Kingdom Construction

Kingdom Construction Children’s Ministries is a volunteer-based, community supported ministry that has been very busy at two local hospitals: Women and Children’s Medical Center and Highland Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia. The group has started two programs, “Big Hugs” and “Jacob’s Wings.”

Big Hugs is Kingdom Construction Children’s Ministries hospital visitation program. The volunteers visit the sick, abused and neglected children at both facilities. Each child visited receives a stuffed bear and balloon from “Honey,” their bear mascot. Teen volunteers visit and run errands for the children during their monthly visits. To date, more than 186 children, in addition to their parents, have benefited from visits. The goal of Big Hugs is to make a scary situation a little more tolerable for hurting children.

Jacob’s Wings is an innovative and unique program that Kingdom Construction began in memory of Jacob Williams. This program comforts the hurting parents who have suffered a loss due to the death of their pre-mature or still-born baby at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The children volunteers paint trinket boxes to be used to hold permanent molds of the baby’s hands and feet as a memorial to be given to the parents. In addition, the adult volunteers make hand-made gowns for the babies to be used for burial since preemie clothes are not readily available.

Both programs bring unique solutions to needs that may not be known by many; however, the families that experience their service are very grateful. The Kingdom Construction Children’s Ministries has been and will continue to impact families and children in the Charleston, WV to bring comfort and solace in a time of need.

Anne Bush Ambrose

Anne Bush Ambrose had a hero, her father Avner Bush, a school superintendent in South Georgia. Anne strived to be like him, especially in the way he helped others. From the beginning, service has been at the heart of Anne’s life, and her sense of mission has sustained her through significant personal tragedy.

In her twenties, she organized a Tutorial Program for disadvantaged students in the Gainesville City Schools, and she volunteered with the Department of Family and Children’s Services to find foster homes for neglected children. At age 29, she went to Peru to serve as relief director of an orphanage. There tragedy struck and she was shot through the spine and paralyzed. Since then she has continued to live an extraordinary life, serving others from a wheelchair.

In her thirties, Anne taught students who required special services and served as volunteer counselor-in-training in a church outreach program. After earning a master’s degree at Brenau University, she studied with renowned therapists, opened a practice in psychotherapy and consulted in several addiction treatment centers in Georgia. She also designed and implemented a House Arrest Program for convicted drug users, earning the Liberty Bell Award, the state’s highest for outstanding service to the justice system.

In her forties, Anne founded Metropolitan Serenity House Inc. in 1989, an innovative treatment center for young men addicted to drugs and alcohol. She founded Avner Bush Academy, a drug free, private high school, accredited in 1996, for the residents of Serenity House.

In her fifties, she continued to serve as Executive Director of Serenity House, a nonprofit institution, served as Head of Avner Bush Academy, the private high school that serves residents of Serenity House, and worked tirelessly with young men with substance abuse problems, creating opportunity for each to fulfill his potential. Many of these young men are now men of integrity, contributing to their communities and enjoying healthy relationships. Their families have benefited enormously from the family therapy they experienced under Anne’s care.

Currently, she serves as Chairman of the Board for the organization she founded. She continues to work with families suffering from the disease of addiction. She never forgets the young men who have been part of the Serenity House community. When they face challenges, she gives them her personal support, no matter how long they have been gone and for however long they need it.

Anne Bush Ambrose has been a lifelong volunteer hero. With courage and creativity, she is still helping young men, their parents, sisters and brothers, and even their significant others to heal relationships, discover their true values, and become their best selves. Anne’s father would be proud.

Judith Lackey

Around Aetna, Inc., Judith Lackey’s name is synonymous with a number of different things, but above all her name is always associated with avid volunteerism. It is not only her donation of time to various organizations that makes Judith stand out, but her enthusiasm and heart with which she fully commits herself sets her apart.

Lackey has acted as the Middletown Aetna Volunteer Council (MAVC) Chair for the last two years and as co-chair for three years before. Under her leadership, the MAVC has realized an incredible rise in membership, increasing from 50 to 160 members, all of whom donated an astonishingly large number of hours to various causes. This is a direct result of the support and encouragement that Lackey lends to her fellow employees. Through her excellent example of commitment and positive attitude, Lackey has motivated everyone around her to become more involved.

Lackey has accomplished many things through her association with various organizations. Driven by her own mother’s battle with cancer, Lackey has donated so much of her time to organizations involved with raising money to fight cancer and to raise awareness about the disease. Among those causes, she has worked for the past four years with the CUREchief Foundation to create CUREchiefs, which serve as headwear for cancer patients. Lackey also served as a team leader in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk for each of the last five years. By walking 60 miles over 3 days, she contributed to the Avon Foundation’s effort to raise millions of dollars.

