MAGGIE WRIGHT

In September of 1994, Maggie Wright walked through the doors of Newark Do Something for the first time to hand in her application for the organization’s leadership course. She was friendly and articulate, but had no idea at the time that it was the first of many actions she would take to make her city a better place to live.

In December 1994, Wright finished the course and went back to her neighborhood and church in Newark’s West Ward and continued the work she had been doing for decades – organizing block watches, neighborhood parties, service projects, and any event that would bring the community together. She would come to events that Newark Do Something would organize, recommend dozens of people to take the leadership course, and always mobilize volunteers whenever asked, sometimes overnight.

In the spring of 1997, Wright started spending more time at the Do Something house. Although she was in her sixties and raising and eight-year-old boy, the last of many she brought into her home, she found more than 20 hours each week to help the organization carry out its mission of training, funding and mobilizing the city’s young leaders. She answered phones and stuffed envelopes, of course, but made it clear that those duties were not where her talents ended. In the beginning of the summer, she took the lead on what would be the organization’s largest project to date, and helped them bring together more than 600 neighborhood leaders from around the city in Newark’s follow-up to the President’s Summit. She handled logistics, outreach, volunteer recruitment, and cooking for the entire group. Her success in organizing the Newark Summit paved the way for much new collaboration that exist in the city today.

Today, Wright and her son reside in the Do Something house. She agreed, at the end of that summer, that in exchange for the two bedrooms, she would work fifteen hours a week as the office manager. But, she has yet to work less than 40 hours a week. She recruits volunteers to run the office, conducts outreach and recruitment to young people for our Leadership Course and Small Grants program, takes the lead on organizing special events, and most importantly, holds as her top priority the responsibility of ensuring that the Do Something house is a welcoming and safe place for the young leader who are working the make the city a better place.

Maggie Wright recognized long before Do Something began that young people are an untapped resource who have the power and energies to be leaders and make the city better; she now dedicates her days and evenings to ensuring that they have the opportunity to do just that.

DIANNE WOOLDRIDGE

Since Summer 1994, Dianne Wooldridge has worked tirelessly to insure that a special group of 150+ children who attend the Zaragoza Superkids program at Zaragoza Elementary School have the opportunity to attend Camp We Can, a summer camping experience.

The children who attend the Zaragoza Elementary School and the Zaragoza Superkids After School program live in a community that is ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged and has the highest population of homeless children in the Dallas Independent School District.

Wooldridge’s Senior Girl Scout troop founded Camp We Can as the community service part of earning their Girl Scout Gold Award (the highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting) in 1994. Wooldridge so enjoyed seeking how Camp We Can made an impact on the children that she has stayed with Camp We Can as the volunteer director ever since.

Wooldridge’s commitment begins in early spring, organizing the team of nearly 30 Camp We Can volunteers and planning activities and events. Camp We Can includes three five-day sessions for campers, and 1998 brought in the program’s first weeklong program for older children. The children from the Zaragoza Superkids program are served during the first two sessions of camp. During the third session, children from a number of area shelters attend the camp. Following the camp sessions, Wooldridge conducts a thorough evaluation to prepare for the next year. It is estimated that she spends no less than 200 hours a year working to create a fun, educational experience for Camp We Can participants.

As the director, Wooldridge is involved in all camp activities: lifeguarding, directing activities, creating programs, supervising other volunteers, clean up activities and many other things that make the Camp We Can program run smoothly. Through all that is on her list each day during camp, she always makes time to talk to the children attending the camp. Since its inception, the program has benefited more than 800 children, providing them with the opportunity to leave their environment, at least temporarily, and enjoy a camp experience, like any other youngster.

CONNECTIKIDS, INC. AND AETNA INC.

Each Tuesday for the past 25 years, sixth grade Hartford Public School Students who participate in Hartford’s ConnectiKids come to Aetna Inc. headquarters for about one and one half-hours to be tutored by Aetna employees. ConnectiKids addresses one of the most critical components that face many Hartford children—not enough caring and concerned adults in their lives.

The program’s mission is to work with school, family and community in motivating the students to develop a positive attitude towards education and their personal worth, by helping them to turn away from drugs and crime and towards a more hopeful and productive future.

