FAITH, INC.
Faith, Inc. is an organization that is dedicated to helping the poor, especially the poor who are willing to work. The mission of Faith, Inc. states: “people helping people help themselves.” Faith serves women and men of all races, ex-offenders, homeless persons, and those on welfare, by providing jobs, job disciplines, and work skills training opportunities that will lead to their economic independence.
The Faith, Inc. operation began in June 1991, under the direction of Co-Founder and President, Verne Barry. Once homeless and unemployed himself, Barry used entrepreneurial experience from former jobs and his understanding of what it means to be homeless and poor to build Faith, Inc. into a thriving institution. To date, the organization has helped more than 2,000 people move along the path to economic independence.
Faith, Inc, a charitable, non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status, is striving to become financially self-sufficient. Revenue generated from manufacturing contracts pays the organization’s labor costs and direct overhead. To date, Faith has relied exclusively on support from the community and has not received any government funding. The generosity of individuals and private foundations has allowed Faith to pursue its established goals thus far.
To be a successful community, people need jobs, but for some people there are barriers such as alcoholism, substance abuse, and emotional problems that must first be addressed. Faith/Works is a job training employment program that operates under Faith, Inc., and provides a transitional, sheltered training/employment opportunity that “discouraged” workers often need to prepare for entering the competitive job market. The program provides basic skills necessary for survival in the job market, such as being on time, understanding and following instructions, and being competitively productive. Chronically unemployed persons are rehabilitated through this program by receiving initial job placement, training, and skill upgrades at Faith employment sites. Program participants progress from this level to halfway employment status, before finally securing employment independent of Faith, Inc.
The quantitative measurements of success for Faith, Inc. include the number of clients served, moved to “real world” employment, and moved into permanent housing, reduction in the cost per client served, and improved client self-confidence and self-image. However, the real success story behind Faith lies in personal power, power to transform lives. Within this acquisition of personal power, there are stories of once sleeping in the street or shelter to now moving into an apartment of one’s own, being reunited with family and helping financially and physically support one’s children, losing self-loathing and finding self-respect. At Faith, people that for whom having a job seemed impossible just a short time ago are now making choices, accepting responsibility for their choices and enjoying the pleasure that comes from making a good choice.
22ND SUPPLY SQUADRON
For the last two years, under the leadership of TSgt. Danny Sholar, Leicle Bostic Traditional Elementary Magnet School of Wichita, Kansas has partnered with the 22nd Supply Squadron of McConnell Air Force Base. Together, the team has pioneered a tutoring program for Bostic students, a program not previously in existence in Wichita.
Men and women of the 22nd Supply Squadron come to Bostic Elementary School nearly every day of the week. They are given time off-base by their commander to tutor in Reading and Math. As a result of the time spent with McConnell tutors, teachers have seen measurable improvements in these curricular areas; they have also seen an increase in the self-esteem of the students with whom they work.
Within the school community, and to the community at-large, the service men and women demonstrate a strong responsibility to the school, to their careers, and to the country. They are outstanding role models for all of the students, and project a very positive image of military personnel, one that is not readily available to many children. This partnership is a solid example of a beneficial school-community relationship.
The particular innovation found within this partnership allows for the perceptions of both parties to improve and friendships to develop in ways not generally accessible to either the military personnel or the students. Due to McConnell’s involvement with the military actions in the Middle East (the Base has been put on Alert Status several times) the students, especially upper-grade students, have a new understanding of the purpose of the United States Armed Forces. They realize that these tutors, our friends, are willing to defend our freedom worldwide. The students also understand the potential risks of their occupation.
Reciprocally, McConnell tutors notice how hard the students are willing to work by choosing to be a part of the Bostic program. They have a respect for the students because of the value they place on their own education. This mutual respect is very visible at school. The Airmen and Airwomen are frequently guests at classroom parties, on field trips, and at special events such as Field Day and 5th Grade D.A.R.E. and graduation ceremonies. The partnership shows to the community two public agencies working closely together for the greater good of the children.
The tutoring program has also opened the door for others in the Squadron to volunteer. It has demonstrated the viability of such a program and has prepared the way for other Squadrons and similar partnerships.
JANET WILSON
The Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley is a private, non-profit human service that provides programs and services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Janet Wilson has been involved with the Women’s Resource Center since 1990.
Her initial involvement with the organization began with an unpaid college internship. Once her internship was complete, Wilson was employed as the Community Resources Specialist under a short-term grant. Although it is rare for former staff members to return to the status of volunteer, Wilson continued to volunteer with the program for a total of 874 hours. She had been trained as a WRC Crisis Intervention Volunteer and has now reached Advanced Volunteer status.
