MERRILL LYNCH & CO, INC.

Holocaust survivor Frieda Kohl, now 82 and living in the Bronx, had faith that her sister was still alive. After years of searching, her hope was fading. That is, until administrators at the Tremont Senior Center located her sister in Sweden, and reunited the two women. This reconciliation was part of a special holiday initiative called Christmas Calls, created by Merrill Lynch in 1980 and held every year since.

From Toronto to Australia and Miami to London, seniors have reconnected with loved ones around the world after years of separation. In December 2000, more than 23,000 low-income seniors were invited into over 130 Merrill Lynch offices to phone their relatives and friends free of charge. Merrill Lynch employees and their families, and special guests including local Mayors and government officials greeted the seniors. Volunteers offered companionship, friendship and a delicious lunch, and coordinated the calls by wading through international directories, dialing the phones, mediating with operators, and offering general guidance and support.

What began as a single idea by a Merrill Lynch employee to put idle phones to good use during the holidays is now a global, grassroots effort by thousands of employees and their families each year. Christmas Calls reinforce two of Merrill Lynch’s guiding principles – Responsible Citizenship and Respect for the Individual–and serves the unmet needs of local communities where Merrill Lynch employees live and work.

The program works through partnerships with senior centers, churches, synagogues, and temples. Because not all seniors are physically capable of traveling to Merrill Lynch offices, the company also conducts an outreach effort in November and December (held four different days this past year) in which employees visited seniors bringing cell phones to connect seniors with relatives. Volunteers and seniors in many locations also enjoyed dancing, and singing at the Christmas Calls outreach parties. For those seniors who are homebound, the company coordinates conference calls.

For seniors who have reunited with estranged relatives and friends, Christmas Calls is a vital link to their past, their identity, and their future. Every year, thousands of people are revitalized in this healing, cross-generational community event, in which participants inspire one another with their remarkable stories, generosity and optimism.

GAIL SHAPIRO

After twenty-five years of both professional and volunteer work with women, Gail Shapiro, Ed.M., founded Womankind Educational and Resource Center to serve the women of MetroWest Boston in July 1993. As women called for help or came into the Center, she found that many of their questions had to do with money, or more specifically, women’s lack of knowledge about, or reluctance to deal with their finances.

After researching numerous programs, Shapiro and her Board discovered that there were no financial literacy programs specifically geared towards women and their unique financial fears as well as needs. With the exception of a few financial institutions that were trying to sell their products and services, she did not find any program or organization that would meet the requirements of community women.

So in 1996, Womankind developed its Financial Literacy Project R (FLP), which offers a six-week class in basic money management for women and girls, and teaches other women’s organizations how to do the same in their communities. The mission is to ensure that women and girls are financially literate and economically secure.

Topics include goal setting and record keeping, budgeting, credit and banking, major purchases, insurance, investing, estate planning, retirement and philanthropy. The classes are presented by women financial professionals from the local community – who range from accountants and attorneys to car dealers and financial planners, all of whom volunteer their time. There is a strict “no selling” policy, so the participants do not feel pressured. Enrollment is limited and the small group environment offers students an opportunity to examine their feelings about money and the social factors that may influence their attitudes. Many of the participants enroll during a critical life transition such as graduation, divorce, widowhood, or retirement, and the Project encourages women to become more aware and active participants in their own economic well-being.

Shapiro serves Womankind as volunteer Executive Director, and is assisted by an active volunteer Board of Directors. In addition, Shapiro was the editor and contributing author of the FLP’s handbook, MONEY ORDER: The Money Management Guide for Women (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Through local classes, the Leader’s Training Program and MONEY ORDER, Womankind’s Financial Literacy Project has helped more than 8000 women from diverse backgrounds to find the confidence and skills they need to manage their finances. These women are now better prepared for a more secure economic future.

NICHELLE BROWN

Nichelle Brown is a leader and role model of The All Stars Talent Show Network (ASTSN), the flagship program of the All Stars Project Inc, which without any government funding has become one of the largest and most successful youth development programs in New York’s poorest neighborhoods. The ASTSN uses performance as an alternative to violence and destructive behavior and as a vehicle for emotional, personal and social growth.