ConnectiKids, established in 1978, has five components that make it successful. First, the program brings together neighborhood people, facilities and resources for the benefit of the children, ConnectiKids is a leader in bringing together Hartford businesses, state agencies, churches, nonprofit organizations and residents for the benefit of city children. Second, the program works in partnership with the public schools and the parents. Program representatives maintain daily communication with parents and teachers regarding each child’s academic, social and developmental progress. Third, the commitment of the volunteers is critical to success. More than 500 trained individuals make up a diverse volunteer force, including 30 from Aetna. Fourth, the volunteers serving as caring adults in the lives of children is invaluable.

Lastly, the program offers safety and security. City streets, parks and other outdoor areas have become dangerous places for children, often forcing them indoors with little activity other than television viewing. This program offers a safe, clean, supervised and well-equipped environment in which to spend after-school time.

The program relies on the tutors, to show kids why education is important and that there are many people out there who care and are willing to listen to and support them. Weekly lesson plans, provided in conjunction with the curriculum of the local schools, are easy to use and execute. Topics range from reading to math, with an emphasis on problem solving. These lessons are created in conjunction with current objectives and direction set by the leaders of Hartford’s school system. Recent initiatives have focused on improving reading skills, with the philosophy that good reading skills directly impact learning in all areas of life. Through the efforts of the First Book Award, Hartford, ConnectiKids has received approximately 7,500 books for distribution to students throughout the 1999-2000 school year.

In addition to the weekly tutoring sessions held at facilities throughout Hartford, including Aetna, each student attends ConnectiKids’ After-School enrichment program operating five days a week. ConectiKids also holds a five-week, full-day Summer Program throughout Hartford and surrounding communities.

Aetna’s tutoring program is sponsored by the Aetna Volunteer Council, which provides bus transportation and snacks for the students, supplies, and celebrations such as holiday and year-end graduation parties. Many students still reference their experiences at Aetna. A leading private sector sponsor of the program, Aetna has provided approximately 25 employee volunteers to the program each year for the last 15 years.

ADDIE BOLTON

Addie Bolton is passing on a legacy of service to the young people of Winnsboro, remembering how others came to her aid. Her mission is to instill a desire to excel in the at-risk youth of Franklin Parish. So began Project Excellence, her effort to give underprivileged children in Franklin Parish a safe and healthy place to grow and learn. From literally adopting two children, to mentoring thousands of children, Bolton has dedicated her life to children.

At the core of Project Excellence is responsibility – to oneself, to each other, to the community. Since its inception in 1985, Bolton has devoted 14 years of volunteer service to Project Excellence, an organization that helps youth help themselves by encouraging them to strive for excellence in all areas and teaching academic and job readiness skills. This special community-based program offers after-school and summer tutorial sessions to help youth overcome barriers to academic success.

The success of Project Excellence led Bolton to apply for a Head Start grant, and she now serves as Executive Director of Franklin Parish’s only Head Start program, United Ministerial Alliance Head Start Program, now in its ninth year and serving 115 three to five-year-old preschool children and their families. The comprehensive childcare program “promotes not only the children, but their parents and other family members as well,” according to Bolton.

A $500,000 grant from the State Department of Social Services, secured by Bolton, sponsors a three-year Summer Childcare Assistance Program for students aged 3-12 whose parents work, attend school, or are in training for a job. Certified teachers and other professionals teach the children academics in all subject areas. The Honor Rolls of parish schools reflect this intervention when every six-week grading period shows 100 or more children on the Honor Roll, many of whom have achieved this recognition only after attending the two-month program, which serves more than 400 children every summer.

Bolton’s lifetime of service to Louisiana children has had a meaningful impact throughout the state. She has provided more than 40 jobs to people whose children attend the United Ministerial Alliance Head Start Program. Bolton coordinated a Stay-in-School Challenge Grant that has prevented more than 25 of 50 students, at-risk for dropping out because of individual multiple failures, from dropping out of school. She also led the effort to rid the Head Start Center area of the negative influence of “Big Beck’s Watering Hole,” a local nightclub of ill repute that wreaked havoc among Head Start families. The old nightclub was subsequently transformed into the UMA Parenting Center, which provides space for Head Start and other UMA initiatives including the summer childcare program.

