GUARANTEED INVOLVEMENT FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, INC.

Karen DeVane is Orange City’s “2004 Volunteer of the Year”. During her community service time, Mrs. DeVane realized there was a great need for children to have the opportunity to build a strong foundation for their future and being able to read is a major cornerstone. She and her family wanted to find a way to encourage children to read and provide children with their own personal books to read at home.

Mrs. DeVane and her family created a solution by starting Guarnteed Involvement For Teachers & Students, Inc. (GIFTS), a registered Charity with the State of Florida. Only two years old (and all volunteers), GIFTS was selected in April 2004 as United Way & Bright House Network’s “2003 Education Volunteer of the Year”. GIFTS is successful at meeting the need because it brings together a diverse group of volunteers to achieve what most would never attempt, GIFTS currently have 12 elementary schools in their classroom supply program located in Deltona, DeLand, Enterprise & Orange City, FL.

Mrs. DeVane and her family have met every challenge, devoted extraordinary amounts of time and initiative to accomplish their goal. They hold the fervent belief that a successful public school education insures the continuation of vibrant, informed and democratic society. This is possible when children are able to read.

GIFTS book distribution program has enhanced the reading material in the homes of students in TItle One schools throughout Volunsia County. GIFTS volunteers have unloaded, sorted, stacked, bagged and boxed truckloads of books, received from FIRSTBOOK, a National Book Bank program. Volusia County’s School District ais GIFTS with this project by providing a warehouse and delivery of the boxes of books for the children. To date, GIFTS has distributed over 179,000 books, worth a staggering $1,274,517 to 65,547 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

GIFTS volunteers put in over 500 hours to make over 119,300 flashcards (by hand) of the high intensity sight words for kindergarten thru 3rd grade requested by four schools.

Another project to aid students’ ability to read is a “Whisper” phone. To date GIFTS volunteers have assembled 9,812 PVC phones for 36 elementary schools, 1 middle and 1 High school English class (to learn poetry). Bright House Networks was a major contributor to this project, donating $2,500 to help increase reading and fluency and skills.

Mrs. DeVane, her husband, Bill, along with their youngest daughter, Joeele, speak to civic organizations and businesses throughout the county to gain financial support, both monetary and in-kind, needed for the various expenses incurred for GIFTS program, the organization received grants from Progress Energy ($15,000) for classroom supplies, $2,000 twice from the City of Deltona, a $500 mini-grant from FUTURES and $1,000 from Ormond Beach West Rotary for four elementary school in their area.

Mrs. DeVane has stated, “We feel that the community’s support and our volunteers are the backbone and strength of a healthy community and continue to make it possible for our organization to help the children build their reading skills through books, flashcards, and “Whisper” phones. We deeply appreciate their enthusiasm and commitment and together we can ‘Make a Difference’ in the lives of our children.”

COLONELS OF HOPE AT BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE

Colonels of Hope began in the spring of 2002 when three students Lisa, Webb and Megan, who had worked at Woodlawn High School (WHS) during a January Interim decided to continue building their relationship with people at the school. During the time these Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) students spent time paining murals at the high school in January, they were astonished to discover that WHS students had a 67.8% passing rate for the Alabama High School Graduation Exam. Of the students who were able to pass, few had access to resources to prepare them to take the ACT or SAT or to apply for college. The high school is situated in a neighborhood where few have all of the resources they need to live healthy, comfortable lives. Due to overcrowding and cuts in funding, the school was unable to provide many of the services needed to ensure the success of its students.

As a result of that January term, the three Birmingham-Southern College students developed a plan to put volunteers from BSC in touch with students at the high school who needed help studying for the graduation exam, the Colonels of Hope. They began recruiting students to visit the school once a week and work with small groups of WHS students on math, reading, language and science. By the end of 2002, twenty to thirty BSC students were devoting one to two hours per week to tutoring in excess of 60 students at WHS. Once the tutoring caught on, other programs were implemented to further build the relationship between BSC, WHS and the students of both schools.

