DEQUEEN-MENA EDUCATIONAL CO-OP FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM

The state of Arkansas has been tracking the progress of its children in hopes of finding solutions to aid all children in exceeding or meeting grade-level requirements in reading and math by the fourth grade. They came up with an initiative called Smart Start. The hope is that the 50% of fourth graders that fell below the 50th percentile in reading and math will improve and be on their way to becoming successful adults.

DeQueen-Mena Educational Cooperative Foster Grandparent Program was developed as a result of the Smart Start initiative. Retired men and women 60 years of age and over came together to aid the schools in Arkansas. The State has used the SAT-9 test as a measurement and learned that 14 of the 16 school districts were in need of assistance. The foster grandparents worked one-on-one with children in kindergarten through fourth grade so that the children would learn the basic skills they had missed in the past. Once those concepts were learned, the children would be able to improve in all subjects, particularly reading and math.

Initially there were 39 foster grandparent volunteers in the 1999–2000 school year. They have grown to 48, and each volunteer serves an average of 20 hours a week. These adults were a consistent part of the children’s lives. Daily they tutored 140 children. DeQueen-Mena volunteers served at five Arkansas counties: Howard, Little River, Sevier, Polk, and Montgomery. The foster grandparents used the Brigance Inventory of Basic Skills and administered a pre-test and post-test to most of the students. Unfortunately, not all students were post-tested due to family moves or transfers.

There were 117 students tested. The children in kindergarten were tested in the areas of recognition of capital and lowercase letters as well as the ability to count and comprehend numbers 1-10. Post-test scores showed an increase of 59% in the recognition of capital letters and a 40% increase in the recognition of lowercase letters. There was a 40% increase in the number of students who could count to 10 and a 74% increase in the number of students who could comprehend the value of numbers 1-10.

Children in the first through fourth grades were tested in reading and math. The number of students reading at or above grade level at the pre-test were compared to the number on level at the post-test. There was an increase of 28% in the number of first graders, a 33% increase in the number of second graders, a 21% increase in the number of third graders, and a 35% increase in the number of fourth graders. All of the students that were tested showed improvement. Eight of the students raised their reading score by two grade levels. In addition to this, 13 of the students raised their reading comprehension by two grade levels, and nine children raised their math score by two grade levels. These statistics show that the DeQueen-Mena Educational Co-op Foster Grandparent made a distinct difference in those children’s lives.

RED ROPE OF EMBRY RIDDE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY

The Red Rope of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is well known in the Daytona, Florida area. Their motto is, “First there, that others may live.” They recognized that the citizens in the area were faced with natural disasters more than other states, so the residents needed to have prepared and trained volunteers to assist. Because of this, in 1997, the Red Rope of ERAU was formed.

The Red Rope group participants receive medical certification and training in many areas. They are taught community first aid and safety, CPR for the professional rescuer, and lifeguard and first responder techniques. The group teams with the ARC to help build disaster resistant neighborhoods. These partners also go door to door to pass out disaster preparedness materials to over 1100 homes in Daytona Beach.

The Red Rope group works consistently to sustain its motto. They have increased a sense of social responsibility and heightened community awareness regarding natural disasters. This results in a higher standard of mental and physical preparedness for the Daytona community. In addition to that, the group is proactive and visits elementary schools to educate them, picks up clothing for drives, and works in soup kitchens and shelters. Students must have a GPA of 2.35 or greater and remain in good standing at ERAU to become a part of the Red Rope. They must also demonstrate commitment to constantly improving academic performance, physical fitness, and medical expertise.

The Red Rope groups is made up of energetic and enthusiastic young people who know they can make a change in the world one day at a time. These committed volunteers have touched many in Florida who suffer from the devastation of hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods. The pool of youth is available to give medical aid and disaster relief to help minimize loss of life and property in the Daytona community. The ability to provide immediate emergency assistance is crucial in providing a better quality of life for Floridians when dealing with a natural disaster.

The volunteers of the Red Rope group have participated in diverse capacities. In addition to donating many hours to be trained as disaster experts, they have washed buses and other disaster vehicles as well as sharing educational material with over 1200 homeowners.

