MIRACLE FLIGHTS FOR KIDS

Miracle Flights for Kids® was founded in 1985 by its President, Ann McGee, under the name of The Angel Planes, Inc. It began as a small organization of volunteer pilots rallied by McGee to provide air transportation to those in rural areas needing to access specialized health care not available in their home area.

Since 1985, Miracle Flights for Kids® has grown into a national program whose boundaries are limitless. Miracle Flights for Kids® provides air transportation to children in need no matter how far they must travel, or how often. The organization provides flights throughout the United States and is not limited by distance. When a volunteer pilot is not available, Miracle Flights for Kids® will acquire a seat on a commercial aircraft for the child requiring medical care as well as for his/her family, purchasing a ticket, if need be. The ability of Miracle Flights for Kids® to purchase commercial airline tickets when volunteer pilots, or donated tickets, are not available, is unlike most other flight programs, many of whom refer their client/families to Miracle Flights for Kids® for assistance.

This innovative program has, in fact, inspired the creation of other flight organizations, many of whom refer clients to Miracle Flights for Kids® as they are incapable of flying distances or do not have the means that Miracle Flights for Kids® does to purchase commercial airline tickets when a volunteer pilot is not available.

Miracle Flights for Kids® still relies, in part, on volunteer private pilots who donate their time, plane and expertise to the organization. Often, the only thanks they receive is the smile of a child they have transported or the sigh of relief of the child’s parents once they have accessed the specialized care their child so desperately needed.

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Miracle Flights for Kids® is that since 1985, it has coordinated more than 25,000 flights, providing more than 8 million miles of free access to health care for individuals, primarily children, in desperate need of air transportation to medical facilities not available in their local area.

Many of the children flown by Miracle Flights for Kids® are disadvantaged or are underserved in their local areas. Many of the Kids are disabled; most require specialized treatment in order to have any quality of life. The Kids suffer from conditions such as heart disease, cancer, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, that require such treatments as open-heart surgery, HBOT treatments, and organ transplants. Miracle Flights for Kids® has made a difference in the lives of so many children. For example, as a young boy, Joel was found to have an IGG-3 deficiency in his immune system. His sister, Jenny, is autistic. Joel, along with his sister, was successfully flown from Ohio to California for specialized treatment. For this family of six, earning less than $26,000, with two children requiring multiple visits to California for specialized medical care, hearing about Miracle Flights for Kids® truly was a “miracle.” Many other such heart wrenching “miracles” have resulted from the efforts of Miracle Flights for Kids® over the last 16 years.

Since the plane crashes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, on September 11, 2001, Miracle Flights for Kids has answered the call from several blood services to coordinate transportation of donated blood and plasma. The organization has worked hard to notify hospitals and medical facilities in New York and Washington, DC to volunteer its services of air transportation of ambulatory victims who needed to access specialized medical care not available locally.

CORINNE BULLA

Corinne Bulla has volunteered with the St. Petersburg Police Department for several years. During her years of service, she has volunteered between 1,500 and 2,000 hours of community service per year. She works in the administrative section with the police department but her activities include filing drug abuse forms and automobile accident reports. She also works with the AmeriCorps program on various projects, including, but not limited to community awareness and solicitation of other applicants and other volunteers. In addition, Bulla assists the police department in searching for lost children, and conducting classes.

Corinne Bulla is an asset to the department and also works with the St. Petersburg Police Tyrone Gardens Community Resource Center as well as the St. Petersburg Police Athletic League PALs and has indeed found a warm place in the hearts of the police department employees and volunteers. Her duties at the Community Resource Center include informing the public of problem areas in the crime watch sectors, advising the public of the current activities sponsored by the police department in their area, and being a listening ear to any of the residents who need someone to talk to. She keeps herself informed of the activities in City Hall that will affect West St. Petersburg to ensure the interest of the community is taken into consideration. Bulla helps out in a variety ways with regards to PALs and has been an active volunteer with that program since 1998.

