LATIN AMERICAN YOUTH CENTER

Some people think of the Latin American Youth Center as an island of caring, creativity, and vitality in northwest Washington, D.C. Indeed, LAYC’s bright, colorful building stands in stark contrast to graffiti-scarred walls in the surrounding Columbia Heights neighborhood. But Executive Director Lori Kaplan prefers to think of it as a bridge – to cultural identity, to wider opportunities, to services and supports that will strengthen youth and their families.

Founded in 1974 to serve Latino youth whose families were new to the United States and feeling isolated, LAYC supported those young people in defining their needs and finding their own constructive solutions to them. “In the beginning, it was a place where teens, 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds, came every day after school, says Kaplan. Today, the center’s range of programs – education, counseling, housing, employment, health services, arts, and recreation – exists not only for youth, but also for their extended families.

The center has served a diverse group from the beginning. “We were formed and founded by Latinos, but we serve and support any child, youth, or family member who needs help,” Kaplan says. Today’s clients – 5,000 a year – also come from Vietnamese, African, African-American, and Caribbean communities.

For Minerva Lazo, LAYC has been a bridge back to her family and her own dreams in troubled times. As a sixth-grader, she became close to an LAYC counselor, who realized Minerva was having trouble at home. The center’s free counseling program helped Minerva and her mother, a native of El Salvador, cross the cultural gap that was beginning to divide them. Lazo, now 20, realizes that counseling helped her understand more about her mother, whose life in a family with 13 children forced expression to take a back seat to survival.

Lazo enjoyed LAYC’s arts and computer programs and took advantage of tutoring opportunities. But by 10th grade, she drifted away from the center, dropped out of school, and discovered she was pregnant. She knew where to turn. The LAYC staff helped her enroll in the center’s Next Step Public Charter School so that she could earn her GED and take parenting classes. She later graduated from the center’s Youthbuild program, which provides education and job training, and then spent a year in AmeriCorps. As a student at the University of the District of Columbia, Lazo now works part time at LAYC.

Someday, Lazo would like to open a childcare center of her own, which is exactly as Lori Kaplan thinks it should be. “I see a lot of young people working around the community who came out of the program,” she says with pride. “You see the fruits of your labors.”

Latin American Youth Center is a 2002 Honoree of Families Count, the national honors program that recognizes organizations that are making a difference in the lives of families struggling to survive in tough neighborhoods.

DAVID BUCHANAN

David Buchanan began teaching special education classes in Habersham County in 1980 and has since continued to be an exceptional volunteer. While working with the children, he recognized the difference that bringing the Special Olympics back to Habersham and White Counties would make so he assisted in the revitalization of the games in these counties. Buchanan coaches a basketball team, relay teams and mile runners. He also transports Olympians to district and state games at his own expense.

In addition, Buchanan helped to establish a weeklong day camp for the mildly mentally handicapped. This camp is open to youth who are in junior high and high school. It has been held during the summer for the past eight years, and it a success. Buchanan communicated with various clubs and businesses to promote the camp. He also solicited monetary donations and food donations for the campers.

In August of 2000, Buchanan began teaching the Related Vocation Instruction (RVI) class at Habersham Central High School. He feels these children should have a chance to lead a productive life, and he works to ensure that those in Habersham County do. He volunteers his time to prepare the students for their annual trip to Jekyll Island in April. At the state RVI camp on the island, the campers use their talents to compete with other disabled students to win state awards. Buchanan goes with the campers each year and pays his own way. This year he was voted to be a member of the State RVI Board.

Buchanan has served in many other capacities. This past June, he assisted one of his students and her date to get to their prom and took them out to eat afterward. He has also counseled one boy who was experiencing family problems and assisted a family who was having difficulty finding health care for their daughter.

Because of his role as a teacher of those with special needs, Buchanan sees where his volunteering can benefit this group. He works very hard to instill a sense of pride and self-esteem in his students. Buchanan builds strong bonds with his students because of all the time he spends with them “off the clock” and because they know he genuinely cares.

INDIANAPOLIS NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING PARTNERSHIP

Michelle Wann was just starting to put her life back together when she heard about the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP). “I was 30 years old, and my daughter and I had just moved in with my parents,” remembers Wann, who just a few short months before had been in a drug treatment facility and homeless shelter. Wann’s father urged Wann to call INHP after he saw a story about its work on television. Highly skeptical, she enrolled in INHP’s home ownership classes.