HOWARD AND NANCY TERRY

In 1986, Howard and Nancy Terry set up a private foundation, The Terry Foundation. This was set up to help financially needy children in Texas attend public colleges and universities. Mr. Terry had attended the University of Texas on a football scholarship, and they decided they wanted to give of their time and financial resources to a new generation of students. One of the guiding principles of the Foundation is that the scholarship recipients are expected to give back to their community by serving others.

There is a dire need in Texas for higher education, and the Terrys help the most marginal and financially needy students achieve their dreams of a college education. The scholarship recipients are chosen based on academics, leadership, and financial need. Most recipients are the first members of their family to ever attend college.

Unlike other scholarship programs, the Terrys wanted their Foundation to do more than simply send a check in the mail to students it supported. They wanted to have a direct and personal connection with the students. In addition to this, they wanted to broaden the Foundation beyond a single college. The result has been a program now in its fifteenth year that has served hundreds of students. It is also the largest private scholarship program at both the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A & M University. With the help and encouragement of the Terrys, the students are able to better their lives and the lives of those around them.

The Terrys have been actively involved in the scholarship program since its inception in 1986. Since that time, scholarships have been awarded to more than 850 students. The program is now extending scholarship offers to 161 new freshmen annually with plans to expand to more in the near future. The Terrys intend to have this scholarship program available in perpetuity, and they have funded it and organized it accordingly. The average scholarship in the latest school year was almost $8,200, and scholarships for the neediest students may go to $12,000 per year.

Recognizing that many of the scholarship recipients come from disadvantaged backgrounds, the Terry Foundation holds an orientation program each fall to aid the students with developing good study habits and establishing a support network that will ensure their success in college. It is unique in that the scope of the program is different, and the size of the award covers virtually the entirety of a student’s educational costs.

The Terrys also take the time to meet and encourage all the students on an ongoing basis. They even require that the students provide them with a regular update. They have a banquet at each university every fall where the students hear a speaker of their choice. They also hold an enormous picnic in the spring that is attended by all current students and alumni.

Gabriel Chavez

Gabriel Chavez serves as a volunteer in many capacities. He was one of the driving forces in the formation and expansion of the El Caldito Soup Kitchen and is an integral part of the Gleaning Committee. Chavez also heads an annual Empty Bowl Community Event, is a food specialist with the American Red Cross Disaster Unit, and is a very active member of the Knights of Columbus.

El Caldito Soup Kitchens feeds the homeless population in Las Cruces and its surrounding rural communities. The Kitchen was founded in 1984, and they served a meal at noon twice a week. By 1985 El Caldito was serving four days a week, and in the year 200 they served five days a week with special holiday meals. Each month, 300 volunteers now serve 5,000 meals.

The Kitchen needed food donations, so in 1993, Chavez organized a gleaning committee. The purpose of this committee is quite simple; they collect food from grocery stores, restaurants, and local farmers throughout the year. The 18 volunteers that work with the Gleaning Committee make it possible for fruits, bread, and vegetables to be given to the homeless when they come to be served. That way, they can have something nutritional to take with them. The Gleaners also distribute food to 10 other nonprofit agencies that serve the homeless besides El Caldito Kitchen.

As the Food Specialist for the American Red Cross Disaster Unit/Drill Training team, Chavez and his team prepares and delivers food to firefighters who are controlling forest blazes. His team of six volunteers makes it possible for meals to be flown 260 miles away to an average of 250 firefighters.

Chavez also heads the Empty Bowls annual fundraiser. The Mesilla Valley Potters Guild and the El Caldito Soup Kitchen partner each year for this event. Individuals can buy a hand-made pottery bowl and soup for $10. The local restaurants donate the soup and the proceeds benefit El Caldito Soup Kitchen.

Chavez is also a member of the Knights of Columbus. He has assisted with the preparation and donation of 100 baskets of can and dry food given to the needy families who otherwise may not have food during the holidays. The community collects the food for this drive throughout the year, and he works on this project four months with an average of 130 hours of service.

Barbara Pittman

Barbara Pittman was once a young woman caught in an abusive marriage. Now every day, she relives those memories while she counsels others—she volunteers as an advocate for abused women and their children.

