AMANDA FELDMAN

Amanda Feldman has been making a positive difference in her school, community and the daily lives of others for years as she motivates her peers in volunteerism and community involvement. In 1997, Amanda founded “Peer Partners,” a youth volunteer group, to help others while inspiring her friends and community to share in the rewards of volunteerism. Amanda brings the community together as she advocates the prevention of youth smoking, illiteracy, homelessness, and birth defects, while supporting disaster relief efforts and inspiring kindness. Her efforts have reached across generations and continents.

In addition to her annual fundraising, she organizes community-based service projects that have mobilized hundreds of community members as they work together to meet the needs, health and well being of others in need. In addition to having been the annual top fundraiser in the effort to ameliorate illiteracy, she has collected toiletries for the homeless, hats for children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, books for children who lost theirs during disaster, quarters for breast cancer research, handcrafted valentines to remind our veteran’s that they were loved by today’s youth, and more. She organized the first ever community talent show to raise money for the children of the victims of the September 11 tragedy and subsequently had more than 100 youth volunteer their talents.

Her latest volunteer effort culminated with a trip to a rural school in Ghana West Africa where she delivered sorely needed educational supplies and seed money to help build the school a library! She also serves as a Board Member to the American Red Cross Atlantic/Cumberland Chapter and Girl Scouts of South Jersey Pines advocating the needs of her peers and her community.

Amanda became a member of Atlantic County REBEL, a youth anti-smoking effort, at the age of 12. For the past four years, she has been REBEL Chairperson while serving on the State of New York Youth Advisory Board. In addition to delivering the anti-tobacco message to teens and community members throughout her county and state, she serves as mentor to middle school children as she leads, educates and motivates them to remain smoke free. She has written several articles for the “REBEL” magazine, which focuses on teen tobacco issues, and through her personal effort she took the anti-tobacco message to more than 800,000 teens Nationwide by publishing an article in Teen Newsweek.

She has also appeared on several infomercials, including WPIX’s anti-tobacco special “Kicking Ash” and CN8’s ‘One on One’ in an effort to mobilize her peers and community members toward a healthy smoke-free lifestyle. Her proposed ordinance to ban smoking in her local park for the health and safety of children and elders alike, resulted in her local City Council’s agreement to consider implementing a partial ban. She enlisted the support of Little League Presidents throughout the State of New Jersey, Those Little League Presidents have since either ordered or posted the ‘tobacco-free/smoke-free’ signs that Amanda designed, funded, and distributed, on their ball fields to send the message that tobacco affects the health and well being of our children. She is currently serving as Vice President of Development for IGNITE, the first ever national youth-led, youth-driven anti-tobacco movement. She has also recently been appointed to serve on the Youth Advisory Panel for The American Legacy Foundation.

ANNE CLEMENT

Since her retirement from BP Amoco two years ago, Anne Clement has filled much of her spare time with volunteer activities, averaging about 50 hours a month. She has worked with volunteer programs and organizations and often “goes the extra mile” when things need to be done.

She has been a First Responder in the Ride Along Program affiliated with HOPE Place (Crisis Services) assisting with domestic violence calls to the Decatur Police Department. As the only trained Decatur resident, Ms. Clement rode entire shifts with Decatur police officers several times a week. Although she specifically assisted with domestic violence, she has been involved in many situations while accompanying a police officer.

Ms. Clement is also a Citizens Police Academy alumni. This required completion of an 11-week course, one night a week where she was trained to volunteer with the Police Department. This again can involve riding with the officers for an eight-hour shift. In addition, she works at the Police Department’s Community Resource Center in Colonial Mall about two days a week. Here, she has been responsible for establishing and maintaining a file system for the alarm registration program. Working with the same officer, she has preformed an extensive audit of the open warrants of the Department. Plus, she assists with computer system work.

As Program Vice President of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Ms. Clement has arranged varied and interesting programs for the group. She has also been responsible for the Yearbook. Wherever there is a need, Ms. Clement tries to fill it. She has been in charge of the Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) and is a willing computer teacher for those who request her services. She is also responsible for forwarding “Get the Facts” e-mail from the national association as voter education for those members with computers. Her forwarding of the local traffic alerts is also helpful to many members.

Anne Clement is always more than willing to “lend a hand” when asked. Several Decatur groups appreciate her capable and willing spirit.

VIOLA ENGEL

Viola Engel is a volunteer Long-term Care Ombudsman for the Salt Lake City Aging Services. She is a caring, cheerful addition to the organization whose nursing background makes her a perfect fit as a volunteer. Ms. Engel dedicates 4-5 hours each week to the organization and has done so for the past 2 ½ years.

