some 477,330 volunteer hours. This equates to roughly 3500 hours per month in 1998 alone. These volunteer hours have saved the department $6,850,000. The tremendous savings to the taxpayers and the manpower provided by SAV are invaluable.

Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers is made up of more 250 men and women from throughout Pima County. The men and women come from all walks of life and bring with them a variety of skills and expertise. SAV can be found woven within most of the department’s districts and functions. They are active in crime prevention, emergency response, district patrol, fingerprinting, and many other areas. The volunteers are often utilized in managing large crime scenes, by providing security and support services to investigators and equipment deployment.

Crime prevention by law enforcement agencies is essential in reducing the amount of crime in a community. Nationwide, a greater emphasis has been placed on developing effective crime prevention programs. The Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers are a major part of the Pima County Sheriff Department’s crime prevention efforts. SAV manages the following crime prevention programs: Video ID, Business Identification, Security Survey program, and Neighborhood Watch. The cornerstone of SAV’s crime prevention efforts is the Neighborhood Watch Program, which is run entirely by these volunteers. They actively promote the program and make presentations to neighborhood groups. Currently there are over 200 active watches in neighborhoods throughout Pima County.

Another important area within the department where the volunteers provide assistance is in the area of Emergency Response. Pima County is the seventh largest county in the United States. It encompasses over 9,200 square miles where the terrain ranges from desert to mountains. Due to the size and geographic location they are called on to respond to a variety of emergencies brought on by nature such as floods, and excessive snow. SAV has been responsible for tasks that include closing down roads and guarding downed power lines.

Will Gove

Will Gove has been involved in meeting the needs of the community for his entire life. For the past 33 years, he has spent several hours each weekend reading to the blind on a radio broadcast. He has served on the boards of 10 local nonprofit organizations, has been a teacher and a mentor for Junior Achievement for the past seven years and helped to establish the Honeywell Corporation’s National Volunteer Retiree Program—the first organized corporate volunteer program for retirees.

Most notably, at the age of 81, Gove has dedicated his third retirement to volunteering at Urban Ventures, a nonprofit community development corporation in the inner city of Minneapolis. During the past three years, Gove has been the volunteer project director for the construction of two soccer fields for youth.

Gove’s volunteer activities have always been targeted at those who are in greatest need. By reading to the blind, Gove shares news and stories with an audience who would otherwise not receive this information. The coordination of Urban Ventures’ soccer field project was based on the fact that there was previously only one field built and maintained for soccer in the entire city of Minneapolis.

Urban Ventures is located in a culturally diverse community and the one common link among the youth is their universal love for soccer. Everyone plays soccer, from Latinos to Ethiopians to Hmong. Sensing the need for inner-city youth to have a safe place to play and practice, Gove committed his time and abilities to constructing two fields. More than 400 youth have already played on these fields and when the regulation-size field is completed, more than 1,000 youth will have access to top-quality fields.

The soccer fields are built on land that was a brownfield. Gove coordinated the first-ever environmental initiative that involved the city, local utility companies, and the appropriate environmental agencies, who all contributed pro bono labor to complete environmental testing on the land. In addition, Gove secured the contribution of additional parcels of property from the Honeywell Corporation and the Hennepin County Railroad Authority, which enabled Urban Ventures to construct one regulation-size field and one practice field.

In addition to working as a volunteer for 40 hours a week, Gove has involved more than 25 other retirees from Honeywell, his former place of employment, and the cooperative where he currently lives. Retirees volunteer in the Urban Ventures Learning Lab as youth tutors and mentors and help neighborhood residents write business plans and obtain financing.

Dorothy Dulberger

Dorothy Dulberger’s contribution to Scouts with disabilities goes beyond job titles; she is the inspiration behind Troop 457, a troop of developmentally disabled Scouts who reside in Little City, a residential facility in Palatine, IL. She has served as a committee member since 1989, when she first accompanied her son who was performing volunteer service hours.