Pittman has also had to overcome skin cancer. The battle she fought with the disease resulted in her having to rebuild her face, which included reconstructing her nose. She was still determined to continue to make an impact and change people’s lives. After earning a BS in Psychology, Pittman became a domestic violence counselor, shelter manager, and hotline coordinator for a local battered women’s shelter. She also worked with other domestic violence organizations and used her story to communicate to others that it is possible to escape violence and be happy.

Pittman co-chaired the Formerly Battered Women’s Task Force of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and served on the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Task Force for Mandated Counseling for Batterers. She is also a member of the Coalition for the Right to Live in Peace and continues to be an advocate for women on both the state and national level.

Because she was able to leave a bad situation and start over, Pittman’s story seems quite remarkable. However, she not only wanted to make life better for herself and her family; she chose to help others end abusive cycles and begin to live freely and feel good about themselves. She and her new husband, Scot, founded the Street Clothes Project to make positive changes in the lives of families moving from a life of dependence to independence. The program provides casual and work clothing as well as personal care items to men, women, and children. Some may have just been released from jail, ending a drug or alcohol treatment, or leaving a transitional housing program. Pittman also runs a 13-week support group for women in prison who have fought back in self-defense.

Barbara Pittman’s story was included in a book called The Courage to Give ™:Inspiring Stories of People Who Triumphed Over Tragedy to Make a Difference in the World in 1999. During the past two years, Pittman has served as Verizon Wireless’ national spokesperson for Domestic Violence. In the early spring, she brought the people featured in the books The Courage to Give ™ and Teens With the Courage to Give ™ to Philadelphia for a conference on volunteerism. All the proceeds from her story are being used for domestic violence initiatives in Philadelphia. In addition to this, she is planning a “Race to End Domestic Violence” for October of 2001.

Barbara Pittman received the Peabody Award in 1986, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Pace Award for 1999 and 2000, the Liberty Bell Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1999 and the Women’s Way Local Honoree Award in 2001.

David & Connie Amtower

Connie and David Amtower both lost their grandparents when they were young; however, they have always had the desire to bridge the generation gap and have a relationship with the more mature members in their community. They give their hearts and time to frail seniors and those who are disabled. The result of their volunteer service is allowing both groups to remain independent and keeping them in their own homes as long as possible.

The Amtowers assist seniors by running errands, helping with light housekeeping chores, providing shopping assistance, and other tasks as needed through the Growing In Home Volunteer Effort (GIVE), which is sponsored by Senior Services, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Most of their clients need a substantial amount of help to perform everyday tasks. The Amtowers have also been known to prepare meals, take care of lawn work, shovel snow, deliver meals, and provide respite care. They both participate because they feel it is the right thing to do, it benefits the community, and it makes them feel good knowing they are helping someone else. Volunteering is ingrained in their lives.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Amtower work full time; however, they still find many hours to give to others. Last year, they donated 360 hours of service to the GIVE Program. Their labor of love saved the organization more than $5,000 that would have been paid to an employee. Performing odd jobs and handling responsibilities in their clients’ homes help the seniors to maintain their dignity along with keeping them independent. In addition to working with GIVE, the Amtowers are bell ringers for the Salvation Army at Christmas, they deliver Meals on Wheels on Saturdays, and they deliver food baskets at Thanksgiving. Mrs. Amtower is on the Board of her church and was a longtime volunteer for Kids Connection. Mr. Amtower performs with the Kalamazoo Community Choir and also makes opportunities for their clients to enjoy some of their performances.

The Amtowers truly care and work together as a team. They understand the need for intergenerational exchanges, so the Amtowers also actively recruit others to volunteer. The staff members appreciate them so much because they respond to any need, notify staff of any problems, and treat others with the care and respect they show each other. This couple works to be examples to others by their dedication and consistency. To those they help, their dependability is a precious commodity, and their faces are something to look forward to in an otherwise mundane life of a homebound senior. They were honored with The Golden Rule Award in the Adult Category.

PUERTO RICO YOUTH AT RISK, INC.

Puerto Rico Youth at Risk, Inc. (PRYAR) is a one-on-one mentoring program; the only in Puerto Rico. Thousands of volunteer service hours, youth and their families lives transformed by the power of loving and caring volunteers, at-risk youth converted in to youth in control of their lives and serving others, adult volunteers’ lives enriched by the opportunity to serve and grow – this is what PRYAR is all about.