In the fall of 2002, BSC students and about 50 members of the high school’s JROTC program build an outdoor/environmental classroom. The classroom provides students the opportunity to learn about plants and life science through hands-on work. The students continue to maintain a basil garden that they will use to harvest and sell at the local farmer’s market. Colonels of Hope also organized a field trip for WHS students to BSC to expose them to the college experience and give them something to aspire to. An admissions counselor spoke to the group about the college admissions process and financial aid as they toured the campus. For many of the WHS students, this was their first time on a college campus and their first opportunity to learn how financial aid works.

BSC students have benefited from their relationship with WHS as well. Many of the students come from middle to upper class backgrounds so this tutoring experience exposes them to children’s lives who are not as privileged as they are. It forces most of the students to think about why there are such disparities between the opportunities they have and the opportunities that have been and are available to the students at WHS.

The Colonels of Hope are continuing to mentor and tutor at WHS. They are also continuing to keep up the garden and are developing a plan to help students prepare for the ACT/SAT and help with the college application process. The impact of this program has been seen in the strong relationships BSC students have developed with WHS students, teachers and administrators and they are confident this relationship will continue to go and be strengthened throughout the years to come.

RANDY SUTTON

Sgt. Randy Sutton created the Cops and Kids organization to introduce children to police officers and what they do. Mr. Sutton has introduced Metro officers to the Classroom On Wheels (COW) Pre-K students. He began this service in 2000 after he learned about the COW program. Mr. Sutton then arranged for police officers to visit the COW buses and read to the children. Mr. Sutton’s first experience with the children was a testimony that his Cops and Kids is an important program. The COW preschoolers live in high crime neighborhoods where police officers are not always welcome. The first time Mr. Sutton visited the mobile classrooms, the parents were very concerned and the children were wary of him. Mr. Sutton’s first question to the group was, “Do you know what police officer’s do?” The children advised they arrest bad people, but Sutton advised the arrest GOOD people that sometimes do bad things. Immediately a glass wall dropped and the community welcomed Sutton.

Mr. Sutton introduced police officers into the lives of early childhood development in a very positive way. He recognized that the children the Metro officers serve are the very same children who witness domestic violence and need school readiness. He used the innovative COW program along with his Cops and Kids program to solve a problem of joining police officers and children in a non-threatening way. The officer’s are also privy to the lives the children lead and they can be an encouragement and a positive role model for them.

To date, Mr. Sutton has recruited many officers to the program so they can read to the students. In addition, he has made a contribution of $4,000 to the COW Pre-K for books for the children. Along with recruiting officers, Mr. Sutton is also volunteering with the children. He enjoys the time he takes to purchase books and then read to the children. Mr. Sutton has helped one of the underserved neighborhoods in the Las Vegas area by making books available to children along with providing a positive outlook regarding law enforcement. During the past three years, Mr. Sutton has impacted more than 500 families. Now the community sees the children hugging the officers as opposed to being afraid of them. The experience the officers have had in the community is pleasant. Where they usually have negative outcomes due to 911 calls, they now have relationships with the children and the other neighbors.

It is not an easy job providing law enforcement to any metropolitan area. Many officers are ready for a rest after a hard days work. Mr. Sutton sees such a negative side of life while policing that he chose to make a difference one child and one community at a time. The children now are aware of what police officers are supposed to do and recognize them as public servants.

Mr. Sutton he is consistently working for social change for people in need. In 1998 he raised $18,000 for a family whose one-month old child was shot in the face during a drive by shooting. During 2000, he organized a benefit concert for an injured Nevada Highway Patrolman and raised an excess of $20,000. Mr. Sutton is continuing the Cops and Kids program while also working to compile stories from officers across the country into a book called “TRUE BLUE” with the proceeds going to the New York Police Widows and Orphans Fund.

ASIAN AMERICAN LEAD

Asian American LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment and Development) builds community strength by supporting immigrant families and helping them gain access to services. “In Vietnam, there are no social services. The community provides,” says founder Sandy Dang. “Here, we become nieces and nephews. We come into the home and say, ‘Uncles and Aunts: How are you doing? What do you need?”

Thuan Nguyen expected the American government to make all the choices about her children’s studies. That’s how it worked in Vietnam. With AALEAD’s support, she has learned to navigate a very different educational system in America. “I am lucky that I have children who are studious,” says Thuan Nguyen, who came from Vietnam in 1995, when her children were 13 and 5. “But it’s not enough to be studious. They need someone to guide them academically.” Currently, daughter Lan Anh Phan is a junior at the University of Virginia, and son Minh Phan, a ninth grader, is at AALEAD nearly every day after school for tutoring, sports or community service programs.

