PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT CLOTHE-A-CHILD MARATHON GROUP

In 1993, Donna Piscopo founded and energetically organized an aerobic marathon called Put Your Heart Into It . . . Clothe-a-Child to benefit the Clothe-a-Child charity. During the marathon, participants complete a two-hour aerobic workout and collect donations from sponsors. Money collected goes to Clothe-a-Child, a nonprofit program providing new clothing to needy children ages 5-12. The program is 100% privately funded. Volunteer shoppers are paired with children for a shopping trip to area retailers. The clothes are not returnable and parents’ income is verified. Now in its 21st year, the News Herald’s Clothe-a-Child program has provided clothing for 10,000 children in Lake County.

The first Put Your Heart Into It marathon was held in 1994 and raised $1,500. Piscopo and her class were inspired, to say the least. 1995 was equally successful and added $2,307 to the Clothe-a-Child coffer. That was only the beginning . . .

Piscopo decided the 1996 event would be held on national Make A Difference Day after reading about the Points of Light Foundation sponsored program in USA Weekend magazine. The marathon netted $2,300 and regional honors for the group’s Make A Difference Day debut.

In 1997 a new twist – Make A Difference Day – We Gotcha Covered – was added to the Put Your Heart Into It event. Along with the marathon for Clothe-a-Child, they collected and assembled 121 personal care packages for Project Hope, a homeless shelter. Forbes House, a battered women’s home, was asked for a “wish list” of items needed and received a generous supply of women’s lingerie, towels and a brand new baby stroller the marathoners procured courtesy of Dillards, Wal-Mart & USA Baby.

In 1998 Make A Difference Day for the Young, and Young-At-Heart included the marathon and a trip to Heartland, a Nursing/Assisted Living/Rehab center, for a fitness get-together. While at Heartland they visited the elderly residents (many confined to wheelchairs) and conducted a spirited session of movements to music. At this point, the group had raised almost $19,500 for Clothe-a-Child.

1999 they again set their sights on Clothe-a-Child but this time, in addition to fundraising through the marathon, many participants also signed on as volunteer shoppers in the program. Since Clothe-a-Child is handled with strict anonymity, this unique experience afforded them a chance to meet some of the children whose lives have been enriched by their generosity.

The 7th annual Put Your Heart Into It marathon was held December 2, 2000 and brought the grand total to $30,000. Thanks to the efforts of these volunteers, more than 150 underprivileged children have warm clothing and shoes to wear to school.

TEAMVOLS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

TeamVOLS (Volunteer Outreach for Leadership and Service), at The University of Tennessee, is an organization devoted to uniting the University community with the societal issues and needs of the greater Knoxville community. In 1992, TeamVOLS was created by a handful of students desiring to make a difference. Today, this organization coordinates and oversees more than 11,000 hours of documented volunteer work each year. The work of TeamVOLS can be seen throughout the University and community at large, but it can also be seen in every student who volunteers his/her time and energy each day. The University of Tennessee prides itself on being home to the “Volunteers” and nowhere is that pride more evident that in TeamVOLS – a team commited to Volunteer Outreach for Leadership and Service.

The driving forces behind TeamVOLS are its Leadership Board and its thousands of student volunteers. The Leadership Board is comprised of 27 undergraduate student coordinators that focus on 18 target areas of service. These student coordinators are charged daily with connecting student volunteers with a myriad of agencies and programs throughout the community. The Leadership Board challenges students to take ownership in their community, encouraging them to seek out specific areas of need. Year after year, students eagerly respond to this challenge. As a result, TeamVOLS serves more than 75 local agencies on a routine basis.

Beyond the statistics and numbers, there are the students whose lives have been changed by their involvement in TeamVOLS. TeamVOLS works to foster a commitment to lifelong service in its student volunteers, and the students have responded. Throughout the years, many students have benefited from and built on their leadership experience in TeamVOLS. One example is the development of a 1998 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) coordinator who led a very successful service project in Baltimore, Maryland that accumulated more than 1,500 service hours in only six days. This student’s experience in Baltimore also benefited the Knoxville community.