Brown has been a powerful and extremely creative contributor to the All Stars for more than 10 years. She first got involved in early 1989, when she was part of a group who brought the All Stars to Far Rockaway, one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city. In 1989, Brown was a young mother living on welfare, who had already spent years of her young life hanging out on the streets. Her first experience of the ASTSN was when she performed in a talent show with 25 youngsters that she had organized to accompany her as part of her performance. Many of these subsequently became active volunteers. Soon after, Brown began volunteering regularly at the shows and worked in her own community to encourage and prepare young people to audition. She is now a spokesperson and ambassador for the All Stars Talent Show Network – as well as continuing with the work she does at the Shows.

Brown’s standing and background in the program enable her to perform invaluable donor relation activities which involve her in meeting and greeting donors who are attending a show for the first time, or speaking to them about a particular aspect of the program. She also continues to volunteer at every event, where her hands-on experience is much sought after – she often provides on-site training for new volunteers or can be found performing tasks ranging from security supervisor to staffing the registration desk.

Last year she was the primary organizer of an All Stars Show in Far Rockaway. And in 1999, Brown was invited to write and perform a rap song at the Castillo Theatre, an off-Broadway theatre for adults and a sister project of the ASTSN, in a healing play called “Crown Heights.” The play was about the racial tensions in Crown Heights between the black and Jewish communities. And she doesn’t stop there. Her daughter is now a participant in the ASTSN and Brown is an active recruiter of her daughter’s friends and peers into the program.

Brown’s flair as a performer and her dedication as an organizer have inspired hundreds of teens. Though busy with a full-time job and raising her daughter, she maintains an unflagging commitment to helping youth develop, which is why she has become a pillar of the All Stars volunteer corps. She is the reason that many of the young people who currently perform and volunteer in the All Stars signed up in the first place. And she continues to inspire the staff at the All Stars Project with her talent for communicating to all types of people across cultural and social divides. Her special message is how volunteering and giving to one’s community can change one’s life, as it did hers.

PAWS ACROSS TEXAS, INC.

Paws Across Texas, Inc. (PAT) is a nonprofit, incorporated, charitable organization based in Fort Worth, Texas. PAT aids people in an innovative way as opposed to using traditional methods of treatment. Children and adults stressed by illness are able to relax and have fun with dogs. The animals bring out hidden physical abilities in patients and give hope to some of the patients who are fighting depression.

Research has shown many humans have a love for animals, and PAT promotes the therapeutic use of canines for the purpose of physical, psychosocial, and emotional interaction. The animals provide emotional support, stress relief, companionship, entertainment, sport, and sociability. This type of interaction evokes responsive interactions which otherwise may not occur.

PAT is proud of 15 plus years of community service to 10 counties in the Metro areas. PAT has an all-volunteer membership and provides all services at no cost to participants. They started in the Fort Worth area in 1986 and are a local organization with services only in the geographic area. All of the PAT representatives must have proper qualifications, provide a completed application with a Health Certificate form, provide proof of basic obedience training, and attend the screening and orientation program. Screenings are held three times a year, and each accepted team is re-evaluated bi-annually. Approximately 10 weeks of obedience training is a prerequisite, and evaluations, orientation, and supervised in-field training within 30-days is required.

PAT collaborates with psychiatric, medical, and physical rehabilitation hospitals, Children’s Medical hospitals, schools for Special Education, mentally/physically challenged, long-term care for the elderly, and adult day care centers. Some of the hospitals serviced include Columbia, Health South, All Saints, Harris Health Systems, Cook Children’s Medical Center of Fort Worth, and Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas.

The populations serviced by PAT include, but are not limited to, children and adults in mental care centers, persons with physical disabilities, patients with head and spinal cord injuries, strokes, and orthopedic related injuries. The PAT dogs personally interact with each person through acts of brushing, ball playing, walking, and command executing given by the patient. PAT has on-going schedules each month with facilities being serviced at least five days a week. Some days multiple facilities are planned for service on the same day. They provide summer programs for special needs camps for children with terminal illnesses and physical and mental disabilities.

PAT is extremely proud of its positive image in the communities it serves and the positive reputation it has earned since its inception. They have been nominated for the Tarrant County Volunteer Group of the Year as well as the JCPenney Golden Rule award. PAT was the recipient of the 1998 Volunteer of the Year Award for Dallas County.