Asian American LEAD was founded in 1998, but its origins date back to 1981, the year that executive director Sandy Hoa Dang arrived in the United States at age 13. After fleeing Vietnam and spending three years in a Hong Kong refugee camp, Dang’s family was bewildered by their newly adopted country. In 1995, she joined the Indochinese Community Center in Washington, D.C., and discovered an enclave of 6,000 Vietnamese, many of whom lived in conditions far worse than those she experienced as an immigrant. She founded AALEAD to strengthen immigrant families and reinforce the bonds between parents and their children.

Education becomes the entry for AALEAD to reinforce parents as they work to realize family goals despite language barriers. Staff explain report cards, translate school documents and accompany parents to school conferences. Informal gatherings also bring families together to celebrate their children’s progress, share their stories and renew cultural ties.

After-school tutors give homework help and English language enrichment to young people. A youth leadership program offers service learning and assistance with college applications. AALEAD also reaches beyond the Asian community. When a group of tenants needed help with their slumlord, AALEAD, organized Asian, African American and Latino tenants to fight successfully for their rights. “Our model is strength-based,” says Dang. “Any community can strengthen itself, and then it can transcend its own boundaries, coming together with others to form a richer fabric for this country.”

MICHAEL LANE

Michael Lane is an outstanding young man who has been a leader at Seabreeze High School for the past four years. While maintaining a weighted grade point average of 4.4, he has still made the time to serve in his community and make Ormond Beach a better place to live. He has been recognized as a National Merit Finalist because of his high SAT scores and was named Volusia County School Board’s Outstanding Youth Volunteer of the Year. Michael is a giving teenager that puts other ahead of himself.

He is a member of many organizations at his school including the National Honor Society, Idealist Art Club, Ceramics Club and the Spanish Honor Society. He is also very active in tutoring his peers in the subjects of Chemistry and Spanish. When he is not volunteering at school or at club meetings, Michael assists in the school tutoring program by matching students with tutors in subject that they need assistance in. Michael also assists the teachers at school. He sets up science labs and helps out in the ceramic studio.

In addition, Michael helped to coordinate the Reading Aloud with Partners (RAP) program with their feeder school, Pine Trail Elementary. He continues to work with the program as much as he can while still keeping up with his school work and other service commitments. Michael spends about two hours each week at the school reading to students, selecting books and working with the elementary school teachers when he is needed.

Michael brings pleasure to both his peers and the children at Pine Trail. They are excited when they are finally able to master a skill that has given them trouble in the past. Those he tutors are happy when they are able to answer problems and understand concepts after his help.

Michael has been ranked first in his class and continues to keep a high grade point average. In addition to his service with his school, Michael has also accumulated more than 200 volunteer hours while working as a Pasty Chef at the Oaks Wine and Gourmet and participating in the Cross Country Club, Crew and Robotics. He has also volunteered regularly at Peridot Place, an elderly care facility where he talks with and reads to the patients. He also helps three other elementary schools set up and maintain their Fall Festivals. He also donates his time to Daytona Beach Fun Festival and the Greek Festival.

JAMES BOOZER

Dr. James Boozer is the director of the Evening Homeless Medical Clinic at the Modesto Gospel Mission. He assists in the care and well being of the homeless and poor in the community. He is an unselfish citizen whose contributions to the homeless far exceed anyone’s expectations both as a medical doctor and a volunteer.

Several years ago, the Modesto Gospel Mission worked to open an Evening Medical Clinic. The group had office supplies, volunteers and insurance. They lacked a director to oversee the clinic and all its operation. At that time, Dr. Boozer presented to the mission to volunteer his services as a doctor. The Mission took the opportunity to advise him of their predicament and asked him to step in as the director of the clinic. Even with the short notice and his intent only to volunteer as a doctor, Dr. Boozer graciously accepted the non-paying position as the Evening Medical Clinic Director.

Dr. Boozer puts in countless hours to ensure the clinic runs smoothly and the patients are getting the appropriate and necessary medical treatment. He completes quarterly audits on patient files to make sure proper medical attention is being administered and that patients are not abusing the system. In addition, all volunteer doctors are reviewed to guarantee continuity throughout the medical clinic.

