MARTIN POZEZNIK

When you need an enthusiastic and dependable volunteer, look no further that Martin Pozeznik. As a member of RSVP since 1987, Martin has significantly contributed time, talent and creativity to help fulfill the agency’s mission.

Last year Martin was matched with a gentleman who was in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s Disease, and who frequently lost his balance and would find himself on the floor. Martin created a pulley system to help him with his mobility, and made sure things were within his reach. He often stopped by to either give a caregiver a break, or just to say hi because “I know he’s lonely and likes to see me.”

One afternoon when Martin was about to leave, his client looked up at him from his seat on the floor and said, “Come down here a minute, I want to give you a hug.” Martin got down on the floor and gave him a hug. It was the last time Martin saw him alive. He felt it was his responsibility and honor to attend the funeral of “his friend.”

Martin Pozeznik is 90 years old! It astounds me to think that he has been providing in home support to frail seniors and the disabled for 18 years! I have NEVER seen Martin wear anything but a smile on his face, nor have I ever heard him complain. He always has an up beat, positive attitude and a sunny disposition.

He loves what he does and encourages others to “…help someone out. We’re all going to need help sometime.” He is a joy to be around, and at an age when many seniors are looking for services, Martin is looking for seniors to serve. I would love to see him honored for his service to his community.

GARY B. PAGE

Gary Page joined the RSVP last year. He actively serves at three RSVP stations as well as volunteering for the Fields Pond Nature Conservancy despite being wheel-chair bound due to Multiple Sclerosis. Gary assists the Eastern Agency on Aging with their Tax Rent and the Maine Medicare Education Partnership programs. He is a docent with the Galen Cole Land Transportation Museum.

However, his heart and the majority of his volunteer hours are with the Bangor Outreach Office of the National Multiple Sclerosis (NMSS). For that organization, Gary utilizes his professional skills from advocacy to vocational rehabilitation of office management to support the mission and efforts of the NMSS.

According to K. Sawyer, the Outreach Coordinator for the Bangor area, Gary has transformed the office making it more efficient and is an inspiration to her and the clients they represent. He has helped many afflicted with MS to bloom and fulfill life dreams despite their health condition. “Gary is a self-starter and a go-getter,” according to Ms. Sawyer. He has served over 1200 hours since joining RSVP last year. Ms. Sawyer has also described him as a super volunteer, and that she could not function without him. His assistance with fundraising, health fair education, advocacy efforts and other responsibilities drives and strengthens the organization’s ability to serve the needs of those afflicted with MS in the greater Bangor area.

Another volunteer on the site gave her opinion of Gary as “…an irreplaceable rock and cornerstone” for the Maine Chapter. Whenever, in my role as RSVP program coordinator, I have the opportunity to visit the MS office, I am greeted by Gary who has an unmatched enthusiasm in his speech and eyes and a warm confidence of a man on a mission…he lives with MS but also gives to MS all that he can.

MILDRED MCKINNEY

Mildred McKinney has been an RSVP volunteer for 27 of her 33 volunteering years, serving all 27 at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) in Spartanburg, SC. She is 88 years young and has a wonderful attitude and spirit, both about her volunteerism and about life. She sees the positive, always, over the negative.

She is fondly referred to as the “Queen of Volunteers” by her Volunteer Site Director, by her co-volunteers, by her RSVP Director and by the doctors, interns, nurses, and all other hospital staff. In the 27 years at the hospital, she has served 21,600 hours, an average of 67 hours per month. Mildred drives to and from the hospital, and her absence on a designated day is a rarity, indeed.

She volunteers at least four days a week, three in the Surgery Waiting Room, one of the busiest places in the hospital, where Mildred serves as the liaison between the physicians and the family members. The doctors, particularly, enjoy Mildred’s dry wit and twinkling eyes and smile. As one doctor stated, “Mrs. McKinney is a bright spot in situations where there are not always bright spots.” While she is highly professional in dealing with family members of sometimes critical or terminal patients, she is always compassionate, helpful and available. We are unable to come up with a number of families/people that Mildred has helped and comforted over 27 years but we are sure it is thousands. Mildred has a talent for being able to size up a situation quickly and make right decisions concerning that situation.

She is very healthy, energetic, and highly capable. She insists that her volunteer activities keep her young and happy. At 88 years, she still enjoys life, a goal we all hope to have at 88.

On her fourth volunteer day, she is at the Information Desk, escorting family members to their destinations. If either of her locations temporarily changes, she “rolls with the punches” as she does many times a day in such a demanding environment. Even though she is a widow on a fixed income, she is made rich by loving, caring and giving heart.

