JOSHUA SPAULDING

For four years, Joshua Spalding, age 11, has been a poster child for American Red Cross Blood Services. He stimulates blood donor recruitment in Central New York by conducting newspaper and television interviews to underscore the need for blood.

Joshua describes his situation this way: “I have hypogammaglobulinemia, which means I am missing the major antibody that fights off all kinds of stuff like colds, chicken pox and viruses. The antibody I need comes from blood. To give me one treatment takes 2,500 pints of blood. I receive treatments every two weeks. I always hope there will be enough kind people to help me out. It scares me not knowing for sure. The interviews I give show people that their donations help patients like me.”

A child with a significant medical condition certainly has enough to be concerned about. But, Joshua is determined to be a normal child. And for Josh, “normal” means helping others. When his best friend’s sister, Nadine, was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996, he became involved with the Make A Wish Foundation at Tully (New York) Elementary School. Joshua was the master of ceremonies for a benefit dance the group organized to help pay the other child’s medical bills. The dance netted $1,500. Joshua did not stop there. He was top fundraiser for his school’s penny collection, bringing in washtubs full of pennies – 6,000 at a time.

Again, Joshua’s words best tell the story: “Nadine died. But we know there are lots of other people who need help. We’re holding a Make A Wish Foundation benefit again at Tully High School. I am going to be the emcee. I’m personally writing to the disc jockey to see if he will do the benefit again this year. And I’m collecting more pennies. The volunteer work I do for the Make A Wish Foundation is important because it helps people. I wanted to help because I know what it’s like to be sick.”

Joshua’s desire to help extends beyond school, and indeed beyond his own community. He is part of a research project at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Three times a year, he and his mother travel to Memphis where Josh undergoes a series of tests. Joshua knows the research may not be of direct help to him. “My mom says the research won’t help cure me but it could help cure somebody else. When I go to St. Jude’s the tests they run don’t hurt that much. And some day, it could help someone so they won’t have to get treatments every two weeks like I do now.”

Josh describes himself as someone who likes to help people. And at age 11, he has already helped countless people whom he will never know through his advocacy for blood donation, his fund raising for the Make A Wish Foundation and his selfless participation in medical research.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HALL OF FAME

International Youth Hall of Fame&reg (IYHF) builds developmental assets by helping communities come together to recognize, celebrate, encourage, document and publicize the positive efforts of everyday youth who are making a difference at home, in school and in the community. These school-age youth of all cultures, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, remind us all that it’s the “ordinary human virtues” that make us extraordinary!” Unlike other recognition programs, IYHF is not a competition. Rather, IYHF seeks to find the best in all youth.

Young people are nominated “in secret” by schools, nonprofits, faith community, service clubs, parks and recreation programs, business, media, government, families and friends. Local Youth Councils play an active role in implementing the program, distributing nomination forms, calling references, managing the database and Web site and planning the community celebration.

Another unique component of the program are the IYHF Youth Walls of Fame&#153. These permanent monuments are built in high traffic areas of each IYHF community and provide honorees and opportunity to leave a living legacy. “Gangs leave their mark with graffiti,” says Larry Sagen, Founder and Executive Director. “The Youth Walls of Fame are positive expressions of children who are making a difference.”

IYHF is more than just recognition. Honorees pledge to serve as mentors for other youth, demonstrating their commitment to being responsible role models. Since 1990, the IYHF has recognized more than 2,100 youth in Seatte, Federal Way, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Kirkland, Tacoma, and Spokane, WA; Boise, ID; and Portage County, OH. To date, more than 5 million people have viewed IYHF Youth Walls of Fame.

Beginning in September 2000, IYHF will launch their On The Road With Kids Tour. Following in the “tire tracks” of famed correspondent, Charles Kuralt, the IYHF RV equipped with a digital video studio and web broadcasting will travel to rural and urban communities around the country starting IYHF Chapters and recognizing and publicizing 2000 youth.

To start an International Youth Hall of Fame Chapter or become a part of the “On The Road With Kids Tour,” please contact Larry Sagen, International Youth Hall of Fame, PMB #201, 300 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109. You can also visit the Web site at www.youthhall.org or call (206) 623-6770. Give the gift of acknowledgment and appreciation to a young person.