The Women’s Resource Center provides emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault for more than 100 families every year. There are more than 3,000 phone calls per year received on the 24-hour hotline. The organization relies on the support of many university students to answer the hotline and provide support at the shelter. As a community resident, Wilson has made it a point to help when the Center is in the greatest need – when the other student volunteers are off on breaks. She fits volunteering in despite many professional and family commitments. Wilson is one of the rare volunteers who will come out in inclement weather (such as ice storms) to cover the hotline. It is not unusual for her to work six- or seven-hour shifts on her days off from work.
Wilson has taken her own personal life experiences and applied them to her volunteer work. As a single parent of two children (one with cerebral palsy), Wilson learned quickly to be an advocate for her family. She goes the “extra mile” to support clients and empowers them to speak up for themselves.
Wilson has been a Women’s Resource Center volunteer since 1990, logging more than 874 hours. She continues to look for ways to increase her involvement such as through the Volunteer Mentor program. In addition to being a Crisis Intervention Volunteer, Wilson is an ambassador for the Women’s Resource Center. Recently, Wilson accepted a new volunteer position of Volunteer Mentor Program Coordinator. She will facilitate the program, which is designed to foster relationships among volunteers and to provide peer support for them in their work.
Through her professional life as a Head Start teacher, she often refers people to the Center to receive services, makes referrals to other professionals, and speaks well of the Center’s services in the community. Throughout her years of service at the Women’s Resource Center, Janet Wilson has remained constantly dedicated to the mission of the agency – ending violence against women.
STEVE DUVALL
Steve Duvall is an example of how a person with a severe disability can lead a self-sufficient, and fulfilling life, while being an enthusiastic community volunteer. Since 1989, Duvall served on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Action Program (LAP), a community action agency whose mission is to help low-income citizens gain economic self-sufficiency. As board president, Duvall’s leadership helped achieve the shared vision for delivering comprehensive services, to address the current fragmented system where clients had to go to several agencies to get their needs met.
Several examples of Duvall’s direct involvement with LAP include helping with grant-writing, fund-raising and partnering efforts, to increase LAP’s $370,000 yearly budget to $7.2 million per year. He developed a “Family Intervention” guide for use by case managers and clients to formulate a comprehensive plan for services to 1) stabilize households, 2) assess families’ needs, 3) develop actions plants 4) take steps towards self-sufficiency, and 5) recognize client achievements. This program was adopted by the Gallup organization to be used nationwide. Duvall also presented “Phoenix Awards,” along with Nebraska’s Governor to 35 people who are successful in making substantial progress toward self-sufficiency at the Annual LAP Recognition Dinner.
Since 1994, Duvall has been an active board member of the Lincoln Medical Education Foundation (LMEF), non-profit heath care organization where he helped to develop an innovative family clinic where 30 family practice residents are assigned to spend time in special needs households. This experience helped physicians develop an in-depth understanding of how medical conditions or injuries may be linked to deeper social factors. He also assisted with the development of New Height Community Program, a unique transitional housing program where land adjacent to the clinic was developed into 28 low-income housing units. Clients in the program receive health and childcare services, and skills training, allowing them to achieve self-sufficiency in two to three years. Duvall is working to expand this comprehensive program tenfold during the next two years.
For the past ten years, Duvall has mentored youth. Currently, he meets regularly with two youth from low-income backgrounds, who are at risk of dropping out of school, as part of Dr. Tom Osborne’s TeamMates of Nebraska Program. Both youth have a history of behavior problems, low grades and poor self esteem. Through Duvall’s caring support, the youth have improved their grades and are learning how to more positively interact with others.
In the early 1990’s, Duvall helped the League of Human Dignity (a non-profit organization for the disabled) start a for-profit business that modifies vans and equipment for disabled individuals, using its profits to subsidize the agency’s efforts for people to be independent. He constructed 140 accessible housing units for the League to address the lack of accessible housing in Lincoln, and helped the City make their properties and public transportation accessible.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
The Assistive Technology Program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell was founded by Professor D. Clark more than 10 years ago, in order to help those in the community with disabilities. A unique aspect of this program is that undergraduate students develop equipment to improve the quality of life of disabled individuals. Each student or team of students works with a “client” to develop hardware and software that is tailored to their needs.