DOROTHY LECAIN

Since the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast first opened its doors more than 20 years ago to provide end-of-life care, they have valued their volunteers. The Hospice believes volunteers offer an enhancement to the quality of care that the staff alone cannot accomplish. Dorothy LeCain has provided support to people through the Hospice since 1989.

Initially, LeCain served patients living in their own homes. In some instances, that meant running errands or providing respite and companionship for weary caregivers. Other times she cooked and cleaned for patients. It did not matter what had to be done, she met the challenge and did it with compassion and care.

During the past several years, her contributions have been more outstanding. Since 1990 LeCain has cared for the most challenged of nursing home patients. She has worked with patients who are not able to verbally communicate. Many of the patients had no local caregivers, family, or friends and were extremely isolated. They were cut off from normal social contact until she came into their lives.

This last “assignment” has been the most special for LeCain. She has worked to be there for these patients in special ways. One of her greatest gifts to them has been sitting at their bedsides. There she talks to them, always offering a loving hand or a comforting word. In addition to this, she has also found creative ways to communicate. She uses gestures, sign language, or other innovative ways to reach her special patients. LeCain even created a magnetic board that had words like “yes,” “no,” and “thirsty” on them which enabled the patients to “talk” to her.

LeCain has also been an “eleventh hour” volunteer. She sits with patients whose death is imminent. This is the most difficult of tasks, but she uses this service to comfort many patients and their families during this very challenging time. LeCain was also one of the first volunteers to care for patients with HIV/AIDS.

LeCain is also the primary caregiver for her husband who has Alzheimer’s disease. Though she struggles to muster the strength and energy to love and comfort her mate, she still stays dedicated to helping others in her community.

Though Dorothy does not serve for recognition, her efforts have not gone unnoticed. She was recently presented with the Governor’s Points of Light Award in Florida for her community service.

FLORIDA MARLINS BASEBALL CLUB

The Florida Marlins Baseball Club is an active partner in the South Florida Community. By supporting community and charitable causes, the team is committed to the betterment of the South Florida community through its support of educational, athletic, and community service programs.

The Marlins is the single largest partner of Adopt-A-Classroom ,a Miami-based nonprofit organization that partners members of the community with individual public school classrooms throughout South Florida. The Marlins have made a tremendous impact in the lives of teachers and students in the community. To teachers, the Marlins are a source of much needed support. They provide $500 worth of resources for each classroom adopted along with a member of the Club to serve as the classroom partner. The partner could be an individual player, coach, or staff member. These resources enhance the learning environment with excitement and creativity. To the students, the Marlins are not an intangible entity; they are friends who visit the classrooms, share experiences, and provide much needed supplies. Sixty-six classrooms were adopted during the 2000-2001 school year thanks to a $5,000 donation from the Club’s former Vice Chair. They are back to 56 classrooms this school year, 2001-2002, based on a $28,000 donation.

The World of Baseball is a curriculum-enhancement program. The program uses baseball to make learning a fun and exciting experience. In support of this program, the Marlins designate one week in May as World of Baseball Week when players, coaches, and broadcasters visit approximately 35 local schools. In addition to the appearances and learning opportunities, each school visited receives 1,000 tickets to an upcoming Marlins game.

The Marlins sponsor Books and Bats. This is a summer reading program that rewards students with tickets to Marlins’ games. This program has resulted in youths reading over half a million books during the summer. They also sponsor the A-Ball Program that rewards students for progress in attitude, academics, and attendance. In its third year, the A-Ball Program reached more than 4,500 classrooms in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The Marlins also sponsor High School Media Day. This program offers aspiring journalists and photographers the chance to experience working in sports media.

MARK BALL

Mark Ball has spent the past 20 years of his life improving Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) reputation by making travel on the state highways safer and a more positive experience for all Texas travelers. Ball uses innovative approaches in tackling new and old TxDOT problems.