As an ombudsman, Ms. Engel advocates for the elderly living in nursing homes, investigating abuse, neglect and exploitation. She has been instrumental in helping nursing home residents’ voices to be heard. She also lets them know they have a say in their living environment. She facilitates trainings with staff on residential rights and other topics that are appropriate for the staff and volunteers. Monthly, she holds meetings to encourage residents to advocate for themselves.

In addition, Ms. Engel works with the family members of the residents. She encourages the families to become more involved in the residents lives and has helped them developed family councils. She has also assisted by providing mediation services.

The vital purpose of an ombudsman is to empower and defend long-term care residents and improve their quality of life. Nationally, over 60% of nursing home residents do not have family members who will advocate for them. The position of an ombudsman is not a warm and fuzzy one; however, it is a volunteer position that requires excellent communication skills, objectivity and dedication. You are required to look at facts and conditions and work to make sure the residents are being cared for in the way they should be. You may also need to speak with family and request that they become involved in their family member’s lives; that is not easy to do.

Viola Engel takes the time to get to know the residents. She looks at their conditions and sees what needs they have and what needs are being met. She then studies the laws and rules that govern the rights of long-term care residents so she can be prepared as an advocate. She then works and fights to see that the rights of residents are honored; she is fair and tenacious when it comes to their rights.

NAVAL TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER SHIPMATES PROGRAM

For the past two years, every Thursday SHIPMATES (Staff/Students Helping Interesting People in the Meridian Area Through Enthusiastic Service) team up with Toomsuba HeadStart to help the children grow up in a better atmosphere. SHIPMATES has volunteered more than 790 hours of community service throughout the year mowing lawns, painting, stripping and waxing floors, and generally cleaning up the site, helping the Toomsuba staff focus more quality time with the children. In addition, SHIPMATES assisted children with the presentation of programs spotlighting youth talent. By turning work to play, SHIPMATES has made a lasting impression on the young children who benefit from our community service.

Since 1992, SHIPMATES has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity. Throughout the year, SHIPMATES devoted 673 hours to helping build safe and comfortable housing for those who might otherwise not have a home to call their own. Building affordable housing improves the overall community, making safer neighborhoods and reducing poverty levels within the community.

Since the program started in 1981, SHIPMATES volunteers have participated in Area 5 Special Olympics. Volunteers were needed for the sporting events to assist participants. SHIPMATES have provided volunteers ever since, helping to inspire special students to achieve their goals. Special Olympics sporting events include golf, softball, soccer, equestrian, basketball, and track and field.

The Merrehope house, the SHIPMATES program’s first project in 1981, is a restoration project that SHIPMATES helps to preserve. Once a month they work to keep the yard and the house up to standards. Merrehope is a historic landmark in the community, and it is used for various events including weddings and other gatherings that would not be possible if not for the SHIPMATES program.

The SHIPMATES program has helped to keep the community clean over the past 10 years. Every three weeks, SHIPMATES pick up litter in a designated two-mile area through the Adopt-A-Highway Program. Volunteers also participate in Meridian’s Annual Public Lands Day, devoted to picking up litter around public lakes. Litter prevention and environmental awareness benefit all residents of the community, The children who participate in picking up litter experience the valuable rewards and personal satisfaction of preserving our earth.

Twice a month, SHIPMATES partner with Love’s Kitchen Incorporated, cooking and distributing meals to the homeless. A structured environment is provided for the homeless during their time of need, a place where they can come to eat breakfast and lunch without fear or embarrassment, helping to reduce crime, such as theft, which tends to stem from the frustration of poverty.

DONALD LOGGINS

Donald Loggins is a founding member of the Green Guerillas, organized in 1973 by late noted environmentalist Liz Christy. The group works to develop and preserve gardens and open spaces in impoverished urban areas. The Liz Christy Bowery Houston Community Garden, created by the Green Guerillas on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, is the oldest community garden in New York. The garden has been featured in numerous local newspapers and online city guides.

Mr. Loggins has been instrumental in keeping this garden alive. For 30 years, he has helped transform a blighted corner of one of the poorest areas of New York City into a neighborhood that families and children want to live in again. He gives tours of the garden to share with children, many of whom do not know where fruits and vegetables come from, an environment where they can see fruit trees and vegetables growing. The garden also contains a live turtle pond, a working beehive and a place where visitors can observe large goldfish.

In addition to maintaining this landmark garden, Loggins has helped develop hundreds of community gardens around New York by providing technical assistance. He also assists with semiannual plant giveaways where plants, seeds and bulbs are donated to local gardens, community open space groups and vest pocket parks. Loggins’ volunteer efforts have been documented in several New York newspapers and he also has received an award for his urban greening dedication from the mayor of New York City. He is also a member of a Brooklyn Community Board, appointed by the Borough President for his environmental and community work. Mr. Loggins is an individual who takes pride in giving back to his community through gardening that grows community pride, adds beauty to the world and helps maintain a healthy environment.

