DORIS FEDUS

Doris Fedus has volunteered with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) for 27 continuous years with several social service organizations. After retiring from teaching kindergartners at Rosedale Elementary School on May 24, 1974, Fedus decided to continue to contribute to society. She volunteers about 107 hours per month at several agencies in Emmet County. She has been involved in community service in every neighborhood where she has lived.

Because of her dedicated commitment to the community, Fedus has been honored on numerous occasions. One of the many prestigious awards that she has received was the 1988 Livonia Mother of the Year. She has also been awarded the Golden Oldie Award in 1994 from the Metropolitan Detroit Heritage Club.

Doris Fedus is now 90 years old and is still full of energy. Some days you may see her at the RSVP Friendship Center where she is acting as a ray of sunshine to many who do not get visits often. The RSVP of Wayne County say they cannot begin to count the number of lives Fedus has touched during the past 27 years, but they can estimate her hours of service. They estimate her as giving 37,908 hours of love to the community, which saves the various nonprofit organizations at least $265,300 in labor.

ALTHEA GREER

Althea Greer is a wife, mother, and grandmother who works to share her knowledge, experience and wealth of compassion with anyone she meets. Greer has devoted more than 35 years of her time, energy and talents serving her Farmington, New Mexico community. Greer believes that Rabbi Harold Kushner was correct when he said, “Love is a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.”

Greer has a long association with the Farmington Museum and has served as a Board Member since 1986. She has served as Chairman for fund raising events such as the Ice Cream Socials, The Red Apple Flyer, and Casino Night. While Chairman of the Budget committee, she was instrumental in keeping the organization solvent. In addition to being available for all the committee work, Greer has raised funds for acquisitions for the Museum, opened her home for the annual Board Seminars and picnics, and is always available for the job, no matter how large or small the task.

Greer has also been an active, contributing member of the San Juan Regional Medical Center Auxiliary since 1966. Her leadership qualities and determination to finish tasks and projects is an asset to the hospital. In addition to serving as their President from 1971-1972 and 1995-1996, she was instrumental in the creation of the hospital gift shop. She also directed fund raising events for the hospital.

Greer also works at The Hospitality House, a home away from home for patients and their families while receiving treatment at health care facilities such as the Cancer Center. She has dedicated hours of service to the Philanthropic Educational Organization that awards scholarships and grants for continuing education to women as well as being a faithful and active member of First Presbyterian Church of Farmington.

Althea Greer’s love of her community continues to grow and she continues to reach out with courage and commitment to causes there. She is not afraid to take risks and empower other to do the same through delegation and teamwork.

MITSUBISHI MOTORS VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Mitsubishi Motors has a commitment to service in the communities in which they operate. Because of this, the company has started the Mitsubishi Motors Volunteer Program (MVP). This group of employee volunteers takes on various tasks during the year to make a difference in Cypress.

One of the most significant service projects is the company’s annual food drive. The proceeds for this drive are donated to America’s Second Harvest. During the past year, the program saw a tremendous jump in participation and donations. Run by 45 coordinators, with almost 3/4 of the company’s 1,100 employees participating, the last food drive raised more than $53,700 in donations and 10,425 pounds of food.

Employees rally each other to give through bake sales, silent auctions and group breakfasts. It is a time of great giving by the employees as well as a time of great camaraderie, support and teamwork. The food drive always brings out the best in the employees and gives them a sense of pride about the company as well as their efforts and their value as community-members.

MVP volunteers and Second Harvest workers are proud of the dedication and effort that the volunteers, employees and retail partners invested in making the annual food drive a success. The volunteers are happy to know that families were being fed, and it is good to know if their situation were changed they would have this same resource for their family.

America’s Second Harvest provides food for more than 26 million hungry men, women and children; it is their goal to reach even more people and drive out the problem of hunger. Mitsubishi Motors, now in their 13th year of supporting America’s Second Harvest, continue to support this worthy cause.