After ASB, she realized that she wanted to expand her community service, joining the Peace Corp in Central America. This is only one example of the many students who have carried their commitment to community service beyond the walls of the TeamVOLS office into the local community and the world.

TeamVOLS is based upon volunteer outreach for leadership and service. Since 1995, TeamVOLS has increased its number of documented volunteer hours by almost 500%, accumulating 44,906 hours of volunteer work as of May 2000. All universities are charged with the responsibility of creating leaders for the future; TeamVOLS charges its student volunteers to become leaders dedicated to improving the future through a lifelong commitment to community service.

KNOXVILLE UTILITIES BOARD EMPLOYEES

The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) is an independent agency of the city of Knoxville. Its primary mission is to provide the most reliable and least costly utility services possible to its customers.

Beyond that mission, the approximately 1,000 employees at KUB are a caring and community-minded group of individuals who consistently seek various volunteer opportunitites within their community.

As a corporation, KUB spares no effort to support and encourage employee participation in these volunteer efforts. In response, KUB’s employees are committed to giving generously of their time, money, resources, and enthusiasm.

Examples of KUB employee volunteerism include participation in Project Help (a home-heating program to help the poor and elderly in paying their utility bills); educational support initiatives that include partnering with Austin-East and West High schools for TeenWork and Adopt-a-School programs; Habitat for Humanity (building homes for low-income families); support of the Salvation Army (employees purchase approximately 800 gifts annually for the Angel Tree program, which fulfills the holiday wishes of needy children) as well as serving as Bell Ringers at local malls; annual canned food drives which benefit The Love Kitchen; participation in the annual Christmas and Dogwood Arts Festival parades; Medic Blood drives; and walk-a-thons to raise money for the March of Dimes, Juvenile Diabetes, HeartWalk, etc.

In addition, KUB employees are environmentally conscious. KUB employees routinely remove tons of debris from parks, roadsides, and riverfronts as part of events like the Great American Cleanup, River Rescue, or Adopt-a-Highway. KUB itself promotes such environmental concern by offering customers innovative Green Power options that use renewable energy, like solar and wind power, to produce electricity.

Those are just a few of the community activities in which KUB employees participate each year – on their own initiative and for the betterment of the community they serve.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE CLEARINGHOUSE

The Volunteer Service Clearinghouse works to connect volunteers with community-based organizations through the centralization and creation of service opportunities and ensure student voice is represented in the community. It began as a student initiative in February 1998 at the local President’s Student Summit when two students from Roncalli High School identified the need to connect volunteers with service opportunities in the Aberdeen area. In partnership with the Aberdeen Service-Learning Center (ASLC), the students created a strategic plan which included an AmeriCorps*VISTA to coordinate the student-managed volunteer center. In the fall of 2000 the Clearinghouse received a $50,000 grant from the Knight Foundation and transitioned to become independent of the ASLC, which allowed an expansion of programs and the employment of a full-time coordinator.

A board of high school and college students govern Clearinghouse activities and are the key decision-makers. This board is expected to assess the community needs and resources, create service projects, raise funds and stimulate involvement in volunteerism. The Clearinghouse also facilitates meaningful opportunities for young people to be represented in the community through youth-adult partnerships. Student teams work with community partners to instigate various channels for the ideas and voices of students to be heard in the community. Examples include ServiceVote 2000 and the South Dakota Student Issues Forum.

The Clearinghouse collaborates with 25 community-based organizations to centralize service opportunities. The student board also creates and implements several service opportunities. During 2000, the Clearinghouse mobilized more than 600 volunteers that contributed 2200 hours of service. Another highlight includes the Clearinghouse initiating the establishment of the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce Students Taking Active Responsibility (STAR) award to recognize the accomplishments of students and student groups through service and the Coordinator receiving the Firestone 100 Who Serve Award. The following are some project summaries:

Each year the Clearinghouse coordinates service projects for national service days, suchas Martin Luther King Jr. Day and National Youth Service Day. The Clearinghouse hosted a “Day of Learning” educational program on the civil rights movement with approximately 150 individuals from the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA Bridges and the community for the 2000 King Holiday. The day consisted of speakers, art projects, skits, games and other breakout sessions involving 35 community volunteers.