Retired from a 33-year career as a teacher, reading specialist and elementary principal, Bolton lives her belief that “there is power in one.” Her faith plays a large role in her work for others. For Addie Bolton, her rewards come from planting the seeds of giving in children.

THERESA BARTLEY

Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) is the only agency within the state of Alaska solely dedicated to addressing the issues of sexual assault. One of the ways they serve is with a 24-hour statewide crisis line. While staff answers the crisis line during regular business hours, volunteers answer it in the evenings, and on weekends and holidays (6,000 hours per year). One such volunteer is Theresa Bartley. Bartley went through STAR’s 45-hour training in the fall of 1994 and, upon completion, began taking shifts on the crisis line. She is still taking regular shifts 5 ½ years later. Last year, alone, she spent nearly 300 hours on the crisis line.

Bartley is a 20-year employee of American Express One. In 1995 and again this year, she was given a unique opportunity. American Express offers its long-time employees a choice of sabbatical options as a reward for their service: either a three-month paid community-involvement sabbatical or a three-month unpaid personal leave sabbatical. Bartley became the first Alaskan in her company to opt for the community-service sabbatical option. She was recognized by the Nineteenth Alaska Legislature for her outstanding volunteer service.

During her 1995 sabbatical Bartley did community presentations, fundraising projects, and general office work. She also developed and implemented a Court Observer program by creating a manual in conjunction with courthouse personnel and organizing volunteers to be available to support victims as their cases went through the criminal justice process. This program helped give STAR a better understanding of the court system, promoted STAR’s visibility and, most importantly reinforced to victims that they did not have to go through the trauma of the legal process alone. During her current sabbatical, Bartley is serving as the assistant to the Volunteer Coordinator.

Three years ago, STAR received a grant to go to seven rural Alaska sites to train local agencies to comprehensively respond to victims of sexual assault in their communities. STAR staff served as site coordinators for the Rural Sexual Assault Training. When there were 2 empty slots, a STAR intern was offered one of those slots and Bartley the other. Bartley took the opportunity for a unique 2½-day training where she helped with logistics.

Theresa Bartley continues to be a valuable asset to STAR. She continues to take crisis line shifts (she is particularly appreciated for her willingness to take extra shifts, as well as short-notice shifts), participate in fundraising events and assist during the training of new crisis line volunteers. “The dedication and commitment she has shown to STAR and to victims of sexual assault can be a lesson to all of us who work or volunteer in service of others – it is tireless and always done with an enthusiastic smile,” remarked Debbie LaFleiche, Volunteer Coordinator, STAR.

STEVEN STARCHER

For the past three years the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have had a cooperative arrangement with the students and staff of Central High School, West Campus, Fresno California. Volunteer groups from the school have done restoration work in Sequoia National Park, in one of the world’s premier sequoia groves. Their efforts contribute to a project, which has been one of the highest priorities in the National Park service – restoring portions of a grove formerly occupied by visitor accommodations that stood for decades.

Yet, planting sequoias is only half the story. The student volunteers brought by Steve Starcher and his staff are a combination of students of forestry and agriculture, gaining in the field the practical experience of what they learned in the classroom; and Pathways, a special education program led by Starcher, which aims to socialize emotionally disturbed kids, some of whom have been abused, were born as drug babies, or have come from broken homes. This program could very well be considered the last stand for these kids before they enter society and an uncertain future.

These groups of 15-20 students, alongside adult staff, have contributed to the restoration of 2.3 acres of the Giant Forest grove, planting 1000 plantings, including sequoias, potting more than 7,500 tree seedlings for future restoration planting, and propagating 2,100 shrub cuttings (including experimenting with hard to propagate species) for both Giant Forest restoration and re-vegetation along Park highway reconstruction.

The Pathways kids interact with mainstream kids in the wholly different environment of field and camping trips, and on-campus projects. This volunteer experience provides the vehicle for what Starcher excitedly calls “breakthroughs” – whether it is speaking comfortably in a small group for the first time or integrating the trust that allows them to stop aberrant behaviors, for example.

