Pat Dozer

Pat Dozer is the co-founder of the all-volunteer Sue Kuhlen Camp for Kids, Inc. This organization is the only recreational experience for the children of South Carolina living with HIV/AIDS. Today, the organization serves 74 families throughout the state of South Carolina. The camp is set up so that the children are provided with one event per month where they can put aside the societal pressures that comes with HIV/AIDS diagnosis and ‘just be kids’.

The organization runs out of the transformed room-to-office in Pat Dozer’s home and is funded through grants and private donations. It is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. Each volunteer before coming to an event must take part in a 4-hour orientation which covers the basics of HID/AIDS, its transmission and the psychosocial issues that come with diagnosis.

There are more than 270 individuals orientated in the Columbia, SC metropolitan area. Some 100 volunteers have been oriented in the low country area of South Carolina and each year Dozer travels to the AmeriCorps NCCC Charleston Base to orient more than 100 new AmeriCorps volunteers.

The Dance Institute of Washington

The Dance Institute of Washington (DIW) is dedicated to building discipline and a drive for excellence among youth in D.C. through dance training, performance opportunities and related support, with a focus on disadvantaged and at-risk youth. Fabian Barnes, a former soloist with the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), founded DIW in 1987 to offer a unique opportunity for at-risk children and youth to explore and cultivate their artistic talents through the art of dance.

Since its founding, DIW has conducted community workshops and outreach programs to under-served communities, beginning with summer workshops for the hearing-impaired at Gallaudet University (1987) and including seminars for inner-city youths at recreation centers throughout Washington, D.C. In 1993, DIW began to operate its full-time studio class offerings n classical ballet, modern, jazz and African dance to ensure that young people in low-income areas would have access a solid, full-time dance education program. At that time DIW also began to aggressively recruit instructors from world class dance institutions such as the School of American Ballet, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Martha Graham School of Dance. Since the implementation of year-round training, DIW has introduced young people ages 3-25 to the performing arts through weekly dance classes.

Through quality instruction, community programs and performance opportunities, DIW delivers a message of artistic excellence, integrity and inclusion for youth so that they may have creative outlets for self-expression. In a collaborative effort with the Levin School of Music, the Corcoran School of Art, the Writers’ Corps and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DIW offer free classical ballet classes through the East of the River Cultural Arts Program to under-served children in Anacostia. Outreach performances are also presented each year in cooperation with the New Horizons program at the Children’s National Medical Center.

In the summer of 1999, DIW relocated its offices and studios. This move enables DIW to expand the score of its services and its impact on youth. In the new location, DIW is set to provide twice as many classes and outreach programs. It gives D.C.’s youth a safe and encouraging environment in which to explore and develop their creative sides and giving children a place to go during after-school hours which are so high-risk for youth in areas, filled with violence, crime and drugs.

Goodwill’s School to Work Program

According to the Goodwill Industries of Denver, national studies correlate unemployment among teens with increased chances of criminal activity. In response to this alarming statistic, Goodwill Industries of Denver’s School To Work program has made a commitment to assist at-risk students with the transition from school to the workplace or post-secondary education by helping these youth develop tools to achieve.

Goodwill’s School To Work program has been working within metro Denver schools since 1992. The program is grant funded however no volunteer receives wages and no individual service activity receives a stipend. School To Work has joined forces with Metro Denver Gang Coalition, Safe City, Youth Crime Prevention Task Force and Channel 9’s Help Line to actively work towards a community-wide decrease in youth crime and violence. With support from parents, teachers and volunteers, they believe that they can further develop the system that encourages awareness and participation within the youth population, provides positive guidance for youth and models cooperation from the community.

The graduation rate for School To Work’s high school seniors is 13% higher than the national average. In a pre-program survey, 95% of the students reported, “It is important for me to graduate from high school.” However, there was a low level of commitment to the activities necessary to achieve graduation. For example, 41% of students seldom or never completed their homework. The results from the post-test were greatly improved. 82% reported finishing their homework on time and 84% reported that homework was not a waste of time.

