CHRIS REED

Chris Reed has been a volunteer with the Utah County Search and Rescue team for over 25 years. In addition to that, Chris has also volunteered for the Spanish Fork and Salem Ambulance associations. He has devoted in excess of 20 years of volunteer service there. Chris also is known throughout Utah Valley for his presentations regarding Search and Rescue, or emergency services. He provides his presentations for other agencies, schools, church, and civic groups. He has never been known to turn down a request for a presentation. He has donated untold hours on a monthly and yearly basis. At one time, it was estimated that Chris has been involved in approximately 3,000 rescue missions during his career. That number does not reflect the number of ambulance calls he responds to.

“Chris is an outstanding individual who simply puts others first in his life.” He has a very positive effect on the quality of life in our communities due to his sacrifice and his dedication to helping others. Chris has spent literally thousands upon thousands of dollars, out of his own pocket, to purchase a hovercraft for ice rescue. This craft alone has allowed Chris to rescue and save 14 lives on Utah Lake. He has also purchased a raft, a wave-runner, and radio equipment to assist the citizens of this county.

Chris is deserving of recognition because of his demonstrated sacrifice and dedication to serving others for over 25 years, not in one volunteer role, but in two.

Chris Reed, quite simply, defines service to others in our community. He leads by example and is willing to help anyone, at anytime. He has spent thousands of hours serving our communities, and the citizens of this county in a volunteer capacity.

JC BOOTH MIDDLE SCHOOL JR BETA CLUB

Beta Club members accumulated more than 2550 service hours in the 2003-2004 school year. New service projects were developed as well as continuing with our annual projects. For their extraordinary efforts, Presidential Student Service Awards went to sixteen members. In addition, school based awards for outstanding efforts in volunteerism and service were given to seventeen members.

Beta Club has added new dimensions to its community outreach. Betas have served the PTO’s at two of our feeder elementary schools, Kedron Elementary and Peachtree City Elementary and have also been in service in Booth’s Saturday School program as peer tutors. In addition, Beta Club was also involved with a very successful coat drive to assist the Fayette Samaritans Clothing Bank at Christmastime.

Our annual service projects include a toiletry drive in September to support the Fayette Council on Domestic Abuse Shelter, three non-perishable food drives to support the Fayette Samaritans Food Bank, a visit to Southland Nursing Home to bring holiday cheer, and making sandwiches in support of the Downtown Night Shelter. Beta Club also became a Soldier’s Angel in supporting the American Legion and VFW in donating foe soldier are packages for those serving in Iraq.

Ongoing projects each year include peer tutoring and teacher helper. Betas give their time to help fellow students in their studies through the tutoring program. Betas also spend many hours in pre- and post-planning helping teachers with a myriad of tasks. Also, individual Betas sign up as volunteers to help teachers on a regular basis. Beta members also serve the Booth PTO in many capacities throughout the school year.

Beta Club is an academic service organization that truly follows the club national motto, “Let us lead by serving others.” The Peachtree City chapter of Beta Club consistently and tirelessly does good work in the school community as well as the entire city.

PERFECTA “CATHY” WALTERS

Cathy Perfecta Walters has been a Cahves County RSVP volunteer since April, 1998. She has accrued over 5600 hours of service to the Roswell Community, the state of New Mexico and nationally as the Disaster Chairman for the Rio Hondo Chapter of the American Red Cross. These hours do not include the time she has been in Florida helping with hurricanes that ravaged the state this summer. She arrived to help the victims of “Charlie” and stayed on to help with “Francis”. It appears that Cathy will be on hand for “Ivan”, as well.

During 2002, Cathy helped with several fires in New Mexico. She was the Trap and Ski Fire, the Kokopelli Fire and The Pinasco Fire. In 2004, she assisted with the Pepin Wildfire in New Mexico. She was a caseworker for the floods in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a caseworker and mass caregiver following the flooding in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cathy goes wherever there is a need.

She is an instructor for Adult, Infant, and Child CPR. For three (3) years Cathy has participated in Super CPR Saturday in Roswell, New Mexico. Additionally, she helps each year with the American Red Cross’s largest fundraiser, selling roses. Not only is she a volunteer for them, she also is a board member for Lend-A-Hand, Inc., a member of the Chaves County RSVP Advisory Group, and a Eucharistic Minister for St. Peter’s Church doing prison ministry.

For four years Cathy helped package and distribute food for the St. Peter’s Good Samaritan Food Program. During that time period, she worked 399 hours helping the hungry receive the food, medicine and clothing they needed.

Last, but not least, Cathy worked in the RSVP office as a volunteer doing clerical work. Her help in the office, on the RSVP Foundation and as a board member on the Chaves County Advisory Group resulted in 513 hours of service to that organization.

