THE WINNER’S CLUB OF CALHOUN, INC.
The Winner’s Club is a modest white clubhouse decorated with marigolds on the outskirts of Calhoun, Georgia. This little white house is the culmination of a dream. It was planted in the heart of William Balliew 30 years ago and birthed not too long after. It is now a place that aids mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and handicapped children do things others believed they could not.
William Balliew was born in Calhoun. He was the son of a cotton-mill operator and just an ordinary country boy. He married, had a family, and worked in the Juvenile court system in the city. He initially began his service when he started a Cub Scout pack for mentally disabled boys. Though it was a grand undertaking, he took it on and succeeded. Once he met the young men and had a chance to interact with them, he decided against Cub Scouts and started a Boy Scout troop. He realized everyone could be a winner at something.
The scout troop was a success, and it eventually expanded to include girls and young children. Soon, the needs, goals, and ambitions began to strain at the scouting guidelines. Balliew then created the Winner’s Club. The children that no one else wanted suddenly had a place all their own. It was a special place just for them filled with love and encouragement. It was a gateway to finding self-confidence and self-esteem.
The Club began in an old storage shed. However, as the years went by, the community responded to the love that this man and his wife were doling out in generous portions. The entire community saw the changes that were taking place in their lives. The Club saw a young boy who had always wanted to play football but was never encouraged to do so because he was different receive his high school letterman’s jacket. They saw a young man who loved running win the gold medal at the International Special Olympics in Brockport, New York. A 12-year-old girl who rarely spoke to anyone became a college graduate and is now one of the Winner’s Club Directors.
Balliew and the Winner’s Club have touched many lives. They have showed the community the diamonds that many wanted to forget. They have also shown a special group of children that they are indeed important and can succeed in whatever they work to do. Balliew takes every opportunity to booster the children’s pride with his love and gentleness. They know and are determined to do their best because they can and they know “Mr. Balliew” expects it.
The Winner’s Club is involved in many aspects of the community in addition to ministering to the youth that are a part of the club. They sing for local churches, rebuild automobiles, refinish furniture, grow gardens, take field trips, cook, manage honeybee hives, and attend church together. The Winner’s Club has received national and international attention through Reader’s Digest, American Express-United Way Hometown America Project, and Betty Crocker.
CHARLES WINSTEAD
Charles Winstead was injured in the Army about 15 years ago, and he was forced to retire when his superiors realized he was not able to read. He then took on a job driving trucks, but because he could not read computer screens he could not continue that job either. Though it was challenging, he knew he had to learn to read; eight years ago he joined the literacy council. He has been diligent about improving his reading ever since and loves to work to help others find the joy of learning to read.
Winstead is on a fixed income and is raising two of his grandchildren, but he is volunteering with the Durham County Literacy Council. He provides the students, staff, board of directors, and volunteers with the motivation essential to overcoming illiteracy in Durham County and in the Triangle area. He also encourages contributions to the United Way and has spoken for at least 40 United Way presentations in the past one a half years. This has helped the Literacy Council to raise thousands of dollars.
Without his encouragement, dozens of students would never have attended their classes and many tutors would have never knows how vital their services are to the agency’s clientele. Winstead believe teaching people to read is helping to save their lives. He has worn many hats at the Literacy Council. He drives other literacy students to their classes, workshops, and training programs. He has served on the board of Directors and awards an annual volunteer award to students who have contributed to the Literacy Council. He helps to conduct workshops, recruits other literacy students as tutors, serves as a representative of the Literacy Council on local, state, and national levels, and provides regular office and clerical support to the Council’s staff.
Winstead has developed and still leads a student-writing group at the Literacy Council. In addition, he has helped organize a state literacy conference in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1997. This conference addressed the needs of literacy students through the collaboration of literacy providers and the students themselves. He was the first person to win the Literacy Council Student Volunteer Award, which were later named the Charles Winstead Outstanding Student Volunteer Award in his honor. He was also the first grandparent to attend the Literacy Council’s Family Literacy classes. Winstead also collaborates with other literacy agency partners to create a national awareness of literacy problems.
