SHERAL “OSCAR” MERZ

Sheral “Oscar” Merz, also known as “Oscar Greyhair,” volunteers with Adopt-A-Native Elder Program, a humanitarian group that provides food, non-prescription medical supplies, clothing and friendship to Navajo elders on the Navajo Reservation in Utah and Arizona.

The Adopt-A-Native Elder Program provides more than 28 tons of supplies to the Navajo elders twice a year. This includes 700 food boxes, 300 bags each of flour, potatoes, apples, oranges and onions, 500 boxes of medical, children, grandma and grandpa supplies, school supplies and boxes for elders who have no support. In addition, 150 cases of incontinence briefs are also distributed, as well as shovels, axes or brooms, cases of 6-volt batteries, 50 or more bags of clothes and sundry extra boxes that are sent by support people throughout the country. Produce and flour is purchased locally on the reservation and transported to each distribution location. These items are dispersed to the elders at six remote areas throughout the Reservation.

Merz coordinates the purchases, storage, loading, labeling and distribution of this humanitarian aid twice a year. Temperatures can get to the upper nineties or low 100s but Merz keeps his team on the move and gets the job done.

Several years ago, the Navajo Reservation was hit with a series of snowstorms that left many of the elders in the remote areas without food. Merz took supplies in his four-wheel drive pickup to many of these elders. In addition to accompanying the Adopt-A-Native Elders Program convoys, he and his wife, often including one or more of their daughters, visit elders at their remote homes. He and his wife also bring school supplies to the schools in Kayenta, Arizona.

Merz unselfishly gives more than 1,500 hours of his time, and a great deal of money each year to help the Navajo elders through the Adopt-A-Native Elder Program. When the work has slowed down, he can be found with a group of Navajo elders, talking and eating mutton stew.

DAVID SOLEM

In many communities across our country there are special things that distinguish each city and neighborhood. Special donors, best practices, community volunteers and church groups make the various communities who and what they are. Silent Mentors are a special component of Billings, Montana. These are the people who mentor because they have something to give in return for what they have been given in their lives. They do not serve to gain recognition or fame; these are the people you do not hear about but the people who make differences day in and day out.

Many of the Silent Mentors partner with Friendship House. David Solem is one of the mentors there. He initially presented himself to the Friendship House as an intern about three years ago. Solem successfully completed his internship and was prepared to move on; however, he found it hard to forget the children with whom he had formed bonds.

Solem continued to come back to the facility to mentor the children. He comes on time and has a dedicated schedule so the children are not let down. Solem realizes how much a difference a positive adult can make in the life of a troubled child, so he chooses to spend his free time at the center. He is selfless and even made a special goal to learn to love one of the most difficult young men at the House because Solem knew he just needed attention.

Solem is understanding and is aware of the struggles the children go through. This particular client had a very traumatic start in life. His mom gave him away at birth, and his father was and is presently spending time in a correctional facility. Growing up, this young man felt unloved and broken. He thought he was not good enough to have a mother and a father. This young man, like other neglected children, just wanted to be loved. He needed to know that someone knew he existed and cared.

Solem became a beacon of hope in this child’s eyes. He was dedicated to getting to know him and merely listening. Solem learned his needs, fears and dreams. His interaction with this young man went far beyond a mentor; they became friends and Solem was able to share their common thread of a “missing father.” This youth now has a friend, someone who has made a commitment to love him for who he is. Solem’s dedication has provided this young man a new level of trust that was previously non-existent. When he has problems or is misunderstood, he knows he can call on his big brother David.

Solem earned this young man’s respect. The impact his has made in his life has taught him values. The youth has learned to trust others to help him. He also does not lash out in anger as he used to, and he realizes he has a future.

This relationship benefited Solem also. He learned about the young man’s world. He saw through his eyes, daily hurt and pain as a result of the environment he was a part on. Solem learned more about working with youth who had challenges on their level so they would not feel as if they were being patronized or belittled.

PARTNERS IN CARE

Established in 1993 by three Severna Park women – Sandra Jackson, Barbara Huston and Maureen Cavaiola, Partners in Care provides volunteer services to seniors living in their own homes. Volunteers provide transportation, grocery shopping and assistance with home maintenance tasks to the elderly who are in danger of having to leave their homes and move to an institutional setting.