JOSEPH LEWRIGHT

Joe Lewright is a man with a generous heart, an indomitable spirit and a love for his community.

Two years ago he decided to participate in Akzo Nobel’s National Benevolence Program. Through this program, Akzo Nobel encourages body shops to repair a damaged vehicle and then donate it to a needy family in their community. Akzo Nobel provides the cost of the paint, if the body shop employees volunteer their labor. Joe took the idea one step further encouraging parts vendors to discount the repair parts or donate them if possible. The response was heartwarming.

Asked to help out too, an insurance company donated six months of liability coverage. Joe also enlisted the help of Child, Inc., an organization which promotes responsible parenting. The organization nominated families who needed the cars and the body shop employees selected who would receive the car. The presentation was the week before Christmas. Child, Inc. arranged for media coverage and several local dignitaries were invited to speak. The vendors received plaques honoring their participation. And so no one would feel left out, Joe also made sure there were Christmas gifts for the selected family’s children. The ambiance of that day was smiles and goodwill all around. Joe said he had never felt happier and vowed to do it again in 2003, which he did.

For 2004, Joe challenged other body shops to follow his lead. He has persevered, offering encouragement and assistance when needed. He and a representative of Child, Inc. have spoken on a national level to promote participation. This year in Austin five body shops will give a car to the needy people. Child, Inc. will again be sponsoring the families and coordination the presentation which will be held in a city auditorium in December.

Joe has worked tirelessly on this because he cares for his community and is determined to help where he can. One person can make a difference. One person can be a Point of Light.

DODGE CITY CITIZENS POLICE AUXILIARY

In the fall of 1996 the Police Department had just graduated from its first Citizen Police academy with fifteen graduates; the Department was searching for a new police chief and was experiencing a 22% vacancy rate in its sworn-officer ranks; and a gang related killing had galvanized the community to take action. These near simultaneous occurring events proved to be the catalyst that provided the foundation to develop a very unique community policing partnership. That partnership became known as the “Citizen-assisted Policing Program”.

The program was constructed on the premise that highly trained “Citizen Police Assistants” could augment the staffing of the police department, provide law enforcement services not requiring the presence of a commissioned police officer, and most recently, assist the department in accomplishing Homeland Security initiatives. Our primary strategy was to develop and equip a citizen-assisted policing initiative, as additional “eyes and ears” to combat gang, drug abuse and violent crime activity, and to assist officers with routine tasks that can be completed by non-sworn volunteers, allowing the officer to return to active patrol.

After having a fully operational Citizen-assisted Policing program in excess of seven years, we have attained our three initial project goals. We have developed (1) a responsive, long-term and meaningful partnership with the community, the members of the Citizen Assisted Policing Unit, and members of the police department; (2) the public’s awareness of the need to assist their police department and maintain an open line of communication to help in combating crime and ensuring homeland security efforts are met is present; and (3) the Citizen-Assisted Policing Unit has and continues to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the police department contributing trained, volunteer citizens assistance to the department.

It has taken commitment, changes in traditional structure, and limited funding to create a partnership that has made a lasting change in the way we view citizen participation in community policing and the delivery of law enforcement services. They had not solved all of our problems, but they have empowered our community to be responsive to is needs, developed a bridge of communication and understanding, and changed community perceptions of law enforcement. Our Citizen-Assisted Policing program has become a key ingredient to a tangible community policing orientation and is responsible in part for increased officer efficiency.

Dodge City, and all of its public safety partners, endorses the validity of a program of citizen-assisted policing. The City Commission passed an ordinance making the program a permanent unit of the Police Department and has funded it with a line item budget. Over fifty-five agencies, coast-to-coast, have inquired about this initiative and an Evaluation and Implementation Guide has been developed, to assist other agencies in their development of similar programming.

VERONICA OSORIO

Veronica Osorio is a leader and role model for the All Stars Project, Inc. in Newark, NJ. A junior at Montclair State College with a major in political science, Veronica devotes a generous portion of her spare time to transforming a short-staffed local operation into a solid opportunity for social change in Newark’s inner-city community. She initiated the Phyllis H. Hyman Phat Friends Awards Youth Committee in Newark, which is now in its third year. The Phat Friends Awards serves to honor adults who have distinguished themselves by their concern for and involvement with young people.

