DOROTHY EPSTEIN
Dorothy Epstein has dedicated her life to community service. She is a leader in the fight for social justice, a champion of the labor movement, a role model, an advocate for women’s rights, a strong proponent of advocacy training and an inspiring voice on behalf of older adults.
Upon retiring at age 76, Dorothy joined the Joint Public Affairs Committee for Older Adults (JPAC), a regional, multi-cultural, grassroots advocacy group and a division of the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA). She brought an extraordinary knowledge of and interest in the issues impacting older adults. She provided guidance on public policy, helped initiate and carry out strategies for action and testified at public hearings. In 1993, Dorothy was named chair of JPAC’s governing advisory committee. At the same time, she was asked to be the only volunteer member of an advisory group for then Commissioner of the NYC Department for the Aging, Prima Mathai-Davis. Dorothy is currently a member of this group, under the present Commissioner.
In 1993, Dorothy worked with JPAC’s advisory committee to create a one-of-a-kind leadership-training program called the Institute for Senior Action. The 10-week advocacy training, which began in 1994, hones the skills of longtime community activists. The Institute serves as a vehicle for recent retirees and others to become more involved in social action as volunteers. Since its inception, 524 senior leaders coming from 347 different organizations have completed the course. These volunteers have returned to their communities and organizations armed with new skills and a renewed sense of purpose and self-confidence that fuels their social action efforts.
At the age of 92, Dorothy continues to lend tremendous expertise to JPAC and its mission of senior action and continues to propose new directions for senior advocacy. Recognizing the importance of bridging the gap between generations, in 1998, Dorothy forged a connection between JPAC and undergraduate students from Hunter College. With her help, this Intergenerational Committee explores common social concerns and strategies to promote activism. Dorothy has also helped to promote the community work of the Hunter School of Health and Sciences. She has been instrumental in helping JPAC promote senior advocacy through use of video and other media forms, recently assisting in the publication of A Tool Kit for Advocacy, a manual written and published by Institute graduates. Recognizing the lessons that can be learned from the lives of older activists, Dorothy spearheaded the Advocate’s Oral History Project. This project highlights the remarkable lives of more than 30 graduates of JPAC’s Institute.
Dorothy Epstein stands as a strong leader in the senior community. Through her personal example, she has enabled older adults and the public at large to recognize the capacity of older persons to grow, create and contribute to society’s well being. She is passionate about senior issues and is equally passionate about working to ensure that older adult activists are adequately prepared and trained to be effective leaders in the fight for social justice.
EDITH J. CLAYTON
Edie impacts everything and everyone at VSA. Unquenchable curiosity draws her to challenges and opportunities that people and events around her provide. Her contagious enthusiasm is particularly helpful to new volunteers who’ve experienced personal crises. She is gifted at satisfying their need for compassion while encouraging them to look forward.
VSA’s CEO compares each of Edie’s contacts to a new-planted cherry stone. After planting this stone, a gardener proceeds to other projects. Fruit trees take years to bear fruit; a busy gardener may thus never see the results of her effort. Edie plants ideas and dreams in people. She tends to hearts needing attention and nurtures positive feelings. Though she’ll never remember every kind thing done or every encouragement given, those she touches “bloom” because of her spirit and care. We see it in others and feel it within ourselves.
Compassion and a desire to help; we observe these in everything Edie does for VSA, other agencies, and individuals. Because much of Edie’s service is in the public eye, she is a visual reminder of the vibrancy, talent, and wisdom that senior citizens can contribute to their communities.
Edie is talented and energetic in many areas of service. She frequently engages in unique activities that complement day-to-day duties. Edie assists Easter Seals with clerical tasks. This summer, she assisted township police by directing spectators to safe locations to watch a fireworks display that Easter Seals sponsored as a fundraiser.
Edie was among the first to enroll in Ohio Citizens Corps. To assist VSA in staffing an emergency Volunteer Reception Center, Edie completed Community Emergency Response Training. She subsequently helped trained scores of additional VRC volunteers. She maintains VSA’s Go Box (essential VRC material/equipment), and after training sessions, restocks depleted supplies.
