SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

The Senior Volunteer Programs (SVP) of Northern Arizona have more than 500 volunteers who serve in excess of 150,000 hours each year through one of their three core programs. They believe that seniors are a valued and respected part of the communities and are assets to be embraced for their knowledge, wisdom, time, energy, skills, diversity, service, fitness, leadership and life experiences. The mission statement is to value and promote service programs which utilize seniors as assets to the communities in which they serve, engaging seniors in service to meet critical community needs thus enriching the lives of the volunteers.

Through the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) or Northern Arizona, which was established in 1973, seniors have led the way for service in the regions. RSVP volunteers have established libraries in rural areas, often giving the entire service to keep the library open. They have helped feed the hungry throughout northern Arizona by helping deliver Meals on Wheels through local senior centers as well as preparing and serving food through local soup kitchens. RSVP volunteers are serving in literacy programs, museums, hospitals, with environmental projects and within other nonprofit organizations throughout the state; often they serve as the “staff” of the organization.

Volunteers through the Senior Companion Program (SCP) or Northern Arizona have been helping homebound elderly clients remain as independent as possible since 1985. More than 50 volunteers have served more than 43,000 hours this year providing companionship and other needed services to clients in need. Services include personal care such as grooming or assisting clients to medical visits, nutritional services, social or recreational services, home management, information and advocacy and respite care. Throughout the years, volunteers have saved lives through this program. One such volunteer went her client’s home for a scheduled visit and smelled natural gas. After assisting the client out of the house to a neighbor’s home, the SCP volunteer called the fire department who immediately came out and found the slightest ignition would have sent the building ablaze in seconds.

Volunteers through the SCP program have made an impact on the clients they have served by bringing the outside world into their home. The clients have experienced the elimination of loneliness when partnered with an SCP volunteer.

Through the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) or Northern Arizona, children have experienced the extra time and devotion to enable them to succeed. Volunteers through the FGP Program assist children ages 0 – 21 who have special or exceptional needs. Through the FGP, volunteers have been able to see a 94% success rate when helping children in academic areas. The extra time and patience a “grandma” or “grandpa” can give has really helped the children with their reading, math and thinking skills. Other children served by FGP volunteers have seen a 66% – 85% increase in their social skills, motor skills and language development skills. For some children, the FGP volunteer is the only grandparent they know.

CHAPIN HIGH SCHOOL NAVY JUNIOR ROTC

The Chapin South Carolina NJROTC unit is a service-based, cadet-led organization. The cadets are dedicated to the spirit of leadership, service and character. They truly seek to make a difference in its community, state and nation while providing high school students with service-learning environment based upon character development. The cadet-run Chapin NJROTC has created a productive environment that exemplifies their motto, “Where character and service meet.”

The unit puts forth countless hours of community service averaging more than 5,000 documented hours per year. The cadets participate in Habitat for Humanity, Harvest Hope Food Bank, coat collection for needy families, and they volunteer at the local retirement at an after-school program for underprivileged children as well as at retirement homes. During the Christmas season, the cadets collect toys for children in local hospitals, shoes for the homeless and recruit participants for blood drives.

They were awarded the Navy League’s Most Outstanding Unit in 1999 as well as 2002. This is a national recognition and a very prestigious honor as they went up against 535 other units in the nation. Chapin was also national runner-up in 2000 and 2001. To earn these awards, the unit provides high school students with a character education program that produces patriotic citizens. The students are focused on positive activities and stay away from negative temptations. In 2001, the school was awarded the National Service Learning Award with a focus on NJROTC service.

Chapin NJROTC has developed a twelve-month, six day a week program with many after school team activities for various interests. These include: an academic team, an award-winning drill team, an air rifle team, a state champion orienteering team and Chapin Navy News newspaper staff, where they won the best NJROTC newspaper in the nation. The cadet’s work also garnered them an excellence in writing award. Other after school activities also include a web-page team, aviation team, technology team, the nation’s largest silent drill team, sailing team, glee club and a rocket team that will be competing in the national rocket challenge.