TALLAHASSEE 25

The Tallahassee 25 has made a commitment to create opportunities for children in need with their community through support and hands on involvement in programs and activities which allow kids to enjoy their youth, while also helping them learn principles such as responsibility, self-esteem, self-discipline and team work.

The Tallahassee 25 was formed on March 14, 1997, when 25 young professionals chipped in $20 a piece to fund a little league team of underprivileged youth. What began as a simple fund raiser for badly needed game uniforms and safe equipment has blossomed into prideful projects. For the kids who are reached by the Tallahassee 25, it is pride borne of increased self-esteem. For the more than 320 club members, it is a continuing process of unique personal growth, while meeting numerous community needs.

Tallahassee 25 members volunteer in a wide array of organization-sponsored events and projects…side-by-side with local children who need the community’s attention the most. In the 1998/1999 calendar year, the Tallahassee 25 continued to sponsor and expand on little league partnerships, “buddied up” with children on the Big Brothers/Big Sisters waiting lists, and gathered toys to give as holiday gifts for youngsters at the Tree House, a local shelter for abused and neglected children. The organization also chauffeured kids to deliver Meals on Wheels for the elderly and the shut-ins and orchestrated three Paint-n-Plays at local Boys & Girls Clubs, giving the clubs much needed renovations.

On the education front, the Schools and Education Committee gets to kids on a personal level. The groups develops regular mentor relationships to provide the kids with that extra encouragement to succeed in school and life and weekly readings at child-care centers.

There are numerous highlights of the education specific efforts of Tallahassee 25. In 1997, the groups answered a middle school teacher’s plea for help. She was in desperate need of weekly tutors to help at-risk students close to failing out. The group started immediately. Today, about 40 members spend an hour weekly with their “buddies.” There has been reported improvement in the areas of skills and behavior. The Tallahassee 25 also presents “Tallahassee 25 Career Days” to any school or children’s group that is interested. To date, they have presented to more than 1,400 students. Also, for as long as the group has been in existence, they have sponsored the delivery of local newspapers to the middle school. Teachers use these up-to-date “textbooks” to produce fun and challenging lessons.

Tallahassee 25’s activity grows continuously and in proportion to membership. Although they currently have 250 dues-paying members, another 150 individuals serve as project coordinators or volunteer in other ways. Additionally, they average between 20-30 potential new members at each monthly meeting/social. The club has a Web site and voice mail and a radio station donates a newspaper promotion ad each week for the “project or message of the week.”

The Tallahassee 25 attributes its success to the fact that they make volunteering simple, ample, high-impact and fun. There is only one desire that must be shared by anyone wishing to be a member – “Lending kids a helping hand.”

POTEET HIGH SCHOOL

Dr. Ralph H. Poteet High School has always been a school committed to excellence in education. In 1995, the school extended its commitment to excellence to include community service with the implementation of Poteet Attempting To Help (P.A.T.H.). In the past three years, Poteet High has made tremendous strides in this area and possesses one of the strongest community service learning programs in the area.

For example, in 1995, the school sponsored a canned food drive. While some schools simply “have a canned food drive,” Poteet High School decided to do more. They set a goal to completely fill a school bus with canned food. They achieved their goal and completely filled the bus from floor to ceiling, from driver’s seat to rear door, with 21,740 pounds of canned food. Various clubs and organizations of Poteet High performed 21 other community service projects that year. In 1996, the school surpassed their previous record by filling an 18-wheel trailer with 27,740 pounds of canned food. Students performed 26 additional community service projects that year.

In 1999, the students of Poteet High School completed 34 community service projects. They opened last school year with a new project – Supplies of Success (S.O.S.). This project provided 400 students with a new package of school supplies for their first day of school. In September and October, they donated time to the Mesquite Historical Society and involved all students in the school in Red Ribbon Week. In October, the Art Club painted murals in the rooms of Special Education classrooms in the district. In November, the students participated in Special Olympics Volleyball, National Read a Book Week, and painted scenery for the upcoming “Christmas in the Park.”

In November, the annual Canned Food Drive was expanded to include clothing. Poteet students also participated in projects with both Adolphus Children’s Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. They organized and made visits to Willow Ben Nursing Home and Emmitt Evans Senior Citizens Center. They purchased a Christmas tree and decorated it for an area nursing home. In January, the senior English classes began a new project. Students were assigned to write children’s books to donate to Scottish Rite Hospital. From this project came Rupert’s New Friend, a book that is now used to teach Community Service to elementary students in the district.

