Connections: Decatur Students Connecting with the Community

Connections: Decatur Students Connecting With the Community is a student driven volunteer center at Stephen Decatur High School founded through a grant written by former students Joe Chen and Caroline Andes in 2002. Connections serves as a facilitators between students, parents, and the community by increasing communication in a way that allows all participants to fulfill the needs of the community and enables student volunteers to enjoy positive experiences helping others. Connections currently has 60 members who are responsible for conducting meetings, organizing the volunteer center’s activities, and meeting with organizations to survey their needs. Students in this organization work after school, on weekends, and during the summer volunteering where the need arises. Connection students raise funds for all projects. The teacher advisor for Connections, Laurie Chetelat, does not receive a stipend or any other monetary income as an advisor for Connections.

In addition to their own volunteer work, Connections has strived to form partnerships between Stephen Decatur and the community. In 2003, Connections hosted a successful community breakfast with over 40 organizations in attendance. Students presented a program to the community organizations highlighting the benefits of using our youth to meet their needs and the services available through Connections. From the breakfast a service manual of community organizations was developed that is used by students for volunteer opportunities and by the teachers of service learning at Stephen Decatur. Connection members have formed partnerships with organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Believe in Tomorrow, Atlantic General Hospital, March of Dimes, Relay for Life, Project Outreach, Agape, Worcester County Commission for Women, Worcester County GOLD, and local recreation departments to name a few. Connection students are involved in all aspects of the community including the environment, the elderly, those in poverty, health care, and in various educational fields.

Connection students continue to develop their leadership skills and gain new ideas by attending state and national conventions, and other meetings ad dressing community issues. From one of these experiences, Connections initiated a service project last year known as “Surfing with Connections” where Connection students teach senior citizens how to use the computer, search the web, and set up e-mail. A computer manual of basic skills and website favored by seniors was developed by the students for all senior participants to take home. This project has been an overwhelming success and a student committee for this project has been organized to further their services to our community. An additional on-going service project has been the “adoption” of families in need through Worcester County GOLD. Connection members have collected school supplies, holiday gifts, and spring baskets filled with household items, toiletries, toys, clothing and educational items the past three years.

Southeast Missouri Chapter American Red Cross Disaster Action Volunteer Team

The Southeast Missouri Chapter American Red Cross Disaster Action Volunteer Team has had a tremendous year. This group of committed individuals began the year with a record number of responses to single family fires, disaster relief and catering to a group home fire and business fire. When Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma devastated much of our countries coastal communities these volunteers readily responded again. Forty DSHR volunteers were deployed on national disaster assignment for three weeks in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. Once they arrived at these locations, their duties include Mass Care, Sheltering, Bulk Distribution, Disaster Welfare Inquiry, Logistics and Damage Assessment. Eight of those volunteers took on second shifts of an additional three weeks to go back to the affected areas. Locally two shelters were opened and volunteers spent their days setting up costs, providing three hot meals a day, assisting with finding loved ones and providing emotional support to 289 hurricane victims who, for seven weeks, called these shelters.

In Southeast Missouri, the group remained committed to training, preparedness and mitigation as they worked to expand their knowledge and capabilities, to prepare their community for disaster and expand their response capacity. In March when tornadoes and severe weather affected Southeast Missouri, the Disaster Action Team Volunteers again answered the call for help. Arriving at the scene of a deadly tornado in Perry County one hour after the incident, the Disaster Action Team offered supplies and resources to Emergency Personnel and Families at the scene. Working into the night, the crew reassembled the next morning and immediately began doing some Damage Assessment to assist county emergency management in getting Federal Assistance through declaration. Over 40 families were assisted t through the Southeast Missouri area, volunteers worked 10-days to ensure that all of the clients immediate disaster-caused needs were met. The people affected by these storms were very appreciative of the compassion, concern and kindness of the volunteers and the over 2,800 hot meals that were prepared and served to them.

Through the dedication, training and experience of the American Red Cross Action Volunteer Team, Southeast Missouri can rest easy knowing there are people willing and committed to assisting those in need during times of disaster. They have combined, helped tens of thousands of disaster victims on a national level and thousands in their locale. Words cannot express what an impact this team has made on the area. These volunteers are the core of this organization and through them the Red Cross is able to fulfill its mission. They are appreciated for their efforts and expect nothing in return for their involvement with the organization. The entire Southeast Missouri community is impacted by the work of the Disaster Action Team Volunteers. This group displays a tireless commitment, allegiance to service and commitment to excellence.

Pendelton Woods

Pendleton Woods, 82 years of age, is a combat veteran of World War II and was a prisoner of war in Germany after being captured on a reconnaissance patrol behind enemy lines during the German build-up for the Battle of the Bulge. He remained in the Army National Guard following the war, and served with the 45th Infantry Division in Korea during the Korean War. He has a long record of public service, including The Tree Bank Foundation, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Oklahoma City Beautiful, and other organizations, and last year he was honored by the American Ex-Prisoners of War as the nation’s Outstanding Ex-POW for the year 2005, based upon patriotic and public service.

He volunteers in many areas; however, he gives of himself to those with problems of health and aging, including volunteer service to the Veterans Hospital, the Epilepsy Association, the Senior Nutrition Program, and the Variety Health Center.