An example of the students’ work is the development of several voice-activated devices for Sam Afro, a quadriplegic living in Lowell, to permit him to operate his front door, computer, TV, air conditioner, heating and lights. In many cases, development of this kind of customized technology is extremely beneficial to others with similar handicaps.
The Assistive Technology Program already has helped more than 200 individuals during the last 10 years and the faculty, staff and students involved have established strong ties to many area hospitals and care-providers. More than 60 students have carried out assistive technology projects, in many cases continuing the relationship with their “clients” and the client’s institution long after graduation.
As engineering enrollments have increased over the last few years, an increasing number of students have taken on an assistive technology project for their capstone project in their senior year. Professor Clark has been instrumental in getting the National Science Foundation and a large number of individuals and companies locally, to support the cost of the equipment and components needed for these systems. While there are far more requests for help than there are students and funds for project support, the program continues to grow. Apart from the obvious benefits to the individuals who are helped, the students working with them acquire a very important awareness of the responsibilities and expectations of engineers in a caring society.
The program has recently permitted freshmen and sophomores to get involved in making a unit designed by upperclassmen, when several similar devices are needed. Also, the Assistive Technology Program and its laboratories provide a unique resource center in the region that raises the awareness of the community of what is available for the disabled population.
TEEN ACTION PROGRAM
Santa Fe Preparatory School, established in 1961, is an independent, non-profit, coeducational, college-preparatory day school with 300 students in grades seven through twelve. Its Teen Action Program (TAP) is, along with academics, arts, and athletics, one of the four focal points of the school’s curriculum. As a student-structured and directed program, it strives to spark commitments to service that extend beyond the classroom walls while involving every person at the school—students, faculty, administrators, support staff, parents, and board members.
Since TAP’s inception in the fall of 1988, Santa Fe Prep students have contributed 120,000 hours of service to the Santa Fe community. Every Thursday, students spend two hours working on specific projects at 40 local non-profit agencies and schools. Teachers and parents participate by leading each group, providing the necessary transportation and assisting with required work.
TAP’s goal is to promote leadership, social responsibility, citizenship, and personal growth by providing authentic and needed community-based experiences. It begins in the seventh grade when students spend the year researching specific societal issues such as homelessness, food, production, ecology, etc., and then work with local agencies that address them.
In eighth through tenth grades, students choose specific agencies or schools in the community and work with them throughout the year. Projects include building low-cost homes for Habitat for Humanity, preparing meals for the homeless and indigent at St. Elizabeth’s Shelter, teaching and tutoring students in area elementary schools, serving on Teen Court at the Santa Fe District Courthouse, cleaning and repairing homes of infirm elderly citizens for Open Hands, and organizing and participating in the annual Terry Fox Run that has raised more than $185,000 for local medically-indigent cancer patients.
High school juniors and seniors have more intensive programs. The juniors spend half a year assessing data, visiting neighborhoods, conducting surveys and interviewing agencies and experts to learn as much as possible about the geographic and demographic makeup of their community. Then, they form small groups that each plan a service project with an agency or school to address a specific problem or issue. Seniors, building on the awareness and experience gained their junior year, develop a self-designed and directed project requiring at least 45 hours of service.
The joint student/teacher TAP Steering Committee also plans and coordinates two full-day community-wide service projects each year. A growing relationship with Americorps has been invaluable in enhancing this part of the program. One of last year’s projects focused on food. During the day, student volunteers reclaimed a stretch of the Santa Fe River with the help of Santa Fe River coordinators, harvested crops at the Community Farm, stocked a warehouse at the Food Depot, and prepared and served meals at Kitchen Angels and the Salvation Army.
Each of the students gains an enriched sense of identity and understanding through participation and problem solving across cultures, generations, economic levels and environmental concerns. Their participation profoundly influences the overall effectiveness of many organizations and schools within Santa Fe, as well as developing a true sense of belonging to the community and a responsibility for its health and productivity.
HENRY MURKINS
If Henry Anthony “Tony” Murkins wants you to know anything about him, it is that the most beautiful thing he has ever seen was in Washington, D.C., when he took a young sailor whose father was killed in Vietnam to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He and his son, Antoine, videotaped the moment when the young man reached up with a pencil and a piece of paper and did a rubbing of his dad’s name off the cold granite. “Then we all cried together. He was only two years old when his father died,” said Murkins.
Throughout his personal life and career as a civil service employee of the Naval Sea Systems Keyport, Undersea Warfare Center, he has displayed an unselfish dedication to improve his community, promote better understanding among the races, and achieve equal opportunity for all. He has actively participated in numerous organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Commission on African American Affairs, Blacks in Government (BIG), Central Kitsap School District Committees, and the Urban League, to name a few.