In addition to volunteering with the St. Petersburg Police Department, Bulla has been actively involved with the Pinellas Trail for over a year. One of her great contributions is overseeing the Pinellas Trail. This trail is a place for the public to walk and skate, and she dedicates two mornings each week from 6am until 8am to maintain the trail.

In 1999, Bulla was a Volunteer Assistant for the Special Olympics held in Raleigh, North Carolina. She did not allow her need for financial assistance to participate keep her from working with the Olympians. In fact, she was able to go to North Carolina and work, and she logged in the most hours of any volunteer. This was accomplished after a long daily commute via public transportation. Bulla’s team spirit and tirelessness won the hearts of participants, staff, and the celebrity guests at the 1999 World Special Olympic Games. Her personality, ability, work ethic, and daily demeanor impressed the coordinator for the games, Charles DeSmet, and made his job, as well as the job of whom ever else she interacted with much easier.

Bulla was recognized for her work and presented a certificate of appreciation as an Auxiliary Ranger for one year of volunteer service to Pinellas County, which included 500 hours of community service in 1999. She was also awarded Administrative Volunteer of the Year by the St. Petersburg Police Department Volunteer Program in that same year for outstanding efforts toward the success of their program.

In the year 2000, Bulla won Volunteer of the Year recognition for her 3,098 hours of service to the St. Petersburg Police Department. Also, she was recognized as the Administrative Volunteer of the Year and was selected for the Hall of Fame. She won the Tribute to Woman award for 2000 and 2001 and Pinellas Trail High Honor in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, she was designated Police Athletic League Volunteer of the Year.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL CENTER, INC.

The Montgomery County Agricultural Center, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1948 directly to serve youth; 4-H club members then did not have a fair to showcase their work in 4-H projects. A group of 15 4-H leaders explored the idea of organizing a fair and recruited other volunteers to help raise the money to purchase the land that became the Agricultural Center. Other volunteers organized materials and money to erect 12 barns using about 5,000 volunteers in a grand barn raising, and the first fair was held in 1949.

From that humble beginning, the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair has grown into the largest county fair in Maryland with 250,000 patrons attending to view more than 17,000 exhibits in a nine-day family oriented exhibition. In 2000, it received the honor of being voted “Best for Families” by the 250,000 readers of Washington Families magazine. The Fair still remains volunteer-based as well; last year there were 1,629 volunteers involved at the Agricultural Center, donating more than 28,000 hours of service to the Agricultural Center and the Fair. For more information on the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair click here.

About a decade ago, the Agricultural Center launched another program to serve severely handicapped/terminally ill children at the Fair. The VIP Children’s Day annually treats 30 to 35 honorees and their families to a free day at the Fair, starting with breakfast. The VIP children are given certificates of recognition, escorted around the Fair by 4-H hosts and hostesses, shown the many exhibits, given free rides in the carnival area, and given a nice duffel bag of free gifts to remember the day.

Also at the Annual County Fair, the Montgomery County Police sponsor DARE Day in honor of those 5th graders who have graduated from the Drug Resistance Education Program. Every child wearing a DARE graduation T-shirt is granted free admission to the Fair and has the chance to participate in free games and activities sponsored by the police at the Fair.

The Montgomery County Agricultural Center also has an ambitious scholarship program, funded from proceeds from the Fair and donations. Last year, $15,000 was awarded in amounts from $500 to $2,000 to youth advancing to college.

The Agricultural Center is also the host for the annual Montgomery County Safety Patrol Picnic where all of the county’s 10,000 safety patrols are treated to a fun day in honor of their work all year. The Montgomery County Agricultural Center has been a sponsor of the Governor’s Fishing Derby (get hooked on fishing, not drugs), and of “Close Encounters with Agriculture.” These programs involve thousands of youth annually; “Close Encounters” along involved 3,000 4th graders per year. The Fair is also a sponsor of the summer public library reading program which awards about 3,000 children annually for meeting summer reading goals.

The MCAC is a designated student service learning facility. Last year, 355 youth earned 5525 hours of service credits which are required for high school graduation in Maryland.

DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE FAITH INITIATIVE

The Department of Juvenile Justice Faith Initiative has been serving 60 to 100 hours monthly for the past five years. Rev. John Ferro founded the Faith Initiative by first recruiting “faith volunteers.”

Rev. Ferro went to various churches in the Daytona area to publicize this ministry. Each volunteer is required to have background screenings with the Department of Juvenile Justice. Many youth that are in the Department of Juvenile Justice have never attended church. Rev. Ferro enables them to find their spirituality and talk to someone about faith. He is the contact person for all the churches and responsible for continuing to publicize the mission and purpose of the Faith Initiative.

Members of various churches visit various facilities such as the Stewart-Marchman Center, the Juvenile Detention Center, and the Volusia House. The volunteers visit each center at least weekly. Some of the volunteers choose to go several times a week to council teenagers on a one-on-one basis. In addition, church groups hold services every Saturday evening for any of the youth who want to attend as well as Bible lessons and individual counseling. The Faith Initiative is responsible for this as well as providing special times for the youth during the holidays. For the past five years, the Faith Initiative has sponsored pizza parties for the youth during Christmas and provided gifts for approximately 100 of the clients. They also held a service at the Volusia House and the Detention Center in addition to the party.

The Faith Initiative has given the youth more than a “program.” They get to talk to someone who cares about them and is concerned about their welfare. This group gives the young people an opportunity to find a higher power, which results in them feeling better about themselves and being better people.

Rev. Ferro and the other members of the Faith Initiative work to bring faith, spirituality, and hope to youth who chose to participate in their activities. He has been inspired by many people, but he daily works to “ do more with his Faith Community,” as President Bush suggested in one of his speeches. Rev. Ferro is the founder and organizer; however, he can also be seen spending quality time with the youth himself. He visits with them and counsels them and is always on call if a special need arises. Rev. Ferro and the Faith Initiative volunteers spend hours of time in prayer as preparation for their mission of serving the youth. They then dedicate many hours of the week to give of themselves to hundreds of youth who feel they have no one else.

KATHLEEN MURRAY

Kathleen Murray is not the typical volunteer. Her life can be summed up in one word – “service.” Her story begins at the age of two, when a childhood accident almost cost her life and her vision. She ended up losing vision in her right eye at the age of five and is half-blind. She endured more than 12 operations growing up and a lasting scar on her eye “set her aside in the eyes of society” for a good part of her life. She now wears her hair where she is able to “hide” her eye a little bit. It still draws attention and stares, but she has become confident to handle it with dignity, style and grace. Dealing with these experiences and her lifelong physical flaw has formed who she is as a human being.

Kathleen Murray attended an all women’s college in Washington, DC, but left to be with her grandmother was dying. Afterward, she left for New Orleans where she worked for Covenant House as a full-time volunteer working more than 60 hours per week in exchange for room and board and $15 a week. She worked with “throw-away” kids on the streets, kids that came from situations that are often only read about. The work was arduous for her and her co-workers, but upon her return home to Delaware she decided to open her own social service agency and once again put her dreams on hold to take care of her Aunt that helped to raise her and her brother until she died.

The process of caring for her Aunt lasted 24/7 for a period of five years. She took care of her dying Aunt selflessly and with grace despite the fact that her 20’s were passing her by. She would sometimes say that you do something just because you know it’s the right thing to do. In addition to her role as a family caregiver, she supported every charity she found worthy and networked with and for her friends doing the same. She is very vocal and active for women and children’s rights and enlists others to do the same. Every year she has several events going on.

Starting in January 2002, Murray will be leaving to travel around the United States and volunteer at 12 different programs in 12 different states with a 6-month concentration on children. She will be spending 30-45 days at each program depending upon how she calendars out her year. She will be going to Atlanta to work in a hospital with premies, New Orleans to work at an assisted living community for the elderly, Santa Fe to work at a food bank, San Diego to work on the streets with homeless teens, a crisis hospice in Spokane, working with people with HIV/AIDS in Anchorage, teen home in Helena for moms and their babies, working and living on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota, a therapeutic riding center for the disabled in Indiana, an orphanage in Maryland and an umbrella organization in New York City. She will also be making a documentary of the process.