Created in 1988, INHP harnesses the resources of the private sector, government agencies, community groups and nonprofit organizations to provide home ownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income families. Since 2000, INHP has helped close to 1,000 families move into their own homes for the first time or repair their existing homes. “Too many people are unaware of the mortgage products available to families with challenged credit histories, limited incomes or both,” says Moira Carlstedt, president of INHP.

The core of INHP’s support for families is its home ownership programs. It is estimated that thousands of people in Marion County rent rather than own despite earning enough to qualify for a mortgage. Families looking to purchase a home begin with INHP’s home ownership training classes and personalized pre-purchase counseling to identify barriers to home ownership, such as judgments or late payments. Pre-purchase counseling, which can last up to two years, culminates in families being matched with INHP lender partners and loan programs that best fit their situation. INHP refers qualified customers to partner banks and mortgage companies, but also manages a multi-bank loan pool of over $21 million in lendable proceeds for clients deemed “unbankable.”

For Michele Wann it took about six months to repair a history of unpaid credit card bills and bankruptcy. Wann, who was turned down for the first mortgage she applied for after INHP counseling, now lives in a two-bedroom condominium with her daughter on Indianapolis’ Northside.

Building on its home ownership programs, INHP also links community resources together to create neighborhoods where families can thrive. Local employers participate in the Home Ownership for Employees Program, which brings in-depth mortgage information to workers employed in the community. To keep their homes in a safe condition, senior citizens and people with disabilities may access INHP’s Home Repair Collaborative, an alliance of INHP and community organizations. On the city’s Southside, INHP works with community development corporations on housing and commercial development efforts that will revitalize Morris Street, one of the neighborhood’s major thoroughfares.

Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership is a 2003 Honoree of Families Count, the national honors program that recognizes organizations that are making a difference in the lives of families struggling to survive in tough neighborhoods.

KIDS IN NEED OF DENTISTRY’S VOLUNTEER DENTAL PROFESSIONALS

In 1912, a group of Denver dentists joined together to provide dental care for the children of miners and railroad workers with limited incomes. A small dental charity, Kids In Need of Dentistry (KIND) was born. They set forward from that time with the mission to utilize their very particular skill set to provide service to children from infants to 18 years of age who would not otherwise be able to obtain dental treatments. In the last 90 years, this small local group of dentists and their peers has grown to become a great force in combating the oral health problems of children in Colorado. They now have over 150 volunteers that include dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental students and community volunteers.

A toothache can be similar to having a cold. There can be significant pain involved as well as a loss of appetite, concentration, interest in school and in one’s social and family life. A toothache and cold differ, however, in that the cold will get better without treatment over time; whereas the toothache will only get worse. It can actually get to the point of becoming potentially terminal.

More than 2.5 million school hours were lost nationally due to toothaches in 1998. Further, an initial dental appointment alone can easily cost over $200, which is a high starting fee for a family who does not have access to general dental insurance. With the help of KIND’s volunteer force, the charity is able to charge only ten percent of the value of the service completed on a child. This makes dental treatments financially feasible, and no child has ever been turned away due to an inability to pay.

During the last fiscal year alone, KIND volunteers provided in excess of $536,000 worth of services to uninsured children. Volunteers help in a number of different ways. A volunteer may go to one of KIND’s 4 clinics to treat children, they may see the children in their own office for specialized treatment or they may travel on KIND’s 36’ mobile clinic to see children in the far reaches of Colorado’s western slope. Volunteers may also go to a lower-income Denver elementary school to examine and place sealants on second grade students to prevent future decay on their permanent molars.

Since its inception, KIND volunteer dental professionals have rebuilt the self-esteem through a child’s confidence in his or her smile. This is a benefit that results in them succeeding in school as well as socially. KIND is an active part of giving needy families a new chance for their children. They no longer have to hide their smiles and all the possibilities that lie behind them.

SUSAN PSALMONDS

Susan Psalmonds is a volunteer with initiative and dedication. She is persistent in her drive to overcome challenges. As a person with multiple disabilities, she is highly aware of the existing problem areas that people with disabilities face on a daily basis.