Edie coordinated recent efforts to enroll volunteers in Citizen Corps, contacting McDonald’s managers to use their restaurants as sign-up locations. She enrolled and trained volunteer recruiters. Edie assists American Heart Association staff with bulk mail projects, assembles Heart Walk participants’ fundraiser kits, and contacts schools to update Association files regarding critical contact information: changes in administrators, addresses, phone numbers, etc.
This spring, Edie answered a Mahoning Safe Communities request to help launch a safety campaign by dressing as a Crash Test Dummy, mingling with local media, posing for photos with first responders, and distributing publicity paraphernalia. At a spring community exposition, she answered visitors’ questions about VSA, its programs, and its volunteers opportunities and promoted sales of VSA’s fund-raiser cookbook. She recently helped VSA inaugurate the Inter-Denominational Youth Coalition, first administratively and later as a volunteer participant. As an RSVP program aide, Edie is invaluable, maintaining up-to-date and according-to-Corporation-standards files. Edie was our natural, immediate choice when a radio talk show host invited a spokesperson to represent VSA in an interview about volunteer service. Edie also serves Volunteer Service to Seniors, helping make one-to-one matches of frail elderly persons living alone with volunteers who assist with day-to-day shopping chores and provide transportation.
GENE CHUN
Philanthropy and volunteerism is an essential part of Gene Chun’s identity. Gene has been committed to volunteering and supporting Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity for over 7 years. He is also committed to helping his community.
Gene spearheaded an internal Delta Airlines campaign to get his co-workers committed to donating their time and efforts to Habitat for Humanity. So far, Gene has donated close to 1500 hours of service to Habitat for Humanity, helping to build many homes in the Salt Lake Valley.
Stella Allen, of Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity says, “When Mr. Chun signed on as a volunteer with our organization, he understood that success comes with responsibility as well as deeply rewarding opportunities. He continues to be swept up in excitement of working along side the families to meet Habitat’s goal of providing housing.”
SONA SHAH
In July 2003, Sona Shah committed one additional year of her life to full-time community service as an AmeriCorps* VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) with barely livable allowance after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in China for over a year, teaching English. She chose SAHELI, an 11-year-old-all-volunteer, support, and advocacy organization for underserved Asian victims of domestic violence in Austin, Texas for her community service.
Community needs and solution: As an all-volunteer organization, volunteer recruitment, training and coordination is extremely important to SAHELI. Equally important and crucial to SAHELI’s mission is community education and outreach. Sona Shah met this need as SAHELI’s Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. During her VISTA year, Sona has coordinated 30 information booths, 9 educational workshops, 6 book/film discussions, 1 radio program, and publication of several articles in various community newsletters. She has organized 3 new volunteer orientation sessions attended by 48 people, collected their interests and connected them with matching teams. Sona has also coordinated SAHELI’s major community fundraiser, a walk that mobilized approximately 100 walkers and raised $12,000 from the community.
Connection building: As the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, Sona has built connections with numerous community organizations, businesses, non-profit agencies, university departments and professors, student organizations, churches, radio, TV, newspapers, and individuals. She has identified potential volunteers, translators and interpreters for SAHELI. She has participated in several coalitions of non-profits that collectively build solutions to common problems.
Ongoing involvement: Sona is extremely dedicated and organized. In addition to volunteering with SAHELI as a VISTA, Sona is also a founding member of the Post Collective, a grassroots organization, focusing on mobilizing Asian American youth. Sona and her team organized a summer youth conference that took a year of planning and long hours. After finishing her VISTA term, Sona continues to volunteer as a member of the SAHELI Board of Directors while working as SafePlace as the Executive Assistant.
Impact: Because of Sona’s outreach efforts, the number and diversity of SAHELI’s active volunteers have doubled and the number of calls to the SAHELI help line has increased by 35%. Sona’s efforts doubled SAHELI’s supporter base and won SAHELI two more visible to the community. Sona’s organizational skills and quiet sense of humor put new members at ease and attracted them to SAHELI. Her ability to understand and appreciate the strengths of each volunteer and listen to their needs made them effective team players.
Innovation: Sona has taken the initiative to find resources useful to SAHELI’s mission, enhanced internal documentation, improved and streamlined volunteer orientation. Sona has made SAHELI’s website more attractive and usable. She has helped translate domestic violence literature into Chinese. She has directed student interns in their volunteering. Sona has also taken initiative to organize a Board retreat for SAHELI’s Board development and strategic planning and trained SAHELI’s new staff about SAHELI’s outreach methods.