Many Poteet High School students stayed active in community service all year long. Poteet H.S. Peer Helpers visited their elementary feeder schools each week, offering tutoring and mediation. Another group of students called Kids for Christ visited a South Dallas Project every Tuesday to play and offer support for the children living there.

Community Service is an important part of the “total school experience” at Poteet High School. Through P.A.T.H., Poteet High School is making a difference in the community and the lives of the students as well.

PETER SAMPLES

Peter Samples ensures that educational and awareness programs for the prevention of child abuse and exploitation are presented to more than two million Kentuckians each year. Samples is the founder and State Chairman of the Kentucky Multi-County Task Forces on Child Abuse, Inc. He volunteers 30-40 hours per week with the organization, which provides child abuse prevention services to every county in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Samples began a pilot program for the prevention of child abuse in the Kentucky counties of Bracken, Grant, and Pendleton in early 1985. After two years of successful accomplishments, he expanded the Task Forces to a statewide organization serving all 120 counties of the Commonwealth.

Samples designed the creation of local child abuse prevention chapters, which rely on volunteers to administer the prevention programs within their own counties. This is accomplished, in part, with the placement of child abuse prevention benches displaying an “800 Hotline” in the county courthouses with the help of the County Judge/Executives. Once the County Judge/Executives are involved, they assist in recruiting volunteers for their counties. Presently, there are 36 local chapters, and more than 90 county courthouses with child abuse prevention benches.

Samples, along with other volunteers, assists in the construction of benches — Samples personally delivers and installs them throughout Kentucky. During his visits, he also trains each recruited volunteer.

Samples has authored 52 articles on the subject of child abuse. These articles are published in more than 90 weekly newspapers across the Commonwealth and appear on the Task Force’s Internet Web site. Instructors with the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training use these articles as training materials for police training in child abuse. Additionally, Samples has developed public service annoucements, which are aired by 140 radio stations and 60 television stations each year.

A professionaly staffed hotline is maintained for information and assistance in the prevention of child abuse and receives an average of 10 calls per day. These called are referred to Samples, a certified peace officer with more than 250 hours of specialized training in child abuse investigations.

Through the volunteer leadership of Samples, land has been purchased for the construction of an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. Samples personally participates in other prevention programs by conducting child abuse seminars in schools and civic organizations throughout Kentucky.

Over the years, Samples has volunteered more than 24,000 horus and is responsible for training and motivating some 1,000 additional volunteer. Those volunteers, in return, have volunteered thousands of hours themselves toward the prevention of child abuse.

JERRY & ELSIE WEYRAUCH

In June 1987, the Jerry and Elsie Weyrauch’s oldest daughter, Terri Ann Weyrauch, M.D., died by suicide in Chicago at the age of 34. After their daughter’s passing, the couple began volunteering in the Atlanta area helping suicide survivors and raising money for research. The Weyrauchs set about educating themselves about this phenomenon and learned that 81 people die by suicide each and every day in the United States, more than 300,000 per year, that there are more suicides than homicides, and that four-fifths of the suicide deaths are male. They also soon realized that there was a total absence of a national suicide prevention strategy.

“I had been a psychiatric nurse in my younger days and had even worked suicide watches, and I knew nothing. I was as judgmental as anybody. I thought suicides only happened in dysfunctional families, so naturally I blamed myself,” said Elsie Weyrauch about her daughter’s tragic death.

In January 1996, the husband and wife team founded Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network (SPAN). It is a grassroots organization of volunteers, approximately 95% having experienced a suicide death in their families. Jerry and Elsie Weyrauch started this miracle in the basement of their home, using their own personal life savings to make a difference. Their vision, dedication and unselfish efforts have begun to change the atmosphere in this country from helplessness and hopelessness to truth, survival and hope.

The Weyrauchs have worked tirelessly, seven days per week, to mobilize the country to recognize the tragedy of suicide. They have formed collaborations with national, governmental, private and local agencies to focus on this very serious public health problem. They have mobilized thousands of survivors across this country to lobby for suicide prevention. All of these efforts resulted in the first National Suicide Prevention Conference held in Reno, Nevada, in October, 1998. Nearly 500 participants worked and developed a draft of the first National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The Weyrauchs continue to work toward implementation and evaluation of this strategy.