She has been an active volunteer at the OPTIONS for Independence for the past four years and was the first participant in their program. She works to advocate for citizens with disabilities. She has demonstrated leadership qualities as the third term Chair of the Concerned Citizens with Disabilities Coalition. Under her leadership, the members have undertaken many local advocacy issues that affect the lives of people with disabilities throughout the community. Psalmonds has excellent organizational skills and uses her networking to bring various people together to help coordinate efforts with many disability-related organizations.

Psalmonds is the Chair of Concerned Citizens with Disabilities Coalition (CCDC). This is a volunteer advocacy group committed to improving accessibility in communities and to remove barriers of all types. She is also an Executive Board Member for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The organization recruits, trains and organizes people with disabilities across the state to influence national, state and local policy, systems and institutional decisions that affect their everyday lives. Participants in this program are empowered to more fully control their own destinies both personally and politically. They are taught to become leaders and use their skills to help others with disabilities.

Psalmonds volunteers an average of 20 hours of month. However, during the legislative session; she gives more time. She travels weekly to Salt Lake while the session is on to participate and become a part of legislative change and funding requests on behalf of people with disabilities.

As a result of her service, many changes have been brought about in the community. Local businesses have become accessible to people with disabilities; store aisles have been widened to accommodate people using wheelchairs and scooter, and owners have installed automatic door openers and/or doorbells so individuals with mobility disabilities can gain easier access. Necessary repairs have been made to city sidewalks, laws concerning handicapped parking have been enforced well with signage, and individuals lacking basic computer skills have received needed training.

Psalmonds is currently working on a Medicaid Reduction Proposal, which will ensure that Medicaid prescription benefits are not reduced. In addition, she is working to educate employers on ways to hire, train and work with people with disabilities. This will benefit the entire community as people with disabilities receive better employment opportunities while increasing their work quality.

YASHA KHIBKIN

For 62-year old Yasha Khibkin, it has been a long journey from his days as a physics and astronomy teacher in Uzbekistan to a Foster Grandparent volunteer in Massachusetts. Khibkin immigrated to the United States with his wife in early 1997 with more than two decades of teaching experience to his credit, impressive computer skills, degrees in astronomy and physics, but not knowing the English language. So, with the help of a Jewish Vocational Services worker, he enrolled in an English course.

The Chauncy Street location for the Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) also housed Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD). They sponsor the area’s Foster Grandparent Program, and in 1998, the JVS social worker put Khibkin in touch with the director of the Foster Grandparent Program.

Khibkin has been working with youth ever since he was introduced to the program in 1998. Khibkin has combined his educational background with his recently acquired English skills to become the best volunteer he can be in the Foster Grandparent Program. As a volunteer Grandpa, he spends at least 20 hours per week helping children understand their homework and learn chess in the Broadmeadows After-School Program in Quincy, Massachusetts.

The children he serves range from six to eleven years old. Khibkin wants to stay sharp and keep in touch with his grandchildren, so he continues to improve his English skills by taking ESL courses run by QCAP and at Quincy College.

The Foster Grandparent experience carries many rewards. Both the grandparents and grandchildren have social contact, feelings of involvement and feelings of importance. ABCD’s Foster Grandparent program reaches out to children in the Boston area and over 140 senior volunteers who come from China, Hong Kong, North America, South America, Somalia, South Africa, Russia and the West Indies work with children in schools and daycare centers both individually and in small groups. These meetings develop the children’s self-confidence and sense of self-worth.

Khibkin also reaches out to the staff. He has made Russian meals during the Christmas season in an effort to connect more with staff that is much younger than he. He wholeheartedly supports the mission to create an environment that supports and encourages each child’s development.

THE KANDER FAMILY

For more than 12 years, the Kander family has been one of the most committed volunteer teams in Oakland County, Michigan 4-H Youth Programs. Their involvement began with the founding of the Class Act Drama 4-H Club, in which diverse groups of young people experienced Shakespeare by becoming actors in full-length plays. Lisa Kander, a mother of four children who also has an extraordinary ability to help any child understand the text of Shakespeare and other playwrights, directed the plays. Her productions have included children as young as 4 and have consistently involved young people in all aspects of the production, from lights to sound to props to costuming to direction.

