LENA CRAY

A hobby that has stayed with Lena Belle Cray since her younger days is knitting, and that talent is something she uses to serve others. Cray is a volunteer for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), a member of Helping Hands Happy People, RSVP’s Stroke Club Support Program, and an active member of her church.

Cray works to share her joy with others in RSVP. She has donated her time and talents with them since 1989. The Helping Hands Happy People knitting program is a part of RSVP. She especially enjoys knitting and spends 50 to 60 hours a week working on afghans, baby hats, gloves, and scarves. These items are then distributed to those in need. In addition to knitting for RSVP, Cray also worked more than 10 years at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission making quilts along with banana bread for the residents.

She has been a member of the RSVP Stroke Club Support Program since 1987. Because of her work with that program, she became a one-on-one visitor for a stroke patient at a local health facility. There, she helped with exercises, accompanied the patient on walks, and made herself available for whatever the patient wanted or needed to do. In addition to this, Cray has been an active member of her church since 1947. There, she has served on the church Board, sang in the choir, and she still plays the organ and works with the youth fellowships.

Also, she helped with the task force of the Shepherd’s Center. She tutored children with learning disabilities through Senior Services’ Intergenerational Program and currently spends countless hours there. She files records and handles whatever other office duties need to be done. Cray also finds time to give to the RSVP’s Bulk Mail Program that provides free assistance to non-profits to help process mailings.

Lena Belle Cray has a staunch work ethic and is determined. Years ago she had to drop out of high school to get a job, but she went back 35 years later and earned her diploma. She also worked part-time and raised five children. Though her life was not easy, she gives her life now to help make circumstances better for others.

DOTHAN-HOUSTON COUNTY SUBSTANCE ABUSE PARTNERSHIP

In 1991, the City of Dothan and Houston County Commissions, concerned about substance abuse issues and their impact on crime in the area, brought together a panel of community leaders to conduct town-hall meetings that would allow all citizens the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns about substance abuse issues. The ideas and solutions put forth during these meetings became the basis for the formation of the Dothan-Houston county Substance Abuse Partnership in January of 1992.

The mission of the Dothan-Houston County Substance Abuse Partnership is to bring together all segments of the community in an effort to create a climate of intolerance for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use in Dothan-Houston County. The specific goal of the Partnership is to create a sense of ownership of the problem by the community, and to involve as many citizens, young and old, in the development and implementation of solutions.

The Partnership has an operating budget of $130,000. There are five full-time and three part-time staff members, and more than 70 volunteers that serve on the Executive Board of Directors, Advisory Committee, and Community Coalition. The Partnership has more than 150 community partners who volunteer their services in the fight against substance abuse.

The Partnership serves primarily the Dothan-Houston County area with a population of 85,950. Achievements include: Recognition by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America for its grassroots approach to ATOD, received 2000 National Beacon Award for the Teen Talk Show, a collaboration with Comcast Cable, for its originality and content, and recognition by Mother’s Against Drunk Driving for town hall meetings on drinking and driving.

The Partnership implemented a new initiative to address an unmet need for Hispanic/ Latinos in the community. This initiative began June 2001 with a health fair for Hispanic/ Latino girls, age 9-14. This health fair provided youth with up-to-date information on health, dress, substance abuse, and related cultural issues. The Partnership also offers education and prevention programs to youth and adults in high-risk areas, which is another unmet need in the community. After school and summer programs are held for youth, and parent education is held for adults in the high-risk neighborhoods.

The Partnership has a user-friendly Community Awareness System that is a telephone-based system that can be assessed through a touchtone phone to anonymously obtain up-to-date information on substance abuse and related issues when they need it most. This system also collects data on the issues of concern among the callers, which is utilized in program development.

YOUNG EMERGING LEADERS OF LOUISIANA, INC.

Young Emerging Leaders of Louisiana, Inc. (YELL) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives and plight of under-served youth in East Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. They have a vision to create infinite possibilities so that all children can realize their highest potential.

The mission of YELL is to help young people make a positive impact in local communities. They also work to develop a new generation of professional and civic leaders who will work towards improving equity for at-risk and disadvantaged members in the community. They have various programs that are designed to develop academic goals, career goals, a civic-minded spirit, social goals, and positive self-esteem.

YELL’s curriculum encompasses educational programs, mentor programs, youth leadership development, and cultural enrichment and recreational programs. They provide after-school tutoring and homework assistance for youth in grades six through eight who are at risk of failure in the public school system. With the tutorial sessions, students receive supplementary instruction in math, reading, language arts, and computer-aided instruction.

The standardized test remediation is another aspect of the educational programs offered by YELL. They have test preparation workshops that target students that need help in achieving the highest scores possible on standardized test like the LEAP, IOWA, high school graduate exit exam, and the ACT college entrance exam. YELL also has a summer learning academy that provides youth in elementary and middle school educational workstations as well as cultural enrichment tours outside their neighborhood.