The unit has a weekend program that provides cadets with the opportunity to travel to educational places. They have been to Washington DC, NAS Norfolk, NAS Jacksonville, MCB Quantico and the United States Naval Academy. The cadets have also established a student-mentoring program, the Old Salt Program, and each freshman is assigned to an upperclassman to assist them with classroom activities. Since this program’s inception, the unit’s percentage on the A/B honor roll has increased by 78%.

ALFRED WITHEROW

The large number of retirees moving to Florida has resulted in there being many widows and widowers living alone. Some are legally blind, and others are wheel-chair bound. There are also some who are on oxygen or dealing with heart trouble. Often these seniors are isolated, and without some kind of intervention or help; their future will be in a nursing home away from their familiar surroundings.

The Senior Companion Program, a national program, operates on Federal Grants with matching funds and fundraising. This program meets the critical needs of the homebound community. By recruiting seniors who are 60 years of age or older to volunteer, the Senior Companion Program intervenes on behalf of these elderly shut-ins. The elderly deal with many physical and emotional problems.

Alfred Witherow is a valuable Senior Companion. His clients complement him as exceptional, dependable and trustworthy. Witherow is a stipend volunteer, which means he receives $2.65 and hour as well as a modest allowance for mileage. His efforts and time are in no way compensated by this amount. Witherow has been a part of the Senior Companion Program for a year and a half. He regularly performs above and beyond the call of duty and is an example of courage and determination to the clients as well as the other Senior Companions.

A major problem in the rural areas of Florida is insufficient transportation service. The clients may have a doctor or dentist that they have used for many years, but they now do not have a way to get to them. Many of the elder clients are in the low-income bracket, and the cost of a taxi is not in their budget. Because they are frail, they have difficulty getting in and off of the transit buses, so public transportation is difficult also. Many are not able to drive because of low vision or not owning a vehicle. Going to medical appointments, the grocery store or taking care of basic needs is sometimes an insurmountable obstacle.

Witherow knows how important his service as a Senior Companion is. His clients are mostly shut off from the world, so he takes the time to escort with a cheerful countenance. He also makes friendly house calls to his clients to make sure they are doing well. He especially went the extra mile for two elderly women whose husbands were dying in a nursing home. After managing his own schedule, Witherow would assist the ladies so they could spend their last precious moments with their spouses. He would drop them off in the morning and pick them up later in the day and see that they got home safely. Witherow faithfully served the pair until their husbands passed away.

Witherow spreads words of comfort and encouragement to his special passengers. Most people do not know that he receives dialysis treatments four times a day. He is able to do this on his own at home under medical supervision. Though he has his own physical struggles, and sometimes it is very hard to just get up and keep going; he does just that. Witherow believes his service to his clients gives him a purpose for getting up in the morning and facing the day.

JOAN-MARIE BURNS

For the past four years, Joan-Marie Burns has been a dedicated volunteer for Habitat for Humanity International. She has given over 3,000 hours of her time to fund raising, traveling, speaking, and building homes. She has volunteered with the construction of more than 30 homes and has done everything from framing houses to shingling roofs, hanging sheet rock, mixing concrete, tiling floors, landscaping, installing siding, and raising trusses.

Burns has participated in building homes in Georgia, Florida, California, Costa Rica, Antigua, and Guatemala. She has traveled with Habitat’s President and Founder Millard Fuller and has been endorsed by former President Jimmy Carter, Habitat’s most famous volunteer, regarding her work for Habitat. She has personally raised in excess of $75,000 for Habitat by organizing over 15 fundraisers. Some of the activities include: selling gingerbread houses and cookies, candy bars, and Easter hams, inviting children to Putt-Putt to sign boards to be used in building homes, displaying donation boxes around towns, having yard sales, raffling off a Habi-tot playhouse, raffling off a children’s bookshelf, and producing and directing a Mr. Habitat Contest. Burns has illustrated children’s coloring pages that teach the mission of Habitat and has produced two promotional videos that she uses for speaking engagements.