That’s not all. She has been an active member of Project Lead for the past four years, for which Lackey collects and delivers winter coats to shelters. She is also on the Bowl for Kids’ Sake committee, and when the organization expressed a last-minute need, Lackey raised $200 by forming four teams and donating raffle items. Lackey and her family also volunteer at soup kitchens and shelters around the area during the holidays. She headed the distribution of a cookbook, “A Tribute to Heroes,” with proceeds going to victims of 9/11. She also organized a Hurricane Katrina Relief drive that collected over 1,200 items in less than three days. To advertise for these organizations and many more, Lackey has coordinated several non-profit fairs held in the Middletown Aetna office to introduce outside organizations and to promote volunteerism to Aetna employees.

Above all her numerous accomplishments, Lackey’s infectious personality leaves a mark on all who come in contact with her, motivating friends, family and community members to join her volunteer efforts. She has been able to touch so many different communities with her service, each benefiting from a dedicated volunteer who logs 300-plus hours yearly. As a testament to this personality and to the selfless volunteerism that Lackey has displayed for many years, she was awarded the 2006 Aetna Voice of Conscience Employee Award.

Nathan Calvert

In order to deal with the possible influx of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, the small middle Mississippi town formed a community wide non-profit group called Winston Relief. After attending one of the preliminary meetings in August, sixteen year old Nathan Calvert noted that nothing specifically was being done locally for children who were forced to evacuate. After brainstorming, Nathan and a friend decided to check with the Winston Relief board of directors and start Winston Relief-kids.

The purpose of the project was to provide goody bags full of activities and toys for children who arrived in our area because Nathan was concerned for those children who did not have their favorite books and toys. The community was concerned that evacuees would reach our area quickly, so he worked swiftly, within one week span of time. He contacted a local radio program, local website, and churches in the town about the need for donations. Drop boxes were positioned in down-town businesses for people to place their donations. Nathan was overwhelmed by the community response. In fact, he stated that the hardest part of the entire project was dealing with the sheer number of items that were donated. Over 150 goody bags containing small toys, crayons, books, markers, etc. were assembled and distributed locally and on the Mississippi gulf coast.

Because of Nathan’s interest in those affected by the hurricane, his family, along with fellow church members, made a trip to the Mississippi gulf coast in January to assist in the clean-up effort. When he returned to school, Nathan was invited to speak to a February meeting of a biology club about his experiences on the coast and about the possible health implications of the hurricane.

Hopefully this project had a positive impact on each child who received a bag. It certainly impacted Nathan. He improved his organizational and communication skills and learned some important life lessons. He has said that this community involvement has taught him that people want to help during a disaster; they just need someone to show them how to assist. He has also stated how happy he is to live in an area full of such concerned, generous people.

William “Dallas” Gray

William “Dallas” Gray has been married to his wife Shirley for 49 years and they have three children. He is a dedicated family man and an avid volunteer. Gray saw a need for a system in the community to help veterans.

Any given day, veterans needing health care at a VA facility have no transportation to the medical center or clinic. Many of these veterans are unable to drive themselves and do not have a family member who can step up to the plate.

Enter the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Transportation Network and volunteer Mr. Gray. He did not find a new cause to champion or become an advocate for. Gray saw a need in his area and did everything he could to plan, strategize and meet that need. Gray spends 3-4 days a week making sure veterans arrive at their medical appointments on time and makes sure they get back to their home by end of the day. He started transporting veterans in his own vehicle in 2000 because the veterans needed transportation to their only source for medical care.

Gray was only able to transport 3 veterans at a time in his Dodge Durango and that frustrated him. So, Gray spearheaded a fundraising effort to purchase a van through the DAV Transportation Network. The van would then be donated to the Gainesville VA Medical Center and used for the purpose of getting veterans to the medical center. His idea and efforts paid off and in the spring of 2004, a brand new 12 passenger van arrived at the Gainesville VAMC bought in part from the funds he raised.

Now Gray usually drives the van from his home town of Eustis to Gainesville 4 days a week usually bringing 4-6 veterans each time. On the days he is not driving to Gainesville, he might be headed to the VA clinic in Orlando or Daytona sometimes driving his own vehicle. He has recruited other volunteers to ensure the van has a driver every weekday.