She is currently in the process of raising money to do all of this work and travel. Despite the fact that she has never done this before, she calls and writes everyone and their mother for whatever she needs for this project. Her efforts at outreach are relentless. She says that the spirit of her project is the stories out there; she wants to give them a voice with an emphasis on volunteerism. She was selected by Working Woman magazine as working woman of the month for July/August 2001. Murray is making the most of the “second chance” at life she was given as a child and using her time to help others in any way she can.

OLATHE NOON & SANTA FE TRAIL ROTARY CLUBS

The Olathe Rotary Club established a goal to be a part of the Rotarian’s International Reading initiative in 1998. They did so by implementing the Rotary Reading Program for Olathe elementary students. Their desire was to assist in improving student reading and listening skills.

More than 50 Rotarians committed themselves to read to children in Olathe District Schools once a month. Through this program at least one, and sometimes more than one, reader was assigned to each of Olathe’s 26 elementary schools. They were assigned to a grade level, which might consist of one class or several classes of students. They arrive for 20-30 minute reading sessions and interacted with students through questions and answers about the story at the end of the activity.

During 1999, the club split into a morning and noon club, but the commitment continued. Olathe Seniors Serving Schools coordinators schedule Rotarians and track their volunteer hours. In 2000, a new elementary school was added, and now Rotarians, who continue to read to the elementary students, cover 27 schools. This is the third year for the Rotary Readers and each year, they extend the commitment to continue this program.

Rotarians not only read to students, they also give of themselves through sharing of personal information, dressing up for the occasions to emphasize a book, and just interacting with children. Occasionally, special treats are provided as an added incentive for the children. The reading provides a connection with the community through outside human resources, and the volunteers are role models the children look forward to seeing. These volunteers range from corporate professionals, State Senators, State Representatives, and other community members. Though their daily duties differ, they share a common bond of being part of the educational process for the children in the community.

The Rotarians monitor reader attendance and their service to the students. Currently, 50 members of Olathe’s Rotary Clubs provide over 450 hours of reading time to more than 2,600 elementary students annually. The Olathe Noon and Santa Fe Trail Rotary clubs provide a measure of excellence in the Olathe Community that motivates the children to succeed.

MORTON PLANT HOSPITAL AUXILIARY

Camp Living Springs is a one-of-a-kind community outreach program that provides adult cancer survivors a totally free, fun-filled weekend. Their mission is to promote camaraderie, relaxation, and shared experiences while nurturing the spirit of those touched by cancer. The Camp is totally funded by the Morton Plant Hospital Auxiliary. The staff is also made up of Auxiliary volunteers, nurses, counselors, and massage therapists who donate all of their time.

Cancer camps for children are common; however, there is very little available for adult survivors outside of support groups. Though adults have the same needs to escape from the constant thoughts about their disease also. Camp Living Springs is one of two adult camps in Florida. The idea originated with a support group who wanted to do something innovative for the adults not related to their disease. The first year’s pilot was funded with granted monies from the Morton Plant Mease Foundation, and it was a huge success. The Morton Plant Auxiliary was then approached as a permanent sponsor to organize, fund, and staff future camps.

The 800 plus members of the Morton Plant Auxiliary accepted the challenge and have now successfully planned two camping experiences. The camp is help at a 100-acre retreat facility surrounded by a lake. The participants are housed in cabins and dorms during their stay. Before the campers arrive, committees meet regularly for seven months to plan a variety of activities. The campers are then able to participate in caricatures, themed dances, massages, line dancing lessons, arts and crafts, nature walks, and other events. For those who want to enjoy the atmosphere and tranquility, there are numerous rocking chairs on the large porch overlooking the lake. This camp concept is presented on local, state, and national levels; and the Morton Plant Auxiliary hopes to be and inspiration and pilot for organization across the nation.