After planting, the sequoia trees must be tended to with care that nurtures them through the harsh experiences of planting and the first few years. Gradually, they are weaned off the water and other care until they can stand on their own and grow. Similarly, Starcher and his coworkers put Pathway kids in continually more challenging social situations, tending to them with guidance and support that nurtures them through the sometimes harsh experiences and difficulty of high school life. Gradually, the students are weaned off the Pathways program until they can stand on their own and face life with skills necessary for both socialization and occupation.

The traits that stand out about Steve Starcher are his almost inexhaustible energy, an indomitable spirit, and his own level of preparedness in helping these Pathways students under extremely emotional and even aggressive circumstances. These students trust him. He provides nurturing that many have previously not experienced. It is because of Steve Starcher that these students grow to become capable to integrate back into the mainstream of high school. Most importantly, these students are provided a chance at success.

MICHAEL LASSERE

A number of years ago, a need was perceived in the Alleghany Highlands, a rural mountainous region of Virginia, that a great number of people were not receiving adequate medical attention. The region, home to a large low-income population with out means of primary medical care, is designated as medically underserved.

Dr. Lassere, a local gynecologist, led the medical community of the Alleghany Highlands to start a free clinic in that area. This was a big task because not only did he have to convince the physicians and this hospital that this was necessary, but he had to convince the business community that it was worthy of support. He and the other supporters then had to go to an independent-minded, but needy, community and sell the notion that the free clinic was not a handout.

Dr. Lassere researched models for delivering healthcare to the medically indigent, volunteering his time in a neighboring county and traveling to Roanoke, VA to become familiar with a successful free clinic. In early 1998, with the advent of potential funding through a local charitable foundation, Dr. Lassere seized the opportunity to make a free clinic a reality for the Alleghany Highlands.

With his vision and leadership the Free Clinic opened its doors in October 1998 with the pledged support of every local physician and the two hospitals serving the area. From the earliest stages of organization, and throughout the first 18 months of the clinic’s operations, Dr. Lassere has given countless hours of service and support. He has assisted with the development of an administrative infrastructure and overseen the majority of the clinic’s 150 lay and clinical volunteers, delivered care at the clinic, and coordinated all of the follow-up care. At present, there more than 300 patients are treated at the clinic for conditions ranging from sinus infections to chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as life-threatening conditions for which surgeries were done. Six of these patients have been diagnosed with cancer and are currently receiving treatment arranged by the Free Clinic. These cancers, if left undetected and untreated, are known to be fatal.

Dr. Lassere has empowered the community with a cost effective and compassionate system for providing health care to those that can not afford it. He has provided untold hours of volunteer service to help the region develop its own response to providing health care for those in need.

BRITE LITES OF NEW HORIZONS

Established in 1985, the Brite Lites Theater Co. (Brite Lites) is a musical dance troupe and training program composed of 20 adults with developmental disabilities at New Horizons. Over 35 clients have been part of the troupe since the inception of the company. Members are committed to two hours of stringent rehearsal each week and take part in over 20 performances in companies, schools, nonprofit organizations and associations each year.

Like many individuals in this population all members have mental retardation. Through the Theatre Arts training program they have learned musical choreography and dances to perform as professionals. Their repertoire includes Rock-n-Roll, Country Western, Broadway Musicals, Holiday Musical Shows.

There are three primary objectives of Brite Lites. First, it serves as an outlet for artistic and creative expression for individuals with developmental disabilities. Second, it is an educational and therapeutic program for clients to learn skills essential for community integration. The scope of learning through the rehearsals and performances goes beyond music, dance steps and drama. It encompasses teamwork, self-confidence, self-presentation and perseverance. Third, Brite Lites shows are not only entertaining but are also educational. They are meant to help the general public gain greater appreciation of the capabilities of people with development disabilities and help break down fears and prejudice against individuals in this population.

Brite Lites troupe members are very well adjusted in their work, home, and recreational environmental. They are assertive, motivated, confident and helpful. Brite Lites’ acceptance by the public has been most encouraging. In the last decade, the troupe has made more than 200 performances in companies, schools, associations, hospitals, convalescent centers, clubs and community special events. Members of the troupe have appeared on TV and films. Since 1997, the troupe has annually helped the L.A. City Fire Department kick off their holiday toy drive, an event covered by local TV news.