The Liz Christy Bowery Houston Community Garden provides open green space and a a natural environment for children in the poorest section of Manhattan and has served as a model of what can be done at the grassroots level by concerned citizens without using government funds. People in Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and other cities have seen what was done on the Lower East Side and created similar community green spaces in their own neighborhoods. Immigrants living in the Lower East Side from China, India, South America and many other nations sit in the garden on how summer days to cool off and discover they have something in common and their children become friends.

FAIRFAX COUNTY JUVENILE & DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT VOLUNTEER INTERPRETERS PROGRAM

The Volunteer Interpreters Program (VIP) was created in 1994 to address the growing need for language interpretation in civil court cases in Fairfax, Virginia. Since its inception, the program has expanded and now provides interpretation and translation for all programs and services provided in the courthouse as well as the Court’s programs in other geographically located facilities. The VIP was a pioneer program in Fairfax County and other enterprises have used it as a model to create similar programs to serve their communities.

The Volunteer Interpreters’ Code of Ethics requires them to provide complete and accurate interpretation without altering, omitting or adding anything to the original statement or document. They accurately and completely represent their training, certifications and pertinent experience and are impartial and unbiased. As a part of their Code, they also refrain from conduct that may even give the appearance of bias, disclose any real or perceived conflict of interest and conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the dignity of the court. They maintain the confidentiality of all parties and information, limit themselves to interpreting or translating and do not give legal advice or their personal opinions.

While Spanish is the primary language provided, the program also provides interpretation in Korean, Portuguese, French, Arabic and Italian. The VIP consists of 30 volunteers and one volunteer coordinator. The entire Court and Court Services process is expedited by having interpreters available for Court hearings and for scheduled and walk-in clients. The VIP has reduced the number of Court hearings, which have to be continued due to a lack of interpreters. Services can be provided immediately for walk-in clients seeking service without having to schedule appointments with a paid interpreter.

The Court process is confusing and intimidating for most citizens. It is especially confusing for those citizens who do not have a high proficiency in English and who come from a culture that is very different from ours. The volunteers work along side the Court Services staff to identify the issues for each of the clients, determine the appropriate course of action and the complete the necessary paperwork for the Court process. When an interpreter is present, the client does not have to struggle with making him or herself understood. They are also able to communicate their issues calmly and receive the appropriate services.

When clients are treated with respect and consideration and have their issues addressed regardless of their language and culture, they begin to trust the justice system. They also learn that they are entitled to the protections and services of the justice system. Prior to VIP, Court staff relied on friends and relatives of defendants and victims to provide interpretation services. The VIP has promoted and improved the services provided by the County to the residents of diverse cultures while also achieving the objective of giving a clear understanding of the Court system and legal procedures.

DEBORAH WOOD

Deborah Wood, who herself suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, inherited a small poodle named Pomp. Within weeks she researched and developed a way to use her new pet to help others. She and Pomp trained to become “Pet Therapists” and began visiting local nursing homes and hospitals with much success. The patients whom they visit are often isolated and lonely and contact with Ms. Wood and Pomp has helped to bring them interest and socialization.

Ms. Wood has first hand experience and a keen understanding of the loneliness and isolation that often afflicts persons with disabilities. She herself was isolated and depressed as a result of her struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. When she met Pomp and later his buddy, Raggs, she began to experience a renewed interest in life. She who had been housebound and often bed bound became excited about her new mission to bring joy and activity to others.

Ms. Wood, who is totally disabled and lives on a fixed income, has made many personal sacrifices to care for the dogs that have become such an important part of her life and the lives of those whom she serves.

ALEXANDER CIFFO

Teen Connect is a community service program that pairs teens with senior citizens to converse by telephone, sharing life’s experiences. It keeps senior citizens and teens, two vulnerable segments of our society, connected with each other and able to share various life experiences. The program is a service-learning model that builds bridges between generations. He stepped up to fill the void of leadership when the prior leader left for college at MIT. Since he has taken that position, Teen Connect has continued to expand to other schools in the nation.

Alexander has also instituted a scholarship program to reward teen participants for their generous community service, sharing and caring for senior citizens. These awards will help deserving Teen Connect participants attend college so they can return home and share more of their talents with the generations before and after them.

Recently, Alexander has developed a web site that affords Teen Connect chapters around the country as well as senior citizens, teenager and other groups, and a vehicle to review the program. This site is also a means of communication for interested parties so they can contact Alexander. Because of this technology, every town and city will be able to have participants in the Teen Connect program even if their local high school or college does not have a chapter.