It is also evident that students are able to put into practical use the tools provided through School To Work. An outcome assessment study revealed that 80% of students reported that participation in mock interviews helped them prepare for actual interviews, 79% of students reported that completing a job application through School To Work helped them to complete an application for an actual job and 71% of students had used a conflict resolution technique learned through School To Work participation.

School To Work has also worked to increase the availability of mentors to students. Involvement with mentors is known to decrease the potential for youth crime and violence. All of the tools gained in School To Work enable students to attain and maintain viable employment; the mentors, who meet with students at school one hour each week, add to this approach by providing positive guidance and modeling for students in need of individual support. Volunteers also participate as classroom speakers, mock interviews, and as job shadow hosts.

Through Goodwill’s School To Work Program, 89% of seniors graduated in four years and 84% plan to attend community college or a four-year university, 153 volunteers provided 1,338 hours of support, 2,308 students benefited from participation in School To Work activities and 1,200 students gained employment with an average hourly wage of $7.46

Goodwill’s School To Work Program addresses the problems and barriers of students at risk by assisting them with the overall goal of successful completion of high school. By addressing employability issues and seeking out service learning experiences, Goodwill facilitators have been preparing youth for positive transitions to post-secondary education and work opportunities. The School To Work Program has been successful in assisting many students set goals, develop skills, follow through on assignments and prepare to be overall positive members of the community.

Patricia Henderson

Patricia Henderson is a volunteer for the FreeStore/FoodBank, an organization that provides food, products and services to help people overcome barriers to their basic survival needs and further their self-reliance. A program of the Free Store/Food Bank, Back on Track-Work Wear collects and distributes quality professional clothing and accessories, free of charge, to men and women on assistance who have completed job readiness programs and are entering the job market. By providing professional clothing to newly trained men and women, Back on Track-Work Wear aims to enhance self-confidence and increase employment potential, economic independence and job retention.

Henderson manages Back on Track-Work Wear and other volunteers welcome clients, help them pick out clothing appropriate for their job interview, offer tips on professional dressing and dispense words of encouragement. She also handles sorting, sizing, cleaning and repair of all donated clothing by organizing and supervising other volunteers. Henderson maintains the physical facility, making sure it is clean, organized, well stocked and attractive for incoming clientele. She is described as an excellent communicator and makes all that use this service feel welcome and important.

After completing job-training programs, many welfare recipients are ready to work but lack the appropriate attire to wear to interviews. This program helps relieve the costly burden of purchasing clothing placed on many that are moving into employment. Without this program, many people who have job skills would probably be denied employment based solely on their appearance.

Henderson has been active with this program since its inception at the Free Store/Food Bank. She willingly took on the responsibility of getting this program up and running in a very short time, realizing the immediate need for the service and staying focused on the importance of serving clients. With limited resources, Henderson recruited and scheduled volunteers, organized and sized donated clothing, readied the facility for business and opened in just a few short weeks. Since opening in June of 1998, the Back on Track shop has served more than 500 clients.

In addition to the Back on Track shop, Henderson is an active member of the General Electric Elfun program. This program consists of GE employees, retirees, and family members who are active in volunteer programs and community stewardship. Additionally, Henderson, a retired registered nurse, volunteers at the Foot Care Clinic, sponsored by Medical Volunteers of Cincinnati.

Ilana Gildenblatt

Ilana Gildenblatt’s spirit of volunteerism and generosity is best exhibited by her coordination of the annual “MITZVAH-THON.” Ilana first developed the idea at the age of 12, when she organized a bike-blade, walk-, run-, jog-a-thon that, in 1994, raised more than $1,500 for Cincinnati Dreams Come True, a local organization that supports children with potentially life threatening illnesses. She coordinated a group of nearly 40 children and adults, all of whom were asked to solicit sponsors. In addition, she solicited the sponsorship of local businesses that donated gifts for the participants as well as food for a light brunch for those who completed the event. That year, the money was used to make a dream come true for a 13-year old girl suffering from a brain tumor.