BARRY & EVELYN ADLER

Barry and Evelyn Adler are a dynamic team. Seniors themselves, as JFCS Case Aides they specialize in providing tangible, practical support to other seniors and to individuals struggling with chronic illness or disabilities. Whether it’s installing bookcases, repairing a broken stair, taking a client shopping for new shoes, arranging to have a care tuned-up, or sorting through 30 years of clutter in preparation for a client’s move to care facility, Barry and Evelyn are the pair JFCS turns to when loving hearts and helping hands are needed out in the field.

Because of their caring personalities, Barry and Evelyn are able to make immediate warm connections with clients (which is not always easy to do), while keeping them focused on the task to be accomplished. As a result, difficult clients who would normally refuse help will allow them to go through papers that have piled up, toss things not needed, and set up a filing system for important documents. Barry and Evelyn have also functioned as a “sounding board” for senior clients who are in transition; accompanying them to assisted living facilities and helping them see the advantages of living in such a place. And Barry has also brought his expertise with technology to the job, setting up computer systems for clients and teaching them how to use the equipment.

Many of our clients do not have anyone else to provide them with this kind of direct practical support since they are either childless or their children live far away. By doing these simple, but essential, tasks for our clients Barry and Evelyn greatly reduce the strain on the JFCS care managers while ensuring that our clients get the individualized help they need.

As if this gift of their time and talents wasn’t enough, several years ago Barry and Evelyn set up an endowment fund to underwrite the cost of providing specialized trainings for the JCFS volunteer corps on how to work effectively with “challenging” clients and stressful situations, like helping clients deal depression and isolation during the holiday season, or working with clients with serious mental illnesses.

In addition to their patience and generosity, a special sill of the Adler’s is the ability to sort through mounds of clutter and separate what is truly valuable from what should be discarded. This was indispensable when they were asked to handle the disposition of items in the storage locker of an elder Cantor. Sifting through each book, photo, tape and scrap of paper, they catalogued the items and arranged for them to be shipped to the Yiddish Repository. Thanks to their efforts, The Cantor’s treasures did not end up in the garbage, but in a Jewish museum for all to enjoy.

SENIOR STITCHERS

June Roberts is an RSVP volunteer who created and leads a sewing/craft group call the Senior Stitchers. They meet once a week at my Volunteer Action Center. As a result of June’s personal dream, leadership and the hard work necessary to make it come true, the Stitchers are creating textile treasures that have been distributed around the world.

In June’s own words, “There are a lot of people out there who are just lonesome, and they need to do something. Here they can come and sew and give back. It’s our desire to give back to the community. We believe we can still serve others. We still have much to give, and our hearts go out to the children and the elderly in need.”

Besides an abundance of compassion, June’s understanding of the nitty gritty details necessary to keep a volunteer effort together truly sets her apart. As the head dietician at a nursing home, for years, she saw elderly in their most vulnerable state. Later she served as bookkeeper at the local Volunteer Action Center. When the time came to think of retirement, her knowledge of senior volunteers, her love of sewing and her innate need to serve, all coalesced into a plan for a community sewing room.

Sewing machines were procured, space was donated to the project and materials came pouring in. June patiently, but persistently, recruited volunteers until they now number more than 20. Additionally, they have attracted the RSVP Sewers from a local Baptist Church, who specialize in creating blankets and other unique items.

The Senior Stitchers stockpile and distribute items, such as, aprons for Alzheimer’s patients, head gear for cancer patients, heart pillows for the local open heart surgery center, clothing protectors for nursing home patients, walker gear for those with walking disabilities and even provide catheter bag covers.

Word has spread and items have been requested by the Humane Society, the community theater, Head Start, pre-schools and foster family agencies. Some of the Stichers’ handiwork even went to Russia.

Two years ago, June was struck with a brain hemorrhage, leaving her critically ill and hospitalized for many weeks. Throughout her trauma, her group of volunteers continued to serve the community. Jean defied the odds and is again back at work with her sewing group. They continue to reach out to those in need, converting their energies and talents into tangible signs of caring throughout our community.

June has received the West Virginia Governor’s Award and was acknowledged by President Bush when he visited this month. She asks that a Points of Light be given to her Senior Stitchers for their outstanding contributions to seniors and other vulnerable people in our area.