Camp Living Springs’ achievements are best explained through comments from campers and their volunteer buddies. Both believe the experience is unique and very hard to put into works. They believe it gives you a chance to just “live” and not worry about being knows as a bone cancer patient, lung cancer patient, etc. The camp gives people who are living with cancer a chance to take a break from their disease. They are able to fellowship with others who have the same concerns and challenges. Many are able to share experiences, encourage each other, and just meet new friends. The Camp has been quite a success. During the first year, there were 21 campers. The Camp grew to 49 by the second year, and they had 60 campers last year.

Tim McMahon, Director of Oncology Services at Morton Plant Mease Health Care applauds Camp Living Springs. He believes it gives cancer patients a place to just be themselves,” they can let their hair down and remove their wigs.” He feels the Camp gives them the courage to embrace their survivorship as opposed to being overcome with fear.

MARY MOSS

Lafayette, Louisiana is the home to the Azalea Park neighborhood, a local housing project with a less than stellar reputation. Mary Moss is an educator to the children who call Azalea Park home. She works daily with the children who call this area where violence and drugs their playground. She is a veteran principal that turns the sidewalks of Azalea Park into her classroom as she teaches reading, writing, and a lesson in compassion.

Moss was formerly the Principal at L. Leo Judice Elementary, but has now been assigned to Alice Boucher Elementary in Lafayette. She noticed that the children who came from Azalea Park seemed to have a learning disadvantage at the inception of the school year because their study skills had not been reinforced over the summer. So, she began her tour of duty and started to travel to the neighborhood and tutor the children herself.

During the summer of 1999, Moss spent five hours a day, five days a week for seven weeks seeking out children to tutor. Initially, her greatest challenge was skepticism and distrust. Many could not accept her initially and would only look out at her through closed curtains. The community was not sure what she wanted from them and only assumed that was the case. They were not used to having anyone coming to them, seeking them out to care for them. She did not give up; but she stayed dedicated to her cause. Gradually the community realized she was there to help the children. The doors began to open, and children began to receive the specialized attention they deserved.

Her efforts did not go unnoticed. The children returned to school in the fall and were earning better grades. Because of the definite success of the summer tutoring, she continued her program. She began to go to the area every afternoon after school to continue tutoring. She also spent the summer of 2000 just as she did in 1999, tutoring the children.

Moss is excited about the change. She sees children who used to fail now earning honor roll grades in many or most of their classes. In addition to that, one of the greatest breakthroughs was with the parents. It seemed that they were previously not taking an active role in their child’s life, their education in particular. There is a definite difference in the way they discipline and work with their children at home.

During her 30 years as an educator, Moss has learned quite a bit. She initially believed many children were mistreated or not being cared for because their parents or guardians did not care. She learned, though, that sometimes people need to be taught to care. Some adults have never received unconditional love. She knows you can get people to care by reaching out and caring for them without judging them, always accepting them for who and what they are.

Moss hopes her work will not just break the cycle of violence and despair some children face but will build a new future. She knows a new circle needs to be started; the children need a new beginning filled with positive aspects to channel their drive and help them set goals. So she is now teaching other how to tutor and mentor and the benefits of doing the same.

MARITZA GONZALEZ

Maritza Gonzalez is the Executive Director of Ministerio Esperanza de Vida, Inc. (MEDV, Inc). She founded MEDV in 1995 to help the underserved Latino population. She has a heart for those suffering with HIV/AIDS and has served them tirelessly for five years before founding the agency. It all started with the adoption of a 5-week-old child infected with HIV. Though doctors did not believe she would live past her first year, Gonzalez did not give up on faith. Today Shanitza, her daughter, is 13 years old and healthy. Shanitza’s testimony was the reason for Gonzalez started MEDV, Inc. — the Spanish name to a ministry that means “Hope of Life Ministry.”

Since Gonzalez started this ministry she has sheltered more than 60 infected individuals in her own home. Although she does not receive funding from the government or anyone for housing, short-term sehlter, detoxification and rehabilitation, she continues to financially, spiritually, morally and emotionally support anyone that has been infected or affected by this crippling disease. She believes these individuals need compassion, love, respect and dignity just as everyone else, but they especially need support in their time of emotional crisis. Gonzalez also educates the Hispanic/Latino community in her area. Her mission is education, outreach, counseling, and to test the targeted population.