The first MITZVAH-THON was so inspirational and so successful that Ilana decided to make the MITVAH-THON an annual event. In its second year, Ilana chose the HIV Family Care Center at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati as the beneficiary. The HIV Family care Center supports families in which at least one family member is a carrier of the HIV/AIDS virus. This time, by organizing another group of volunteers, including a larger group of corporate sponsors, she raised $2,200. In 1996, Ilana continued her efforts, organizing the third annual MITVAH-THON, raising $3,600 for the Shriner Burn Institute.

In 1997, Ilana reluctantly turned the reigns of the annual event over to her younger brother, Seth. Her accomplishments motivated him to continue to make the event successful, and, with her help, he was able to raise more than $4,000 for the National Marrow donor Program through Hoxworth Blood Center in Cincinnati. With the money, a bone marrow and whole blood donor drive was sponsored in October of 1997. This past year, Ilana has continued the annual event, and raised more than $7,000 for the Expressions Program for Children through Hospice of Cincinnati. The Expressions Program is a support program for children and families dealing with the impending loss of a loved one.

Kurt Keller

Kurt Keller is a one-man construction crew, engineering consulting firm, volunteer coordinator, landscaper, trainer and computer guru at Working In Neighborhoods (WIN). Over the past 11 years, Keller has shared his expertise with more than 80 low-income families to help them to realize their dream of purchasing their own homes.

As a civil engineer, Keller supervised the construction of bridges all around the world. Upon retirement, the German native was compelled to use his knowledge and experience to benefit the less fortunate in his adopted Cincinnati home. His dedication to helping others led him to volunteer at WIN.

Home ownership, Keller feels, is an important weapon in the battle to revitalize neighborhoods. Statistics prove that communities with high home ownership rates generally experience less crime and neighbors become more involved in civic life. In addition, higher home ownership rates help foster a sense of community among neighbors and these neighborhoods in turn become desirable areas in which to live. At the request of communities, WIN renovates housing stocks or builds new homes to be purchased by low-income home owners. WIN has reclaimed former crack houses and built new homes on blighted land in order to improve the neighborhood.

Working in Neighborhoods works to rebuild 13 communities in Cincinnati’s Millcreek Valley. WIN has a two-pronged, grassroots approach to helping communities rebuild by first organizing the community and then working to develop the neighborhood. WIN supports neighborhood residents in their efforts to rescue their communities from the grips of poverty, crime, environmental dangers, declining housing stock and officials’ seeming indifference to their plight. WIN helps these families by building or renovating quality, affordable, energy-efficient homes which they sell to first-time home owners. WIN has also worked with local lending institutions to provide affordable financing for these homes.

Keller has been instrumental in keeping the purchase prices for the WIN homes affordable. As WIN’s construction manager, he conducts pre-purchase inspections of property WIN wants to develop and prepares a feasibility study that includes estimates for repairs and the amount of work to be done. He writes the specifications for WIN’s projects, reviews contractors’ bids and supervises the contractors’ work. Keller has also trained WIN staff in how to work with contractors.

Keller has made it possible for WIN to involve volunteers in its home development efforts. He single-handedly designed jobs for volunteers, such as demolition, landscaping, painting and some simple carpentry. Keller recruited more than 100 volunteers to perform these duties. He is the ‘CEO’ of the Downhill Construction Company—a group of retired men who volunteer weekly, working on WIN’s housing projects. Keller recruited the volunteer crew, feeds them and keeps them busy. He also supervises the many groups who perform valuable one-time projects at WIN.

Keller is also responsible for WIN’s ability to expand its development scope from strictly renovating older homes to include building new homes. When they were beginning their first new construction project, the architect who was working with WIN had to quit. Without missing a beat, Keller stepped in and supervised the project through to completion. Since that first project, Keller has supervised all of WIN’s construction, amounting to some 39 homes.

Additionally, Keller trains new homeowners in tasks that will help them maintain their homes. He has conducted on-the-job training sessions in landscaping, driveway and sidewalk repair, and routine maintenance. Keller’s work has directly impacted the 80 low-income families who were able to make their home ownership dreams come true. Indirectly, his work has impacted the 18,000 people who live in the neighborhoods by improving the appearance of the community, improving the housing stock, raising the value of the surrounding homes and reducing crime.

