KIMBERLY HALL

Deciding whether to give a book to one classroom or a child in every classroom was a decision discussed and debated in the preliminary brainstorming stages of the 100 Days of Learning Program. Kimberly Hall is the children’s program executive for MSC Hospitality, a service organization at Texas A & M University dedicated to serving the campus and surrounding community for over 29 years. Kim wanted to give as much as possible to any and every child in the communities surrounding the University. Kim began to make 100 Days of Learning a reality.

The 100 Days of Learning Program reinforces and expands the celebration of kindergarten children across the nation. On the 100th day of school at the University, 100 Texas A & M students will read in 100 different classrooms throughout Bryan and College Station. Each student would be provided with a new book and a literacy packet aimed at promoting home literacy involvement. This program reaches each of the 2,000 kindergartners enrolled in the 19 public schools in the community. It exposes 100 diverse college students to the educational needs of our community, involves them in important aspects of community service, and allows them to serve as role models of literacy.

The students that volunteer in this program are from the university. Included are representatives such as the student body President, MSC President, Yell Leader, Corp Commander, Fish Camp Director, UACT director along with MSC Hospitality. They are involved in the planning, budgeting, fundraising, advertising, and development. The members are empowered through their participation, and Kim teaches them how to design and operate a program. Local businesses also get involved in supporting the program. For example, Whataburger, a local restaurant, donated 2,000 burgers to help establish a reading incentive program.

Kim has created a program that will touch many in the future. Book grants and other business contacts continue to be made for the 2000-2001 school year. The long-term goal of this program is to exponentially expand each year to reach more and more kindergartners. It is astounding that in two months, a team of university students, empowered by one leader – Kimberly Hall – would have the initiative and determination to obtain funding and support to give back to the community.

PROJECT UNITY

In 1993, a small group of concerned and committed people came together to examine the barriers faced by families seeking assistance to improve the quality of life for their children. Jeannie Heller Goss noticed that although the community had numerous agencies dealing with poverty, unemployment and other problems, many people were not getting the help they desperately needed and qualified for. People in crises did not know where to turn to get quick, effective help. The multitudinous requirements of each individual agency often discouraged clients from getting the help they needed. Today, Project Unity transcends those barriers and bridges the gap between families and agencies through neighborhood outreach centers.

Project Unity is based on the belief that solutions to community problems must come from the individuals most affected. A key component, therefore, is community input and participation in planning and policy. Neighborhood meetings are held to focus on the needs of the community. Leadership training (Community Voices) is provided to community members who then help to take charge of their neighborhoods and assist families in resolving difficulties. Civic social and business leaders are oriented to the identified needs of the neighborhoods through “Community Plunge.”

Project Unity’s Community Partnership Board consists of 80 local agencies with 300 members, including law enforcement, adult and child social services, workforce, faith groups, private citizens, advocacy groups, city/county government, businesses and corporations collaborating to connect people to the services they need. Increased access to these vital services makes it easier for residents to become self-reliant.

Project Unity was officially started in 1995 with funding from the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. In 1996, Project Unity was one of six national recipients of the “Award for Excellence in Community Collaboration for Children and Youth.” Project Unity has ongoing partnerships with the City of Bryan, the City of College Station, the Brazos Valley Council of Governments, Brazos Valley United Way, and the Children’s Miracle Network to provide continued funding. Bryan Independent School District and the Brazos Food Bank provide in-kind support.

Project Unity staff served 1,746 unduplicated families in 1999-2000 with more than 48,000 contacts. Services provided include case management, food pantry, divorce education seminars, referrals to other agencies that meet families needs for medical care, utility money, rental assistance, social security assistance, clothing, diapers, furniture, job training, childcare, youth programs, Community Voices leadership training, and Town Meetings to address issues of concern. A mobile unit carries representatives from health and human service agencies to neighborhoods throughout the seven county region offering improved access to family services and support.