Thanks to Veronica’s leadership, inspiration, and motivating spirit, the Phat Friends Awards Committee has developed into a solid group comprised of inner-city youth who organize a city-wide campaign for young people to nominate, interview, and select their own leaders from within their community. Young people select nominees from among church leaders, teachers, and volunteers who have worked with them in such capacities as after-school programs. It is both a great honor and a character-building experience for young people to salute their own unsung heroes. The Phat Friends Awards are then presented at an awards reception attended by donors and community leaders. This ceremony is fast becoming one of the most moving and inspiring annual events in Newark.

Veronica’s strength and drive have empowered many inner-city youth to evaluate what is genuinely important to them. By supporting young people in their endeavors to honor a special adult or adults who have made a key difference in their lives, Veronica has inspired many young people to develop strong values and acquire focus.

Veronica’s energy, sense of purpose, and generosity has led her to additional volunteer opportunities both within and outside of the All Stars Project. She has also acted as a youth assistant for the Development School for Youth (DSY), a leadership training and career education program for young people aged 16-21; helped to organize the National Hip Hop Political Convention; and served as an advocate for the Essex County Rape Crisis Call Center.

As for her own future, Veronica hopes to attend George Washington University and work toward a master’s in urban development. She also plans to join the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. Wherever her path may take her, Veronica will always seek out ways in which she can serve her community by creating a safe haven in which children, teenagers, and adults alike can learn from each other and grow.

JEAN SACATSH

In 2003, Jean Sacatsh was honored for her exemplary volunteer service with the Retired and Senior and Senior Volunteers Program’s Outstanding Quality Service Award, given to the volunteer who most displays the qualities of leadership, assistance and performance above expectations for a volunteer agency.

At first glance it might seem odd that working with young would be what keeps Jean Sacatsh coming back to volunteer at Judson Retirement Community in Cleveland. But that is how this seventy-five-year-old RSVP volunteer is involved with the Eden Alternative, a program that aims to temper the institutional aspects of long-term care by introducing animals, plants, and children into resident’s lives on a daily basis.

Jean, who worked for thirty years with special education students as a speech and language pathologist, was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease some years ago. She began volunteering at Judson as a way to say ‘thank you” for the support and camaraderie she received from water aerobics class there. Staffers who were developing implementation and expansion of the curriculum used for the weekly visits and “summer camp experience” of fifty kindergarten and second grade children from St. Joseph/Collinwood School. Although previously able to teach on he own, she now team teaches with a staff member, at her own request, because she doesn’t want her cognitive issues to interfere with the information presented to the children.

Arriving for programs dresses appropriately for the theme, including her earrings, Jean always has a big smile and a cheerful hello for everyone. Her sense of fun is contagious. Jean herself says, “The best thing about my experience at Judson is loving the kids and watching the kids, residents and myself grow. And when something clicks, when the “ah-ha” moments come – those are the best!”

She also served as a volunteer at the forerunner of the Cleveland Botanical Garden. She continues to work at the Hershey Garden in the summer, and for the Botanical Garden on indoor projects during the winter. She also gardens for her church.

Jean’s enthusiastic efforts to enrich the lives of Judson residents, especially in light of her own personal situation, are a testament to her strength of character and her commitment to volunteer service.

CLIFFORD BENFIELD

Clifford J. Benfield is the contributing resource behind many successful historic educational efforts in Southold Town. As Southold was founded in 1640, there is a wealth of history to convey to the children of our community.

Mr. Benfield has been a dedicated volunteer since 1956, being active on the Union College Alumni Council for forty-eight years and serving as president of the New York-New Jersey chapter for nine years. He is an avid volunteer for Friends of the Library in Greenport, NY, and the Church of the Redeemer in Mattituck, NY. His wife Eunice, a busy volunteer also, stands firmly behind him on all his projects. Some of Mr. Benfield’s most far-reaching efforts provide historical educational venues for future generations.

Mr. Benfield has served as an Advisor to the National Lighthouse Museum and the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society since their inception. He served as Chairman of the Southold Landmark Preservation Commission. He is a major volunteer for the East end Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation, having served as its Curator and as an Advisor to the Board. He is a major volunteer for Lady Stirling Committee, conducting Tall Ships events in Greenport, NY. He has been an extraordinary volunteer for Southold Historical Society (SHS) since 1977.

In late 1989, Mr. Benfield gathered a small but effective group of SHS volunteers, namely Robert Petit, Donald Bayles and Robert Kaelin, to restore the vandal-plagued and abandoned Horton Point Lighthouse. Horton Point had been selected in 1756 as an ideal lighthouse location by George Washington, then 25 years old, and Ezra Hommedieu, but the building was not built until 1857. In 1990, after six months of hard labor, they opened The Lighthouse Museum to the public. The Coast Guard installed a modem light in the Lighthouse’s lantern room and Horton Point Lighthouse literally became a point of light again, most fittingly on the Coast Guard’s 200th anniversary. The Coast Guard also donated a fourth order Fresnel lens to the Museum. Mr. Benfield’s coordination of the efforts of the community, SHS volunteers, Southold Park District which owns the property, the Town, and the Coast Guard resulted in a working educational Museum. In 1994, the Lighthouse was named to the State Register of Historic Places and the National Registry of Historic Places based on Mr. Benfield’s application.