To celebrate National Youth Service day, the Clearinghouse organizes an annual Youth Volunteer Fair. Youth have the opportunity to participate in 20 arts and crafts projects hosted by volunteers from community-based organizations. During the inaugural year of the event, more than 700 projects were completed that impacted 1,000 individuals!

Some of the other service projects implemented by the Clearinghouse have included playground construction, tree planting, and winter survival kit assembly.

The Clearinghouse also implements alternative breaks, a mentoring program and monthly service-learning projects through the Into the Streets program. In January, a youth benefit concert will be held to raise funds for the skatepark and the 10-week Prudential Youth Leadership Institute will commence.

ARNOLD ROYALTY

Arnold “Steve” Royalty was diagnosed with cancer a little over two and a half years ago. The doctors located the cancer in his brain; it was localized in a tumor. He had surgery to remove the tumor, but as a result of the surgery, Royalty lost all memory of how to perform the simplest of tasks. He had to relearn most skills and is still subject to occasional seizures. He also tires easily and is aphasic. However, he strives to overcome his physical challenges in an effort to serve others as well as motivating them to action.

Royalty is currently serving his second term as a member of the Green River Area Development District’s Senior Connections’ AmeriCorps program. He volunteers as a reading coach with the Kentucky-Reads AmeriCorps program, also. He knows how it feels to learn to read as an adult, so he feels he can benefit a child who needs assistance learning the same. Though he is involved in many aspects of the community, his primary service site with AmeriCorps is with the Hospice Association. He provides respite to caregivers in need of relief.

Royalty also gives additional time to the Eleventh-Hour Ministry. This program assures that “no one dies alone.” He goes to patient’s homes, hospitals, and nursing homes to be with patients as they are dying. He gives comfort to people who may not have family or friends to be with them at their dying hour. Though they are leaving this earth, the patients still gain comfort from having him by their side.

Steve Royalty makes himself available to assist with any extra project that comes up. He serves the Senior Corps with their in-service providing the additional hands needed to set up and serve those Senior Companions and Foster Grandparents who are a little unsteady on their feet. He is available when the Senior Center finds himself or herself short a driver. He then delivers meals to homebound clients. Though all of this seems quite much for a cancer survivor, that is not all that he does. He has also volunteered for Repair Affair, Pacesetters, and the Tornado 2000 Children’s Christmas party. All of these commitments were in addition to his commitment to the aforementioned AmeriCorps programs.

Owensboro was hit with a tornado last January. Royalty was out in the streets within 15 minutes. He was directing traffic at one of the major intersections until the police came out. He then went to the shelter and spent the night there providing aid and security for the disaster victims. After the initial shock was over, Royalty still worked in the community. He spent three weeks delivering food to the affected neighborhoods in the Emergency Response Vehicles.

Currently, Royalty has taken on another challenge; he is now volunteering as a Long Term Care Ombudsman. He has always had a concern for the elders in his community, and volunteering in this capacity to help to improve the quality of life for area nursing home residents. In addition, he is recruiting volunteers for a pilot project of the Green River Area Development District Area Agency on Aging.

MELISSA PETRY

Melissa Petry, a 13-year-old Girl Scout devoted to helping others. Her vision, leadership and management skills have led her to give service to many. When she visited the Presbyterain Shelter, she saw a need for over the counter medicine. She began educating the community about how they could make a positive difference in the lives of others. Melissa’s innovative approaches to addressing the problems were successful. She raised more than $2,500 worth of medicine and baby supplies for the shelter. Recently she provided an educational library for the shelter.