DAN MURPHY
On behalf of the children, volunteers and families of Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), I am pleased and honored to be able to nominate Dan Murphy for the Daily Point of Light Award. His tireless commitment to serving children and young adults with disabilities in Montgomery County for more than a decade has been remarkable, and his efforts are a model for the way in which a single, motivated volunteer can change the way an entire community is served.
During the past 12 years, KEEN has had more than 8,000 volunteers participate in our nine local programs. In that time, we have had the good fortune to benefit from the volunteer and community service of many of the most committed and talented members of our community. In recent years, one volunteer stands out for his steadfast dedication to our program, for his unselfish efforts, and for his tireless work we enhance our program and the lives of the children we serve in Montgomery County: Dan Murphy.
KEEN provides free one-to-one sports coaching to children with severe and profound disabilities, without regard to a child’s financial resources or the severity of his or her disabilities. At our nine programs, our volunteers work on a one-to-one basis with children with such disabilities as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and Mental Retardation. More information on KEEN is available at www.keengreaterdc.org.
Dan first came to KEEN in 1999 as a volunteer recruited from the DC Cates organization located in Washington, DC. His interest in getting involved with KEEN was not dictated by having any family member affected by disability, instead he articulated a strongly felt desire to make a difference in the community. Dan made an immediate impression on our Board members and was asked to join our Board of Directors.
Dan brought to the KEEN board of directors a new vision and energy that mobilized the entire KEEN community. He nearly single-handedly conceived and implemented a new KEEN Board structure and focus that has had much to do with our recent success and the strong foundation we have for the future. With Dan’s help, we were able to establish new board committees that allowed us to function more effectively in different areas such as communication, marketing, and development. He volunteered to help with the most time sensitive and demanding structural functions of KEEN, and delivered results that consistently tough the lives of children with disabilities and their families. From the outset, he has been willing to do anything necessary to help KEEN achieve its strategic and tactical objectives.
BETTY WRIGHT
“Giving the gift of literacy” was a goal Betty Wright and her late husband Frank Wright had in mind when they established The Frank and Betty Wright Foundation. In 1979, a children’s literacy program called Wright to Read (WTR) was established. What began as a pilot program with just three volunteer tutors working with three students has grown into three programs, which serves over 150 students and involves over 150 volunteer tutors! Now celebrating 25 years of service to the children of the City of Alexandria Public Schools, Mrs. Wright’s dream continues to be a huge success.
A resident of Old Town since 1953, Mrs. Wright has made outstanding contributions to the community through her leadership and commitment to philanthropy efforts. In 1962 Betty Wright became the Executive Director of what was then the Alexandria YWCA and later became the Alexandria Community Y. While director of the YWCA, Mrs. Wright hired Elizabeth Ann Campagna as director of programs. In 1990, the community Y was renamed the Campagna Center, in honor of Mrs. Campagna, who was one of the first people invited to join the board of the foundation.
Today, the Wright to Read office is administered and located in The Campagna Center and has been fully funded by the Frank and Betty Wright foundation for the last 25 years. Mrs. Wright continues to be an active participant and volunteers her time in the entire Wright to Read programs, which has grown tremendously over the years. With the help of dedicated tutors, who become friends and mentors to their students, Wright to Read strives to teach children to read – one child at a time.
In addition to her continued commitment and love of children and literacy, Mrs. Wright provided the funds for a reading garden at the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Library in the year 2000. Enjoyed by thousands of Alexandrians, the reading garden is an inspiration and gift of love from Betty Wright. Mrs. Wright ahs generously donated American furniture and paintings to the Smithsonian’s State Department for their reception room and donated a portrait of Dr. Brown and funds for restoration to the Alexandria Art Museum. She is also a long time member and contributor of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum.
It is hard to put on paper the many contributions of this wonderful woman. She is an inspiration to everyone who comes in contact with her – a community hero and true philanthropist. The Wright to Read program is grateful for her vision and commitment to giving the gift of literacy to the children of Alexandria.
RICHARD SEMMLER
“He’s headed toward half a million,” said John J. Ruffino, executive director of the NVCC Educational Foundation, which puts Semmler in the top Tier of its private donors.