CHEAT LAKE ANIMAL HOSPITAL

The mission of Cheat Lake Animal Hospital is to provide quality medical care for companion animals while keeping in mind the sensitivity and the individuality of the pet along with the emotional needs of their clients. They strive to improve the hospital environment and build a professional workplace that encourages the understanding that each patient and client is special.

The veterinarians and staff of Cheat Lake Animal Hospital are a part of the Morgantown, West Virginia community, not only as a business, but also as public servants. They were instrumental in the development of a community program that serves at at-risk teens (The High School Assistance Dogs Program,) people with physical disabilities and the dogs simultaneously.

Cheat Lake Animal Hospital has provided free veterinary care for the Golden Rule Assistance Service Dogs that are in training. The business has purchased a bus to transport the dogs to the training site – the local Alternative Learning Center, and they have opened their office to the public twice a week to have people socialize the puppies so they can become assistants to people with disabilities.

The Veterinarians also rescued nine puppies from the local animal shelter. These dogs are now being trained as Assistance Dogs to help some others in need. This litter of puppies is housed at the doctor’s private residence so that they can be trained.

The owners and staff at the Cheat Lake Animal Hospital created a novel program idea that is now a reality for Morgantown. The High School Assistance Dogs Program engages youth in training the dogs. They develop a relationship with the animals and learn about responsibilities. The teens realize they may have some challenges, but they work to find solutions so they can overcome the same.

This program affects the youth, animals and the community at large. The youth affected by the hospital’s program develop a positive sense of purpose, experience unconditional love and learn through teaching. They realize their learning and care will result in the training of a dog to assist someone with a disability. Dogs have been saved from euthanasia to become contributors to the program and the community. Those in need receive help and are able to live better lives because of the Assistance Dog program.

THE GIVE CENTER

The GIVE (Georgia College & State University Involved in Volunteer Efforts) Center serves as the volunteer/community service clearinghouse empowering students to make a difference by linking them to the needs of the community. The Center’s mission is to promote, encourage, support, develop and facilitate meaningful learning experiences for the campus community through service. They also try to instill in students a sense of citizenship and responsibility, volunteerism and community spirit.

The GIVE Center was started in the fall of 1997 by Ms. Kendal Stiles and Ms. Kate Van Cantfort, a student. It was created because of the need and the desire that students had in community service and volunteerism. In 1999, Templeton Foundation named the GIVE Center as one of a handful of model campus-based programs that help to build character. Dozens of campus organizations have participated in service efforts at GC&SU in the past six years, two-dozen new ongoing programs are in place, and a multitude of individual events have engaged thousands of students in their community. “Service learning” through community involvement is now the fastest-growing activity on the campus.

Under the leadership of GIVE Center director Kendall Stiles, GC&SU students are now the most prolific source of volunteerism in their community. More than 30 community agencies have been touched. For instance, the GIVE Center has taken over the leadership of the County’s “Relay for Life” with the American Cancer Society. In each of the past two years, this event has drawn 5,000 participants from a county with a population of 40,000.

One example of the university’s impact on the local community is GC&SU’s “Best Buddies” program. Best Buddies pairs a student volunteer with a mentally disabled friend from the community. Each year, numerous students engage in one-on-one friendships with a Best Buddy, and each spring, GC&SU students and their Buddies dress up for a catered dinner and formal dance.

GIVE volunteers are involved in many different areas of the Baldwin County community and learn much from their involvement. Opportunities exist for practicum experiences in community leadership through participation in public affairs and in partnerships with community and government agencies. Future plans for service learning at GC&SU include the option to add academic credit- bearing service experiences to regular coursework, a “win-win” proposition for both the student and the community.

GLORIA DESROSIERS

The 1990 Census states that approximately 14.3% of the population in Fall River, Massachusetts falls below the poverty line. The Fall River Community Soup Kitchen was established to provide hot, nutritious meals in a clean and safe setting for those in need. To accomplish its mission, the organization relies on the dedication and service of volunteers.