Project Unity’s success is rooted in the relationships that are built and sustained between agency partners and community leaders. Building a leadership base within neighborhoods to offer suggestions for positive change helps neighborhoods organize to effectively meet their needs. Jeannie Heller Goss, through Project Unity, is focused on building and maintaining winning relationships for families and agencies to foster success in our community.

HOPE HARBOR CHILDREN’S HOME

Since 1947, Hope Harbor has provided shelter and support for thousands of needy children and families in crisis in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. Today, Hope Harbor restores the hope of at risk youth who, although academically capable, are experiencing serious problems at home, in school and in the community.

The ultimate purpose is to assist these young people to become self-sufficient, productive member of the community. This is accomplished by providing a nurturing home environment, specialized education services and life skills training. Prior to coming to Hope Harbor, most residents were not attending school regularly, if at all. During the course of the average stay of 12 months, students gain approximately 2.5 years of academic progress in core subjects through the alternative school. In addition to a rigorous academic program, student involvement in volunteer service is an integral part of the Hope Harbor experience.

In previous generation, serving others was a necessary part of the life that reinforced one’s value in the home and community. This is rarely true in today’s culture. While youth are exposed through media to extraordinary need both at home and abroad, they are conditioned to believe that they lack the resources needed to be of service to others. For children who are already at risk of school drop out because of learning differences and problems at home, this belief contributes to a strong sense of worthlessness and helplessness. It is well documented that school dropouts are much more likely than the general population to become delinquent, substance abusers, teen parents, and/or welfare dependent. The consequences can be tragic; for the individual, their families, and their communities.

Through participation in a program called TRACE (Team Recreation and Adventure Challenge Experience), all residents of Hope Harbor learn the value of serving others. The program begins with experiential learning exercises, where students learn how to work together to accomplish goals. They also learn to recognize and cultivate their unique gifts, as well as the gifts of others in the group. Then, the team works together to identify needs and plan service projects. The team completes an average of one community service project each month.

Service efforts undertaken by the students are wide ranging and include yard work for shut-ins, coordinating and collecting clothes for a children’s shelter in Mexico, cleanup after natural disasters, baking cookies for nursing home residents, stuffing envelopes for a local grief center and sorting clothing for a homeless shelter. The most ambitious project to date was a day of service to a private children’s shelter in Juarez, Mexico. TRACE participants painted walls, doors and gates, cleaned laundry, prepared meals, scrubbed floors and played games with the residents there.

By participating in a substantive community service program, at risk youth can learn valuable lessons about their unique skills and potential. It is in service to others that some of the most valuable lessons in life are learned.

ANNE JEFFERS

Ann Jeffers has an exemplary academic record and is a young woman of noble character. She has challenged herself each year with regards to her education and excels in being a volunteer. Jeffers was selected as the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Award Winner in her sophomore year in high school, elected as Class President in the sophomore and junior years and is currently serving as President of the National Honor Society. She is also active in the Spanish Club, Technology Students Association and the Service Club. In addition, she works as a Literacy Volunteer in Wetzel County, is active in her church and has been a tutor for students in the Alternative Education program while working part-time for the past three years.

Jeffers became involved in tutoring in 1997 as a high school sophomore. She trained as a Literacy Volunteer, which consisted of spending two weekends of 20+ hours of training for certification. Her certification has led to opportunities for tutoring in various settings including working with a Boy Scout troop, reading books to them at an evening lock-in event.

As a junior, Jeffers began tutoring the in Alternative Education Program at Magnolia High School. This program is schooling for students who have been expelled from traditional schools for reasons such as carrying a gun or knife on school property, exhibiting violent behavior and fighting. The Alternative Education Program operates after school hours, but Jeffers does not let the hours of operation deter her and is still dedicated to being a positive part of her community. She teaches math at all levels, from Basic Math to Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II. Last year Miss Jeffers worked with the students twice a week for an hour to an hour and a half. The enrollment this year only necessitates her to volunteer one day a week.

Currently, Jeffers is working with a student taking Algebra I and with another working towards their GED. Without the Alternative Education Program and Jeffers’ instruction, these students would lose a year in their education process as they are not allowed to be enrolled in the public school system. Working with these students has been an eye-opening experience for her, and she has realized how some students flourish given the right environment with caring one-on-one attention.