Responses from the general public to each Brite Lites show have always been positive. The impression left on children has been particularly gratifying, reports one staff member. In more than one occasion, elementary school students have come up to the Director of Brite Liters and asked if they could come volunteer to assist individuals with development disabilities.

The program is not funded by any government sources and is subsidized by the agency at a cost of $8,000 per year. The director and founder of the program, a registered recreation therapist, devotes 10 hours per week to the program. The involvement of more than 20 volunteers have made it possible for the troupe to make 15 to 20 performances per year.

AMANDA JO MOOREN

Amanda has been involved with community service since the age of 12. She began her service as a summer volunteer for two years at Parkview Haven Nursing Home, assisting the Activity and Social Service Director. During the time, she provided one-on-one visits to the elderly, created 15 booklets for visual stimulation, formulated and directed the summer Adopt-A-Grandparent Program.

Because Amanda has a special place in her heart for children, she has become involved with the Ashby family Homeless Shelter of Salina. She has created projects that have provided 32 teddy bears, 21 packages of children’s diapers and more than 126 winter coats to the shelter. Because of the shelter’s need, Amanda founded and directed the Famous Friends Auction in 1999.

She proposed the idea to the Director and arranged for a place to hold the auction. She wrote more than 900 letters to celebrities and businesses requesting their assistance. She promoted the auction through radio and local newspapers, handed out posters, sent personal invitations and maintained an updated Web site. Her goals were to provide needed funding for the Ashby House, to increase the knowledge of the mission of the Ashby House to the general public and to accent the good things teenagers are doing.

The event generated more than $5,000 for “The Bridge to the Future” campaign. This campaign was established to purchase and renovate an apartment house that would provide living accommodations up to 3 months for homeless families.

She is currently planning for next year’s auction.

HEIDI FIGEL

Heidi Figel has been involved with the Community Service-Learning Institute since September of 1998, when she joined the Institute’s AmeriCorps program. During her time at the Institute, she quickly made the transition from volunteer participant to project leader. She has organized and led numerous service projects in and around the community, as well as in other parts of the United States. These projects invariably focus on underserved communities, usually in socially and economically depressed areas.

There are several ongoing projects that Heidi organizes and leads. Children’s Saturday is a program she organized in conjunction with St. Joseph’s foster home in Pittsburgh, PA. This is the second academic year that she has led this project, which involves taking 10-15 Slippery Rock University student volunteers to the foster home. While they are there, Heidi and the other volunteers play with the (on average) six children who reside at the foster home, and they also spend time helping to renovate and restore the facility.

Heidi generally holds the Children’s Saturday once a month during the academic year. She also does a similar activity in New Castle, Pennsylvania, with Lawrence County Family Center. Children’s Saturday in New Castle happens about twice each semester, and volunteers spend the entire day playing with the 20 children from underserved and economically needy communities. Children’s Saturday is a very popular volunteer activity and Heidi often cannot take all of the students who want to volunteer – the sign up sheets are filled a long time in advance, and many students repeat this volunteer experience.

Braddock Mini-Care Breaks are another ongoing project for which Heidi has taken responsibility. These occur semi-annually (once each academic semester), and take Slippery Rock University student volunteers to different communities in the Braddock and North Braddock areas for a weekend-long service project. These communities are extremely economically depressed. To coordinate the projects, Heidi works with local human service agencies on various community improvement projects. Some of the Braddock Mini-Care Breaks have worked with the Braddock Carnegie Library and Community Center, where volunteers have done such things as book cataloging, reading to children, building shelves, building restoration, shoveling snow and painting. Other Mini-Care Breaks have teamed up with the North Braddock Fire Department to put up smoke detectors in resident homes.

Additionally, Heidi is the Site Leader for the Institute’s Care Break 2000, occurring during the University’s spring break. For the second year in a row, Heidi will lead a group of college students to Florida City, Florida, where they will partner with the AmeriCorps program, Centrol Campesino, to do community development and tutor in an after-school literacy program.