Concerned with the increase in drug-related and violent crimes in low-income family housing complexes, Murkins introduced the first Washington State Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) program in 1995. He successfully recruited volunteers and support from local Naval installations to organize a two-week summer camp for approximately 70 youths (ages 9 to 13), special events (guest speakers, community meetings), field trips (sporting events, hikes) and year-round mentoring. The program was very successful and has expanded to include regular support from three local military Commands.
In 1995, Murkins acquired government surplus computers to establish a computer center in a low-income housing complex. The new computer center provides a place for youth residents to use computer to do school work and thereby compete more equally with those whose families can afford home computers. After establishing the new computer center, Murkins worked with local government agencies (AmeriCorps and Kitsap County Action Program) to maintain and expand the center’s capabilities. The center has now expanded to offer residents educational classes on computer skills and skill upgrades.
While serving as President of the NUWSC Division, Keyport’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Committee, Murkins took the lead in establishing Keyport Employees Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation provides college scholarships for children of workers (civil service, military, and contractors) at the base. The Foundation promotes various fundraisers and award scholarships to students based on academic achievements and community involvement. Since its inception in 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than 53 scholarships worth $1000 each.
In 1996, Murkins organized Kitsap County’s first Juneteenth Celebration, as a reminder of June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger issued the Galveston proclamation that ended the practice of slavery in Texas. The annual celebration includes cultural events such as recitals, dances, and guest speakers and is used to promote Bone Marrow Registration Drives to increase the number of minority applicants in the national register.
Murkins also took the lead in 1998 to revitalize Keyport’s ADP Equipment School Donation Program. Murkins conducted the research, wrote the instruction manual and gathered a group of volunteers to help provide donated computers and surplus items to more than 30 schools. He has instituted the program “From the Workplace to the School,” which provides African-American male role models to mentor at local area schools.
As Chair of the Keyport Workforce Diversity Council, Murkins has organized annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sunrise services at the Naval Undersea Museum Auditorium and the county-wide MLK Observances and the Kitsap County Pavilion. As a member of Blacks in Government, he helped organize oratorical and computer contests for children in grades nine through 12. Recently, Murkins helped persuade one local city to declare Martin Luther King Day as an additional paid holiday. Murkins has received several distinguished awards. He was the sole recipient of the Department of the Navy NAACP Roy Wilkins Renowned Service Award and Seattle Post Intelligence Jefferson Award, considered the Noble Peace Prize for Community Service, the Kitsap County Wall of Fame Award for achievement of human rights in the county, the Commanders Award for Equal Employment Opportunity, and the Commanders Award for Service to Others. “Tony” Murkins’ tireless and selfless dedication to the cause of equality of opportunity and the betterment of his community reflects great credit on him, the Department of Defense, and the Department of the Navy.
ECUMENICAL MINISTRIES OF OREGON’S PARENT MENTOR PROGRAM
Addiction and domestic violence are not just individual problems of mind and body — they are deeply rooted in society. A community network is required to overcome these vicious roots that, throughout Oregon, are disrupting social relationships and people’s abilities to lead fulfilling lives. In late 1996, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon developed the Parent Mentor Program to enhance the lives of children whose mothers are struggling against drug addiction and family violence. The program provides volunteer parent mentors to help mothers improve their parenting and other living skills. A mentor is a capable family leader who becomes an effective member of the recovering mom’s social support network and shows her ways to extend that network.
The program assigns mentor to aid mothers who are in transition to independent living after completing residential treatment for addiction or domestic violence. Since the program began, approximately 98 mothers with 220 children have had mentors. By providing a mother the supportive friendship that she so desperately needs, a mentor helps her and, in turn, her children know the benefits of a safe, clean and sober lifestyle. The mentor listens to, teachers, and is a role model for the mom and takes her and her kids on educational outings.
When a mother arrives in treatment, she typically has serious gaps in her knowledge about parenting—in some cases, even how to feed her baby—and in her ability to bond with her child. Parenting is a complex set of learned behaviors and attitudes: a mother who doesn’t “get it” usually came from a family who gave her inadequate nurturing. In a residential facility, professional staff are available to teach and guide a mother in her areas of ignorance and help her developed her strengths. But when the mother completes treatment she is suddenly left all alone to establish a healthy environment for raising children — something she has never experienced. For this she needs continued support. The program prepares and supports mentors to provide such support.