None of these milestones would have been realized without the dedication of Jerry and Elsie Weyrauch. They have worked tirelessly, seeking no recognition or compensation for their effort. Many thousands of families in this country are eternally grateful to Jerry and Elsie for the work they have done.

Jerry & Elsie Weyrauch reside in Marietta, Georgia. Jerry is a retired Navy quartermaster and Elsie is a retired nurse. They are the parents of five children.

YO ACAP

The Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program, YO ACAP, has dedicated its efforts of service to the African-American community of Philadelphia for the past ten years. YO ACAP is primarily an AIDS organization that provides street outreach in the form of interactive workshops, dramatic presentations, HIV testing, gender specific support groups in area high schools, prevention case management services, college access programs, and HIV positive and Hepatitis C support groups. Linda Burnette formed YO ACAP in 1989, after the merger of two organizations, a celebrity reps group and a peer education program. The program targets students in the entire Philadelphia school district, based on their zip code, including juvenile justice system schools.

With its unique way of reaching youth through the use of rap musicals and interactive workshops to discuss social issues continues to teach and advocate for better health of African-Americans young and old, the importance of voting, and taking a stand for what individuals feel is right. YO ACAP allows young people to become involved by using their creativity and skills to reach one another, provides them with insight as to how social service agencies are run as they offer input on programming, while giving them valuable, health-saving information.

YO ACAP workshops mainly focus on HIV/AIDS but also cover topics such as entrepreneurship, violence, drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy, and proper study skills. After each workshop or play, the volunteers at YO ACAP distribute evaluation forms to the attendees. These evaluations offer the opportunity for students to indicate their interest in participating in future YO ACAP productions. Students are selected to participate based on their willingness to participate.

Most of the staff at YO ACAP is under 18 years of age and are working to fulfill community service requirements for graduation. Most of these volunteers are unpaid, although there are a few paid positions as well.

In the last two years, YO ACAP volunteers have been working diligently to expand their services. As a result of their efforts, the program now includes in-house HIV testing, held every Wednesday, which involves young people voluntarily coming to the YO ACAP facility to talk about contraception and other topics in a fun way. These sessions are treated as fun affairs, with the young volunteers talking in an informal way with the visiting youth, using positive peer pressure to spread their message of HIV/AIDS prevention. YO ACAP has also instituted a Hepatitis-C support group for adults 45 years and older, and an HIV-positive support group.

The services offered by YO ACAP extend beyond the normal limits of service to AIDS/HIV patients and the people who volunteer with YO ACAP see their work as a calling and not just a job.

KATHY ROBERTS

Kathy Roberts called the AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey (ACSNJ) two years ago to volunteer; she had been retired for exactly 24 hours. In cooperation with the organization’s director, she developed a wish list of projects – things ACSNJ wanted to take on but did not have the staff to accomplish. Since that day, Roberts has been a full-time volunteer donating 40 hours each week for no compensation. She has worked her way down the wish list and helped the organization serve the community in ways that would never have been possible without her tireless efforts.

ACSNJ provides services and education for more than 3,300 people living with AIDS in a four-county area, which includes the troubled inner city of Camden. In service to ACSNJ, Roberts has recruited, organized, and managed hundreds of volunteers to pack and deliver more than 1,000 holiday food baskets, chaired the Phoenix Employment Project that gives AIDS patients skills and opportunities to return to work, and coordinated the development of ACSNJ’s long-range strategic plan. Roberts also chaired the Volunteer Coordination Committee to increase the number of volunteers by 23% by 2001 and represented South Jersey on the statewide AIDS coalition, which designs public policy on healthcare issues.

ACSNJ relies on government and foundation grants each year to fund its basic activities. Staffing constraints have prevented the organization from pursuing new funding (there were simply not enough volunteers to take on the time-consuming task). Roberts took on this task, although she had never applied for a grant before. Her efforts paid off, bringing the organization approximately $35,000 to serve people with AIDS.

Recently, Roberts applied for a $400,000 grant from a major national foundation to fund a comprehensive program for HIV-positive prison inmates. In developing this grant, she enlisted the support of the directors of four county jails, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, the Health Officers Association, the county Freeholders Supervisor, and statewide HIV/AIDS consortia. ACSNJ is on the short list for this grant. However, even if the organization is not selected, Roberts has built valuable relationships that will allow ACSNJ to serve people with AIDS in the community for years to come.