Students in the mentor program are partnered with a professional adult and are able to establish a one-on-one relationship with them. This enables the youth to have a positive role model as well as a source of advice. Teen leaders in East Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas participate in character education activities. These exercises are designed to help teens develop strong values, enhance their education, and gain an appreciation for social and economic entrepreneurship. The youth leadership development program sponsors teen summits, youth retreats, college tours, and much more.

YELL wants to develop all aspects of the young people. In order to do that, they want them to see life outside of what they normally know. YELL sponsors cultural enrichment tours and other activities to show the youth another aspect of the world outside their neighborhoods. This exposure opens the children’s minds to other cultures and aspects of culture and arts itself. The youth are exposed to different options because of this. YELL participants have been able to meet the Governor and visit the Governor’s Mansion.

KEVIN MYERS

Kevin Myers’ enthusiasm and commitment to service have been contagious on the campus of Manchester College. For the past four years, Kevin has dedicated his boundless energy toward strengthening volunteerism among his fellow students, and helping to meet the needs of people in the greater community.

Kevin collaborated with the North Manchester Parks & Recreation department to organize the Haunted Forest Halloween event to raise money for community service needs. This program has continued to grow. Kevin also worked on a petition to end hunger, Give Up a Meal Day (students skipped one meal, and food service donated the money to Oxfam America and Heifer Project International) and a service project (students raked leaves and sorted clothing at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission). Kevin helped recruit students to raise money to provide food for those in need through the Crop Walk.

Additionally, Kevin collaborated with fellow student organizers and the American Red Cross to implement several successful on-campus blood drives. He helped organize and participated in a town-wide food drive that brought 35 student volunteers together to collect needed food and supplies for the North Manchester Food Pantry. Kevin also gave up his spring break for two years to help build homes for families in West Virginia and Mississippi.

Kevin was responsible for organizing the Study Buddies program on campus. He worked with representatives from Big Brothers/Big Sisters to begin and maintain the program, despite many outside challenges associated with it. Through this program, and Kevin’s patience and perseverance, many at-risk students received the tutoring services they needed to be successful in school. In the face of logistical and other challenges, this important program would have died had it not been for Kevin’s tenacity and commitment.

Kevin also organized service projects and performed needed services at many worthy organizations, including South Bend Homeless Shelter, Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, Vernon Manor (home for profoundly handicapped children), Fort Wayne Food Bank, and Pathfinder Services (home for developmentally disabled adults). Services included raking leaves, sorting food and clothing, interacting with residents, and fundraising.

Kevin has a strong presence on campus, and leads by example. He has motivated countless Manchester College students to look beyond their cozy campus to see and address the needs of the greater community. Although Kevin will graduate this spring, he has planted the seeds for further volunteer opportunities at Manchester College.

Kevin’s received a small stipend for his job as student director of the college’s Office of Volunteer Services. His job entailed volunteer recruitment and project coordination for the office. He consistently went above and beyond his job description and his nine hours per week.

MONTVILLE NONPROFIT GATEWAY, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Montville Fall Festival, Inc. was founded in 1995 and recently changed its name to the Montville Nonprofit Gateway (MNG) to better reflect its mission and goals. Since its inception, this organization has been a major focal point in the community as well as in the region.

The initial goal of the MNG, Inc. was to establish a venue for area nonprofit organizations to raise their necessary funds. To this end, the Montville Fair was created. Various nonprofit organizations that participate at the fair have collectively raised more than $60,000. These monies went back into the community in various ways including clothing banks, foster parenting, low-cost healthcare and drug awareness programs just to name a few.

The volunteers of the MNG work tirelessly throughout the year to bring their vision to fruition. Each member of the Board of Directors volunteers his or her services each year. To implement that various programs that MNG, Inc. sponsors takes more than 10,000 person-hours annually. This organization has brought people from various lifestyles together for the good of the community. More than 250 volunteers labor during the three-day event to assist in every aspect of the fair alone.

The MNG, Inc. Board of Directors sponsors the Citizen of the Year Award. This annual award is presented to a citizen that exemplifies civic responsibility and volunteerism for the good of the community. Balloting is based on nominations received from the community at large. The award recipient receives official presentation from town, state and federal officials.

The MNG, Inc. has recently established a scholarship fund for students with hidden disabilities such as attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities. This unique scholarship is the first of its nature in the area and it is the hope that as time progresses, MNG will raise enough money to establish similar scholarships on a regional basis.

Furthermore, the MNG, Inc. is working on a program with the local police department to create a firearm awareness program for the youth in our community. Tragically, there have been two accidental deaths of children within the last year. It is this type of grass roots activism within smaller communities that can eventually create change in the larger segments of society.