Melissa’s commitment to helping others inspired her to form a 501(c)(3) organization called Our Kids Care, which is about “kids helping kids” to have a hopeful direction. Melissa initiated the club after visiting Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth, which was the club’s first major project. This club has grown to include youth throughout Tarrant County.

Melissa has truly demonstrated her ability to lead others and turn her enthusiasm for service opportunities into making the community and the work a better place for all. She has enabled young people to have an opportunity to grow up feeling respected, knowing their strengths, and sensing that they can make a difference in the world, and contribute to society in meaningful ways. She recently taught classes at Hubbard Heights Elementary, informing the 5th grade students about community service and giving them the opportunity to help with one of her projects, “Tree of Hope and Joy.” This project helped to obtain Christmas gifts for less fortunate children. Stars were placed on Christmas trees denoting whether the gift was for a boy or girl wit their age and the need or want.

During the holiday season Melissa distributed these trees of “Hope and Joy” in numerous locations to help families throughout the community. She placed trees in: two K-Mart stores, one at Cherry Lane and the other at the Hulen street location; Dillard’s Department store employees’ break room; McDonald’s; Diamond’s; Smart Looks; Mr. Jim’s Pizza; Albertson’s; Neat Cuts; Chicken Express; Hoops; Boyd IGA; Sandy Beach convenient store; and First State Bank of Lake Worth. This effort allowed her to serve over 100 youth through the Azle Fire and Police Department, several families at the Ronald McDonald House, 25 students at Hubbard Heights Elementary, 50 youth who live in the city of Boyd through the Wise County Spirit of Christmas project sponsored by the Boyd Chamber of Commerce, and 148 families through Castle Hills Mission House. In fact, the “Tree of Hope and Joy” project was such a success that it allowed the Mission House to serve 100 more children than the previous year and still have toys and supplies left over.

Melissa has provided much needed supplies, food, medicine, toys and even computers to groups like Cook’s Children’s Hospital, River Oaks and Azle Fire Department, and many others. Melissa’s countless hours of service have paid off. Thousands have benefited due to her efforts.

JUDITH ESCHWEILER

Learning Leaders, previously known as the New York City School Volunteer Program, was the first program of its kind in the country and has been a national leader for over four decades in using trained volunteers to help meet the educational needs of students in public schools. The goal of Learning Leaders is to aid New York City public school students to gain the educational skills and self-esteem necessary to become successful learners and productive community members. Last year, 150,000 New York City public school students in 752 schools received aid from more than 9,800 volunteers. One of every seven children enrolled in the public school system received instruction from a Learning Leader.

Each of the volunteers gives at least two hours of his or her time per week to a school near work or home. All of the volunteers are screened and trained, and have ongoing support from professional field-based Training Specialists. Learning Leaders was incorporated in 1970 as a nonprofit organization, and about $2.5 million is raised annually to support the program.

Judith Eschweiler has been a Learning Leader since 1996 at PS 179 in Brooklyn, New York. She works three mornings a week at the same school her daughter attended. Her main focus is helping first grade children with their reading and writing skills. Her sessions are held in the classroom library so the children can work with minimal distractions.

Ms. Eschweiler has been asked to work with children of other grades as well. The school guidance counselor, who has observed her work and knows the progress of her children, asked her to work with children in higher grades. Ms. Eschweiler accepted the challenge without hesitation. She will continue working to strengthen the Learning Leaders program at PS 179.

Ms. Eschweiler works hard to encourage her children’s success. She concentrates on sharpening the children’s reading and writing skills and improving their grammar, spelling, and punctuation. She also cultivates their creativity. Her success is shown by her children’s progress. Every day is a new opportunity for her to make a difference in another child’s life. “Miss Judi,” as she’s called at school, believes that there are no children who cannot learn to be better readers. Reading definitely opens new doors for the children and after they become confident in their abilities, they feel better about themselves and perform at a higher level.