One recent example of his unique approach to problem solving is the Precious Cargo Program. This program was born as a result of a child fatality from an automobile collision. The child was killed on his way to school. After the accident, communities in the Dallas area demanded immediate changes in speed limits and the addition of traffic signals in areas where they were not justified by law. The problem this program faced was not a result of highway design flaws or operations issues, but it was a result of schools being built in once-remote rural areas on highways that were not intended for the traffic volumes associated with a school. Ball set out to find a way to prevent the same problem from occurring again.

The Precious Cargo program was set up to improve traffic safety near schools by ensuring TxDOT’s involvement. TxDOT is a part of the early stages of new school planning and construction. By creating this partnership with schools and communities at an early stage, the Department is able to recognize and address potential traffic hazards before they result in more tragedies. The program works in three ways: TxDOT plays a role, each community plays a role, and the two work together to accomplish what they cannot do as separate entities. The Precious Cargo program allows TxDOT staff to review site plans and make recommendations, and they can also note that unbudgeted road improvements requested by school districts may be accomplished through a partnership – a community providing materials while TxDOT contributes labor and equipment. Their concept has become a favorite with the Texas Legislature. They are excited about combining scarce local and state resources to solve a critical safety problem.

Since the program’s inception, more than 180 schools in 70 various school districts have improved traffic safety conditions for students, teachers, and parents. None of this would be a reality, had it not been for the foresight and ingenuity of Mark Ball. This program has also relieved the burden of taxpayers. In recognition of this success, TxDOT’s leadership adopted a Precious Cargo for statewide use on its entire 79,000-mile roadway system. Shortly thereafter, the program won the Transportation for Livable Communities “Best in State” award from the Trans Texas Alliance. Ball’s program has also earned awards from AASHTO, WASHTO, the National Quality Initiative, the Texas Quality Initiative, and the International Association of Business Communicators.

Mark Ball’s efforts have been so successful that they have been duplicated outside of the Dallas area where they began. Most of the districts throughout the state of Texas have implemented the Precious Cargo Program and more than a dozen state’s are now considering it too.

MIKE MADDEN

Mike Madden currently serves as President of the Campbell County Jaycees. The Jaycees or Junior Chamber of Commerce is an organization that offers Leadership Development through community service, and Madden has been a committed member of the Jaycees for the past 13 years. During his tenure of service with the organization, he has done quite a bit to ensure that children have toys and clothing, families have food, charities are funded, lives are rebuilt, seniors are not forgotten, and the environment is safer and cleaner.

Madden has participated in or has run many community projects. He served at Steinford Toys for Needy Children, Coats and Shoes for Kids and Adults, Bowl-A-Thon for Literacy, Santa Land for Low Income Inner City Children, Adopt-A-House, Adopt-A-Road, MDA Fundraising, and Senior Citizens Dinners and Bingos. In addition, he has organized and participated in the Can and Food Drives for the local needy. All of this has been done through donations without costing the Jaycees a dime. Madden has been a part of all these programs for the past nine years.

In 1996, Madden instituted the Tornado Relief Program. When a tornado struck Louisville, Kentucky, Madden set up a network of stores and churches to be used as drop off points. Within a four-day period, Madden and his volunteers were able to fill a 53-foot rental truck with clothes, household items, pet food, and cash. The program still exists today and lent aid to Grayson County during their tornado last year. Madden and the Jaycees also participated in the flood cleanup. Twenty-seven Jaycees helped flood victims back into their homes in Bromley, Ludlow, and Falmouth over a three-week period.

Madden and the Campbell County Jaycees also started a Public Safety Cable Show. The Jaycees, along with the Northern KY Fire Fighters Association are producing safety videos to be aired on the local cable channels and will cover subjects from safe driving during hazardous conditions to Christmas light safety and all subjects in between. One of Madden’s most notable contributions to the community is his Creek Restoration in Kentucky (CRIK) that was started in 1999. CRIK is a collaborative effort of the Jaycees in Northern Kentucky, the Sanitation District NO.1, and the Northern Kentucky solid waste Coordinator. Since its inception, CRIK has enlisted more than 200 volunteers who educate students and adults about pollution in their streams. This project has located and cleaned up five major dumpsites and has grown into a statewide program in just three years.

Mike Madden is a man of vision. He sees potential where many see failure and has spent his adult life believing and following the Jaycees Creed, which states in part, “Service to humanity is the best work of life.”