Lisa’s 4-H Club is a long-term educational process that involves young people in addressing the challenge of diminishing funding for public schools, especially in urban areas. Many of the schools in the community have been forced to eliminate funding for their arts programs, leaving students with few opportunities to express themselves creatively. The loss of theatre arts is particularly devastating, because it removes the opportunity for young people to build teamwork and problem-solving skills in the course of mounting a production. Live theatre helps bring literature alive for audiences in an interdisciplinary way, and its elimination from public schools has implications on a larger scale.

The Kander family recognized this issue and took action by volunteering to bring their theatre productions to public events and programs. They taught performance art during summer camps for at-risk youth in elementary and secondary schools and at the countywide Youth Summit. They created shorter programs, such as “Folktales and Legends” and “Remember the Ladies” to encourage literacy at public library programs.

Their commitment to serve the community is matched only by their commitment to diversity. Class Act Drama 4-H Club performances have explored themes of Native American life, feminist perspectives of history and racial injustice. They have maintained an open membership policy and recruited diverse families to participate in the program. The Club began with just a few families in 1990. Today there are an excess of 100 club members, and they have earned the local 4-H Community Service Award for six consecutive years.

The impact of the Kander family’s vision and volunteerism can be summed up by the words of a local elementary school principal: “ Most of the children in the school have few models of success in their lives. The young actors showed her children that there is no such thing as ‘too young’ to make a difference. The performance helped the kids believe in their own abilities and recognize that literature can be fun.”

COMFORT ANDERSON-MILLER

Comfort Anderson-Miller of Richmond, Virginia is a Liberian-American who runs the Robert and Mary Anderson Charitable Organization. This 501(c)(3) organization is named after her parents and has a mission to comfort thousands of needy Liberians. Through her regular mission trips, Anderson-Miller has delivered food, clothing, computers, medical supplies, school supplies, toys, agricultural tools and other necessities to those that would otherwise go without. Despite the country’s overwhelming poverty – 80% live below the poverty level – there is a shortage of humanitarian aid because of the instability there. Her mission has provided much needed help and hope.

This special mission began in March of 1991. That year, she went to Liberia to visit her mother and brought over a few boxes of toys and clothes to distribute to those in need. She was shocked, however, to see the poverty and devastation that had been wrought by the civil war; and she decided she had to do more. Since then she has regularly distributed thousands of pounds of rice, which is the staple food of Liberia. She was able to get donations from Uncle Ben’s in 1998, and they have donated in excess of 120,000 pounds of rice since that time. In addition to running the foundation, Anderson-Miller has been instrumental in helping Liberian children receive medical attention. She has arranged for the corrective surgeries of five Liberian children.

Anderson-Miller’s most recent mission took place in April of 2003 and continued into June when the fighting began. She still transported two large containers of 40,000 pounds of rice and an additional container filled with 100 computers donated by Sun Trust, $6,000 of school supplies and 40 boxes of shoes donated by a local church. While other Americans were being airlifted out, Anderson-Miller stayed because she knew the need was particularly dire this year. Even though her mother’s house had been looted several times and a shell destroyed a truck she sent overseas; she stayed. Some people had no food in their homes except the rice she gave them.

Another amazing part of her mission was a young boy named Edward. She met him in 1995 while distributing books to a school. His face was deformed due to a bacterial infection he caught while living in the bush with his family, and rebels beheaded his father and older brother. Because of his appearance, Edward was treated as an outcast; but Anderson-Miller corresponded with the young boy and his mother. In 1996 when she returned to Liberia, she took Edward to the United States and obtained donated services from plastic surgeons to reconstruct his face. Edward’s mother was thankful and impressed by her care of her child, so she asked Anderson-Miller to adopt him. She and her husband, Elijah, did adopt Edward and now he is a healthy, well-adjusted 14-year old.

More than 10,000 people benefit from Anderson-Miller’s service. Her son is now also taking trips to visit his homeland of Liberia. He has learned a life of service from the example set by his new mom and as a teenager is ready to help others live better lives.

ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

Annually, more than 10,000 families and 21,000 children become homeless in Massachusetts. Approximately 1,400 of these families are living in family shelters or battered women’s shelters statewide. The children living in these shelters frequently do not have adequate opportunities for the educational play that is so vital to their growth and development.