Gloria Desrosiers has been a part of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Fall River for many years. She understands the need of those in her community and takes a portion of her week to serve them and meet that need. Desrosiers works with the staff and volunteers to ensure the clients feel respected welcomed and have a warm meal.

Desrosiers works every Tuesday and Thursday at Fall River. On those days she cooks approximately 190 meals for those in her community who are less fortunate at the time. Her donation of time and effort equates to about 9,000 meals annually.

There is a direct and measurable impact of Desrosier’s service. Fall River has families receive hot, nutritious meals twice a week. Her work helps to give a boost to those who may have had to otherwise decide between eating and providing another necessity for themselves or their family. Hunger is a national problem in the United States and Desrosiers and other RSVP volunteers are helping to make a difference in Fall River.

THE OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE

OutBack Steakhouse has sponsored a Steak & Steak Dinner to benefit the boys & Girls Club for the past four years. Annually the volunteers from the organization have donated in excess of 1,200 hours of service. Through the generosity of the OutBack, the Daytona Beach Boys & Girls Club has been able to establish a signature event that raises much needed resources to fund eight Boys & Girls Clubs.

It is a special night out for the youth to earn a strip to Steak & Steak to be representatives of the Club. This event raises the awareness of the Boys & Girls Club by bringing together business and community leaders to meet the children the organization serves. For the past four years, this event has raised more than $175,000 for the club.

Club members earn the privilege of acting as an ambassador by their involvement, good academic performance and behavior. The children are special guests of honor, and the last event was the second largest source of funding for the Boys & Girls Club operations.

The OutBack’s sponsorship has allowed the Boys & Girls Club to secure the Daytona International Speedway as a cost free site for the event. In addition, the Club solicited all of the printing at no cost from Pro Tech Printers and a Master of Ceremonies from Channel-2 WESH. The Orlando Sentinel Family Fund also matched at a significant percentage all the funds raised at this event, and they provided four free half-page ads in the local section of the newspaper.

OutBack Steakhouse does the Steak & Steak event throughout Florida and the Southeast. They provide all the food, and their employees volunteer at the events. In addition to raising resources, this event creates a heightened awareness of the mission of the Boys & Girls Club sites throughout the state. There were three Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the community in 1998, but there are eight clubs now; and the Steak & Steak Dinner has made this growth possible.

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA

Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties have one of the highest retiree populations in the country; and Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola takes great pride in meeting the special needs of the community’s elderly population, especially the many who have so proudly served the United States.

Surrounded by such a large older adult population, NAS Pensacola volunteers partner with the Council on Aging (COA) to meet the reoccurring needs of senior citizens. During the four-year partnership with COA, military volunteers have assisted thousands of senior citizens with lawn care, home repairs, painting, entertainment and meal deliveries.

The frequent volunteer service in nursing and retirement homes develops and nurtures relationships between young military volunteers away from their family and senior citizens away from their home. The volunteers offer their time, skills and friendship to these individuals who are most of the time isolated.

In addition to their ongoing visits, NAS Pensacola’s volunteers have participated in the 9th Annual Day of Caring, the 3rd Annual ”Springtime with our Seniors” and the second year of “adopting” one senior couple. Nearly 500 volunteers cleaned the yards of 50 seniors, and over 3,400 volunteer hours of mowing and painting. Ten volunteers also spent their Valentine’s Day with Alzheimer’s patients dancing to big band music to make the holiday special for the seniors who are sometimes forgotten.

The impact of NAS Pensacola’s volunteers community service is cleaner yards, freshly painted homes, repaired homes, more meals delivered to the homebound, hours of fishing, trips to the zoo, picnics, Valentine’s dances and improvements to nursing homes. The greatest impact is the special bond between our young military volunteers and their senior partners. Youth and elders have been matched together leading to the success of an extensive collaboration with the Council on Aging.