She has also had the opportunity to assist fourth graders enrich their reading and study skills. Jeffers had first period free on Tuesdays during her junior year and used that time to go to the grade school and worked with the youngsters. They read various children’s books, which helped the children gain reading and speaking skills. The youngsters responded wonderfully with the individualized attention and as the year progressed, their test scores on books and other readings increased. This year, Jeffers is working with two Chinese students at her school who recently came from Mainland China. They know very little English and Anne takes her time and goes over new vocabulary helping them to understand and speak English and learn American ways.

BEULAH OLIPHANT

Beulah Oliphant has established an exemplary history of service to her community. She was and is still very involved with her church choir, Sunday school, mission auxiliary, and many other committees of the Progressive Baptist Church in Sherman, Texas. One of her most exciting projects, however, is AmeriCorps VISTA.

Oliphant was assigned to volunteer with the VISTA program as a recruiter. Her mission was to engage other volunteers to become benefits counselors for residents age 60 and over in the rural northern Texas counties. Benefits counselors are trained, certified volunteers who help individuals to access their Social Security and Medicare benefits, filing private insurance claims, and understanding their insurance statements. Her initial term as a VISTA volunteer was quite challenging. She was not aware of the critical need for seniors in her community to be able to access their benefits, and her experience in public speaking and project planning was very minimal.

She relied on her willingness to learn, euphoric personality, and her dedication to service and she met the challenges of her VISTA assignment. During her first year with VISTA, she developed a recruitment plan that targeted untapped resources. She utilized her strong knowledge of the community to amass more volunteers to aid the elderly in their city. As a result of her dedication and willingness to learn, 41 new volunteers were recruited during her first year with VISTA , and she signed up for a second VISTA volunteer term in July of 1999.

In her second term, Oliphant has continued to successfully recruit volunteers. This is directly impacting the elderly community. They have more people to give them the one-in-one attention they need to work with important concerns.

Beulah Oliphant has honed her organizational skills, public speaking skills, and the skills needed to be a successful VISTA volunteer. Her work has had a far-reaching impact. She has encouraged volunteerism across color lines and motivated other regions of the state to use a great resource for empowering more elder Texans. Her love and dedication to her community is an example to the young and old of Sherman, Texas.

ESTHER ANDREWS

Esther Andrews displays a genuine commitment and compassion for children and families. She is a gifted, dedicated and conscientious volunteer who finds time to do so much. She has lived a life of service and spent most of her years in community service whether it was in a professional capacity or as a volunteer.

For over 40 years, Esther Andrews has been a consistent and effective advocate on behalf of youth in the Riverside, California area. Beginning as an elementary school teacher in the 1960’s, Esther assisted the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) break down the barrier of segregation and as a result, opened up futures for many generations of minority children for years to come. She continued her groundbreaking work on behalf of children as Administrator of the Head Start for the RUSD for 15 years. Andrews has always approached her work as more than a job, taking personal responsibility for the well being of and education head start of thousands of children over the years. She has also been a role model for countless parents, especially teen parents, for whom she created some of the first and innovative school site childcare services. This program enabled hundreds of teen mothers to complete their high school degrees.

In addition to her work in education, Andrews has continued to support healthy child development through her volunteer work with the Family Service Association of Western Riverside County. As past chair, and life long champion of this community based nonprofit organization, her passion for community service has guided this agency to a 20-fold growth in services to children and families over the past 15 years. Expanding the original counseling services of the organization to include childcare, community centers, transportation, teen mother programs, and parenting, has fulfilled her dream of a full service, child and family service resource to the residents of Western Riverside County. Currently, the organization meets the needs of over 60,000 residents each year, with more than 60% of them being children.

A little over three years ago, Andews’ year of experience in education and community service were put to use on a national level when she was called upon by the Alliance for Children and Families to become a member of the Board of Directors. The Alliance represents over 400 human service agencies, with budgets in excess of $2 billion, serving five million people in 2000 communities. She sits on the Public Policy and Diversity committee also, where she is lending her expertise to increase the stability, and unleash the potential of children and families throughout the country.