This Harbor Hospital based program gives volunteers the opportunity to earn service credits, which serve as a reminder that what you give does come back to you. Volunteers earn one credit for each hour they volunteer. They can use this credit to obtain assistance themselves, donate credit to a friend or relative who needs assistance or simply donate the credit to the program for use by someone else. For instance, many elderly widows volunteer by driving others to medical appointments or working in one of the two boutiques, which provide income to the program. In return they receive handyman help, which allows them to stay in their homes. Partners in Care attempts to match people who have something to offer each other. For example, a youth aspiring to be a firefighter could spend time helping a retired fire chief.

Since the program’s inception, 2,200 individuals have participated as volunteers or recipients of services and 62,000 hours of service have been exchanged – 18,000 hours in 2001 alone. Many projects have been accomplished by groups, such as Midshipmen’s Action Group (from the neighboring Naval Academy) and the Annapolis Senior High School Honor Society, which has adopted the Glenwood High Rise and sponsors two projects there each year.

HEALTH VOLUNTEERS OVERSEAS

Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) was founded in 1986 to improve global health through education. Since then, over 3,800 health professionals have donated their time and expertise to provide training and education to health care providers in the lesser developed nations of the world. HVO’s sponsors, ten of the best known professional associations in the health care arena, provide the organization with critical financial support, as well as visibility and credibility within their communities.

Each year a growing number of doctors, dentists, nurses and physical therapists volunteer at program sites around the world. These health care specialists are volunteers in the truest sense of the word — they pay their own travel and living expenses, averaging $2,000 per trip. Many also forgo income while away from their practices. Yet, one third of volunteers return annually. Health Volunteers Overseas has active divisions in anesthesia, dentistry, hand surgery, internal medicine, nursing, oral and maxillofacial surgery, nurse anesthesia, orthopaedics, pediatrics and physical therapy.

HVO volunteers improve the quality and availability of health care in every country where they work. By introducing new surgical techniques, volunteers have improved post-operative outcomes in countries throughout the world, saving thousands of lives and ensuring that countless others live free from disability. Volunteers in Vietnam developed a more modern and effective curriculum for teaching rehabilitation so that trauma victims receive the most comprehensive care available. In over 15 developing countries, volunteers have created medical libraries where, previously, no comparable research facilities existed. Volunteers have also identified, collected and donated over $13 million of needed equipment and education materials to program sites in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. These are just a few examples of the extraordinary impact HVO volunteers have made in the communities where they serve.

HVO volunteers are, perhaps, the best ambassadors the United States has to offer. They share their expertise with health providers in the world’s poorest countries and, at the same time, gain invaluable knowledge of other cultures. Volunteers typically report returning from trips refreshed and recommitted to their work at home. At Health Volunteers Overseas, this dedicated corps of health professionals is the cornerstone of the organization. Each volunteer makes his or her own small contribution to improved health for the millions of people in the world without access to basic health care. These volunteers are, indeed, making the world a better place; each volunteer a point of light and hope.

LIZ KIRKMAN

Hospice volunteer, Elizabeth “Liz” M. Kirkman, is one of those people who just does what needs to be done, no questions asked. She became a special events volunteer in 1992 after the death of her mother. She enthusiastically assisted in the fundraising specialty area and was nominated for the Board of Trustees of The Hospice Foundation. Kirkman now serves as chair of the special gifts committee.

This hospice ambassador advocates the services of The Hospice of the Florida Sun coast at every opportunity. Kirkman volunteers at health fairs and other outreach endeavors as a member of the agency’s speakers and community outreach bureau. In 1995, she became a patient/family support volunteer. Since becoming a volunteer, Kirkman has documented more than 4,000 volunteer hours.

Her contributions include accommodating any out-of-the-ordinary needs, such as sitting at the bedside of a dying patient, recording the poetry of a patient whose last wish is to see his words published, spending time with a child whose sibling is a hospice patient or running errands throughout Pinellas County. As a member of the board of trustees of The Hospice Foundation, she is able to convey the needs of patients and their families in such a way that the community is inspired to participate in raising funds to provide hospice services to those in need.

From the time she first volunteered for a hospice fundraiser until now as the volunteer with the most community service hours, Kirkman has developed a leadership style that causes others to want to emulate her. Her experiences with patients and families have strengthened her resolve to ensure that all people in Pinellas County know about hospice programs and services available at the end of their lives. In spite of her own health issues and that of her husband, Kirkman has maintained her ability to ensure that the needs of patients and families on her assigned care team are met. Additionally, she visits other volunteers that are ill or having difficult times.