Dulberger meets with the troop every Tuesday evening and takes one week of her personal vacation each year to accompany her troop to summer camp where she generally serves as Camp Scoutmaster. She also performs the traditional duties of Camp Scout Leader, which include managing tour permits, permission forms and packing lists. Dulberger must also work with social workers and developmental specialists. Her goal is to help each scout achieve his highest potential.

Dulberger is instrumental in recruiting Scoutmasters, committee members and many Scouts from traditional troops to work with hers. She initiated a Troop Guide program that is instrumental in the success her camp program. She convinced Senior Scouts from the area to volunteer a week of their time to camp with her Scouts. Each Senior Scout is paired with a Little City Scout to assist him through camp. Since many of the Little City Scouts have problems reading, their Troop Guide assists them in learning their Merit Badge material and accompanies them to see their Merit Badge Counselors. They swim together, canoe together, shoot together, participate in camped games together and attend campfires together. It makes it possible for the Little City Scouts to have a true Scouting experience, and enables the Troop Guides to experience a challenging but rewarding experience of helping a Scout less fortunate than they are. With the assistance of volunteer Scouts, her troop works to prepare for a First Aid Meet that is held annually. Last year, her troop won first place.

Since 1982, Dulberger has been a Den Leader, Cubmaster and committee member of several troops, Pack Committee Chair Unit Commissioner, District Commissioner and District Chairman. She currently serves on the Northwest Suburban Council Religious Relationships Committee, chairs the Adopt-a-Campsite program, is a member of the Wilderness Engineers and a Region Visitation Specialist.

By serving in these many capacities, Dulberger has developed a wellspring of goodwill, respect and camaraderie that has enables her to successfully enhance the Little City Scouting program with support from other units in the District and Council.

Alternatives to Violence Project

The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) was started by Quakers at Green Haven, a maximum security prison in New York, in 1975. Now, 24 years later, AVP workshops are operating in 45 states and in 25 countries across six continents. In New York alone, more than 400 weekend workshops are conducted in the prisons, schools and communities annually.

Violence is one the most serious problems in the nation. In the United States, the homicide rate is twice that of many developed countries. Violence is at the root of some of the most intransigent societal problems including domestic violence, child abuse, gang warfare and hate crimes. AVP seeks to change people, giving them more effective ways to deal with anger.

AVP operates on the fundamental belief that there is a power for peace and good in everyone and this power has the ability to transform violence. AVP builds on a basis of respect and caring for self and others. AVP helps people to develop positive self-images. Its growth and successes come from the empowerment it builds in the people who become involved with it.

AVP is a multi-cultural movement of volunteers offering experiential workshops that empower individuals to liberate themselves and others from the burden of violence. All the facilitators conducting these workshops must be volunteers. Paid staff is kept minimal in size. The number of facilitator volunteers numbers in the thousands, making AVP a totally volunteer driven organization.

AVP has three levels of workshops: Basic, 2nd Level and Training for Facilitators. The program grows by training new leaders. Consequently, each time the full series of workshops takes place, a new seed bed for the expansion of the program has been created. Manuals have been prepared so that the program can be readily replicated in new areas.

Many of the individuals leaving the prisons have changed their lives around and are now contributing valuable services to the communities in which they live. In schools, the program has significantly reduced incidents of violence and produced a better learning environment.

Students Teaching AIDS to Youth

Students Teaching AIDS to Youth (STAY) is a peer education program made up of students ages 14-22, who teach HIV/AIDS prevention to teenagers. STAY volunteers come from varying ethnic and economic backgrounds and represent schools in high-risk, rural and affluent areas. The volunteers complete a 24-hour Red Cross HIV/AIDS course and additional training specialized for youth. STAY volunteers appear before classrooms, church groups, detention centers and clubs to teach classes that encourage participation, communication and problem-solving skills. In the classes, they emphasize self-reliance and self-esteem. Since the program’s inception, volunteers have educated more than 10,000 peers on the risks of HIV/AIDS infection.

