VICKIE KING

Vickie King has served the community through her search work for the last 20 years. Her focus is on educating the public, especially the children, in wilderness safety. According to documentation, she has participated in over 370 demonstrations reaching in excess of 30,000 people. She loves to speak to elementary and teenage groups and always entertains while educating.

Her dedication to the community is obvious in the many unpaid hours she volunteers in search work. First a member of Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, and currently a member of American Search Dogs she is on call 24 hours a day. When she found her professional job getting in the way of search work, she became self employed–at a considerable financial loss.

Vickie always puts the victim first.

King has been on 250 searches and has traveled over 52,00 miles for searches, training and demonstrations. One search King served on took an estimated 6500 man-hours. She is deathly afraid of flying, but has logged over 189 air hours when the situation was life or death. Search work has been part of her life since 1981 and continues to dominate her time as she devotes countless hours to training others. She has trained teams in Utah, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Arizona. Vickie works as a mentor, as well as a leader, in the search dog organization.

Anyone who knows King understands her strong desire to support the victim and their family. She often forms bonds with those family members who need her services and helps them cope with the aftermath of the search. Phone calls, letters, and visits with family member all show her unselfish dedication to her fellow man. An average week will find her doing two to three educational demonstrations in schools; training with newer members of the group; and working her own dog, Jamie.

SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN HOSPICE AND HOPE HOUSE

Founded in June 1983, as an outpatient program, Southwest Christian Hospice and Hope House provides quality healthcare, spiritual and emotional support for terminally ill patients and their families at no cost. The inpatient facility opened in 1987 – becoming the first full service inpatient/homecare hospice in the state of Georgia. Southwest Christian Hospice and Hope House currently serves five, metro Atlanta counties in Georgia under their homecare program. However, the inpatient program has no geographical boundaries.

In 1996, Hope House began providing home respite care for children suffering from severe disabilities and life-threatening illnesses. The Children’s Respite Center – Hope House helps with temporary relief for caregivers by providing quality respite care to those overwhelmed with medically fragile children that require attention 24-hours per day. This facility receives referrals from the entire metropolitan Atlanta area, as well as other areas throughout the State of Georgia and the Southeast.

Mrs. Barbara Bush was recently a speaker for Hope House’s Annual Benefit Dinner and Award Banquet. She stated, “Your generosity and love is a wonderful gift to this community and I congratulate all of you who are a part of this wonderful program. You are exactly what Winston Churchill had in mind when he said, ‘you make a living by what you earn – you make a life by what you give.’”

“The Word of God states, ‘what you do in secret shall be rewarded openly’, and for over a decade Southwest Christian Hospice and Hope House have been committed to glorifying God through His Son Jesus Christ by providing quality care to the terminally ill along with providing emotional support to their families. Receiving the Points of Light Award and being recognized by our country and our country’s leaders is truly an answered prayer and a blessing from God and as a result of receiving this award we realize that many more doors of opportunity to glorify God have been made available to us. We at Southwest Christian Hospice and Hope House want to thank you for choosing us as your #2,243 recipient of The Daily Points of Light Award and may your organization continue to shine and be that beacon of light that promotes volunteerism throughout our nation,” stated Michael F. Sorrow, Executive Director, Southwest Christian Hospice and Hope House.

PAULA LUCAS

Paula Lucas founded and operates the only international toll free domestic violence crisis line, 866-USWOMEN, for battered American women and children, living in foreign countries, offering a “Lifeline of Hope” where none existed before. She founded American Women Overseas (AWOS), based upon what she wished had been available to herself and her three children as abused American citizens living overseas.

In the Spring of 1997, after suffering for 13 years in a violent marriage, Lucas went to the American Embassy for assistance to get her and her children back to the USA. Her efforts were futile. The Embassy offered little more than sympathy and a pat on the back. Over the next two years, Lucas repeatedly went to the Embassy for help and in frustration, began seeking and researching resources for battered American women and children overseas, all the while suffering daily with abuse and abuse of her children. She could find no resources that existed for battered American women and children overseas. She finally escaped on her own in April 1999.