GABE BYARS
Gabe Byars is a volunteer advocate for the Durham Crisis Response Center: Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. He was the overseer of the committee that formed this merger between the Durham and Arise Centers. As a volunteer, Byars has many responsibilities. He answers calls on the 24-hour crisis line, accompanies sexual assault survivors to the hospital, and gives general support and encouragement to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. He serves a great need.
Last year, Rape Crisis of Durham served more than 360 clients and Arise served more than 600 clients. In addition to the aforementioned work, Byars also serves as a Support Advocate. This job involves carrying a pager for a week to be a back-up support to the Primary Advocate who answers the crisis line calls.
Byars has demonstrated a unique contribution and commitment to the agency that primarily serves women. As an advocate for over a year, he has had to work with several sexual assault and/or domestic violence survivors. Initially, these women are hesitant about asking for help from a man; however, they soon realize he is committed to serve them. He does not judge them or patronize them, but he serves them with the deepest of respect. Clients he has worked with have only positive accolades for him. Most people he comes in contact with in the agency have deep personal words about his ability to help them through an extremely difficult time.
This fall, Byars will be facilitating a support group for male survivors of sexual assault and abuse. He demonstrates leadership by taking charge at the center. When he sees something that needs to be done, he stops and looks for resolution. He lives the way he serves. He does not just “talk the talk,” but he also “walks the walk.”
COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AGENCY #10 FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM
The Cooperative Educational Services Agency (CESA) #10 Foster Grandparent Program is a group of senior citizens who volunteer to work on a consistent basis in the school setting, four hours a day, five days a week with children who have special educational needs or are academically challenged.
In 1969, the federal government enacted the Older American Act, which changed the Foster Grandparents from wage earners to recipients of an hourly, tax-free stipend to defray the cost of their volunteer work. The Chippewa Falls Foster Grandparent project began as a pilot project on August 23, 1985. The initial appropriation was sufficient to hire five Foster Grandparents to serve at Northern Center. The sponsorship changed to CESA #10 in 1987. This also changed the focus of the services provided by the Foster Grandparents to public education.
The CESA #10 Foster Grandparent program impacts three separate and distinct communities. They affect the schools, students, and the foster grandparents. In the school, the result of having Foster Grandparents is being able to manage class sizes more effectively. The school delegates to the Foster Grandparents those students who need one-on-one attention because of special needs. The students in all areas today need one-on-one attention more than ever. Educational reports indicate that special attention given by the Foster Grandparents enhances the individual student’s success rate, critical thinking and problem solving skills.
The Foster Grandparents are impacted, also. They come to the program with social, personal, and financial needs. Monthly in-services provide social opportunities and training to enhance their existing communication and observation skills in the classroom. Daily student contact and respect from professional staff members plus the love and attention from students, strengthens emotional well-being of the Foster Grandparent. The importance placed on their volunteer assignment gives the Foster Grandparent a feeling of being needed and useful to society.
This program builds bridges that link several communities that would otherwise be isolated. The intergenerational contact benefits both the children and the adults. The low-income senior, by age, income, and physical limitations, are usually insulated from contact with today’s youth. Many of the students and some adults accept those students with special educational needs with skepticism. The presence of the Foster Grandparent in the classroom and their relationship with these special needs students help dissolve these historic barriers. Also some families of the Foster Grandparents are not actively involved in their lives and do not understand their loneliness and exclusion.
The CESA #10 Foster Grandparent program has served the schools for 12 years. During this time, they have volunteered over 519,840 hours. These hours represent quality time with children who may otherwise “fall through the cracks.”
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY BUSINESS VOLUNTEER COUNCIL
The Northern New Jersey Business Volunteer Council (BVC) was officially launched on January 20, 2000, following a year of planning which included representatives from the business community, nonprofit organizations, the Volunteer Center of Bergen County and Bergen County’s United Way. The mission of the organization is to provide leadership in meeting community needs through mobilization of employee volunteers.
Members of the BVC chose to target the group’s efforts on meeting the needs of children and families for a number of reasons: to address very serious social needs in the local community, to leverage the visibility that America’s Promise was providing for children’s needs, and to capitalize on the repeated requests from corporate groups to ‘work for and/or with children.’ The needs of children and families were further categorized as health, hunger and education, based on input from the BVC’s non-profit “consultants” that were an integral part of the planning process.