The medical clinic is run solely by volunteers and donations. It is a free clinic that costs the homeless nothing. Because of this, Dr. Boozer faces the obstacle of receiving donated medical supplies to keep the clinic running. Though homeless patients have no money or medical insurance, they can receive treatment through the Clinic. There is a never-ending stream of men, women and children who need medical attention.

Dr. Boozer dedicates his time so that the homeless population in the area can receive proper medical treatment. People in the community are much healthier and the emergency rooms are less congested because of the Modesto Gospel Mission’s Evening Medical Clinic. He has a compassionate heat and his only compensation is the gratification of improving the lives of the homeless.

BE A READER LITERACY PROGRAM

The Be A Reader (BEAR) Literacy Program is a community service project that is co-sponsored by the United Jewish/African American Federation of Tidewater. Literature is deeply treasured by Jewish Americans who have been known for centuries as the “People of the Book.” The purpose of this project is to help children acquire a love of books and reading that leads to academic achievement and personal success.

In the summer of 2000, the Jewish Federation volunteers contacted the principal of Birdneck Elemntary School. This school has an at-risk enrollment of 940 students that would greatly benefit from the BEAR tutoring program. BEAR was implemented in early October after the team captain, Gail Flax, an education studies professor of graduate students at Old Dominion University, trained volunteers.

The reading specialist at Birdneck Elementary School, Linda Pascarosa, gave a pre-tutoring inservice, where packets of tutoring materials were distributed to volunteers. Twenty-three volunteers comprised of 21 females and 2 males were paired with 18 second graders who were selected by 8 classroom teachers.

Some of the volunteers paired in teams to ensure that none of the weekly Tuesday one-hour training sessions would be missed. Each tutor team was assigned a child to work with throughout the entire school year. Tutors exchanged notes each week with the child’s classroom teacher who identified the areas in which the students needed help. In addition, the Jewish Federation leader coordinated with the reading specialists researching appropriately leveled reading materials to be used in the program. The Federation also purchased a new set of beginning chapter books to be used with the BEAR program.

The second grade classroom teachers communicate their enthusiasm and praise for the program often with the reading specialists. The students feel as if their tutors are a part of their extended family. They believe it is like having their very own aunt, uncle or grandparent there helping them at the school. The participants in the program enjoy the personal touch and individual attention, and their writing and reading grades have improved also.

The BEAR program has been a success as a result of consistent and conscientious volunteers. There has never been a week when one child had to go without their BEAR tutor. The tutors are serious and dedicated to the program; they feel as if they have adopted their student and do not want to let them down.

Next year, the BEAR program will be expanded to also accommodate third grade students. This will allow the students that are currently enrolled into the program to participate in follow-up tutoring while also enabling the new second graders to enter the program.

RON WIELOCHOWSKI

Ron Wielochowski attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). While a student at UNLV, Mr. Wielochowski was a star basketball player. After graduating in the early 1970’s, he has been involved in numerous charitable events to benefit children and others in the state of Nevada.

Mr. Wielochowski has been an active supporter of the Candlelighter’s Association. For the past 12 years he has been instrumental in creating various program for the organization. He has organized an annual Halloween party and recruited local businesses to donate hotel rooms, food and candy each year to make this event a success.

In addition, Mr. Wielochowski has been involved with Child Haven. While serving with Child Haven, he created a Christmas in July event for the children at Child Haven. Throughout the Christmas season, he is heavily involved in groups that donate clothing and food to individual churches and organizations. He also plays the role of Santa Claus for many years and has developed a relationship with a group of youngsters that assist him as “elves.” He also personally outfits the elves each season to assist him in his duties.

In addition, Mr. Wielochowski is involved with Wednesday’s Child each year. He also goes to UNLV during one of their Running Rebel games and passes out gifts. He also collects clothing that he stores in his garage and at other sites. Then he donates the clothing items to numerous organizations including Shade Tree and numerous churches in Clark County.

Because of his tireless efforts with the Candlelighter’s and other organizations, Mr. Wielochowski has been honored as the Candlelighter’s Man of the Year. He has also received the UNLV Alumni Outstanding Service Award.