THE SCHWARTZ FAMILY

Volunteerism and community service in the Schwartz family does not center around one organization or source. They work with organizations and events sponsored by their employers, their children’s schools, other schools, their church, their neighborhood and some on their own.

The Schwartz family has always participated in a great deal of organized volunteer activities. They worked with the public utilities commission to replace a faulty transformer after the utility company was determined not to. They achieved the replanting of trees in their neighborhood through an email campaign; trees removed or downed in storms had not been replaced for over ten years previously. The petitioned and received a stop sign at a busy intersection. They worked with a neighborhood group to prevent a store from locating across from the school; it was a busy intersection and the storeowner was under investigation in another city for being a drug front. They organized their co-workers to sponsor music students at the Franklin Music magnet school located one mile from their house; music books were needed, so each person bought a book and was thanked by the recipient.

The Schwartz family also organized their co-workers to purchase/donate used sports balls for/to the same school. They purchased basketballs for a local community center after their son complained about the ones that they had. They arranged for funding for the “reward day” for the Franklin Music magnet school orchestra when the district funding fell through at the last moment. They purchased T-shirts for the entire class when their children participated in the D.A.R.E. program at school. They negotiated with a neighborhood thrift store to discount two shopping carts of toys for local family who had lost everything in a fire and were uninsured.

In addition to the above events, the Schwartz family also makes it a point of positively contributing to their community whenever an opportunity arises. They know that many of the children in school with their children are often without things that people take for granted. Those things may be mittens, school supplies, etc. If they find a sale, they stock up and send those items with their children. They also make it a point to ask the teachers if they need anything. They have often forgone a meal out so that they can buy enough clay for 90 kids, or a new notebook for each child.

The Schwartz family works mostly on rehabilitation types of projects that benefit families. They feel that a cash grant does not always improve a situation but giving skills and insight does. They have taught life skills and done home repairs. Everyone in the family helps. The rehabilitation projects that the Schwartz family has done have included elements of teaching the homeowners to care for their own house, but they have also done person life skills projects. They have taught art to both special needs children and abused children. Art is a great coping mechanism in addition to being an escape. They have also taught business skills, spoke at jobs fairs in inner city schools and mentored needy children.

ALICE ROBINSON

The Los Angeles Maritime Institute is a public benefit corporation founded in 1992 to provide character-building sail training to youth. It is an affiliate of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, a facility of the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks. For over ten years, Alice Robinson has been volunteering at the Los Angeles Maritime Institute. Annually, she has been donating over 2,500 hours of service.

As a volunteer, Robinson reaches out daily to inner city youth through the Institute’s TopSail program. The Topsail Youth Program is a two-part experiential education adventure program aboard the schooners Swift of Ipswich and Bill of Rights. The first part of the program typically consists of a series of one-day sails in and around the Los Angeles – Long Beach Harbor area. Each day’s activities build on the skills and knowledge gained during the preceding day sails. These skills include problem solving, decision-making, planning, self-reliance and leadership. In the second part of the program participants utilize their newfound sense of empowerment and teamwork on a multi-day voyage to Catalina Island, 22 miles off the California coast. During the voyage the youth live aboard the ship, plan and fix all the meals and plan each day’s activities.

Topsail does not train youth for lives at sea, but uses the sea to educate youth for life. Many of the students involved in the program have been on the border of dropping out or failing in all of their classes. The students are placed together on a boat and taught that everyone is their teammate. They also have to work together in order to get the sailboat sailing. Robinson finds working directly with the students on the vessels is her greatest joy, and she has been given the nickname, “Captain Mom” as a result of her constant efforts of providing a family environment for youth to feel comfortable in.

Robinson wakes up early in the morning to welcome the children. She is then participating and working with them throughout the day to give them further guidance and support. She has taught the children about maritime life, the constellations and what it means to accomplish something.