The BVC Strategic Plan includes specific objectives and strategies associated with each area of need. The plan gave rise to a series of Strategic Initiatives, which are implemented through member companies for the benefit of children and families. The initiatives include Books in a Bag, a children’s book drive to promote family literacy; Just My Bag, a collection of backpacks filled with personal care items for children in foster care; Brown Bag Buddies, a summer food drive for children who normally receive breakfast and lunch at school; and Klothe$ 4 Kid$, a fundraiser to enable needy families to purchase back-to-school clothing. In 2000, more than 9,200 employee volunteers helped to gather and direct in excess of $80,000 in resources toward the needs of children and families in New Jersey.
In 2001, the BVC has expanded to include 29 members*. The success of the strategic initiatives has grown accordingly, with increases ranging from 20% (Just My Bag, Klothe$ 4 Kid$) to an amazing 75% (Books in a Bag,Brown Bag Buddies) over last year. A new initiative, Tools for School, was added; as a result, 1,100 children from pre-K through grade 12 went to school properly outfitted with supplies. By year’s end, the BVC will have generated more than $150,000 in resources for New Jersey’s families in need and mobilized 31,000 employee volunteers!
*BVC members as of 10/16/01: Addecco; Alpharma, Inc.; AMS; AT&T Wireless Services; Back Bay Restaurant Group (Papa Razzi and Joe’s American Bar & Grill); Borders Group, Inc.; Citibank; Commerce Bank; Enterprise Rent-a-Car; Footstar, Inc.; J.B. Williams Company, Inc.; KPMG LLP, Montvale; KPMG LLP, Short Hills; Manpower; Mellon Investor Services; P&O Nedlloyd; Pearson Education; The Plaza Regency at Park Ridge; PNC Bank; PSE&G; Reader’s Digest Association; Reckitt Benckiser NA; The Record, Herald News; Rockland Electric Company; Tiffany & Co., Riverside Square; Toys ‘R Us; UPS Information Services; Volvo Cars of North America; and Westfield Shoppingtown Garden State Plaza.
DR. DONALD ALLCORN
Dr. Donald Allcorn has served Sedalia area families for many years as a family practice physician and religious leader. Since his retirement from the medical field, he has chosen to give of himself through the Community Free Clinic by providing his services on a volunteer basis and by providing the space to house the clinic.
The population of Pettis County was stable until the mid 1990;s when a large poultry processing plant was established. The population then soared, and that put a strain on the infrastructure of Sedalia. The health care system was particularly affected by the growth. There was a high percentage of persons in the county living below the poverty level and in need of health and human services. The Community Free Clinic was established due to this need.
The Clinic was established two years ago and has seen tremendous growth since its creation. Solely volunteers who fill both professional and paraprofessional roles staff it. Currently, Dr. Allcorn provides his former clinic building free of charge to the Community Free Clinic. This gives a fully equipped setting for its operation. Before this, they were operating in one room at the Salvation Army building.
Dr. Allcorn serves as medical director for the Free Clinic. He also secures the staffing for the facility and oversees all other medical aspects including arranging referrals to other local physicians for specialized care. Dr. Allcorn also staffs the clinic himself on a regular basis. He works two days a week in Sedalia and twice a month in the Knob Noster satellite facility. He is there long after the scheduled hours for the clinic because Dr. Allcorn usually sees thirty to forty patients in a session.
Dr. Allcorn’s contributions to the community through his medical practice and pastorate of Lakeside Chapel have been substantial. He not only provides for the spiritual, physical, and mental well being of his patients and families, but he also educates to improve the community’s overall public health. His strong religious beliefs are the foundation for his continuous giving and interest in serving the community.
FCI RAY BROOK’S INMATE VOLUNTEER CORPS
FCI Ray Brook’s Inmate Volunteer Corps began in 1997. The concept of the Corps is to provide inmates with an opportunity to commit them to perform community projects for various organizations. The Corps also wants the inmates to gain a keen awareness of community needs and their ability to positively affect those needs.