MARGARET FRETWELL

Margaret has served as a mentor to children at Concord Elementary School since the inception of the school district’s Legacy Mentoring Program in 2000,when Concord Elementary School established a partnership with First Presbyterian Church called “Presbyterian Partners.” The nominee’s functions in the program include being paired with a child for the length of a school year(s), tutoring the child on a weekly basis, mentoring the child with support in the form of checking on the child’s well-being, getting to know the child as a friend who can be trusted and depended on to be here for the child, and being like “family” (in this case “grandmother”) to the child. Margaret has certainly been here for children in those ways over the past five years. The children she has been paired with have had tremendous needs in that they have been from families with special circumstances such as a lack of parental support, or are living with other family members other than parents, or have tremendous educational needs as a result of these other factors. Four children in need have benefited from this wonderful, compassionate volunteer over the past five years. When one child was ready to go on to middle school, this nominee arranged for a mentor to see him weekly at McCants Middle School. She could not bear to think of him being there without some support from the mentoring program. She has touched the lives of children by faithfully coming weekly, never wanting to miss her time with her child. She follows up on them when she sees a problem by either coming to the principal or teacher. She continues to follow up on them after they leave her care at the end of the year, always wanting to know how they are or if they are getting support. She plans activities to reinforce classroom objectives, assists with homework, gives support with hugs and pats on the back and much verbal praise. She brings quarters so that they can get special treats in the cafeteria.

Ms. Fretwell has certainly made a difference in the life of a child, one child at a time, week by week, over the past five years of this program. While the numbers may not be high, the results are phenomenal. There is no way to measure what one adult can do for a child in a one-to-one positive relationship. Becoming a “significant” adult in the life of a child when the parent is not in the picture, when the child is stressed with life’s blows, or when the child just needs to see a friendly, loving face that says, “I care about you” cannot be quantified.

Margaret brings compassion for children and their families, dedication to the school and its partnership with her church, the realization of the needs of so many students who do not receive the support at home that they need, a willingness to be a part of a volunteer effort that benefits our community now and over time, and the initiative to come out regardless of personal circumstances, to see that today’s youth have the support they need. Because she reads and keeps up with educational issues, she frequently voices her concerns about education’s’ budgets, its testing programs, etc. She likes to be on the “forefront” of what is happening in schools.

While age should never be considered an obstacle, it is often a limitation. This nominee has not let age slow her down in her volunteer efforts. She will be 91 on her next birthday, which is coming up on May 6. There are not many volunteers her age, and that is why this nominee is so special to Concord. She is diligent in her pursuit of volunteering with children.

VICTORIA THORNTON-LUCAS

Victoria was born in Sumpter, South Carolina on May 19, 1940. She grew up in a family of nine. While life was not always easy, her mother was a loving and charitable woman who taught her children, by example, the importance of sharing and serving others. Her mother helped their disadvantaged neighbors, as well as strangers, by providing them with food, clothing, and shelter in her home.

In 1969, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas moved into the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. At that time, the community in Bushwick was flourishing. By the early 1990’s, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas began to see a disturbing change happening in her beloved neighborhood. Drugs, AIDS, homelessness, joblessness and hunger were ravaging Bushwick, bringing the community to the point of utter destruction.

A turning point for Mrs. Thornton-Lucas came when she saw an elderly neighbor eating out of a garbage can and eating cat food to sustain herself. Mrs. Thornton-Lucas saw other elderly friends abandoned by their family members, struggling to support themselves in their golden years. With homelessness growing, and jobs scarce, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas witnessed many families going without food and shelter.

“I’ve seen the community change completely,” said Mrs. Thornton-Lucas. This heartbreaking change from strong, middle-class families, to poverty stricken individuals, provided the motivation for her to continue her charitable deeds. She decided to become part of the solution, instead of being a victim of her environment. Wanting to help suffering members of her community, she started the Bushwick Community Council Service (BCCS) Soup Kitchen and Pantry in 1996. At first, Mrs. Thornton-Lucas used her own funds all of the food that was distributed to those in need. Later, she began to receive limited funding from outside agencies.

Mrs. Thornton-Lucas presently serves as BCCS’s Director. Her position is unpaid, and entirely voluntary. Under her leadership, BCCS has grown steadily over the years. They began serving 125 clients per month, providing 25-50 meals per week. They now serve over 2,700 clients per month, providing 500 hot meals a week and 250-300 food pantry bags. Her program serves meals to more than 30,000 people each year. Mrs. Thornton-Lucas began with two volunteer. The soup kitchen now utilizes 14 volunteers who serve on a regular basis. They provide sit-down meals in the soup kitchen, take-out meal service, meal delivery service, to homebound senior residents in the community, and a full functioning food pantry. In addition, free clothing, job referrals and various job-training services area also provided to those in need, through the Bushwick United Methodist Church, which has housed the BCCS since its inception. Like her mother before her, Victoria Thornton-Lucas continues to share and serve, and is an example for others to follow in her footsteps. Her future plans involve developing programs that would allow youth and older adults an opportunity to serve and give back to their community.