She has filmed three public service announcements (PSAs) and six radio PSAs. The television PSAs have appeared in more than 200,000 homes. At this time, Burns has logged in excess of 20,000 miles for Habitat. In Fresno, California, she spent two weeks on a Global Village work project building homes with a group of eight other people. While in Costa Rica, she built homes and attended a breakfast for International Habitat Board Members. In Antigua, she was part of a meeting of International partners for Habitat. Her trip to Guatemala was very eventful as she attended and was part of the celebration for the 10,000th Habitat Home Dedication in the country.

She has spread her volunteerism internationally. One of Burns’s most recent honors is that she has been named an Official National Spokesperson for Habitat’s Women Build program. Women Build focuses on women helping women get their children out of poverty. Burns will be traveling to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Kentucky in March. She has been featured on the cover of a regional magazine and her volunteer work has been recognized in numerous newspapers and publications.

4-H JR. GARDEN GLEANERS

To make a difference in this world, you just need a good idea and someone to carry it out. Two teen-agers from Newcastle came up with a good idea and have been carrying it out for the last three years.

The 4-H Junior Gleaners are high school students. Kyle and Dainen McDaniel are brothers who attend Del Oro High in Loomis, California. They helped start this project nearly three years ago using the theme, “Grow a Row to Donate.” They have been gathering extra fruit and vegetables from residents and orchards throughout the South Placer area for three years now.

The idea to start the program came when Kyle and Danien, who live in Newcastle, California, had too much fruit from their own cherry tree for their family. With a desire to share, they gathered the extra fruit and delivered it to an elderly center. That sparked the idea to begin a project on a much larger scale. The young men, who were already members of the Placer County 4-H, talked it over with June Stewart, the 4-H program representative and they began developing a full-blown project.

They have been instrumental in saving food and giving it to those who need it. Their goal of providing fruits and vegetables to those who otherwise might not have what they need in their diets has been very successful. To date, the teens have collected and distributed well in excess of seven tons of surplus food They have also recently put up information on their own website at http://jrgardengleaners.tripod.com, and they are working with other 4-H groups around the country to take the idea nationwide.

A recent study put out by the University of Los Angeles, (UCLA) shows that in the greater Sacramento Region that includes Sacramento, Placer, and Yolo counties more than 58,000 people have trouble putting food on the table daily and over 22,000 of those are actually hungry. Kyle says that educating people to understand that they do not need to have an orchard or a farm to donate surplus fruit and vegetables has been one of their biggest chores. They need only to have people call them who have an extra bag of mandarins, lemons or oranges or persimmons to donate.

It may not seem like a lot, but to those who never have these fresh items it means a great deal to their health. They pick them up and deliver them to a proper place. They hope that as people begin to plant their gardens next spring they will remember “Growing a Row to Donate.” They will come and harvest it for them when it is ready and deliver it to people who need it.

MARCIE BURNS

For the past ten years, Marcie Burns, an unsung hero, has committed her time and passion for mentoring children at Kruse Elementary in Pasadena, Texas, in the H.O.S. T.S. program. The H.O.S. T.S. (Help One Student to Succeed) program is a one-on-one tutoring program for students reading below grade level. Yearly she commits the largest numbers of hours of the 2000 HOSTS volunteers in the city. She dedicates her time to Kruse Elementary where she shows up regularly every week from 7: 15 to 11: 45 Tuesdays to mentor twenty students in the reading/language arts program. She does not receive any type of stipend for her services. An estimated dollar value for the year of her commitment of 200 hours @ $22.00 is $4,400.00.

Kruse is a low socio-economic campus with 89% of its 700+ students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and the students’ life experiences are limited. Burns opens doors and provides affirmation and individual attention so many at-risk students need. Attendance of the students mentored by her is higher than the average, and the students’ overall school success extends well beyond the HOSTS classroom.

Kruse Elementary is now a Texas Recognized campus, and Burns is one of the reasons Kruse students have a sense of competence as learners in order to perform well on state accountability tests. HOSTS classrooms do project a “feel-good” atmosphere, but the students’ enhanced self-esteem is built on a solid foundation of achievement that has been catapulted by Burns.

Burns holds high aspirations for each young person she mentors. She is somebody who cares about her students and once they get their self-esteem up, the students are convinced they can do anything to which they put their minds. She is transforming the schooling experience of children, increasing school attendance, making readers of non-readers, achievers of underachievers, and confident, engaged learners.