The experience, expertise, scope and cost-effectiveness of Learning Leaders make an essential contribution to the city and its children, which no other group provides. The program produces many secondary benefits when the parent volunteers – approximately 7,200 – use their volunteer training and experience to teach their own children at home, pursue their own educational and career goals, and move into leadership positions at their schools. To date, 74% of the Learning Leaders are parent volunteers.

Ms. Eschweiler, as a Learning Leader, has left a lasting impression on children attending New York City’s public schools. An Educational Testing Service Study has measured the success of the program. This study showed that 1/3 of the students who received volunteer assistance because of academic difficulties achieved or exceeded grade-level requirements in reading or math within one year of participation in the program.

VISTA ELDERCARE VOLUNTEERS

Victory Memorial Hospital, now Vista Health, investigated the unmet needs of elders living in northern Lake County, Illinois in 1998. They banned with the Catholic Charities, the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, Lake County Health Department, and other senior service professionals so they could be as accurate as possible. This inquiry found there were three significant unmet community needs: a trained friendly visitor program to decrease isolation in homebound elders, escorted transportation to medical appointments, and free in-home respite for low-income family caregivers. In addition, mature adults over 65 years of age are at risk of losing independence due to failing health, disability, and limited economic resources. Vista ElderCARE Volunteers was created to respond to these needs.

Vista ElderCARE Volunteers provide a quality support system and a dependable safety net in the Waukegan community. They respond to needs in a cost-effective and direct manner that makes a huge difference to the elders served. Trained volunteers from more than 43 churches are now connected to isolated, homebound elders. Family caregivers who are overburdened risk their own health when trying to care for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease or other chronic illnesses. So, in 2000, TIMEOUT:Volunteer RespiteCARE was added to provide in-home respite to low income family caregivers as well as the patients.

From July 1988 to May of 2001, this program has had a phenomenal impact. Over 1,000 homebound elders have received assistance. The volunteers served both male and female clients who on the average are over 76 years of age and have very low incomes. There have been over 800 ElderCARE volunteers who attended training. That includes 35 volunteer RNs, 40 TIMEOUT respite volunteers, over 100 transportation volunteers, and more than 40 volunteers from three schools along with general volunteers. The Vista ElderCARE Volunteers have given more than 26,100 hours of service and escorted seniors to over 1,900 medical appointments. There have been more than 70 in-home RN wellness visits using a new ElderCARE Geriatric Assessment tool, and more than 130 have signed up for Lifeline Emergency Response services. Sixty family caregivers and loved ones have received free, in-home respite through TIMEOUT, also.

This program connects the community neighbor by neighbor. To date, the Vista ElderCARE Volunteers have 10 major areas of service. They have Friendly Visitors, Help for Family Caregivers, In-Home Wellness Visits by Registered Nurses, Volunteer Shoppers, Escorts to Medical Appointments, Telephone Reassurance Calls, Information and Referral, Yard Work and Household Chores, Medication Inventory and Evaluation, and Personal Response Services.

Vista provides a variety of free or low-cost community-based services, which help promote health, encourage independence, and reduce isolation. By recruiting, training, and coordinating volunteers from faith communities and the community-at-large, Vista works cooperatively with community organizations in developing needed services that will have a lasting impact for elders in need.

HUMANA TEENS AGAINST TOBACCO USE VOLUNTEERS

In April of 1997, the Vice Chairman of Humana, along with other community leaders attended the President’s Summit for America’s Future led by General Colin Powell. They were all asked to take a stand and make a difference in the lives of our country’s youth. Knowing Humana’s deep commitment to the communities they serve, Mr. David Jones made a commitment of two million dollars on behalf of the Humana Foundation and Humana Associates to fight teen smoking.

Volunteers at Humana are working hard to stop youth from smoking. With staggering statistics like that fact that 3,000 children start smoking each day, and the fact that tobacco use kills more people each year that AIDS, these volunteers work hard to make a difference. A team of 20 Humana employee volunteers has and continues to teach the Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) program to teens in the Jefferson County Public School System. Since 1998, more than 900 teens have been reached with the message to stop smoking.