In 1995, the American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter developed STAY in response to increased incidences of HIV/AIDS among youth. Since the program’s creation locally, the volunteers have achieved statewide and national recognition. Last year, the Oklahoma Department of Education endorsed STAY for implementation statewide and Tulsa Public Schools made STAY their HIV/AIDS education program of choice.

In June 1997, the young volunteers were invited to the Oklahoma State HIV/AIDS conference. For this meeting, STAY developed a first of its kind youth track. The volunteers were invited to present at the national Ryan White HIV/AIDS conference in 1998 and again in 1999.

STAY volunteers have developed their own set of prevention posters to use in their presentations. They constantly adjust their presentations to meet the needs of their audience, whether young or old, church or alternate school. In the fall of 1996, STAY volunteers created a poster contest to promote greater HIV/AIDS awareness among youth. Volunteers arranged for judging and a continuous traveling display of the winning posters. This year, the contest was expanded to schools statewide, with more than 350 entries.

The program has expanded far beyond its original reach. Although the training is extensive and the time commitment is substantial, the number of volunteers has risen from 10 in 1995 to more than 50 today. Existing volunteers attract new volunteers with poise and maturity developed by publicly speaking about a controversial topic. Additionally, the curriculum has been approved for Red Cross use nationally.

F.E.G.S Long Island Division Volunteer Corps

F.E.G.S. Long Island Division is a large, diversified human service organization with more than a dozen family service centers and residential services facilities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, serving people with mental illness, mental retardation and developmental disabilities as well as those in need of vocational, educational, career support and emergency services.

F.E.G.S. has been serving the people of Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties in many capacities for the past 35 years. In addition to its services to the general community, F.E.G.S. Long Island Division is the Jewish Family Service Agency for Long Island’s 300,000 Jewish families and individuals.

The Division recruits individuals who work to meet a vast array of community needs. F.E.G.S. volunteers, which number more than 100, come from a variety of walks of life, from high school students seeking their first community service experience to retired senior citizens seeking to share their wisdom and energy with those in need.

Among the many programs where volunteers provide their services are the Breast Cancer Helping Hand Program where volunteers act as companions for a client with breast cancer, the Buddy Program where volunteers help an HIV/AIDS client with daily tasks, the Coach/Mentor Program where business volunteers help expose high school upperclassmen to the career world, the Teach Computer Skills program where volunteers teach basic technology skills to those in transient situations, the Companion Program where volunteers visit a client with disabilities in their home to provide friendship, the Help in Residential Program where volunteers socialize and run programs in residential home for the developmentally disabled and the Tutoring Program where volunteers tutor clients to help them pass G.E.D or prepare for entrance exams.

Volunteers commit to a minimum of three hours per week in one of F.E.G.S mental health centers and also assemble and deliver packages of food and gifts to low-income families throughout the holiday season. In addition, F.E.G.S. runs an Adopt-A-Family program to assist an individual or family that is experiencing financial difficulties by providing food, clothing and other basic necessities.

Through these and many more programs, the F.E.G.S. Long Island Division Volunteer Corps serve more than 5,000 individuals annually.

Additionally, F.E.G.S. Long Island Division mobilizes volunteers from the ranks of those in the programs. People in recovery from mental illness drive hundreds of miles to collect donated clothing and deliver items to families living in poverty. People in the HIV/AIDS Counseling program, who are experiencing periods of good health, are there to help others who are not as healthy, with errands, shopping and general emotional support. And, women in the Domestic Violence Program, who have left their abusive relationships and reestablished their self-sufficiency, help other women who are still experiencing the crisis of partner abuse.

The Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc., which is a beneficiary of F.E.G.S. volunteers, provides free legal services to low-income persons who are facing serious problems which include eviction, public benefits problems and disability issues. Jeffrey Seigel, Acting Executive Director, said about F.E.G.S. volunteers, “At a time of drastic funding losses and an even greater need for legal information among our low income neighbors, the volunteers that were recruited by F.E.G.S. have been among the most devoted, reliable and invaluable volunteers we have ever had in this agency.”