JACQUELINE MCADAM

In the late 1980s, Jacqueline “Jackie” McAdam created and became the chairperson for the Katahdin Area Support Group for those with cancer. Her inspiration came from watching her late husband go through chemotherapy treatments. The 64-year old joined RSVP in 1994 and became an RSVP station supervisor for the Katahdin Area Support Group. In 2001, Jackie logged 1,816 volunteer hours. She has received accolades from the Millinocket Town Council and other public service providers. McAdam has been referred to as a “Guardian Angel.”

The Support Group has several aspects that benefit cancer patients and their families and friends. Through “Operation Breadbasket,” patients receive home delivery of bread, muffins and cookies. The “Love-One-Another Sharing & Caring Family” is a monthly gathering of cancer patients, family and friends at a private home to discuss the successes and disappointments of battling cancer. Speakers also come and talk to the group about pain management, legal advice and coping with emotional concerns. Education programs are sponsored for cancer patients as well as the community at large.

Each year, the group tries to make possible the “I Can Cope” program in cooperation with the American Cancer Society. A reference library has been created regarding the latest treatments. Volunteers provide transportation to doctor’s appointments and run errands for the patients. The Support Group also maintains an extensive inventory of patient care equipment, which is delivered, set up and loaned free of charge.

McAdam has motivated hundreds of volunteers over the years to provide emotional and physical support to cancer patients and their caregivers. Fifteen of her current volunteers are members of RSVP. Various components of the community have been successfully integrated into her service system – churches, businesses, service clubs and schools. Several other communities have sought McAdam’s assistance in establishing similar programs.

ALEXA JONES

Many children of today’s rural South are denied exposure to the arts because they live in households where survival is the critical issue and the parent’s lack of cultural knowledge, coupled with their lack of financial resources, leaves these children void in visual art, drama, and music. Society’s normal expectation is for the schools to fill the gaps created by the home environment. This does occur in some cases; however, Alabama’s children are particularly handicapped by this expectation, as state funding is slightly less than $0.25 per child for arts education each year.

To address this need, Alexa Jones, as an 18-year old college freshman, began The Renaissance Foundation of Alabama, Inc, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing arts education in rural schools and communities. Jones believed that this foundation, by acquiring corporate and state grants and utilizing community volunteers, could make a difference in the lives of these forgotten children. As the Chairperson, she mobilized attorneys and accountants who, like her, donated their time to create a 501 (c)(3) IRS certified organization that could receive charitable donations.

In 1999 when the Foundation was created, it served two counties in Alabama and, with steady growth, in 2002 has thus far served eight counties in Alabama. Through Jones’s direction, the Foundation has provided a myriad of activities in these counties. Jones has taught art lessons in elementary schools, lobbied and secured funding to bring professional children’s theatre to rural areas, produced school plays, provided community art workshops for those children who were left home at spring break, and organized community musical concerts by recognized musician, thus offering all forms of arts exposure. These activities were possible because of her persistence in lobbying state agencies for funding, thus making her one of the youngest individuals to lobby these groups.

Although Jones has made more than 10,000 student contacts and raised tens of thousands of dollars for arts education, it is the impact of these activities on students that is important. As a direct result of her efforts, teachers have stated that after seeing their students enjoy the children’s theatre, they began to allow their students to present reports “in character” in the classroom. Not only did the children enjoy the dramatic outlet, but also the teachers noticed a noticeable difference in the children’s confidence and self-esteem. Perhaps the greatest benefit of Jones’ s involvement with these students cannot be measured as her involvement with them naturally established her as a mentor. Her life has been changed forever as she struggled watching a gifted musician come to school with a rat-bitten hand, bitten as he slept. Another child confided in her that he must sleep under his bed at night to avoid the gang warfare outside his window. One teacher stated that Jones would never realize her impact on these children; for many of them it was the first time in their lives that anyone had taken an interest in them and cared enough to try to make a difference in their lives. Jones is the current Chairperson of the Renaissance Foundation of Alabama, Inc. and a junior at Birmingham-Southern College.

DR. RICHARD HUDSON

Dr. Richard Hudson retired as a family physician in the fall of 1998. Soon after, he worked with the members of Saint Thomas Episcopal Church to start a free medical clinic for the working poor of Pamlico County.

Pamlico County is in eastern North Carolina and ranks 93rd among the 100 counties of North Carolina in poverty and reduced physician/patient ratio. About 40% of the 13,000 residents are classified as working poor. They earn less than 200% of poverty wages defined by the United States Department of Health and Resources. There are also considerable numbers of migrant workers, and these two groups often have to work two minimum wages jobs just to provide basic necessities. They do not have any kind of health insurance, and they only seek emergency care at a local hospital in a crisis.