Through a partnership with the American Lung Association (ALA) and the Jefferson County Public School System, a team of local Humana employee volunteers has taken the ALA’s TATU program to youth in the area. The volunteers have empowered teenagers to form TATU clubs at the various high schools. Now, almost every one of the 17 public high schools have an active TATU group that others can join to help fight tobacco use.

TATU is a peer-mentoring, anti-tobacco use program that seeks committed volunteers to teach teen the dangers of tobacco use. They use creative, hands-on activities. The teenagers, in turn, use the skills they have learned to reach younger students. Since TATU was launched in Louisville two years ago, more than 12,000 Jefferson County high school, elementary, and middle school students have participated in the TATU program. The volunteers are consistent and committed to the program. Together, Humana and the ALA have dedicated more than 5,000 hours teaching and mentoring the TATU teens. In addition, they help the teens with their presentations and skits as they mentor their younger peers in the third through fifth grade about the dangers of tobacco use.

The volunteers have also been instrumental in developing strategies on program implementation, volunteer recruitment, and innovations to motivate teens to stay active in the program. Humana has agreed to provide 50,000 volunteer hours from employees to help train the teens, answer questions, and to contact school officials, among other things. The idea behind TATU is younger children are more likely to take an anti-smoking message to heart if it is presented by teenagers they look up to as opposed to adults. It is not set up to diminish the role of adults, but the concept is that older peers have a unique role in presenting certain information to younger students.

STAR WALLIN

Star Wallin created Project CARE (Compassion in Action creates a never-ending Ripple Effect of positive change), an organization dedicated to mobilizing resources to address Hattiesburg’s needs. It is a student organization with fluid membership that forms around specific needs as they arise. Hattiesburg Public Schools supports their efforts with meeting space, time off, T-shirt printing, and use of communications resources.

In October 2000, Star learned of the Son family who lost their grandmother, their home and all of their possessions in a tragic fire and of the two teens whose brave actions saved the father, little girl and family dog. Project CARE immediately began a clothing, food, toy, household item, and monetary drive for the fire victims. Due to the generous donations, the family was able to get back on their feet with their renewed confidence in their community. She then visited the modest home of the “heroes” to support their random acts of kindness and saw a need for action.

Project CARE organized a canned food and donation drive for the family of the teens and delivered Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to their door. It helped acquire a computer for the family and is currently working to secure new furnishings. In December, Star received notice that a young five year old had written a letter to Santa explaining her family’s deplorable situation and asking for a few gifts for her young cousin. Little Kimberley’s family became the sixth local family for whom Project CARE delivers toys, food and donations. In addition to these families, 12 other families in the community receive food baskets bi-annually because of Project CARE drives.

Project CARE holds the philosophy that all creatures deserve to experience compassion and respect. Star had worked closely with the Humane Society in the past and was aware of the large number of animals euthanized, due in large part to a lack of funds for the agency. Project CARE instituted a two-part strategy: 1) To raise awareness and funding – Project CARE organized and implemented the First “Pet in the Park Picnic” in August 2000. More than 30 volunteers and 100 area animal lovers participated, and more than $1,500 was raised for the work of the Humane Society! Project CARE then sought and received grant funding for the Humane Society ($5,500 total), and these funds are directed toward campaigns for community support, humane education, and pet overpopulation control. 2) Beginning in September 2000, it received, cared for, trained and found homes for 33 animals from the Forrest County Humane Society who would have otherwise been euthanized.

Project CARE is currently working on organizing and supplying over 25 high-school age “teachers” to deliver selected curricular modules to every third grade classroom in the district. The modules are “Our City,” a project of Junior Achievement, “Recycling 202” in partnership with the Keep Mississippi Beautiful Campaign, “Composting” employing students from Hattiesburg High School’s Environmental Club, and “Animal Awareness,” in partnership with the Humane Society.