“He’s a great example not only for this college but for anybody,” Ruffino said. A list of Semmler’s charitable contributions, which he prints by hand in neat columns, shows that he has also donated $200,000 to his alma mater, Plattsburgh State University of New York.
Other contributions over his lifetime unclude$140,000 to the Northern Virginia chapter of Habitat for Humanity; $30,000 to Ernest Angley Ministries, an evangelical Christian group, at $100 a month since 1979; $22,880 to Central Union Mission, a D.C. homeless shelter and soup kitchen, covering 10,400 meals; and 2,400 to the evangelical Christian group Crystal Cathedral Ministries. By the end of this year, by his calculations, the total will be slightly more than $770,000.
Those are the numbers expected from the scion of a wealthy family, not the son of a Rochester electrician and a secretary who couldn’t afford to send their son to college. Semmler, a top track athlete in high school, attended Plattsburgh State on scholarships. In gratitude, he made his first contribution — $25 – to the school after graduating in 1968.
“That’s the snowball that started rolling,” Semmler recalled with a rich chuckle. “As it did, it got bigger and bigger and bigger.” Three decades later, he resembles a youthful beardless Santa Clause – with his rolling laugh, bushy white hair, rosy face and slight paunch. Those who work with him say he is always smiling.
He has never married, and he lives alone in a tiny condo in a faded apartment building on Scott Circle NW in the district. It is strewn with papers from the math textbooks he writes and edits to help fund his charitable events. One day last week, he was in his office on the NVCC Annandale campus by 6 am to correct papers before heading over to the Habitat site in the Briarwood trace community in Vienna.
After three hours of sawing and hammering in the 90-degree heat, he stopped for a milkshake at Wendy’s and then headed to his office again for more paperwork. He would go from there to a condo meeting and expected to be home by midnight.
This semester, he is teaching his classes via e-mail, videos and mail through NVCC’s Extended Learning Institute to give him more time for his Habitat project. On the phone at his cluttered desk amid a jumble of spider plants, he lobbied NVCC administration officials to offer scholarships to the children of four households that will occupy the Habitat houses being built in Briarwood Trace. “Do I need to stop by and see you on that?” he said cheerfully but firmly.
Acquaintances steered him to Habitat, to which he has been a contributor since the mid-1990’s, and to Central Union Mission, where he has been active since 1999. his religious pursuits sent him to the Christian groups. But Semmler’s approach isn’t checkbook philanthropy. He stays involved with his money. “Most of my dollars go to very specific projects, so I know what I’m funding,” Semmler said. “I want to see my dollars at work.” Once a week and on holidays, he serves dinner at the Central Union Mission, and he offers math tutoring to clients seeking their high school equivalency diploma. His NVCC and Plattsburgh contributions go to scholarships and to specific programs at the schools. He serves on the board of the Habitat chapter in Northern Virginia and always assists in building the houses he helps fund.
“He puts his hands where his money goes,” said Steve Green, manager of volunteers for Habitat. “He’s one of a kind,” said Don Thompson, who will own the Vienna house. “He doesn’t just talk a good game. He’s out there in the trenches.” By standard calculations, the personal price for Semmler has been high. Leisure activities are few. Aside from textbook work, he is also a part-time maintenance man at the Annandale building where he owns a condo that he rents out. But even with extra work, he expects he’ll have to sell his D.C. condo shortly to meet some of his charitable commitments. Life isn’t always about multiplying what you get, he explained. Sometimes, its about subtraction.
MALLORY WOOTEN
Two requirements for volunteers and instructors working in the PALS Lab are concern for people and commitment to the importance of education. Mallory Wooten exhibited both of these characteristics in her work with these students.
PALS Lab Community Needs & Solutions – Statistics have shown that there is a sizable segment of the population in Northwest Alabama that do not have a high school diploma or GED. The contribution to society from an individual who does not possess a basic education will be greatly diminished from an economic and familiar perspective. By serving as a volunteer in the Adult Literacy/PALS Lab, Mallory Wooten helped people reach personal educational goals and strengthened the community by raising the educational level of potential employees and parents.
Connection Building – Many of the students attending the Adult Literacy/PALS Lab face challenges, which have prevented them from being served by traditional educational resources. Mallory showed a special talent for using the one-to-one method of teaching used in Adult Literacy. This method of instruction builds student confidence and allows them to feel comfortable as they try to reconnect to the educational process. The resources of the PALS Lab are easily adaptable to serve students on both ends of the academic spectrum from non-readers to more advanced learners.