Lujack’s Northpark Auto Plaza

Lujack’s Northpark Auto Plaza has been extraordinary in its contributions to volunteer service in the Quad Cities area of Iowa. Several organizations in the area have been helped by Lujack’s strong sense of altruism.

A commitment to volunteerism is part of the culture that Pete Pohlmann, President of Lujack’s, has developed at the Auto Plaza. Although it is wonderful to be able to write a check, equally important is the gift of time and all members of the Lujack team are encouraged to be active participants in dozens of local philanthropic organizations.

In 1986, Pohlmann had a vision to harness the energy and enthusiasm of the area’s high school students to raise food for the less fortunate members of the community. This vision resulted in the Student Hunger Drive. Area high schools competed with each other to see who could raise the most pounds of food per student and all donations went to the River Bend Foodbank. In addition, Lujack members held their own Hunger Drive and added thousands of pounds of food to the total. The first year, the drive raised 29,000 pounds of food. Each year, it grew until it became too large of a project to be handled within the dealership. The Student Hunger Drive is now a separate community organization. Lujack’s continues to be a major sponsor and Lujack’s team members continue to hold their own Hunger Drive. This year, 722,222 pounds of food were raised with a value greater than $1,400,000.

Lujack’s and its team members are also big supporters of many other organizations in the community, such as the United Way, Junior Achievement, Partners in Education, and the Make A Wish Foundation. Lujack team members voluntarily contribute a portion of each paycheck to Make A Wish in order to fulfill the wish of a critically ill child.

Saturn of the Quad Cities, a division of Lujack’s, built a playground at the Family Museum of Arts and Science in Bettendorf. Lujack’s took a portion of each new Saturn sold to build a $35,000 Kingdom for Kids. Saturn team members and owners donated more than 400 volunteer labor hours for the building project.

For the past three years, Lujack’s has hosted a Sale-A-Thon for MDA. In addition to being a remote location for the annual Labor Day telethon, Lujack’s agreed to contribute $50 for every vehicle sold in the week proceeding Labor Day. To date the Sale-A-Thon has raised over $25,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Patrick Morris

Patrick Morris’ first significant volunteer experience since moving to Miami, FL was at the June 1991 Jimmy Carter Habitat for Humanity Project in Liberty City, Miami. While volunteering during the community-wide event, Morris was grazed in the head by a drive-by shooter. Morris returned to the project bandaged and continued to volunteer. His upbeat and mature response to the shooting focused the media on the positive work being done by the more than 400 volunteers on the project.

Since that project, Morris has gone on to volunteer for many organizations and even helped establish one. He volunteered as a wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with terminal illnesses. He served as President from 1992-1996, during which Make-A-Wish grew from granting 120 wishes a year to granting almost 400 terminally ill children’s wishes a year in South Florida. He spends many hours speaking on behalf of Make-A-Wish and raising money to continue its special work. He was elected again in October 1999 to serve on the National Board of Directors to a second three-year term, but continues to grant wishes to kids in the community.

In 1993, Morris was instrumental in founding an organization called Hands On Miami (HOM), which provides flexible volunteer opportunities to mobilize busy individuals. HOM has grown under his leadership and commitment as Board President to encompass more than 3,000 volunteers throughout Miami-Dade County. A monthly calendar lists more than 50 projects ranging from children’s reading programs, senior programs at nursing homes, environmental issues, homelessness and many other direct service projects. The projects, scheduled after-hours and on weekends, fit the hectic lifestyle of busy individuals who want to make a difference in the community, but on their own limited time.

HOM has expanded the program services to include a Business Partners Program and Corporate Volunteer Council, as well as a Family Volunteer Program. Morris was instrumental in negotiating an innovative partnership between HOM and the United Way of Miami-Dade County to enhance individual and corporate involvement in identifying and meeting community needs through volunteerism. Morris continues to be a volunteer for the organization and often spends week nights and weekends on volunteer projects.