Last year Gray logged in a total of 1,200 hours and over 25,000 miles in the van despite being out for two months following surgery. He has been an active VA volunteer since 1999. The nationwide DAV Transportation Network catered to 742,811 veterans in 2005 and logged in 27,437,075 miles. Gray is a veteran of the Korean War and is active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Danica Dickinson

Danica Dickinson is a 12th grader at Oviedo High School and an active youth in her community. She has been engaged in ongoing volunteer service for the past four years and has used her experience to talk to others and suggest they begin to serve the community also.

She has served as a reading mentor since 9th grade. She gives of her time to strengthen the Teen Trendsetter Program. Each year while mentoring, Danica recruits 20 teen reading mentors to assist at Stenstrom Elementary School. As a result of her efforts, 60 third graders have transitioned from struggling readers to eager readers. Danica’s dedication will affect these children for the rest of their lives. They have gained more self-confidence and are not afraid to read aloud. Some even choose to read in their free time as opposed to playing or being involved in other activities.

Before the Teen Trendsetter Program, these selected third grade students were at risk of grade retention but with the assistance of Danica and her teams, the students moved onto fourth grade. In addition to recruiting other volunteers, Danica assists in training the other reading mentors and provides them with the necessary tools to serve the children. She also monitors the program to ensure they are meeting their program goals. Danica has served 95 hours to date as a school volunteer/Teen Trendsetter.

Each summer Danica also serves on mission teams with her church group and volunteers in Central America. These experiences enrich her life while allowing her to enrich the lives of others. Because of her efforts, Danica was selected as a Walt Disney Dreamer and Doer in the 8th grade that excels in the areas of curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy. Danica Dickinson is an exemplary role model for the third grade students she mentors, her fellow teen reading mentors as well as the adults she travels with on mission trips to other countries.

Diane Lenz

Diane Lenz has volunteered weekly for Sergeant Bluff-Luton Elementary School since the fall of 2004. Lenz volunteers many days a week, always armed with a smile and a mission to research methods of helping English as second language (ESL) students grasp the English language.

She brings in materials that she has made or purchased to help a young girl from Russia understand the new world in which she lives. Zalina arrived in the United States during Easter break in 2004. At that point in her life, she spoke very little English. She had been an orphan in Russia and was used to having her own way. Zalina’s response was “noh” to almost everything including the help from Mrs. Lenz. Now, two years later, Zalina looks forward to working with Lenz.

In Zalina’s words, “Mrs. Lenz brings in materials that help me learn. I love playing hangman with her and learning new words.” Zalina’s classroom teacher, Mrs. McCauley appreciates the one-on-one time that Lenz provides for Zalina and other children that need it. She could not possibly give her the time she needs with 20 other student in her classroom that she has to attend to. She is thankful that Lenz is willing to come in on such a regular basis and volunteer her time to help educate Zalina and other children where English is not their native language.

Lenz and Miss Christensen, ESL Teacher, communicate with each other on a regular basis. Lenz uses great strategies to help Zalina work on reading, vocabulary and math skills. Zalina is making great gains in learning the English language as a result of her special time with Lenz.

Once Lenz is finished her time with Zalina, she works with other students from Mrs. Lien’s 5th grade classroom. There she helps children who need reinforcement and practice to gain the necessary skills to be successful as they continue with their education. Mrs. Leins, Mrs. Henrich and the other teachers note the students get excited when they see Lenz arrive at their classroom door. They cannot wait to see which student she will choose to work with.

Lenz is kind and compassionate to all the students and is flexible to meet the different needs of each one. She has also helped with math and as a result, the children have improved on their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division sets. Each of the students feels better about their math skills after working with Lenz.

The students at Sergeant Bluff-Lunton Elementary School enjoy every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 knowing that it might be there lucky day to work with Mrs. Lenz!

Jared Dempsey

Our country has seen various revolutions. We have gone through an agricultural revolution, an industrial revolution and a technological revolution. As a result of the latter, you will not find many people who do not own a personal home computer, laptop or other device. Businesses are much the same. In the past, companies relied on typewriters and message pads, but now, in 2006 they, too, have experienced a revolution and depend on high speed internet, voice mail systems and a conglomerate of computers to run their various shops.

Because most Americans own and utilize computers, there is a need for a myriad of computer services. AmeriCorps in Carson City Nevada is utilizing the boom in technology as a part of inclusion in national service. Many Americans have disabilities but are highly capable of and desire to serve. In Nevada, inclusion programs involve training on ADA law, solutions for inclusion, how to recruit, support and retain people with disabilities, technical assistance and financial resources to provide reasonable accommodations, and the opportunity to create and inclusive, welcoming environment that will enrich any industry and its members through diversity.