Through her efforts, Roberts has increased services to people living with AIDS in four counties, recruited new volunteers, and brought energy and new ideas from her perspectives as a health professional, a mother, a respected community member, and a person who has lost a loved one to AIDS.

TUTORS OF THE QUEEN BOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY

Queens Borough Public Library has had a literacy program for the past 22 years. The program helps those adults older than 17 years of age who either read below a fifth grade level or who want to improve their English skills. The program offers small group instruction, which is led by volunteer tutors. Without the volunteer tutors, the program would not have been able to help more than 1,200 students improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills. Approximately 135 tutors have spent more than 11,000 hours of their time helping students this past year in the six locations that comprise the Adult Learning Center of the Queens Library.

The diversity of the borough of Queens is reflected in the tutors as well as the students. The tutors commit to tutor small groups of students and face the challenges of different needs and personalities. Their responses to these challenges vary, and many go far beyond their regular schedule of meetings. Meetings, exercises and excursions are tailored to the individual needs of the students and their different learning styles. For instance, tapes may be used for those who learn auditorily and museum visits for those who learn kinesthetically.

There is an ongoing involvement: tutors must commit to one year, but many extend their length of commitment. Their deep commitment and satisfaction mobilizes others; many bring friends, relatives, and neighbors into the program. They participate by explaining the program at Open Houses and in writing the tutor newsletter, “Tutor Talk.”

The dedication and love of tutoring is exemplified by Queens Borough Public Library volunteer tutors such as Patricia, who knew her mechanic student was having difficulty with computerized elements in the newer automobiles and gave him individual help in reading an auto manual, and Honore, who spent many hours reading a Licensed Practical Nurse preparation book into a tape recorder for her student. Another volunteer, Christine, purchased books of special interest to her students and gave them as gifts, and Robert regularly brings his students to major museums. These tutors manage to juggle careers, family obligations, and personal lives in order to fulfill commitment to strangers, either from a sense of community or from a deep love of reading.

ALL STARS PROJECT, INC.

The story of the All Stars Project, Inc. is an American story – the Horatio Alger story of community organizations. The earliest beginnings of the All Stars Project, Inc. dates back 30 years. A handful of educators, community activists, folks in the helping professions, wanted to create innovative approaches in the area of human development. They were determined to make these discoveries independent of government funding – not wanting to begin programs that risked being de-funded.

Today, the All Stars Project, Inc. sponsors one of the largest and most successful inner city youth programs in New York City. It is volunteer driven and community financed through the contributions of tens of thousands of Americans across the country. The non-profit organization is comprised of three distinct programs: the All Stars Talent Show Network, the Development School for Youth, and the Castillo Theater.

The All Stars Talent Show Network provides a channel for the youth of the five boroughs of New York City to see their energy, hard work, and creativity produce a positive result. More than 20,000 inner-city youth, ages five to 25, are given the opportunity to voice their emotions in talent shows in local high school auditoriums throughout the year. Everyone who auditions makes it into the show. Contestants are left to their own devices to create skits and musical and dance numbers that they will perform.

The Development School for Youth is a three-month leadership-training program for high school age students. The program introduces young people to the business world through workshops in resume writing, public speaking, technology, and other skills needed to become an effective leader. The students go on field trips to various corporations, and upon completion of the program, receive a paid summer internship.

The final program, the Castillo Theater, is dedicated to helping adults realize that they can change their outlook and behavior through performance. The Castillo Theater is an off off-Broadway developmental theater for adults. Each season, Castillo’s repertory includes many original works – a mix of multicultural, progressive, political and historical plays and musicals.

The most unique qualities about the organization are its fundraising strategy and the dedication of its volunteers. Hundreds of dedicated volunteers come to the headquarters of the organization weeknights and weekends solicit donations to fund the programs. The volunteers are utilized in positions ranging from maintenance to administration. In fact, the organization was named one of Mutual of New York’s (MONY) best volunteer sites in 1998.

The All Stars Project, Inc. is now in the process of nationwide expansion. With a fledgling operation in Atlanta beginning two years ago and ventures being sought in Newark and San Francisco, the organization continues to develop model programs that influence the approaches used in youth programs nationwide.