She spent the first five months back in the USA attempting to gain financial support to get her program officially established. Lucas had no money. She was fighting an intense legal battle for divorce, custody and jurisdiction to keep her children in the United States and living between family, friends and domestic violence shelters. In August 1999, after months of inquiries and talking to whoever would listen, Lucas began spending between 60 to 80 hours a week on her program, registering AWOS as a nonprofit organization in Oregon, authoring and establishing the AWOS website on-line by December 1999, www.awoscentral.com applying for and receiving her 501(c)(3) status, networking via the internet and international airmail with American women’s organizations, expatriate organizations, the State Department, the Justice Department and the military. She wrote several grant proposals but continued to be turned down.

In August 2000, Lucas took an overnight position at a women’s shelter as a family advocate to support her family and help abuse families in Oregon, but she still had her days free for AWOS. In September 2000, she finally won full legal and physical custody of her sons, but no jurisdiction for child support or alimony from her ex-husband and had incurred $40,000 dollars in legal fees. Despite her increasing financial burden, she unrelentingly continued to focus on AWOS as volunteer Executive Director. By April 2001, she had received enough seed money in the form of individual donations to launch the International Toll Free Domestic Violence Crisis Line 866-USWOMEN. That same month, Lucas commenced an international crisis line awareness campaign networking with women and expatriate organizations around the world.

LOUISE KING

Having been a recipient of public aid, Louise King was inspired to open a social services agency for young people. This single mother of two wanted to help low-income families with the same problems she once had, such as, difficulty buying school supplies and Christmas presents for her two children.

In the summer of 1992, after months of soliciting donations from businesses all over the community and recruiting firefighters and police officers to speak about fire safety, drug prevention and the importance of staying in school, King held a Back-to-School party at Gloria Taylor Park. The kids were provided with a picnic lunch and pencils, crayons and paper for school.

The program has grown from 40 youth in its first year to more than 100 this past fall. In addition to the annual Back-to-School party, King also has a Christmas party for low-income families. The first one was held in her basement with 50 youth participating. They all received presents of stuffed animals and games. King spent more than $500 of her own money for this past year’s Christmas party.

Through her organization called Service Connection, King encourages young volunteers to serve at a local senior citizen home. The youth join the seniors in playing checkers or other board games or coloring in coloring books. Some seniors even had their hair styled by the youth. King also encourages the youngsters to volunteer their services whenever possible to other organizations. Additionally, she has a small group of children in whom she continually encourages to achieve good grades and to make the honor roll by giving them incentives.

TEEN CHALLENGE ILLINOIS

Teen Challenge Illinois (TCI) provides many services to people who are struggling with life controlling problems such as alcohol and drug addiction. The also provide food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, counseling and life, social and job skills. They have a 14-month character development program that strives to help people to develop character and personal values. TCI believes this will help the clients to become productive members of their community. Encouragement, counseling, education, family, community and spirituality are focusing for each of the participants in residence with TCI.

TCI has been providing healing for 41 years in the state of Illinois. Through street ministry and storefront fundraising, people are given a message of hope and testimonies of the possibilities that are available through the ministry. Thousands of individuals have found an answer to their suffering through the life-changing program provided by TCI.

An average of 500 individuals annually are provided services ranging from the 14-month residential program to referrals and phone counseling. In 2001 the Chicago facility alone fielded 5117 inquiries about the program, made 259 referrals to other Teen Challenge programs in the United States, made 238 referrals to other drug/alcohol rehabilitation centers and provided residential treatment in varying lengths to 140 individuals.

TCI is supported through contributions from individuals and churches. Many of the individuals are family and friends of TCI alumni who have seen the evidence of the program in a loved one or a friend. The success stories are numerous and shares in the TCI newsletter. In addition, TC choirs from Peoria’s Redemption House and Chicago’s center often share their stories of hope that they have as a result of treatment at TC to churches on the state.