Initially, the inmates were canvassed to determine how many of them would be interested in participating in community service projects. About 60 of the inmates responded positively, and then letters went to 50 community organizations informing them of the Inmate Volunteer Corps. These letters were invitations asking for responses if there was a project the Corps could complete for the various organizations.
Next, a four-week class on volunteerism was presented to the interested inmates. At the conclusion of the class, the first community service project began. Shortly after the first project was started, there were others in line to be completed. To date, the Corps has completed eight community projects. Their projects include the High Peaks Dove Project. Ceramic dove ornaments were used as fundraisers by the local Hospice organization for two years. Another project entailed the inmates creating United Way posters for their yearly kick-off campaigns held in September. For two years, the inmates restored the Village of Lake Placid and St. Alphonsus Church Nativity Scenes and read kindergarten level books on tapes so they could be shared with the children at St. Agnes to improve literacy. The Corps also participated with St. Bernard’s Church and created ceramic angel ornaments to use as fundraisers for the elementary school gym equipment. Certificates for participation in community service projects are distributed to the Corps members upon completion.
Currently there are 65 members of the FCI Ray Brook’s Inmate Volunteer Corps, and collectively, the men involved in the program have contributed 1755 hours of community service within the perimeter of the institution. This can be equated to a $22,536.80 donation of volunteer work.
The Inmate Volunteer Corps concept is presented at each Admission and Orientation class at the institution for new arrivals with the hopes of having the Corps continue to grow. The Volunteer Coordinator at Ray Brook’s also makes contacts searching out new opportunities, and the staff members are able to give suggestions.
WILLIAM GETZ
William Getz has worked closely to encourage young men in the Boy Scouts of America for the past 19 years. He became involved when his sons became a part of the organization; however, even after he lost one of his sons William stayed committed. William had to deal with a very hard loss, but he considered all of the young men he worked with his surrogate sons.
William has been an integral part of the Boy Scouts and his troops have been involved in seven ongoing projects. The Kinzua Bridge Historic Trail program requires all of its participants to provide four hours of public service and environmental education at the Kinzua Bridge State Park. Last year, his troop was a part of 50 groups from all over the United States who contributed 3,200 hours of service to the park, and they ran more than 3,200 hours of environmental education classes. Troop 495 also worked on Chestnuts Unlimited. They built chestnut nurseries and set up demonstration projects at the Kinzua Bridge State Park.
In addition, they participated in the Living Legacy Program where flowering crab trees were planted to proved cover and food for birds and wildlife and the Fish Attractor Project. Hundreds of discarded Christmas trees were recycled and utilized as fish attractors in the Allegheny Reservoir in cooperation the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Forest Service, and the Federal Corrections Institution. Pre-drilled trees were strung on donated wire and anchored with concrete blocks along the Allegheny Reservoir shoreline in the winter. When the reservoir rises, the trees provide a habitat for fish.
Troop 495 also completed piping and hookup to a local conservation center from a local municipal supply so approved potable water would be available to participants. This was a portion of their Conservation Education Center. The troop also assisted the Pepsi Family Fun Days Chairmen at the county fir with regards to recycling. They allowed aluminum cans to be redeemed for raffle tickets for donated prizes. The aluminum that was collected was sold, and the proceeds were used to sponsor other conservation programs.
Conservation education of youth has been a major thrust in Bill’s volunteer activities. In addition, the conservation service has provided American Chestnut nurseries and groves on public land. They have also development and enhanced fishery on the Allegheny Reservoir, along with urban forestry projects on Main Street in Bradford and on the Bradford Watershed property. Youth and adults from 40 different surrounding communities have participated in the programs William has initiated.
William’s efforts and programs have had an extremely high value to the region and nation. Because of his work, he was awarded three Gold Medallions in the Hornaday Conservation Awards Program for Distinguished Work in Conservation. This is the Boy Scout’s most prestigious conservation award, and only 15 awards have been granted since the inception of the program in 1915. William’s Troop also won the Three Rivers Environmental Award in Pittsburgh, and one of his adult leaders won the President’s Service Award, which is the most prestigious national award for public service.