Andrews credits her high level of passion to the needs of children and families to the values and presence of her parents who emigrated from Puerto Rico in the 1930’s with very little finances. They raised five children out of the depths of poverty to be fully productive first generation United States citizens, working as teachers, union leaders, medical technicians, and aerospace professionals. Esther Velez Andrews is a local and now national hero to many and will continue to be a staunch advocate for children and families.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAMILY SERVICE

The mission of Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) is to empower individuals and families to improve their quality of life, and to promote community cooperation and support in responding to family needs. This private, nonprofit human service agency was founded in 1924 and has been identifying and meeting community needs since its inception.

The agency serves Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William through nine office locations and more than 200 staff. They are a member of the Alliance for Children and Families and have an annual budget of $9.8 million. Funding for NVFS is provided through individual and corporate giving, foundation grants, United Way, and government contracts.

NVFS has touched the lives of more than 21,000 children. They have provided job training for men and women in essential office skills, located affordable health and dental care for children and adults, and preserved families overwhelmed by children with special needs. They have also worked to prevent child abuse and neglect, foster care for children with special physical and emotional needs and housing for homeless mothers and their children who are striving for self-sufficiency. In addition to that, NVFS provides family and individual counseling, youth initiative programs for at-risk youth, and credit counseling.

NVFS has a commitment to strengthening family and mobilizing the community. They recognize area businesses that provide exceptionally supportive workplace policies and involve more than 1,000 volunteers who donate their time and resources in support of NVFS programs annually.

NVFS has a strong foundation and are working to continually strengthen their organization, which, in turn, will strengthen Falls Church and other areas in Virginia. They believe families are the heart of our society and need to be strengthened and preserved, and services should be affordable, accessible and of high quality. They also believe everyone should have access to adequate housing, health care, food and clothing. In addition to this, NVFS believes that communities should be supportive environments for families, and staff should be supported in order to provide quality services. NVFS continues to be the leading source of help for families in need. They will continue to work to make Virginia a strong and productive community.

KAJ SKOV

Kaj Skov was born and raised in Denmark. He came to the United States by way of our armed forces, working as a chef. He loved America and decided to stay. He earned his citizenship and started a small restaurant. He worked hard over the years and was rewarded for his efforts by building a larger restaurant and then a convention center in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. Several years ago, he purchased a mansion in the Reading, Pennsylvania and operates the Stirling Guest Hotel.

During the years, Skov has given back to his new country by helping the community in many ways. He has held numerous fund-raisers at his home and businesses for almost every organization in the area including the Family Health Council of Lebanon County, The Arts Council, The Cancer Society and many more. Skov has also worked with numerous youth groups in the area. He gives of his time, efforts as well as his money to help these organizations.

Amongst the many organizations that he has helped throughout the years has been the Betty Finney House/ Wellspring, Inc. He helped start the organization when it was just Wellspring, Inc. of Lebanon County by helping to purchase a home for end-stage HIV/AIDS. He put many hours of cleaning, repairing, and painting. Finally the home was ready to care for those in their final stages of AIDS. Money was necessary in those days, so Skov held many fund-raisers, which he worked tirelessly on.

As the needs changed for those suffering from this terrible disease, so did the organization. They later joined forces with the Betty Finney House in Lancaster County, PA and it became the Betty Finney House/Wellspring, Inc. Today, the organization helps those affected and infected with the disease by an outreach program for housing in the Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. The services of the organization are much needed and the house would not be in existence today if it were not for Skov.

Kaj Skov displays his unconditional love for God and his country everyday. He does not take his life or his blessings’ for granted and works to help people who may not have what he does. Everyone is equal to him and means as much as the other. He does not look down upon those infected with HIV/AIDS as so many in society do, but he daily makes a conscious effort to make a change in their lives.

AL FERGUSON

Quail Valley, California is a small, unincorporated area that has a population of about 4,500. The area is infiltrated with drug addicts and parolees, and unfortunately the town has become a breeding town for criminal activity. Al Ferguson spends endless hours protecting the interests of this community.