Richard Orr

Shortly after retiring to Williamsburg, VA in 1994, Richard Orr set out to implement and coordinate a mentoring program to benefit the local criminal corrections program, Colonial Community Corrections. He presented a unique notion of mentoring, one adopted from his years of mentoring pre-release prisoners in New Jersey. His stated goal is to provide a safe place for people in the criminal justice system to learn to make better decisions.

Orr convinced Colonial Community Corrections to adopt his program through his passion for and his commitment to encouraging those whom society may have given up on to become self-reliant and resourceful. Orr and his team of volunteers were able to officially start the program early in 1995.

In modest ways, Orr finds success through his mentoring program. He derives his satisfaction in seeing people with whom he has established relationships learn to control their anger or take responsibility for their actions. He tells a true story of a mentor he trained who probably provides the only source of comfort to an incarcerated woman. The mentor meets with the woman once a week to act as sounding board and to be a source of unbiased human exchange. Orr acknowledges that no immediate success may be measured from this mentor’s efforts but hopes the flame of compassion will spark a change of lifestyle or ignite aspiration in a woman whose future seems bleak.

As in the development of any new program, there are the hurdles to overcome. Orr’s dedication to the program has been inspirational. He spends countless hours recruiting and training mentors and many more hours pitching the program to referral sources.

Clients are people who have been convicted of misdemeanors or of nonviolent felonies for which they have not been incarcerated. The mentors are community volunteers who are trained to listen to the clients’ problems and concerns and to help people put their criminal past behind them. Client participation is voluntary and confidential.

In addition to his ongoing commitment to providing supportive and unprejudiced guidance to people convicted of crimes in the Greater Williamsburg area, Orr volunteers with a grassroots organization in the area named Alltogether. The objective of this group is to bring people of various racial backgrounds together. The proactive organization fervently addresses racial inequities, and has held area wide meetings addressing topic such as: religious diversity, economics and job opportunities, educational attainment, health and housing and community leadership in government and business.

Nancy & Richard Jeppesen

It began in 1994 as a dream and a vision of a couple whom, as stated by Nancy Jeppesen, “wanted to do something productive and worthwhile with the rest of our lives.” Nancy and Richard Jeppesen retired in their 40’s after very successful careers in real estate. But in a world entering the millennium of technology, a simple fact became painfully clear—literally thousands of school children struggle with a dark daily reality of social and academic failure because they simply could not see. Their dream and vision of enhancing life for children became a nonprofit organization, Jeppesen VisionQuest, whose critical mission is to assure that all of Florida’s school children have the opportunity to focus on success.

When Nancy and Richard Jeppesen began their volunteer effort in 1994, they were unaware of the overwhelming dimension of need. Approved by the IRS in 1994 as a 501 (c) (3) organization whose charitable mission was to provide free eye exams and corrective eye glasses to economically disadvantaged children, the Jeppesens worked 16-hour days, seven days per week, unpaid. VisionQuest began in one county, expanded by community request to serve two counties, again expanded to respond to the demand in 10 counties, and finally, in 1999, received state legislative approval to serve every county of Florida. From its beginning in 1994, VisionQuest has made a powerful impact on thousands of Florida’s children. As a result of the dream, vision, and commitment of the Jeppesens, thousands of economically disadvantaged children can now see the chalkboard and begin to focus on success.

VisionQuest is the only nonprofit organization of its kind in the state of Florida that offers complete vision care for all eligible public school children. The organization’s unique services include a mobile Vision Van, in-house fabrication of eyeglasses, and reliance primarily on the volunteer manpower of optometry professionals. The organization has acquired a donated supply of both lenses and attractive, contemporary frames which allows VisionQuest to provide state-of-the-art corrective eyeglasses to every needy child in the state of Florida.