PRYAR is a nonprofit organization. It delivers intensive programs through committed volunteers since 1996. Participants are young people at risk of school dropout, teen pregnancy, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse and delinquency. Youth reached realize that they have choices in how their lives will turn out. They move from being at risk towards taking socially productive risks.

PRYAR serves the greater San Juan Metropolitan area. Almost four million live in Puerto Rico. San Juan has about 25% of the population. More than 1/3 of San Juan’s population is youth. In 1997, 60% of all the people murdered were between 16 and 29 years old. In this same year, 40% of those detained for murder charges were under 18. Most of the violent crimes are drug-related and three out of four youth between the ages of 15 and 21 have some kind of connection to drug activity. Furthermore, one of every two students does not graduate from high school. Half of these youth will be single parent within two years after leaving school.

PRYAR’s programs are designed to reach youth before it is too late. Participants establish a caring and supportive relationship with an adult mentor, continue in traditional or alternative school committed to accomplish a degree, improve school assistance and reduce misconduct and violent incidents, and learn pro-social skills. They also reduce drug, alcohol, smoking, and unsafe sex practices, improve relationships with family, school, and community members, participate in work experiences, and develop responsible parenting skills.

At the core of the program is the creation of the possibility for volunteer services through a variety of means. The first method is one-to-one mentoring of an adult volunteer with a student from an at-risk community. Current mentors represent a myriad of professions and occupations and range in age from 18 to 65. Throughout the mentoring experience they receive 60 hours of intensive pre-service training, in-service training, support and care. Each mentor delivers 250 to 300 hours of service to his/her mentee. Volunteers serve in a variety of activities including logistics, mentor recruitment, fundraising, and others.

Graduates and former mentors participate in an advanced leadership program called “Orden del Manicato” (Taino term for ‘effort’). At this program, participants gain pride in their Taino, African, and Hispanic heritage, develop and/or strengthen leadership skills, become staff volunteers in future programs, and create inter-connectedness between adults and youth, and create friendship bonds between youth from communities that are in conflict with each other.

USINTERNETWORKING CORPORATION

Since 1999, USinternetworking Corporation (USi) and its employees have given generously their time, talent and funds to help public housing youth in Annapolis, Maryland, bridge the digital divide. They started two neighborhood computer centers. They rewarded promising computer students with 60 home PCs. They established a server and Web site for public housing residents as a learning tool for students at computer lab. They enriches these contributions with a superb mentoring program. USi employees volunteer several after-work hours weekly helping children with reading, homework and computer; taking then new places; loving them and challenging them to excel.

Public housing youth face an uphill battle. Typically raised by a single guardian, with few positive role models and tremendous peer pressure to spend time on the streets, they often fall behind in school. Youth in the housing authority’s after-school programs are frequently two grade levels behind in reading. Access to computers can help, but poor reading prevents children from getting the most from information technology. USi’s solution was 15 volunteer mentors for children age 7 to 12 who seemed likely to benefit from a helping hand. Since May 2000, mentors meet weekly with their charges, help them with homework or computer skills, play or just visit with them. Strong bonds have been developed.

Mentors take their charges outside public housing neighborhoods to Annapolis sites, mentors’ homes and places of work, introducing them to different people and ways of life. Mentors meet with the youths’ families and teachers to get their insights on how best to help. Through reading and computer practice, they expose children to new ideas, life styles, technologies, and the worldwide Web. Most importantly, mentors are models of adult behavior that these youth can strive to follow.

At program start in May 2000, mentors agreed to volunteer six months. Ninety percent are still working, love it, and plan to continue indefinitely. New mentors have replaced those who stopped.

Children with mentors have maintained their grades. Some have improved reading and virtually all have enhanced computer skills. They are proud to have mentors. Far from resenting an adult figure urging them to do their homework, they try to please. No mentored child has asked to leave the program, but children without mentors want them.

This program is unique in integrating mentors with computer training, home computer awards, and reading improvement programs supported by USi, so each program enriches the others. Mentors and children use the excellent computer lab facilities for projects. Mentors strategize with computer instructors and after-school program staff about how to address problems they see. In effect, the mentors, teachers, after-school staff and parents work as a team to help youth overcome obstacles.