FOOD FOR SENIORS – A PROGRAM OF STEVICK SENIOR CENTER

The Food for Seniors Program in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois started with a $1,000 grant fromThe Food for Seniors Program in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois started with a $1,000 grant from Hands Across America. Through the Eastern Illinois Food Bank and Family Service, an 80-year-old RSVP volunteer, Joe Rodehaver, was charged with the plan to address hunger among low-income seniors.

Through the Food for Seniors program, seniors in need of this kind of help are identified through Family Service TeleCare. Once approved, they are permanently added to one of the delivery routes. Twice each month nearly two tons of groceries are purchased from the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. Those groceries are delivered to a church fellowship hall where RSVP volunteers sort and bag them. Additional RSVP volunteers then arrive, load their cars, vans and trucks with bags of nutritious groceries, and head out for delivery. Some volunteers then help clean up and vacuum the hall while others tear down boxes and load them off to a recycling center.

This is truly an all-volunteer effort. Although Rodehaver passed away in 1995 as he approached his 90th birthday, others have kept his dream alive. People drive the delivery routes twice each month regardless of the weather. In central Illinois that can mean working through some extreme weather conditions. It is perhaps even more impressive when you realize that most of the volunteers packing, cleaning up and delivering that food are seniors themselves. Their average age is approximately 76 years old. They probably have a greater understanding of need than most of us. Recipients are responsibly people who have spent a lifetime paying their bills and doing without. But now they live on a tiny fixed income with overwhelming medical bills and the thing they do without is nutritious food.

Today, 228 Champaign-Urbana seniors benefit directly from this program and its twice monthly deliveries. Funding is entirely handled through local donations. No tax money is ever used or even requested. A local Masonic Lodge has even adopted the Food for Seniors program and it serves as its major contributor. Contributions continue to come from numerous members of the public – quite often from other, more fortunate seniors. Volunteers and even volunteer drivers show up in all kinds of weather, even on days that schools and businesses may close due to weather conditions. There is no overhead to this project. Even the work space is donated. The project has won many local awards, including the Illinois Hometown Governor’s Award.

RUM RIVER INTERFAITH CAREGIVERS, INC.

Day after day, the volunteers of Rum River Interfaith Caregivers are making a significant difference in the lives of people in Mille Lacs and Sherburne Counties of Minnesota. Within these rural communities exists a strong force whose sole mission is to help people in need. Begun in 1996 because of an unmet need for transportation and respite care, this agency continues to faithfully serve those living in difficult life circumstances. Originally, the focus was to serve the elderly, frail or those living with disabilities. Due to overwhelming requests, the mission was expanded to help all those in need, including families and children.

The volunteers of Rum River Interfaith Caregivers are a light in a dark situation. The woman whose husband has Alzheimer’s disease finds the respite caregiver a welcome relief. A house-bound MS victim and was able to go out-of-doors because a wheel chair ramp was built for him. A compassionate volunteer moved the homeless mother-to-be to a home. Other volunteers drove her to the hospital to give birth providing friendship and reassurance. A woman found painful therapy bearable because of supportive volunteers who provided transportation. A cancer patient discovered coping strategies from a former patient who volunteers.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of this agency. They work tirelessly to help individuals and families who have no other place to turn. In the year 2000, approximately 2000 services were performed. Volunteers, free of charge, gave all these acts of compassion. The formal services are: transportation, respite care, friendly visiting, telephone reassurance, Lifeline installation, home maintenance, business help, office assistance, and cancer support. Other volunteer services include blood pressure checks at senior dining sites, special health projects and board of directors. Each year the number of scope of services increase.

In 1999, Rum River Interfaith Caregivers had 60 volunteers. Today there are 100 with more than 50 volunteers utilized monthly. Continual recruiting occurs in local congregations.

SANDRA SAYRE

Sandra Sayre works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a Roanoke hospital and drives and hour and a half to work each day to help her patients. While taking a course in community health, Sayre was “introduced” to the impoverished homeless through her clinical studies in community health class and she decided to become involved in helping the medical needs of the homeless. She became the voice of the homeless in Roanoke.

TRUST, a homeless shelter in Roanoke, Virginia, is where Sayre began her volunteer service. After working her 16-hour ICU nursing shift, she goes directly to TRUST to work another 8-hour shift each Sunday. During that time, she is the only person on staff. She manages to single handedly supervise 34 beds in two houses. While working at TRUST, she is also responsible for answering the crisis hotline also. She also volunteers for HELPS, a network of homeless providers in Roanoke that mobilize to better provide services and utilize volunteers. In addition to her work with TRUST and HELPS, Sayre serves on the Roanoke Valley Task Force on Homelessness. She conducts an extensive survey of the area homeless population, which is in excess of 400 people.