A full recovery demands attention to family, career and wholesome recreation. A woman must quickly rebuild, or build for the first time, positive human relationships. In addition, she must learn the rules, roles, rituals and communication skills to keep the relationships going—all the while maintaining a delicate balance between her identity as a recovering addict or domestic violence victim and her identity as a parent. In this crucial stage of re-entry to society, a mentor is a means for learning how to confront the short and long-term medical, psychological and social challenges of recovery.
The Parent Mentor Program is an innovative model for helping adults address serious life problems. Because of its holism, mentoring is especially well suited for individuals completing a period in an institution like a treatment program or prison and thus rebuilding every aspect of their lives. Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is eager to work with other organizations that want to develop similar mentoring services and has begun seeking funding to support this extension.
DONALD MIDDLETON
Many children, people, and organizations in Bay City, Michigan have greatly benefited from Donald Middleton’s time, dedication, and devotion. He and his wife have three children of their own, and they have nurtured and loved more than 90 foster children in an 11-year span.
Donald Middleton and his wife have served as foster parents longer than any foster parent in Bay County. Of the 90 children, they have legally adopted three. One daughter adopted them once she turned 18. They presently have eight children living in their home, ranging in age from nine to 17. Foster children that have lived with them still come back “home” even after becoming adults and starting families of their own. “The best reward for being a foster parent is watching these kids succeed,” stated Mr. Middleton.
Middleton has also made an impact on other children with the Boy Scouts for the last 15 years and a ScoutMaster for the last 8 years. During that time, 10 boys have graduated to the level of Eagle Scout, a title that he also holds. Middleton leads weekly meetings with his troop of 25 boys, plans monthly activities and weekend outings, and uses one or two weeks of his vacation each summer to take the scouts on a trip. In 1997 as well as this summer he is taking the boys for two weeks on an education trip to New Mexico. He is also a certified water-ski instructor and uses these skills to teach the boys scouts as well as others.
Middleton also serves as Squad Leader for the Bangor Township Reserve fire department where 20 reserve firemen report directly to him. He responds to all structural fires in the area and also serves as an Emergency Medical Technician for the department. In this position, he provides monthly training sessions for the other firemen and conducts community education classes. He has served in this role for 21 years.
Using his training as an EMT, Middleton serves the Bay County Red Cross as a certified CPR and Advanced First Aid trainer. He has taught first aid skills to the Boy Scouts, the community, and to employees at S.C. Johnson assisting the Medical Department. He has served as an instructor in this field for 10 years.
For seven years, Middleton has been the wrestling coach for children in elementary and junior high school. He was instrumental in starting the wrestling program and has kept the program going as the coach. He is also a volunteer for the Junior Achievement program. For the past seven years, he teaches a six-week class to the fifth graders at Lincoln Elementary School helping to prepare them for the future by teaching them job skills.
The John Glenn Booster Club in Bay City provides athletic opportunities for youth. Middleton is on the Board of Directors as a vice president, which he has served for four years. His own children were the inspiration of getting involved in this club to provide greater athletic opportunities.
VOLUNTEER TALENT CENTER
Established in 1990, the goal of the Volunteer Talent Center (VTC) is to improve the academic performance and social skills of K-12 students in the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District. The Center meets its goal by mobilizing adult and youth volunteers from the community to address educational needs. As a result of the VTC’s nine years of service, a total of 3,950 adults and 15,750 youth have provided more than 591,000 hours of volunteer work that has impacted approximately 80,000 students.
The VTC has created and implemented programs for volunteer services, including “Hooked on Books,” a volunteer tutoring program to improve the literacy of preschool and elementary students; “Fantastic Choices,” a violence-prevention program for preschool and primary (K-3) students; “Aquatic Resources Fishing Program,” a social skills development and academic support program for K-12 students; and the “Early Years Initiative Reading Program,” a program to improve reading, writing and math skills of elementary students through tutoring by middle and high school students. The VTC also sponsors curriculum-based service-learning opportunities for more than 15,000 high school students for whom service learning is one of the District’s options for graduation.
The VTC was designated as the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s America Reads Challenge: READ*WRITE*NOW! Pilot Site to improve the literacy of pre-K through 3rd grade children via a network of JCPS District and community programs and organizations. Partners in the literacy project included the Jewish Coalition for Literacy, the Federal Work-Study Program at local colleges and universities, the VISTA program, the Louisville Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Louisville Science Center, the Louisville Foster Grandparent Program, and various businesses and professional groups. Other supporters of VTC programs include the GE Fund, Zebco Corporation, and the Louisville Highland Lions Club.