PAMELA BELISLE

The Don’t Shake Jake awareness program was formed in May of 1998. Jake was the first child of Pamela Belisle who was fatally shaken by his baby sitter at four and a half months old. Belisle did not want her son’s death to be in vain, so she did something constructive with her emotions.

Belisle is the President and Founder of the program. The mission of Don’t Shake Jake is to educate the citizens of Maine about the risks of shaking a baby. Someone mentioned, “don’t shake Jake” at her son’s memorial service, and Belisle decided that would be the name of a program that would save lives. In the months following Jake’s death, Belisle was concerned with saving the lives of other children and preventing other families from feeling the loss she was living with daily.

Yellow symbolized remembrance and blue is a national child abuse prevention color. The program began with yellow and blue bumper stickers stating “Don’t Shake Jake”. There was also a crisis response number, which was a visual for all to see there is help available in the time of need. The next piece of the program are yellow refrigerator labels that state the slogan and crisis number along with places to write other emergency numbers such as doctor, fire, and the police department. The bottom of the label has a gentle reminder,” Never shake a baby, call for help.” Yellow and blue lapel pins clasped with an angel in memory of all the children who have been injured at the hands of an adult were also made. These are all to serve as reminders to all that child abuse is wrong, and it is a problem that we must take part in preventing.

Belisle utilizes any resources possible to distribute the materials to the general public, hospitals at the time of child’s birth, public functions and fairs, flea markets and festivals, and any engagements she is asked to be a speaker. She sponsors a stock car at Beech Ridge Speedway that has the slogan and the crisis response number in clear view from the grandstand for all spectators to see. Belisle recently received a grant from the Maine Children’s Trust to create and distribute the first Maine Shaken Baby Prevention poster. Her latest accomplishment is a public service announcement airing on local cable networks educating viewers to the risks of shaking a baby.

Belisle’s work is strictly voluntary. She gains a feeling of self worth knowing that she is making a difference in the life of some child somewhere. She knows a parent or caretaker may be thinking twice or calming down before doing harm to another innocent child. Her days are still spent dealing with the loss of Jake; however, she is thankful she is able to spread the need for patience and calmness to others who may not have otherwise heard that message and ended up harming their child. Belisle will continue her crusade in memory of Jake and the hosts of other children killed or harmed by the ills of abuse.

SARAH BELL

At the youthful age of 80, Sarah Bell is more active in a day than some people half her age. A lifetime member of the Church of Christ, Sarah Bell serves every fifth Sunday in the church nursery caring for and mentoring to its children. Although Ms. Bell had only one biological child, she is an advocate for children and has always loved being a positive influence for them.

In 1982 after retiring as a nurse’s assistant, Bell began volunteering at the Division of Family and Children Service (DFACS) by providing nurturing care with pre-adopted babies aging from four days old up until adoption finalization. At DFACS, Bell also assisted with another program named “Second Chance.” This program offered persons who had been separated from their children a second chance at parenting after obtaining/maintaining a job, establishing a stable living environment, and participating in care taking courses.

While serving as a volunteer with the pre-adopted babies and Second Chance, Bell learned of another organization providing older persons an opportunity to remain active and contribute services to the community. That organization was and is the Foster Grandparent Program.

She began serving twenty hours a week in 1989 at Grady memorial Hospital as “Grand-ma Bell.” Similar to the services she rendered in other programs, she provides support and encouragement by talking, reading, playing, listening to and cuddling children. Since 1989, “Grand-ma Bell” has been placed at several sites within the Foster Grandparent Program to serve. Presently, she volunteers at one of the Gate City Day Nursery Association sites in Metropolitan Atlanta, five days a week.

As if this is not enough, each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays after volunteering her time at the nursery, Bell goes to Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital to participate with a pediatric literacy, parent-education program called Ready, Set, Read. To date she has served more years than others and has been a volunteer reader since 1994, which is when the program was piloted. As a volunteer reader, she shares developmentally and culturally appropriate book with children and parents in waiting and inpatient rooms, including storybook themes and creative writing and drawing. She also organizes and facilitates monthly birthday parties for children who celebrate in the hospital.

Studies have shown that the most important time of a person’s life is the first three years. It is imperative that early, positive, emotional and intellectual stimulation be provided for children. That fact makes it evident as to why Bell was selected as one of five 2001 Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Inc. Georgia Council Ember Award Honorees.