With the help of grants from Pearle Vision and other national companies, VisionQuest also sponsors monthly free clinics at certain schools for students who have failed two vision screenings at their schools and cannot afford new glasses. At a recent clinic in Orange County, 47 of the 62 students served needed new glasses and receive them on site. Three students were referred to ophthalmologists for free, special treatment. Of the 300 Orange County children to whom the Jeppesens provided free glasses last school year, 62 percent improved average grades; 40 percent improved attendance; and 60 percent reduced discipline problems.

Kid Channel Project C.L.E.A.N.

The Kid’s Channel began two years ago as a dream of the Hendrix family to provide a place for children to safely surf the Internet, become computer literate and environmentally aware. The project has grown from a home page to an organization in the state of Kansas. Samantha Hendrix, age 11, is the Youth Executive Officer, her sisters Nicole, age 7, and Bethany, age 5, participate along with their mother and father.

Individuals from 91 countries have participated in the project and the site has been accessed approximately 51,000 times. The site provides activities suitable for preschoolers to learn simple mouse movements such as the appearing and disappearing picture, although the site is geared toward preteens. Incentives, in the form of prizes are sent to all children globally who wish to participate in the Coloring Contest, which encourages youth to be involved in the arts and computing. Environmental awareness activities are available including stories, games and ideas for activities to stimulate thought about the limited global resources and responsible stewardship. The site is free to all world citizens.

In addition to making a strong contribution to the global community, youth are involved in service projects such as “All About Our Earth,” a fourth place winning web project at the Global Schoolhouse International Cyberfair. The project shows youth strategies to impact local communities such as building backyard wildlife habitats, putting environmental or community service posters in public places and contacting public officials to express ideas. Governor Bill Graves responded to the youth’s concerns and signed a Proclamation declaring January 1, 2000 as One Day in Peace. Dr. Robert Mueller placed the signed proclamation in the U.N. University for Peace Studies in Costa Rica.

Additional projects include the Lake Adoption Project that was showcased at the Global Schoolhouse Community Shareweb and a cleanup that was listed as an Earth Day activity by the EPA Region 7. The Fifth Place winning International Cyberfair Project – The Friends of the Animal Shelter was a Kid Channel project. Youth built a Web site for the local animal shelter and went to the shelter weekly to take pictures of the homeless animals. Three children raised $300 in one month through the use of donation cans in the small rural community. This money was used for paint and improvements to the deteriorating shelter facility.

Currently, the group is developing a site that combines all of their service projects. The local projects benefit the local community while the web projects benefit the greater global community.

Take Stock in Children Mentors

Take Stock In Children (TSIC) is Florida’s innovative program that provides college scholarships, mentors and hope to deserving at-risk youth. The Marion County Public Schools Foundation has been the lead agency for the TSIC since December 1996.

The need for the TSIC program developed because Florida has the second highest youth crime rate and the fifth highest school dropout rate in the country. Forty percent of Florida’s children live in or near poverty. Marion County has the second highest truancy rate in the state and recent surveys showed an average of 2,100 students were truant every month for more than 15 days.

TSIC, a school-based mentoring program, has 125 mentors that are matched with students and stay with them throughout the program to help the students meet their performance criteria. The criteria include a pledge to stay away from drugs, maintain a 2.5 grade point average, stay in school and maintain good attendance. In return for the student fulfilling their performance pledge, they receive four years of college tuition or vocational tuition, which is purchased through the Florida Prepaid College Program.

The TSIC mentors meet with their students once a week at the student’s school. Adult volunteers and participating youth make a significant commitment of time and energy to develop relationships devoted to personal, academic, or career development and social growth. TSIC volunteers are trusted friends, guides, listeners and positive role models. The mentors provide that important link of connection between the young person and a caring adult that might otherwise be absent. They also provide the extra encouragement for the student to stay on track not only to succeed in the TSIC program but in life.

The commitment made by the mentors is initially for one year. Most have pledged to see their students through to graduation. They are described as “dedicated, ambitious and caring individuals who make the time to meet with meet with a young person weekly.” TSIC has a 97% success rate of keeping students in the program.