The Horizons Initiative runs several program that provide children living in shelters in Boston and the surrounding communities with the nurturing and stimulation that all children need to learn and grow. The Horizons Initiative Community Children’s Centers are full-time childcare centers specifically for homeless children and their families. Their Volunteer Program recruits, trains and places volunteer “Playspace Activity Leaders” (PALs) to play and interact with homeless children at the Community Children’s Center, family shelters and bettered women’s shelters.

In November of 1999, Elizabeth Williams became a volunteer PAL. Since then, she has worked directly with homeless children through The Horizons Initiative programs. She wanted to make a difference in the lives of youth who were in transition by bringing them some happiness, hope and stability. Williams completed a 6-hour training on homelessness, child development and the special needs of homeless children. Since then, she has been a consistent presence for at least two hours each week in the preschool classroom at the Community Children’s Center in Dorchester.

William’s volunteer service has made a lasting impact on the homeless children enrolled at the Center, their teachers and the organization as a whole. Since the first years in a child’s life are critical for self-esteem, health and intellectual development, she is nurturing the preschoolers’ ability to learn, grow and thrive. Williams promotes their development by giving them individualized attention and leading them in age-appropriate activities. The staff that supervises Williams says she is sensitive to the needs of the children in the classroom and is also very skilled at leading them in activities that stimulate the development of their cognitive, language, motor and social skills. They look forward to her visits, and she is always welcomed with huge hugs and squeals of delights from the children.

Many of the children Williams works with have experienced tremendous loss or major traumas in their young lives. The stability that she provides through her consistent presence helps them develop a sense of security and trust in others and fosters feelings of positive self-worth. Even though volunteers are asked to give a commitment of six months, Williams has continued past the two-year mark.

Williams also provides much-needed support to the teachers at the Center by offering additional one-on-one care to the children. One of the preschool teachers states Williams constantly outperforms their expectations because she goes the extra mile to help both the children and the teachers. In addition to volunteering in the classroom, Williams has been an enthusiastic ambassador for The Horizons Initiative. She shares her volunteer experiences at trainings for prospective volunteers. She has also been a member of the PAL Activity Council, a volunteer leadership committee that provides training and resources to fellow volunteers.

THE LUTHERAN HOME AUXILIARY

The Lutheran Home Auxiliary is an organization created exclusively for the purpose of enhancing the lives of the Lutheran Home residents. The Auxiliary president states they will do whatever is needed to help make the residents more comfortable. Since its inception in 1972, the Auxiliary has provided labor, funding and personal contact for the residents of the Home.

Each of the Auxiliary members works an average of five hours per week. There are currently approximately 20 members, some of which have been involved in excess of 30 years. The average age of the Auxiliary volunteer is 80 years old.

Many of the members are accomplished seamstresses. They utilize their talent to provide many items within the facility such as clothing protectors, pillow skips, bed pads, tablecloths and lap blankets. They also sew aprons for the dietary workers and make soft booties for residents who are unable to wear shoes. Having these items made in-house rather than purchased commercially has reduced the facility’s operational budget.

Some days the Auxiliary members will sew all day long to make pillows, quilts, and craft items to sell at craft and bake sales. The ladies who sew also mend, repair and modify clothing for residents. They are able to modify clothing for the residents of the Home to help them maintain their independence. Some residents cannot pull a shirt over their head, so the Auxiliary volunteers cut the shirt so the resident can put it on by them.

The Auxiliary has also provided funding for various items. They have been able to purchase electric candlesticks for the chapel, television cart for staff training, prizes for bingo night and numerous equipment and supplies used for patient care. The most monumental gift was the equipment purchased for the physical and occupational therapy rooms. These purchases enable residents to receive therapy with up to date equipment.

In addition, the Auxiliary has an active “Welcoming Committee.” They visit new patients and bring a welcome gift to them to make them feel at home. They also help with various programs and also transport residents to activities and programs sponsored by the Home.

Without volunteers, it would be very difficult to meet the needs of the 379 residents. The Auxiliary volunteers have a direct impact on the lives of the residents in the Lutheran Home and make the jobs of the staff persons at the Home. The money they have raised throughout the years is substantial and the items they have donated are numerous and needed. The Lutheran Home Auxiliary has worked tirelessly for the benefit of the facility in excess of 30 years. They take each job seriously, no matter how large or small.