Ferguson, disability retired from the U.S. Border Patrol, has organized a local Crime Watch Program and has worked with the program for more than five years. He is responsible for hosting monthly meetings, forming a Board, and obtaining nonprofit status for the organization. His dedicated service is done without compensation.

Ferguson has also been active with Quail Valley Healthy Communities Project LIFT. LIFT serves more than 400 children per month. He educates children on outdoor safety, poisonous plants and animals, and how to be safe when you become lost. Ferguson tutors with Project LIFT and also hosts the October Halloween parties while monitoring activities from start to finish.

In addition, Ferguson educated the community on a critical issue – child abuse and child molesters. This educational in-service taught the community how to identify child molesters and abusers, what to do once they are identified, where to call to get help, and how to react. Ferguson has also undertaken another important project. He created a community service program whereby criminal offenders within a 50-mile radius do community service in Quail Valley. He single-handedly coordinates this weekend service program and oversees between 25 to 30 offenders per day. As a result of this program, tons of dumped trash has been hauled out of the valley and overgrown trees, shrubbery, and bushes have been cut back from the street and stop ways. This trimming also eliminated possible hiding places for potential child molesters or abductors.

Since coming to the community of Quail Valley, Ferguson has made quite an impact. He has a heart geared towards the betterment of his community and each task is done in excellence. The residents of the valley have been educated and served by this great man, and he desires to continue as long as he can.

ROBYN SKODZINSKY

Robyn Skodzinsky, a first-hand witness to the negative effects of alcoholism and drug use, opted to establish a positive path for her life and to help others in need.

Skodzinsky had to take initiative early in life to survive. She has had to make tough choices but is now benefiting from the same. Now she has accepted the challenge of being a part of the Corporation for National Service – AmeriCorps. She began her service at a therapeutic preschool program. There was no curriculum in place for the children, so she soon went to work. She developed lesson plans with weekly themes and age appropriate activities the children can participate in daily. She also has organized weekly field trips that complement their themes. She looked at the activities that were successful and created an activity box for future AmeriCorps volunteers. The box now includes over 30 themes that have more than 20 various activity ideas, suggested readings, and field trip information.

Skodzinsky is also an excellent organizer. She was called upon to organize activities for a Christmas party on four days notice. She recruited many volunteers and developed and implemented activities for the 50 children ages 1 – 16. This task was a challenge for her but she pulled it off and the children celebrated the season with a clown and lots of laughter. In addition to her organization skills, she has also learned and cultivated teambuilding. When her site was closed for restructuring, Skodzinsky and the other staff members had to work with outside consultants to reconstruct and rebuild their program. Though it was an intense time, the team worked together and played an indispensable role in their program’s success thus far.

Skodzinsky has also acted as a mentor to middle school children. She and another AmeriCorps member created a self-esteem/adventure group that reached out to middle school girls. The group was set up to ease the difficulties of the youth, give female companionship, promote confidence, and have fun. She has served as a mentor while also helping the young ladies recognize the importance of service by participating in various projects together.

In addition to this, Skodzinsky helped refurbish Bait House, a site used for therapeutic and academic after-school groups. The place was in a state of disarray and made the children feel overwhelmed just as they felt in other areas of their life. Skodzinsky recognized that the site needed help so she cleaned, sorted, and gave away some of the items. After the 12 hour cleaning day, Bait House was revitalized and another proposal was presented to the administration team to further refurbish the house. The proposal was passed and within two weeks and 50 hours of work, the Bait House was ready for its summer camp session. Skodzinsky’s second year of service was spent working in a shelter for homeless and runaways ages 10 to 17. She also spent time answering a 24-hour crisis line, handling calls that ranged from helping the homeless to helping those who were suicidal. Her service for over two years totaled 3,400 hours. Serving has been an awesome opportunity to Robin Skodzinsky. It has helped her grow and in turn helped others develop. She will continue to provide enriching, innovative, and ongoing activities in the future.