VISIONS CAST AND CREW
“Visions” is a powerful play about drug addiction, alcoholism, and recovery. It is a journey through the turmoil of addiction to the light of recovery. It began in 1991 while Bob L., the author, producer, and director, used his breaks at work to pen the images and finally complete the production. The play depicts bottoms from the use and abuse of substances, the realization of the problem, and coming into the rooms of a twelve-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous. This drama has reached over 14,000 people in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The cast and crew are volunteers and do not accept payment. The “Visions” troupe believes the greatest gift you can give is the one that gives without asking in return. Today, the cast and crew have grown to 200 members.
The troupe performs where many actors would not dare. They set up in rehabilitation centers, hospitals, shelters, youth houses, and correction facilities. The cast and crew use the powerful medium of theater to educate their audience about drug and alcohol addiction to show that recovery is possible. There are no professional actors in “Visions”. The cast and crew are volunteers who have either been in an addiction or have been in the orbit of someone addicted. The cast never uses last names, and after each performance they go out into the audience to further educate and encourage those whose lives have been devastated by drug and alcohol abuse.
Because the play is being presented at facilities where men and women are battling addictions, the special performances are usually closed to protect the anonymity of the clients. The performers witness their audience in tears after the play. “Visions” believe they inspire a sense of hope to the clients. The cast and crew serve as examples that recovery is possible; their mission is carrying the message of recovery.
The play has also been presented to churches, schools, and to those at risk. It has been shown to educators and open to communities. There is never a fee to see the play, and any donations received are used to bring the play to those who have nothing. During the “open” showcase, the cast and crew set up large amounts of literature on prevention and treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction, and AIDS. The National Clearinghouse provides the majority of the information for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) in Rockville, Maryland. Additional information is obtained from state, county, and private foundations also.
The “Visions” troupe performs under the direction of Recovery Productions, Inc, which was founded in 1993 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to substance abuse prevention and recovery education. The troupe is a powerful intervention group for those who are battling addiction, their families, youth at risk, and various communities, and by their example, they are giving hope to thousands of people throughout the year.
READ-TO-WIN! OUTREACH PROGRAM
Read-to-Win! is an innovative reading enrichment program which promotes reading and literacy among children ages 6-14 in Chicago’s most challenged inner-city areas. Originally planned as a five-year pilot program, Read-to-Win! has been so successful that the One-to-One Learning Center has committed to endowing it as a permanent educational outreach program, serving an ever-expanding list of schools and youth centers. The program builds and rebuilds school libraries, enhances the educational curriculum of partner schools and agencies, and introduces children to the importance of reading and books to their current and future lives.
Dedicated to fostering a culture of reading, the program makes reading fun and rewarding, while also making new, quality books available to children at school and for home. The need for such a program was compelling five years ago and statistics indicate that need continues today. Most students do not view reading as a fun way to spend their time. Poor reading scores reflect this lack of attention to a lifelong skill that not only contributes to academic and career success, but also provides great personal enjoyment. If reading can be positioned as a “fun” activity, then that orientation will carry over to all aspects of reading – including the reading necessary to proceed through the educational system. Simply put, children who read stay in school.
The program was designed as a six-week experience revolving around 20 minutes of daily “fun” reading. Read-to-Win! has become such a success that many partner sites are already extending daily reading time to 30 minutes – at the insistence of the children themselves. Teachers value the program and the relaxed learning atmosphere it fosters. As a result of the program, many parents report reading both with and to their children as new family activities.
As part of the incentive program, children in the program “read to win” books for themselves and their schools. Three of the four new books earmarked for each student are retained in the school or youth center library, and one become the child’s own to take home for his or her personal library and to share with the family. By the end of the five-year adoption cycle, more than 10,000 books are distributed to and through an average school with 500 students.
Read-to-Win! partners are chosen for the program on the basis of need and through recommendations and evaluations from existing partners, educators, staff and civic leaders. During the 2000-2001 school year, the six-week reading program operated at 17 sites: eight Chicago Youth Centers, the Northwestern University Settlement House, seven parochial schools and one public school. Last year, more than 3,500 inner-city children in some of Chicago’s most seriously challenged neighborhoods were involved in this important literacy initiative. It is envisioned that the program will reach more than 5,200 students next year and distribute more than 20,000 new books.