Sandy Sayre has had personal challenges but, instead of succumbing to them and giving up, she has chosen to do more and give more, not only for herself and her family, but for others who may not have anyone to do anything for them. She devotes many hours per week to serving the homeless. Her work ensures they are accounted for and they are able to obtain any benefits afforded to them. Directly, she works one-on-one at a shelter and hopes that her attitude, demeanor, and consistency affects the lives of the people she meets.

Her future goal is to open a health care center for the homeless population of Roanoke. She is now collaborating with the city’s Rescue Mission. They are now planning and strategizing, and will open the Rescue Mission Health Care Center in June 2002 where Sayre will be the Nurse Practitioner upon her completion of graduate studies at Radford University in May 2002.

JAMES JOHNSON-3

James Johnson is a man who makes himself available at any time to support school, church, and other community events. He particularly looks to serve youth in activities that will lead to their healthy and positive development and looks forward to his time working with the Boy Scouts.

Johnson lives by example. Whether it is a planned outing or something that just comes up, he is there. One day a class was short of drivers for a field trip. A group of children were standing outside the front entrance of the building looking downhearted upon hearing there were not enough drivers for the trip. Just as it seemed that these students might have to stay behind, Johnson drives up, and in his quiet way asked if he could be of assistance. In a matter of seconds, long faces were replaced with smiles as the children loaded into his van and the field trip went on as planned. Johnson did not come to school that day for that particular purpose, but he saw a need and changed his plans for the children.

Johnson’s leadership and tremendous involvement in education is evidenced by the hundreds of hours he volunteers each year in the school system. He served three terms as the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president at North Layton Junior High. Though he does not have a student at the school, Johnson is on the PTSA board at North Layton. In addition to the many hours he spends fulfilling his leadership responsibilities for school, he readily takes on any situation at school that requires a helping hand.

Another example of his unselfish actions is assisting a home economics class with a food demonstration in the morning before he had to attend a PTSA board meeting over lunch. On top of that, after leaving his lunch meeting, Johnson was met with an emergency request to put together the community newsletter before school let out that day. Without a moments’ hesitation, he made a plan, rounded up a crew of students, and got the newsletter out on time.

In addition to spending time with the youth or the school system, Johnson volunteers at the Union Station in Ogden, Antelope Island, Boy Scouts of America, and for his church. Recently, he heard about a need to help make 700 sack lunches for a workshop and came to assist at 6 am. It was not a surprise to the organizers because he does things like that daily.

James Johnson is an example to his community and especially the children he serves. He preaches determination, dedication and a work ethic. He backs that up by giving hours of his time with the PTSA, school and other organizations. He helps provide a foundation upon which the next generation gains confidence, strength, and the awareness they need to lead successful lives.

ROBERT BASSETT

As a result of the President’s Summit in Philadelphia, the Prudential Insurance Company in partnership with Youth Service America, the National Secondary School Principals Association, and the Center launched The Prudential Spirit of Community Initiative in 1995 for Creative Leadership. The primary objective of the initiative is to rekindle America’s community spirit by encouraging, training, and recognizing youth for their positive contributions through service to the community. There are three components to the Prudential Spirit of Community Service: The Spirit of Community Award, The Prudential Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), and the Catch the Spirit student guide. During the past two yeas, Robert has been a full-time volunteer dedicated to bringing America’s Promise and the Prudential YLI to Alaska.

Robert “Beau” Bassett encourages the growth of leadership in youth by engaging them in service learning opportunities and leadership. He is a top national trainer, and has dedicated many hours of service to YLI. The YLI is a 30-hour long training in creative service leadership that prepares youth to design and implement high quality service projects. He offered the first Prudential YLI to 48 students in Alaska in August of 1988. Since that time, 10 additional institutes have been offered to more than 200 youth. The young people involved commit to contributing additional service to the community following the training and before graduating from YLI.

He has also done a variety of projects with YLO. He has organized service projects on national service days such as Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and National Youth Service Day. In addition, he has organized the distribution of more than 40,000 Scholastic books to disadvantaged children. He later organized a “Spirit of Community Awards Dinner,” and in April of 1999 recognized 250 youth in Anchorage for positive service and honored eight President’s Student Service Award winners.

Robert was the lead adult mentor for a youth committee that organized the First Annual Harry Chapin Youth Art Serv-a-thon where more than 175 youth planned and participated in nine-hour performing arts marathons to raise funds for local nonprofit organizations. He has also formed partnerships with the majority of the youth organizations, the Municipality of Anchorage, local businesses, and schools to support all of his youth development projects. He also secured support from a broad spectrum of professionals, parents, educators, and other dedicated partners and has engaged them in furthering his vision.

Beau has consistently worked to get funding to keep his program going. He is happy that the Volunteers of America received a generous donation from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and now he can continue his work and expand his youth leadership services in Alaska.