Volunteers and teachers working on the PALS Lab must be able to work with community stakeholders. Mallory gained significant experience as she formulated and monitored the educational plans of students referred from agencies including juvenile probation, K-12 school systems, social service agencies and the court system.
Ongoing Involvement – The PALS Lab operates every month per year, meeting the needs of students throughout Northwest Alabama. After successfully completing the curriculum, students may opt to take the GED Test or enter other areas of study. The lab is also a part of the community college system.
Impact – By working in the PALS Lab, Mallory was able to yield a significant impact on individuals and community at large. Studies have shown a direct correlation between educational achievement and lifetime earnings. In addition, the PALS Lab has a positive impact on the population on Northwest Alabama by developing a more highly skilled population and workforce.
Innovation – The PALS Lab is unique in the way it gives instructors state of the art equipment to employ in a student friendly environment. Mallory’s familiarity with computers and her ability to work closely with people made her a good match for the lab.
Pat Zenner
In 1952, Pat Zenner made a personal commitment to help the March of Dimes fight polio, and through the years, she dedicated over 50 years of her life to improving the health of babies.
Zenner began volunteering during the height of the battle to stop polio in its tracks. In the years before finding the cure for polio, Zenner recruited hundreds of women to participate in Mother March, a door-to-door fundraising campaign to fight polio. When victory in polio was achieved, the March of Dimes began its new mission, to prevent birth defects.
Through the 1960’s & 1970’s, Zenner was a source of wisdom, leadership and perseverance. She adopted wholeheartedly the new mission of improving the health of babies. As Minnesota Chapter Chair and Campaign Director for ten years from 1965-1975, she helped to guide a revolution in fundraising at the March of Dimes, most notably with the introduction of WalkAmerica.
Over the years, Zenner has served in various capacities. Some of her roles include: served as National Volunteer Liaison to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs; participating as a charter member of the National Council of Chapter Volunteers; created and sustained collaborative educational programs like the PTA and Minnesota Libraries; served on the March of Dimes Greater Twin Cities Executive Committee and the Central Minnesota Division’s Board of Directors; and for 23 years, chaired the St. Cloud Celebrity Roast & Toast, a March of Dimes fundraiser.
In 2002 at the March of Dimes National Volunteer Leadership Conference, Zenner received the Distinguished National Service Award for her 50 years of dedication to the March of Dimes. The award was presented by Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, granddaughter of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 2002, Zenner was also awarded the Central Division Outstanding Committee Chairperson of the year.
In December 2004, Zenner received the Volunteer of the year award at the Minnesota State Volunteer Leadership Conference. She is also a past honoree of the Minnesota Chapter’s Outstanding Volunteer of the year. In October 2004, Zenner’s Celebrity Roast and Toast event raised a record $40,000. She was honored at a luncheon in recognition for her many years of leadership service.
Pat truly exemplifies an outstanding volunteer. She has taken the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality to be her own mission for fifty-three years.
DONNA WILES & BEAR WILES, CGC, TDI
“ What is a friend?” A single soul in two bodies, “ says Aristotle. Donna Wiles met and became friends after attending Hospice volunteer training in 2003. While it is not an unusual occurrence for people to become friends through a shared experience. It is what happened after the training that makes Donna’s friendship so special.
Donna Wiles, another member of the same training class, and her Bernese mountain dog, Bear, also visit patients in nursing homes or at Broome Developmental Center. Bear and Donna have donated over 100 hours. It was while sharing these experiences that Maureen and Donna’s friendship blossomed.
Donna decided to investigate whether she could become a donor to Maureen. She proceeded through the initial testing protocol to confirm she was a match. Then she gave Maureen the good news. She was a match, and she would donate her kidney to Maureen. This act of human kindness is the ultimate testimony of a caring and giving soul. “Friendship without self interest is one of the rare and beautiful things in life.”
The preliminary testing is done, and they’re on their way to Pittsburgh for final testing. Please keep Donna in your prayers. You will be updated on this beautiful love story as it continues to unfold! “A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers, blesses you with love and encourages you with hope.”