Not only does Burns have this passion for helping young people, she volunteers her time in other areas. For the past four years she has been involved in the Prison Ministry Bible Correspondence program. Monthly she corresponds with 75-100 inmates and devotes 20 hours weekly to this activity. They study and answer questions and Burns corrects, grades, and returns their papers with letters of encouragement. Several of the prisoners have commented that the good thing that has come from being in prison is that they have learned about God and being a responsible individual. Many of them have now become worthwhile and productive citizens upon release from prison due to Burns’ commitment.

Besides her mentoring and prison system work, she visits nursing homes and hospitals and heads up committees to feed ill and bereaved families. For nine years she has been assisting with a monthly birthday party for the elderly at the Pasadena Care Center.

JAMES JOHNSON

James W. Johnson Sr. is the driving force behind a conservation education program that benefits thousands of young people in Pennsylvania. Scouting troops and church youth groups have primarily utilized his efforts. In 1994, Johnson worked with several key programs. He created the Kinzua Bridge Historic Trail in 1982. The only one of its kind in the area, the Kinzua Trail exposes visitors not only to a nature trail but to the history of the area. The railroad bridge, which is part of the trail, stands 301 feet over the valley and was the highest in the world when it was built in 1882. The trail requires that each visitor provide four hours of public service at the Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean County and conduct four additional hours of environmental education. In the past year, more than 530 young people contributed in excess of 2,100 hours of public service to the park. They also conducted an equal number of hours in environmental classes. Johnson also established Chestnuts Unlimited. Through this program, youth have planted a grove of chestnut trees at Kinzua Dam. Johnson obtained donated trees from the conservation district as well as the tree shelters for a special tree planting in a restricted area. Through the Alternative Education Program, Johnson worked with nine alternative education students. These young people were from various local high schools, and they came together to accomplish a myriad of projects and the Kinzua Dam. The group completed riverbank stabilization projects, tree planting, landscaping, building split rail fences and several other maintenance projects. The Spring Conservation Camporee brought 300 Scouts from Pennsylvania and New York to the Kinzua Bridge State Park. The Scouts contributed more than 1,000 hours of conservation service and education in the single day event. Their project consisted of special nursery planting, cleaning up the park, building bluebird boxes and planting crabapple trees for wildlife enhancement. There have been over 56,000 hours in community service projects and conservation education classes accumulated since 1982 in the Environmental Youth Program resulting in an economic benefit to the Kinzua Bridge State Park, the Allegheny National Forest, US Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Bradford. In 1982, there were 76 participants in Johnson’s conservation programs; however, by 2002 there were 1,000. To date, over 10,000 people have participated. This is a 15- fold increase, and it attests to the success of the program in a quantifiable way. Johnson personally funds a major portion on his conservation projects and education programs. Because of his service, he was one of the recipients of the 1995 President’s Service Award, and in 2002 he was one of the National Arbor Day Award honorees. He was honored with the Lawrence Enersen Award for outstanding tree planting and conservation work at the community level.

JOHN ALTADONNA

John Altadonna is a catalyst for change. He is a part of many community service activities; however, he was the key volunteer of an event that was recognized by the International Festival and Events Association as the “Gold Award” winner for the Best Event/Program to Benefit a Charity. Because of the success inspired by Altadonna, this program is also recognized as holding the Guinness record for the most food collected for the most food collected for a charity in a 24-hour period. Named FoodStock, this one-day collection netted 37,540 counted and verified items. Each of which was distributed within 48 hours to 11 local food banks. Through Altadonna’s efforts, an active county with a population of 41,765 was mobilized to help those in need. The media campaign began six months prior to the 24-hour event. A tie-dyed Woodstock theme with t-shirts for the volunteers, posters for publicity and stickers for the contributors set off a massive organizational effort. More than 20 nonprofit organizations and over 1,500 volunteers were a part of this massive effort. Throughout the event, Altadonna worked tirelessly to make a significant difference in the lives of needy members of the community. Because of the success of the event, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Commission has adopted the FoodStock program for Community Service. AmeriCorps volunteers will operate it across Pennsylvania on Pennsylvania Family Service Day. They will then work to try to make this a National AmeriCorps Project. In addition to this great undertaking, Altadonna volunteers his time to the Autumn Leaf Festival and the Clarion Area Chamber of Business and Industry. He has been involved for nine years, giving in excess of 4,500 hours of his time to those organizations alone. Altadonna also serves as a Director of the Keystone AmeriCorps, supports the local school districts with job shadow opportunities, employment for the disadvantaged youth, hosts a program that provides youth with $1,000 community scholarships and donates to more than a dozen other worthwhile causes.