She is concerned about the infected people because of the lifestyle she used to have. She used to be a drug addict, alcoholic and a prostitute. Today, she is a Pastor and the Executive Direcotr of a Hispanic outreach agency. She has been clean, sober and happily married for the past 16 years. Her past experiences and lifestyle gives her a valuable tool to reach the high-risk community and allows her to break the linguistic and cultural barriers within the Hispanic population.

Gonzalez belongs to the Community Planning Partnership sponsored by the Florida Dept. of Health. Also, she is a member of the Community Planning Council of Orlando, Florida. Gonzalez has been the guest speaker in churches, organizations, associations and youth groups to present discussions and counseling to Latinos that are possibly involved in high-risk behaviors. She also participates in health fairs, festivals, conferences and networks with other agencies to provide more efficient services. She has participated in Strictly Positive, Feria de Salud, HIV Testing Day, and the Youth Summit. She has also spoken at YMCA conferences where they emphasize abstinence to the youth in order to achieve their goals and dreams. She has shared her testimony with them to teach the importance of preventing the spread of this deadly virus.

Gonzalez works hands-on with those affected with HIV/AIDS. She also speaks with as many people as she can to educate the community on prevention and care. She promotes abstinence among the youth and encourages them to get involved in their community so they can decrease the risk involved in promiscuous behavior.

MATT KELLEY

This past March, the United States learned that almost seven million Americans identified themselves as multiracial on their Census 2000 forms. Matt Kelley has been living as “multicultural” all of his life. Growing up in two small towns in Washington State, he had to become accustomed to curious stares. People sometimes made comments, and others just wondered. Matt is the son of a Korean mother and a Norwegian/Irish father, and as a child, he was confused and isolated from other children because of his heritage.

Today, people may not be as judgmental; however, this was the first time in the Census’ 210-year history that they gave the option of being multicultural available. We see prominent figures in sports, politics, and other professions that are products of mixed heritage families. Nearly 1 in 6 babies born in cities like Seattle, WA, Sacramento, CA and San Antonio, TX are multiracial. Though the numbers are growing, there is still a definite lack of awareness about multiracial people. It is also astonishing to know that biracial children are the fastest growing population entering the juvenile justice system.

As a 19-year-old freshmen in college, Matt decided to do something to help this undeserved segment. He almost single-handedly created MAVIN, which is the only magazine specifically focused on celebrating multiracial youth. Mavin is taken from the Hebrew-Aramaic word meaning “one who understands.” Matt is trying to make people acknowledge that everything is not just black or white, there are people who exist in the middle; and once people realize that, it is not so easy to pit one group against the other.

In 2000, he created the Mavin Foundation. This is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of multiracial young Americans. Since starting MAVIN, Matt has never been paid for the work he does. He has volunteered approximately 300 hours monthly to promote multiracial youth. Matt still has bills, and the magazine still has financial needs; so he has worked as a busboy, pre-school teacher, and an apartment manager.

In addition, Matt coordinated the 3rd Pan Collegiate Conference on the Mixed Race Experience in 1999. Hundreds of students came together to celebrate their diversity. Matt also volunteered to teach a full-credit course at Wesleyan University entitled, Racially Mixed in the U.S.A. Since MAVIN debuted, hundreds of newspaper, magazine, and television features spanning five continents have featured stories about Matt and MAVIN. Because of his innovative approach to race issues, Matt was named one of Seattle magazine’s “9 to Watch In The Next Century.” Teen People magazine named him a local hero, and Seattle’s TRIBES Project designated him as a “Race Scholar.” Matt has worked tirelessly to increase mainstream society’s awareness of multiracial young Americans.

In addition to MAVIN, Matt has donated thousands of volunteer hours to Child haven, a nonprofit Seattle organization that serves children who have had to suffer with abuse and neglect. Currently, he also serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Multiethnic Americans and the Central District Forum of Arts and ideas, a Seattle-based nonprofit celebrating African American culture.