LINDA LERA-RANDLE EL

For the past 20 years, Linda Lera-Randle El has dedicated herself to helping those who are homeless and suffer from mental health and/or substance abuse issues. After leaving the MASH Crisis Intervention Center in 1997, where she served as Director, Mrs. Lera-Randle El continued her work with the homeless population, concentrating her efforts once again on those people who were living on the streets of Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. She is the person who brought street outreach to the forefront of homeless services and through her efforts, many other agencies came to realize the value of this type of outreach and have begun to participate in the same type of work.

On October 31, 2001, Mrs. Lera-Randle El incorporated a nonprofit organization, Straight from the Streets. Working out of her own vehicle and without pay, she spends many long hours driving to remote areas of the valley searching for people who are homeless. She introduces herself to them and assesses their needs. Many times it takes several encounters for her to gain someone’s trust and to bring them to the point where she can begin the long and often frustrating process of transitioning them off the streets and into stable housing. She does not work a 40-hour week and can often be found bringing food, blankets and personal hygiene items to her clients on the weekends and in the evenings. She knows that homelessness does not end each day at 5:00 pm.

Mrs. Lera-Randle El picks up her clients at their campsites and takes them to their appointments as opposed to merely referring them to social services or the security office. She helps them fill out the complicated paperwork, and helps her clients get replacement identification cards and other important items. Mrs. Lera-Randle El also helps clients find apartments, move in and continues to check on them during their transition. She walks them through the process of getting mental health counseling and treatment and has had tremendous success in getting people who are severely mentally ill into long term treatment and stable housing. Because of her dedication and success, Mrs. Lera-Randle El has been featured in many newspaper articles and on television news reports.

Mrs. Lera-Randle El is a unique person who works with people in a non-judgmental manner. Her street wise, no nonsense approach comes from many years of direct experience with the homeless population and a personal background that gives her insight enjoyed by few other advocates. She measures her success on the lives she touches and the hope and new lives she brings to her clients. She is not paid for her serve and uses all donations for supplies, food and services she provides for her clients. Because of the total support of her loving husband, “Chicago,” she is able to dedicate herself to those in need in Las Vegas.

BUZZY ALEXANDER

Born with cerebral palsy, Buzzy Alexander was an Easter Seals ambassador. For many years he has raised funds for Easter Seals and has also initiated a partnership with the Daytona Cubs baseball teams to benefit Easter Seals.

Doctors told Mr. Alexander that he would never walk. As a child, he endured more than 27 surgeries and received regular therapy at Easter Seals, becoming a part of the Easter Seals family. Today he lives in his own home and spends 40 hours per week working as a dispatcher at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a job that he has held for more than 20 years. Mr. Alexander uses his spare time to volunteer with the Easter Seals.

Mr. Alexander’s activities bring more attention to the purpose and mission of Easter Seals. The funds he raises are directed to programs, which help change lives of those with special needs. These programs include speech, occupational, and physical therapy; aquatic therapy; hippo therapy and a host of other services working to bring independence to the lives of our neighbors with disabilities. He also single-handedly initiated the News-Journal 50-50 along with the Daytona Cubs-Easter Seals partnership, both of which have been ongoing.

The Easter Seals-Daytona Cubs partnership is a major fundraising activity. It involved Cubs ticket sales and special raffles. During 2003, this partnership brought in more than $2,500 with the vast majority of the work being completed by Mr. Alexander. In addition, the 50-50 raffles he has created at the News-Journal where he has worked for more than 24 years is also another major fundraiser. All of the proceeds of the raffle are donated to the Easter Seals. Last year the raffle raised in excess of $2,500.

In addition, Mr. Alexander takes his vacation time from the News-Journal in order to volunteer at an Easter Seals event, the Harley Give-Away booth. This booth is manned each day of Bike Week and Biketoberfest, and Mr. Alexander is at the Easter Seals booths for several hours each day.

Along with these activities, Mr. Alexander has helped transport equipment for special events, has been a spokesperson for Easter Seals and has also recruited additional volunteers. Mr. Alexander’s activities bring more attention to the purpose and mission of Easter Seals. The money he raises is directed to programs, which help change the lives of those with special needs. These programs include various types of therapy and a host of other services working to bring independence to the lives of their community members with disabilities.