Mr. Jared Dempsey is a part of this vision. He has been given the opportunity to contribute to his community while obtaining the support he needs to be successful through ComputerCorps, a 501©3 nonprofit organization. ComputerCorps has a certified data destruction service for individuals and companies that need to insure that the data has been safely and professionally eliminated from their hard drives. They use specialized software that meets Department of Defense specifications. The organization is dedicated to providing access to computer technology for all families, while eliminating electronic waste from our nation’s landfills. They have kept more than 1.2 million computer and electronic items out of landfills and currently receives in excess of 3,000 items monthly.

In 2006, Dempsey began volunteering after school and during the summer months at Computer Corps. He destroys data on computer hard drives as part of ComputerCorps’ Data Destruction program. Dempsey is a person with disabilities who is giving back to the community through technology. He is a very special person who was spotlighted in the No Computer Left Behind Program, a special initiative through the partnership with AmeriCorps and ComputerCorps in Nevada. He attends Carson High School in Nevada, through a special partnership between ComputerCorps and Carson High School’s Rehabilitation Program, the two organizations are able to bridge the gap in technology and preserve the landfills while serving the community.

Carol Olson

Carol Olson is the type of person that knows when there is a need before others do. One adjective that describes her is a “DOER”.

Olson has served five years as a School Board member. She is a loyal supporter of the schools. When the District was looking at a tax levy override, Olson stepped up to the plate and publicly supported the override; she explained the situation to their patrons. In addition, the School Board was looking to fill the position of Superintendent. Olson stepped up to the plate and assisted with the search by chairing this community committee.

Olson is aware of the school’s infrastructure needs also and works to help when there is a need. School playground equipment was an issue so she became involved with organizing this project and incorporated both time and grant writing skills. Results are a beautiful complex of playground equipment that is used daily be the children of Dorchester. Olson then organized the City Park Renovation and Beautification Project, which is still an ongoing project.

Olson’s contributions include: Advisory committee and secretary of the Dorchester Methodist Church, Forth of July Activities, Halloween Party, Morning with Santa, Community Beautification Project, Crete Cares, Blue River Gifts, Safe House Work, Zoning Board, Community Cleanup and 55 MPH highway speed reduction.

In addition, Olson has been instrumental in starting the Dorchester Community Foundation. This will play an important part not only in Dorchester’s present but also in Dorchester’s future.

Carol Olson is a positive and unselfish individual contributing through her leadership and work ethic to make her community a better place for everyone. It is true she has not completed these projects by herself but if not for her vision and hard work, many of the projects would have not made it past the planning stage. Her service is affecting the community today, but it will also be a legacy that will reach into the future.

Melinda Toole

With the increasing severity of this nation’s social problems, it is imperative that children are taught character education. In today’s society, children are often faced with poor parental guidance, ineffective role models, negative media images, and an inability to set goals. In an effort to combat these negative influences on today’s youth, Melinda Toole has dedicated hundreds of hours to promoting character education as her platform for the Miss Alabama and Miss America Pageant Organization.

During the past three years, Toole has helped implement character education programs into three schools, Paine Primary School, Paine Intermediate School and Fort Dale Academy. Her involvement with the national non-profit organization, Core Essentials, enabled her to equip these schools with a myriad of character education lessons and resources. Furthermore, she attended a Character Counts! Seminar, enabling her to become a certified Character Counts! Educator. Following this certification, she was able to establish communication with the Director of Instruction of the newly formed Trussville City School System, Dr. Pat Hodge, in order to expand the realm of character education, not only to elementary school students but also middle school and high school students as well. This program she worked to promote is interwoven into the students’ lives in the sports arena, places of future employment, and their homes.

Her platform transcends the classroom. Toole has spoken to thousands of children and adults. Some of her speaking engagements have included organizations and civic groups such as the Greenville Kiwanis Club and Rotary Club, Trussville Chamber of Commerce, as well as numerous local churches. In addition, Melinda is currently working on gaining sponsorship for an Amendment she has drafted to the Alabama Accountability Act 95-313, in order to make character education more effective in the state of Alabama.

Her sincere commitment to character education has led her to be recognized by many. Recently, local Representative Arthur Payne invited her to the Alabama House of Representatives in order to write a resolution commending her for her community service accomplishments. In addition, the Superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, Phil Hammonds, invited her to speak before fifty-two administrators about the importance of character education in the classroom.

Her desire to reach all children and teach the fundamentals of character was a deep-seated interest that led her to give of her time freely in the schools on a regular basis to teach her lessons in a very organized, structured way that impacted students in a powerful way. She has lived the character education she has taught and has made the community better because of her desire to see children learn character at an early age. This contribution and impact will be felt for years to come.