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF SOUTH BEND

United States families have to deal with one of the most heartbreaking and devastating tragedies of all – teenage suicide. The Junior League of South Bend, Inc. provides resources to support Community Resource Center’s Hotlines that work with teenage suicide prevention through the Yellow Ribbon Campaign. They have also provided backing for the making of a teenage suicide prevention video that will be used to train people in suicide prevention throughout the nation.

The Yellow Ribbon Campaign is an international program founded to prevent teenage suicide. Dale and Dar Emme of Colorado began this program in 1994 after their 16-year-old son, Mike, committed suicide in his vehicle. They wanted to help other families who might have to deal with this tragedy, or more importantly, help other families so they can prevent the tragedy. Each October, the Emmes go to South Bend to give presentations to area high school students and other organizations to promote the distribution of the Yellow Ribbon cards and to emphasize the importance of letting suicidal individuals know that there are other alternatives when facing difficult situations.

In 2000, the Junior League donated $20,000 for the Community Resource Center’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Campaign. The campaign includes talking to a crisis hotline counselor, teacher, or other trusted adult. Also Yellow Ribbon cards are distributed with the message “Stay, Listen, Get Help.” Some suicidal teenagers have said these steps have helped them deal with the silent pain within. During the beginning of 2001, Community Resource Center’s Yellow Ribbon Program was designated one of the seven best programs throughout the United States and 47 countries by the Light for Life Foundation.

Junior League members have initiated kickoffs of local Yellow Ribbon Campaigns and have even had their teenage sons and daughters distribute Yellow Ribbon cards at local shopping malls. The League’s most recent and most generous contribution to date has been providing $100,000 worth of backing for two versions of a suicide video that will be used in suicide prevention training all over the United States as well as internationally. The video featured Dr. John McIntosh, Professor of Psychology at Indiana University’s South Bend campus who is a nationally recognized expert and widely published author on suicide. He exposes some important and potentially dangerous myths about suicide, and provides practical information about what to do and not to do when confronted with a potentially suicidal individual, especially a youth.

The video premiered at the First Annual International Conference of the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, held at Westminster, Colorado on August 10 – 12, 2001. It is now available from the Light for Life Foundation for distribution to suicide prevention training all over the world. The Junior League of South Bend can be credited with the production and distribution of this video. The League has saved many lives internationally from being taken in such a tragic way and will continue with their mission.

LINDA BENGE

The Reformed Church founded Nazareth Orphan’s Home in 1906. The Home was set up to serve orphaned and half-orphaned children ages six to twelve years of age. Rev. J. M. Lyerly, who operated the Crescent Academy, was the moving power behind the decision of the North Carolina Synod of the Reformed Church to open a Home. The McNairy farm was 85 acres in the Crescent Community. This farm along with a ten-room house was purchased July 10,1906. The Home opened December 1,1906 with Miss Mary Abbott as manager and four children as residents.

By 1956, Nazareth Children’s Home had served 360 children. At this time, the campus included dormitories for boys and girls, a superintendent’s home, a farm manager’s home, a steam-operated laundry, and an array of farm buildings. The first floor of the girl’s dorm had two parlors, a library, and a music room. They also had an apartment for the dietitian, a central dining hall, kitchen, walk-in refrigerator, and deep-freeze unit.

Linda Benge has been working with the Nazareth Children’s home for more than 30 years. The Board hired her as a social worker, and she tirelessly works to serve abused and neglected children each day. Today, the Home houses children from ages five to twenty-one. Benge takes an active part in each child’s life at the Home. She knows them all by name and shows them the love, compassion, and understanding they desire and need so much.

Benge works to be sure the children are receiving all they need. She works with their nutrition, which affects their physical well being as well as their mental health. She is known in Rowan County as “Mother Teresa” because she gives so much of herself for the children. She is aware that the children at the Home have not had stability in their lives and they have not received much nurturing during their developmental years. She makes it her goal to try to reach all of the children and meet their needs. Some of them need to talk, while others may just need someone to listen.

Linda Benge plays different roles for each of the children because of their individual needs. She has worked with and helped hundreds of children who have grown up at Nazareth Children’s Home; and they have all become better people because of their interaction with Linda Benge.