Northwestern Illinois University completed a study that documented an 86% recovery rate for Teen Challenge completers. The research also found that “nearly all had escaped the revolving door phenomenon of substance abuse treatment.” In addition, they found that in comparison to completers of other programs, TC graduates are more likely to be employed one and two years later, living normal lives and needing no further drug treatment.

Drug treatment programs have been struggling for a method that succeeds to solve the problem for people bound by addictions. TC has found it and helped countless people. TCI is a timeless alternative to freedom from all life controlling problems using traditional treatment and also including the spiritual aspect of recovering from addiction.

BRIAN ORLOFF

A senior at Palm Harbor University High School, Brian M. Orloff began his volunteer service with The Hospice of the Florida Sun Coast when he was 13 years old. Working with patients and families, he has been a teen mentor for Hospice’s sibling support groups. He is founder, writer and editor-in-chief of Inside HTV, an in-house student publication for the Hospice Teen Volunteer program. As such, he is responsible for the success of the articles and graphics in the publication, ensuring that they are timely and meaningful. Under his direction, an online version of the publication has been developed and distributed to teens in the program. The newsletter, featured on the Hospice Web site, allows readers across the country to become familiar with the efforts and contributions of teens.

Brian’s work has been published in The St. Petersburg Times and he has attended a variety of outreach programs focusing on teens’ work with The Hospice. His work with the Lifetime Legacies program involves recording patients’ memories on video, in photo journals or on audiotapes. These special projects provide the opportunity for patients to discover new meaning and purpose in their lives and represent enduring gifts of a lifetime for surviving friends and family members.

Through Brian’s leadership, teen volunteers have had the opportunity to meet hospice patients and families and to gain understanding of the importance of living each day to the fullest. The stories the hospice patients tell provide Brian the foundation for the articles he contributes to the newsletter.

Enrolled in the International Baccalaureate high school program, Brian maintains a grade point average in the honors range, while devoting his free time to hospice patients and their families.

HEATHER YOUNG

Heather Young spends her quality time working with the youth of San Juan County. She works to fulfill the five promises for the young people. Young serves on a plethora of committees that are particularly geared toward positive opportunities and encouragement. All of her commitments span throughout the county, so Young is able to touch many lies.

Young serves on the Area Resource Committee for the School District, the 21st Century Advisory Committee, the State Board for Utah Adult and Continuing Education and the Technical Oversight Committee. Young also is a part of the Inter-state Mountain Plains Distant Learning Project and coordinates student orientations for the College of Eastern Utah.

She has served with the Gear Up program, which prepares young people for post-secondary education. Young is one of the main forces in Gear Up. She helped build and fund an entire “real town” where youth participate in real-life situations they may and probably will encounter in the future. They learn about buying homes, creating budgets, bargain grocery shopping and opening bank accounts.

The Annual Storytelling Festival is a major event for the Blanding community. Young is an integral part of this. She coordinated the event each year. Young is involved in every stage. Her work is seen in the planning, trouble-shooting and coordination aspects of the Festival. She uses her talents and skills to mobilize other volunteers and get more people in Blanding involved for the next year.

The 4th of July and Pioneer Day Parades are important community events in Blanding. Young also coordinates these events. Young is especially involved with organizing all the floats and parade entries for the College of Eastern Utah as well as recruiting other volunteers.

In addition, Young volunteers countless hours for the Youth and Families with Promise (YFP) program. She is a mentor as well as a training instructor. Her responsibilities with YFP include a monthly instructional seminar for the mentors. Young is a role model for others who want to be involved, and she proves one person can make an impact.

COLLEGE BOUND

College Bound, Inc. (CB) was founded to create an opportunity for at-risk youth to gain insight into the work of higher education. Since its inception, CB has provided quality services to the community with limited resources, expanded services, increased the volunteer pool by 18% and diversified the student body.

CB has worked with hundreds of District of Columbia public school students from underrepresented communities to help them achieve their goal of a college education. CV pairs an adult volunteer professional in a one-to-one partnership with students to form mentoring and tutoring relationships. Because of the relationships, students have developed academic, college and career-readiness skills. Also, in addition to academic support, CB offers financial support by rewarding selected students’ commitment success with a $6,000 college scholarship.