Morris also continues to give his time to several Miami area organizations: he serves as chair of Mayor Alex Penelas’ Marketing Council; serves on the boards of Kids Voting Dade County and Partners in Education Broward County; and serves on the State Board of Leadership of Florida.

“Pat has made an impact on our community through action and service that has all been on a volunteer basis,” remarked Honorable Steven Leifman, County Court Judge, State of Florida. “He has shown a love for our multi-cultural community and worked hard in every endeavor to make it a better place to live. Our community is a richer, better place to live because of his tireless efforts and dedication to involving people in solving the needs of our community.”

Morris, who lives on Miami Beach with his wife Stacy, serves as Director of Community Relations for HIP Health Plan of Florida.

Nancy Spivey

The 150 volunteers at Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT) are responsible for turning on the light for many adults in the Dallas Metroplex. LIFT volunteers like Nancy Spivey, who has been working with adult learners for the past six years, know one cannot learn to read overnight. Behind LIFT classroom walls, students manipulate the letters of the alphabet, sometimes for the first time, into a sequence of 26. From this sequence, they begin to form the 44 sounds that make up the English language. Soon sounds form words and words become phrases. Spivey, one of LIFT’s most dedicated volunteers said, “Some days, the steps to success are extremely small ones, but they are still important. Every student has a different learning style. You have to search to find the key for each student.”

Nancy Spivey is currently teaching a new literacy class on four days a week for three hours. This new accelerated class will be completed in one year. All LIFT basic literacy volunteers teach a multi-sensory, phonics-based curriculum developed by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. Many adults entering the LIFT program have learning differences by working with a multi-sensory curriculum, all the learner’s senses are applied to the learning process and students are able to grasp the concepts of learning to read and write.

Volunteers, like Spivey, not only teach basic reading and writing in the classrooms, they strive to teach necessary life skills that students can apply on the job and take home to children, neighbors and spouses. With the help of volunteers, LIFT students learn to read a billing statement and to balance their checkbooks. They learn geography, dictionary skills and parenting skills. Spivey, who has been actively teaching at LIFT for the past seven years, volunteers as a Board member for LIFT and is valued as an active participant on the Program Committee. She was named 1999 LIFT Volunteer of the Year, and was honored at the Annual Meeting for her outstanding dedication to the students at LIFT.

Spivey also develops and designs the curriculum that accommodates LIFT’s students with dyslexia and learning differences. She also serves as a mentor and trainer for the new volunteers at LIFT, bringing her volunteer hours to at least 20 per week.

Spivey, slightly dyslexic herself, has faced challenges head-on and is determined to keep teaching until her students graduate from the program.

Oakland Asian Students Educational Services

The Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES) was formed in 1983 by University of California at Berkley volunteers concerned by the growing needs of youth enrolled in the Oakland Unified School District. In 1991, OASES established itself as an Oakland-based 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization to better serve the community.

To address the needs of low-income immigrant youth, OASES created after-school, weekend and summer programs to develop a student’s academic, personal and social skills at no cost. OASES offers programs to all youth regardless of race, economic or religious background.

Programs include the General Tutorial Program which provides individualized academic assistance and mentoring to 2nd and 12th grade students, the ESL Assistance Program which provides intensive instruction in reading, writing and speech skills to Limited English Proficient high school students, Activity Workshops which introduce students to various topics in the field of arts, sciences, health and safety and nature conservation, the Kids Into Computers Program which teaches students creative writing and basic computer skills, the Inspire Mentorship Program which matches at-risk high school students with college peers that can inspire them to pursue higher education, the Service-Learning Program which introduces concepts in community service, nature conservation and leadership in a set curriculum to prepare young people to be well-rounded citizens who contribute to their community, and finally, the Asian Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership Project which allows emerging youth leaders in the 7th through 12th grade to acquire community organizing and advocacy skills.

In the past year, with the help of more than 400 dedicated volunteers, the group was able to help 307 students, with each child typically receiving 120 service hours per year.