Alexander also reached out to professionals in the community for assistance in setting up a nonprofit corporation for Teen Connect. This will allow him to raise money to continue to expand Teen Connect. Alexander’s efforts for Teen Connect have been ongoing, and the organization has received positive responses from seniors as well as teen throughout the county. He has been an integral part of its success, from the start of its first chapter, to its introduction in other states. Alexander has been working with Teen Connect for more than five years and given more than 3,000 hours of service which include speeches, the website, meeting with legal and accounting professionals as well as taking it to the next level as a 501(c)(3) organization.

WINNIFRED OLSEN

Born in Olympia 87 years ago, Winnifred Castle Olsen has been a “doer” since school days when she edited the Olympia High School paper and the annual and was student body secretary (1933-34). Immediately after graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Washington State College in 1938 and being married in the fall, she became involved in Olympia activities writing free publicity for Girl Scouts, United Good Neighbors, Red Cross, Easter Seals, March of Dimes, and other “causes.”

After having two sons, she became PTA focused – helping organize the preschool nursery school; was a cub scout den mother, Hi-Y supporter; president of the Olympia high School PTA, president two years; PTA City Council; regional PTA council; and president of the Olympia Citizens Advisory Council on Education. This group helped lay the early groundwork for a state college in Thurston County.

Before the days of television, she became “Mother Goose” on KGY radio, producing a half hour creative play/music program for pre-schoolers every Saturday morning for 8 ½ years (1948-1957). She also helped organize the Thurston County Juvenile Protection Committee, the Olympia Panhellenic, Olympia Junior Programs and was involved – writing publicity – in the beginning of the YWCA and the League of Women Voters. She served 11 years on the Washington State Fulbright Scholarship Committee.

While working at the State Capitol Museum (1963-67), she became aware of and intrigued with the little known story of George W. Bush, the mulatto pioneer who helped establish the first American settlement on Puget Sound at Tumwater in 1845. She has researched and developed the Bush family history for the past 40 years and finally experienced a “dream come true” helping to dedicate a Bush family historical kiosk on part of the family’s 1850 Land Donation claim in Tumwater of February 22, 1997.

Mrs. Olsen’s first assignment with the Tacoma Public School in 1967 was to put minorities into Northwest History. She made classroom presentations, wrote teaching materials, student texts and a series of KTPS television programs on Black history, Native American culture and Tacoma history. She worked with parents to start the Indian Education Program and with Black parents to supplement Title IV activities. She served on Title II and Title III NDEA committees for the State Department of Public Instruction and taught a popular series of extended education classes on Indian Treaty issues, “Think India”, for UPS, PLU, and WWSC. She edited a study guide on Negro History in 1968 which won a NEA Carter G. Woodson award and then authored a text on Puyallup and Nisqually Indians for third graders and a text on Tacoma Beginnings. Her history of the Tacoma Public School (1869-1984) won the National School Public Relations Association’s Golden Achievement Award for 1986.

Since her retirement, Mrs. Olsen has undertaken more volunteer roles in Olympia and Thurston County. She was appointed to the Olympia Timberland Library board, serving ten years 1985-1995); the Evergreen Convalescent Center Community Advisory Board (1985-1989), the Thurston County Historic Commission (1989 to the present, currently vice-president); steering committees for the Olympia Library Bond campaign (1995-1997) and the Olympia Library Friends Board since 1990.

ADOPTIVE/FOSTER PARENT ASSOCIATION OF COLQUITT COUNTY, INC.

The adoptive and foster parents are consummate volunteer caregivers. These volunteers came to the program because of a sincere desire to take care of children. The foster and adoptive parents provide the children with a loving a safe place to start the healing process. They open their hearts and homes to children of all races, ages, backgrounds and crises. Their mission and concern is to take care of children.

The association has set up various activities for service in the community. They set up a special intergenerational project for Make A Difference Day. The association chose to help the elderly in the community, and this activity was chosen to teach the children about different age groups and to help out and give back to the community.

The project offered various activities for the elderly. Some needed assistance with cleaning windows, raking leaves, sweeping and cleaning off carports. Others needed assistance with other odd jobs around the home. Both the parents and the children volunteered and continue to volunteer to help the elderly in whatever areas they have a need. The children benefited from this because they are developing relationships with older adults and learning from them. They also feel good about being able to help someone. The parents get great rewards from seeing the children affected as well as the new “older” friends.

The adoptive and foster parents are continuing their relationship of service with the elderly in their community. They are now planning to set up a voter registration drive and hope for that to be ongoing also.