OLIVER BROOKS

Oliver Brooks began his volunteer efforts in the community as a pre-schooler. Being from a family who actively supports volunteerism and community service, it was natural for him to become involved in numerous volunteer endeavors over the years. From those early years working with the Salvation Army to distribute toys and food to needy families, Oliver has continued to perform a variety of service to his community. During his high school years, Oliver has become actively involved in Students Realizing their Value (SERV) and has made significant contributions. He has recently been awarded the Governor's Award for Volunteer Service in North Carolina. Among Oliver's notable contributions has been his work at the local and national levels of the American Red Cross. At the local level, he was instrumental for co-founding and organizing a Youth in Action Group for the local Chapter. He has been instrumental in organizing a group of students and leading a variety of service projects from renovation of the local Religious Community Services building to obtaining quality of life items to send to service men and women in Afghanistan. At the national level, he has served on the first Youth Content Committee making contributions to the web site seen around the world. Oliver has authored several articles for the web site. He has interacted as a volunteer with students from around the United States to make this web site successful, educational and informative. In addition to these significant activities, he has contributed numerous hours with several other organizations. He had received a medal from the Mayor of Kinston and Commendation from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Oliver has also excelled in academics with an “all-A” average including advanced placement classes and lettered and been recognized in soccer, tennis and swimming. He has had leadership roles in clubs and his grade level and is currently Vice President of the Student Government Association and voted Most Dependable in his senior class.

GERALDINE PALMER

Take Stock in Children is a comprehensive program that helps low-income children succeed by providing college and vocational scholarships, volunteer mentors, student advocates/case managers, tutoring, early intervention and long-term support, high standards, parental involvement, and community support. It is a solution to one of the most critical problems facing Florida–high dropout and high youth crime rates. Take Stock in Children has a proven record of helping low-income children graduate from high school, attend college, stay out of trouble, and become productive citizens. Marion County has a large population of low-income families. Studies have shown that students benefit from caring adults in a mentoring relationship. A mentor is a role model, a friend and a leader. Geraldine Palmer exemplifies all of the characteristics of a good mentor. Palmer became a mentor in 1999 for the statewide Take Stock in Children Program. Being a former educator, Palmer has a wonderful way of seeing the student’s point of view and focusing on what would help them want to help themselves. As a mentor, Palmer designed a study skills flyer for her mentee who was having trouble with her exams. Using the study skills techniques, her mentee brought grades from F’s to A’s on her next exams. The recent accountability testing at schools has contributed to increased test anxiety for students, particularly when they are not prepared. Palmer’s idea is to not only get prepared but to also get a winning attitude. Palmer followed her mentee from 8th grade 10th grade until a family tragedy split the family and Amanda moved away. She is now mentoring another student who is having some major challenges. Palmer has become a part of the Leadership Council and also served last year on the selections’ team for the program. She is continually expanding her commitment to the program. Soon after she became a mentor, Palmer told about a Leadership experience that she had when she was young. She wanted to give that experience to the Take Stock Children scholars. She designed the curriculum, found the site and organized the whole weekend for about 20 students and mentors. The weekend included a ropes challenge course. Many of the students have never been away from home at all. All participants had a meaningful experience. Palmer is continually telling the Take Stock story. She is in charge of prizes for the annual golf tournament and always brings in several tables full. She recently presented a proposal to her doctor who agreed to contribute funds to support leadership camp. Because of her skills and dedication, there are now three successful leadership camping weekends. From one-on-one mentoring to planning a leadership weekend for adults and teens, Palmer has been a staple of the Take Stock in Children Program in Ocala, Florida.