Dr. Hudson took a look at the statistics and made a change. He founded Hope Clinic to provide free medical care, laboratory tests and free medicines for common medical problems. It took about six months of preparation, but Dr. Hudson’s reputation in the community allowed him to recruit a volunteer force of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, Spanish speaking interpreters, administrators and lab technicians.

A local pharmacy near the clinic volunteered to stay open the night the clinic operated and to provide some of the more expensive medicines at cost. A medicine assistance program and common x-ray facilities were provided through the local County Health Department who also opened its doors to house the Clinic. When needed, volunteer consultations were obtained from specialists in the Craven and Pamlico counties. In 2001, more than 2000 patient visits were provided at Hope Clinic.

In addition to founding and working at Hope Clinic, Dr. Hudson has volunteered at a similar facility, Merci Clinic, since 1999. Initially, he was co-medical director but has recently taken the responsibility at Medical Director. Both clinics do not receive any insurance benefits or public funds. They rely on individual benefactors, businesses, churches and grants. Some of their grant sources are the United Way, Duke Endowment and Kate B. Reynolds. Dr. Hudson has worked quietly and diligently to improve the health and health care of the poor in rural Bayboro, North Carolina.

WINDHAM REGION HOMELESS COALITION

Established in 1988, The Windham Region Homeless Coalition consists of individuals and agencies concerned with the housing needs of the people in their respective communities. The Windham Region is made up of 22 towns and the Town of Mansfield that is actually located in Tolland County.

Programs that have come out of the Coalition are Holy Family Home and Shelter, Inc., established in February 1989. The Shelter has 23 beds and adds cribs when necessary. A “full house” is any number over 16; the ethnic breakdown is one-third Anglo, one-third Black and one-third Hispanic. The Shelter provides case management, in-house workshops, and a free on-site laundry; free local telephone service, three meals per day, and referrals to state agencies, health care providers, schools and jobs. The Shelter has an on-site education program that was started in 1993. This program includes a pre-school, a toddler time and after school tutoring. Volunteers come from the University of Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University to help with the education programs.

Windham Family Living was established in 1990 and is under the umbrella agency Windham Region Community Council. The program provides case management to families in scattered site housing, budgeting workshops and parenting programs.

The Windham Homelessness Intervention Fund was established in 1990 to help individuals obtain part of a security deposit or first month’s rent. The funds are administered by the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry and are a $250 loan. Funds for this program come from selling Munson’s Chocolates, House Pins and grants from local banking foundations. Two large fundraising events that take place each year include a fall goods and services auction held at Windham Mills Heritage Park and at Christmastime a Cardless Christmas mailing is sent to friends and businesses associates, asking for a contribution to the Coalition.

The Coalition meets the second Tuesday of the month from September to June. Presently, the Coalition is working on a Continuum of Care Proposal to HUD to bring in much needed monies to the rural programs in Eastern Connecticut that are concerned with housing.

LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL KEY CLUB

Lakeside High School Key Club was founded in the fall of 1995 when the late Meryl Reed, a life-long member of the Greater Hot Springs Kiwanis Club asked Kerry Lockwood Owen to begin this Kiwanis sponsored service organization for young people at Lakeside. This partnering of young people with professional business community, as well as the nonprofit sector, has become a valuable teaching tool for students who are learning the importance of service over self-gratification.

For the past six years, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students that make up Lakeside High School Key Club have worked hand and hand with several organizations. In the spring of 2001, the Club coordinated and supervised the Fifth Annual Sophomore Youth Service Day, which involved the entire sophomore class of 250 students at Lakeside High School. Students pulled weeds, planted trees and re-mulched planting best surrounding the Hot Springs Civic and Convention Center.

At the Youth Center, kids painted the gym, den and ramps and did a complex clean-up and flowerbed renovation and planting. On Saturday of each month of the school year, ten to thirty members of the Key Club work for Habitat for Humanity, clearing brush and rocks, raking the yards, spreading dirt and installing sod, among other projects. Twice a month during the school year, approximately 15 Lakeside High School Key Club members take pets from Hot Springs Animal Services to a local nursing home to interact with the residents.

Partnering with the Arkansas School for Math and Sciences Interact Club and the Hot Springs/Garland County Volunteer Center, Lakeside High School Key Club students sponsored and participated in a Halloween Carnival to benefit area youth. Key Club students mentor at the after-school program at the Boys and Girls Club on a bi-weekly basis.