EMIL SPERLING

Buddy Sperling has been volunteering at Huron Healthcare for the past two years. Prior to this he volunteered at a hospital and care center. He helps in the activity department and always brings smiles.

He volunteers every day at the Center and as part of his daily routine, he visits each resident giving out hugs and encouraging them to participate in the planned activities. Staff at Huron HealthCare state that the residents all react to Buddy, while Buddy feels that it is his mission in life now to help the residents as much as he can and that shows in the way they respond to him. When he enters a room they all light up.

He is always willing to do whatever is needed including participating in field trips and other activities. In addition to volunteering at Huron Health Care Buddy is active in his church. When asked about Buddy and his volunteering the staff says, “he is faithful, dedicated and giving.”

JACK REYNOLDS

Jack Reynolds took a day off from school in April as he was sent to the governor’s office. Reynolds is a 78-year-old volunteer known as “Grandpa Jack” at Centennial Elementary. He’s also a member of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program agind was recognized as an “outstanding volunteer” at a ceremony at the governor’s mansion on April 18.

Reynolds is heading into his 18th year at Centennial where he has his own desk in the third-grade classroom of teacher Linda Cohee. Though Reynolds volunteers in excess of 1,000 hours a year doing a variety of tasks, Cohee said she’d be lost without him. When Reynolds was out with an illness recently, Cohee said she found herself scrambling to her work and his as well so he wouldn’t come back to a pile of work.

For his part, Reynolds tries very hard not to miss a day of school. But his sense of humor comes out when he explains why his desk is in Cohee’s classroom even though he volunteers all over the campus. “They won’t let me out of the third grade,” Reynolds said.

BILL & GAIL MARTIN

Bill and Gail Martin are the ultimate volunteering machines, contributing thousands of hours to our community through various efforts. As charter members of Lake Anna Rescue Squad they were involved in much of the planning efforts for the organization. Bill has been an emergency vehicle driver since 1998; Gail joined in this capacity shortly thereafter. Gail is also the Historian and Communication Chairperson and serves on the Hospitality and Fund Raising Committees, and chaired the Emergency Medical Services annual picnic for two years. Bill has held various officer positions, including President (2 years), Secretary (2 years) and Treasurer (1 year).

Another charter member effort revolved around Volunteers of Louisa, the local volunteer organization for Louisa County. Bill was one of the community leaders who were instrumental in the organization obtaining its corporate and non-profit status in 2002. He has served as a Director (3 years) and Treasurer (3 years). Gail has been Secretary (3 years), Historian and has assisted with the annual reception each year.

They are also very active on the Lake Anna Civic Association, where Bill served as Secretary (4 years) and Treasurer (4 years). Gail is the Association’s Historian and Hospitality Chairperson, planning and often catering their social events. They both are active recruiters for the organization.

Having retired from the federal government, Bill wanted to stay involved in ways that would help his fellow retirees. He was elected as President for the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), Louisa Chapter 2065, and also as Area 8 Vice President Virginia Federation of Chapters. Gail serves as Historian and handles program development for this organization. Also interested in local environmental issues, they are both heavily involved in the Louisa County Clean Community Commission. Bill serves as the Jackson District representative and Gail is the Historian and Board of Directors Secretary. They also maintain a 4-mile stretch of Adopt-A-Highway roads.

The political arena also benefits from this duo. Bill has served as the Chief Poll Officer, Jackson District for 5 years. Gail serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisa Republican Committee and is a member of the Lake Anna Republican Committee.

Other activities for Bill include Jefferson Area Board for Aging – currently serving on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee and as the Vice-Chairman of their Advisory Council, and Louisa County Crime Solvers, serving as Treasurer. Gail loves to cook and is constantly providing her catering services for various fundraisers and organizations like Habitat for Humanity. She also serves as President of the Piecemakers Quilt Club, where she initiated and planned their Annual Quilt ‘N’ Craft Community Luncheon, Quilting Marathon and Quilting Retreat. Needless to say, these two are energetic and caring individuals who are dedicated to their community!