To support the academic development of the students, CB offers SAT/ACT review sessions, and financial literacy workshops. During the summer, rising seniors are required to participate in a four-day college application workshop. Finally, to ensure that the students have a voice in the design of the program, the students elect two student ambassadors for each site. For the past two years, CB students graduated from high school at a rate of 100%. This means that CB students graduate from high school at approximately two times the rate of their counterparts, and they attend college at an even higher rate.

The relationships between CB students and volunteers are the foundation of CB. Students and partners meet for two hours a week at one of four community locations. During the weekly meetings, students participate in a range of academic and enrichment activities designed to prepare them academically and socially for college. Later in the year, students attend workshops on securing financial aid and preparing for college life.

In addition to its core program, CB offers several enrichment activities. Annually, offerings include two college tours, a career fair, a college fair and each program year closes with an “End of the Year Celebration” scholarship and certificate awards banquet. CB successfully connects adult volunteers, community leaders and institutions of higher learning with junior and senior high students to prepare them to enter college earn a degree and achieve their personal and professional goals.

DEBI JOHNSON & TERRI McCALLISTER

Debi Johnson and Terri McAllister are advocates for the children in the Salt Lake City, Utah region. They give the children of Mill Creek Elementary the special attention they need to have a healthy educational start.

They both have served as the PTA president for Mill Creek Elementary School and always demonstrate a sincere interest in the well being of the students. Both Johnson and McAllister are always available and willing to help, but they are also very open to constructive feedback. They use the feedback to make their volunteer efforts more effective.

The staff, students and school community respect Johnson and McAllister and are receptive to their strategies to help students achieve their full potential. Since they began volunteering, Johnson and McAllister have envisioned, created and directed various projects at the school.

The pair organized the parent community to sew patriotic fleece hats to wear to Mill Creek’s Olympic events. Johnson and McAllister also initiated a school wide reading incentive program. The school goal was 11,000 books read during the 2000-2001 school year, and the next year they followed and increased the goal to 14,000 books.

Johnson and McAllister also started an artist in residency program, which culminated with a dance recital. This program was very well received and attended by 12,000 parents. A safety program that included a calling tree, classroom water and snacks for every classroom was also an idea brought to the school by this two-person team. In addition, they organized and served on a media committee within the school to bring in more books and to help label them along with organizing two fundraisers, which enabled students to go on field trips.

Johnson and McAllister also worked in the media center to help the students obtain resources when the instructor was unavailable, offered medical assistance to the school in the sickroom, and established a store for positive behavioral awards for the children. They have also served as volunteers on the playground during recess and structured game time along with directing a well functioning PTA.

CHARLES SHANE

Charles “Chuck” Shane exemplifies the true nature of volunteerism, the giving of one’s time and talents without monetary compensation, to make life a little easier for someone else. Last year, Shane, as he calls himself, volunteered over 1,000 hours through RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) for a number of different programs in Kalamazoo County. When calculated by the Point of Light’s value of $16.05 per volunteer hour, Chuck’s volunteer effort comes to $16,050 dollars worth of free service. Agencies that benefited form Chuck’s time and talents are the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo, Kellogg Biological Station, Fontbonne Manor, St. Joe’s Church and the City Kalamazoo.

Last year Chuck Shane impacted many lives by means of his volunteer efforts. Cancer patients were provided rides to their appointments, veterans were driven to the VA Hospital, and blood banks were set up and maintained. Hospice patients had companionship, seniors were taken to community events, tourists and local residents were given tours of dairy farms and maple sugar events and the Sister of St. Joseph were provided transportation in the wheelchair van driven by Chuck Shane. As if these weren’t enough, people as far away as New York City were the recipients of this 80 year old’s drive, determination and generosity, often volunteering as much 16 hours a day, answering the call of the Red Cross National Disaster Team following September 11th.