The Lighthouse, with hands-on learning opportunities and extensive exhibits gathered by Mr. Benfield and others, is a popular destination for school groups and families, serving over about 5,000 people each year. Admission is free (adult donations accepted). In 2003, visitors came from twenty countries and forty-one states. Mr. Benfield has handed over the daily operation to an able volunteer staff, but remains as curator and still conducts the maintenance on the structure. He serves as a mentor to our next generation of local history experts like Robert Windhorst and Robert G. Muller, and is a sought-after lecturer.

STUDENTS SERVING STAFFORD

The tradition of service to the community can be traced to the example of our Founding Fathers; some of whom were Stafford county residents. However, the county’s character has changed markedly. Stafford is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, with a 53% growth rate and will open five new schools in the next two years. With a dramatic rise in population and an increasingly transient nature, students no longer share the same sense of community.

Student Serving Stafford (SSS) began 10 years ago as a very limited program and has expanded to include service-learning opportunities for students at the high school level either through enrollment in Learn and Serve classes and/or after school placement for credit. Experiences while in school allow students to hone citizenship skills and develop the ability to lead projects, develop action plans, and organize other to the betterment of the community as a whole.

Last year SSS engaged 120 students in 58 community projects and logged more than 8,000 volunteer hours. These students developed a strong sense of community by participating in the SSS program. They see themselves as citizens of their county, region, state, nation and world community. To this end, specific activities included, but were not limited to:

National Make a Difference Day:

· Students coordinated the fall Rappahannock River Clean Up with the Friends of the Rappahannock with over 200 participants resulting in 12,000 pounds of trash collected as well as environmental education provided to youth participants.

· Students’ responsibilities were as follows: design and distribute event flyers, develop a participant data base, provide safety briefs to participants, solicit food donations, design and deliver environmental education, and send Thank You letters to participants.

Month of Youth Service:

· Spring Rappahannock River Clean Up (description and duties listed above) – 175 volunteers and approximately 12,000 pounds of trash.

· Glories “Happy Hats” workshop – 120 youth and 50 adults contributed over 271 hours of service to the community by participating in a 2 hour, 12 step workshop to design and complete over 300 court jester style hats for children at Inova Fairfax Children’s Hospital.

· Designed and built a “Jeopardy” board game for the Stafford County “R” Board. The Stafford County Beautification Committee uses the “Jeopardy” board game in an effort to bring environmental education to the students of county students. Students served as peer mentors as they demonstrated the need to be kind to the environment by utilizing by utilizing the “Jeopardy” board game on Earth Day with over 500 middle school students.

· Attended training to understand the need for and specifics on growing Bay Grasses. The program replenishes underwater vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

· Students served on committees to implement service projects for the Month of Youth Service.

Ongoing volunteer service includes a project where students tutor twice a week at seven elementary schools and once a week at Head start Family Literacy Night. The SSS program is a well respected program in the community providing the community with well trained students that are prepared to plan, implement, and evaluate projects and programs in their communities. Students Serving Stafford build strong citizens and gives students the opportunities to give of themselves and establishes an expectation of service. Our students are tomorrow’s leaders.

RITHA MAY

Ritha May is the original chair of the Northern Utah Division of Friends for Sight (formerly Prevent Blindness Utah). She established the division in 1988, and has developed the territory to include not only Weber County, but also Cache, Summit, Davis and Morgan counties.

Through her relationship with the Ogden Junior League, approximately 800 children receive a vision screening, an eye exam and eye glasses if needed, via the Community Health Connection. Under Ritha’s leadership, approximately 3,500 children are screened each year in Northern Utah – that’s over 50,000 children to date.

Vision screening for children is a philanthropy of the Delta Gamma alumnae, via Friends for Sight. Since 80% of learning is through our eyes, it’s vital that children enter school with good vision. Amblyopia, lazy-eye blindness is the leading cause of teen-age vision problems, yet is almost 100% correctable if caught before age 7. Sixty to eighty percent of delinquent behavior is due to vision problems (impair ability to read, and reading affects delinquency). The vision screening Friends for Sight provides is vital to students learning ability and social adjustment.

Without Ritha’s dedicated leadership, many children would not have an eye exam and parents would not be educated about the importance of eye exams.