The Veteran’s Administration’s goal is to provide excellence in patient care, veterans’ benefits and customer satisfaction. Over a 25 year period, Woods has given more than 6,000 volunteer hours to patients at the VA hospital. He can be seen coming to the hospital every Sunday morning, setting up equipment for sending chapel service to rooms, visiting and helping patients, often wheel-chairing patients to chapel, and filming services for the hospital’s closed circuit channel.

The Epilepsy Association of Oklahoma’s mission is to provide support, information, for persons who are afflicted with epilepsy/seizure disorder, their friends, family, loved ones in the state of Oklahoma. Woods was one of the organizers, past president and a 25 plus year board member of the Epilepsy Association of Oklahoma. Each year he is a volunteer worker and counselor at the camp in Guthrie for epileptics and handicapped. The hours he has donated to this organization has impacted hundreds of persons directly as well as their families.

Woods has been a board member ten years and an officer five years in the Oklahoma County Senior Nutrition Program Development Foundation, serving the aging. He often gives programs at Senior Centers throughout the County. Woods is also a 52 year board member, past president and one of only two lifetime board members of the Variety Health Center, a United Way agency providing free or low cost medical assistance to impoverished or low-income expectant mothers and children.

Though he is no longer a Scoutmaster, some years ago, as a Scoutmaster, he brought boys from his troop to the Crippled Children’s Hospital in Bethany to entertain bed-ridden children. His troop was recognized by Freedoms Foundation for this service. Woods giving knows no limits and he wants to serve even to death. More than 50 years ago, Woods willed his body upon his death to the University of Oklahoma Medical School for research to help others continue to live.

Mr. & Mrs. Steve Gilbert

Steve Gilbert is a Retention Officer, and he takes his job seriously. In addition, he is the treasurer for an organization newly formed by his family, Support Our Families and Troops (SOFT). The primary focus of the organization is children impacted by the military, and the Gilbert family donates many hours of time to help make life in and around the military as great as it can be.

The Gilbert family has a legacy of service that began with Barbara Davis, the grandmother. She is an FRG Leaser and has been one while she watched the last 3 generations of her family grow. Steve, Kathy, Amanda, April and Barbara are all volunteers for SOFT, and they all work with Barbara to make the Family Readiness Group for HSC , 961st EN BN the best it can be.

The Gilbert family has worked with many organizations through SOFT. They have worked with schools to help make them and the children’s peers more aware of how living a “military life” can impact children. The Gilberts have worked with individual teachers and counselors to create an atmosphere of giving, sharing and volunteerism. April’s peers are three classes of third graders. This group worked together and held a penny drive to benefit the FRG that the Gilbert’s work with. This drive resulted in a donation of $600 in pennies during the drive!

Amanda initiated a toy drive at her community school. Not only did they involve their community school, they also challenged another community school to “stuff a bus”! They managed to collect several hundred new toys—most of which were given to “Toys for Tots”, the balance were used for the children in the 961st Engineer Battalion.

Whenever there is a need stated or perceived by any of them, they all respond without questions. This family has worked with the FRGs in the 961st EN BN as a volunteer for a few years now. They have been with us when we did a table at the State Fair’s Veteran’s Day for dissemination of information. His entire family (including his mom, brother and 2 older children) showed up to help there. They brought a tent for shade, drinks for all the volunteers and much knowledge for sharing with people who stopped for information.

Kathy has begun to do fundraisers for SOFT—the organization wants to be able to send some of the Military Children from our area to DC in August. We hope to have enough money available so that families’ budgets are not strained, and we hope to be able to send children who might otherwise not ever be able to dream of such a trip. It is our hope that this trip will help the kids to better understand what their Heroes fight for. We hope to make it an annual event.

Steve and his entire family worked with us at a car wash and sandwich sale to raise funds for mailing to deployed troops. All three generations have worked toward, and will receive, the Presidential Award for Volunteerism. You can look far and wide, and not find an entire family who will give so quickly and completely.

Sav-A-Life Counselors

Sav-A-Life volunteer counselors consist of forty volunteers who counsel clients who are in crisis pregnancy situations. Some of our clients are as young as fourteen and as old as 50. They are often frightened, laden with guilt and many feel their lives are ruined or over.

The Sav-A-Life volunteers are extensively trained to offer these young women options. This is done in a very gentle and loving way. The volunteers are not there to judge the clients’ behavior but rather to offer them hope, to help them in their immediate situations and to encourage them to choose a lifestyle that is more conducive to have a peaceful and wholesome life.

The situations of the clients are many and varied. Some are estranged from their parents; some have been raped either by a gang, a family member or a boyfriend; some have become pregnant from being on a careless emotional fling and, sadly, some become pregnant because they want someone to love them and they believe the baby will instantly love them from the moment of birth. Many come from poverty and violence filled backgrounds and a number of them come from middleclass and affluent families.

After getting information on the client’s medications, drugs, alcohol use and a description of her lifestyle, the counselor provides the self-administered pregnancy test to the client. If the test is positive the volunteer offers the client enrollment in the Life Choices course. This course includes parenting, budgeting and lifestyle patterns along with a Bible study. During this course, the volunteer bonds with client. The volunteers go the extra mile with these clients and have been known to purchase groceries, they have brought food from their freezers, they have gone to a hospital and rocked a baby and they have spent hours in prayer for the clients.

Sav-A-Life is a faith based and faith funded organization. Each client is asked about the spiritual side of her life. Each volunteer is trained to speak in a caring way with clients about their spiritual journeys and the clients seem to love and welcome this part of the interview process. Prayer is included in each client visit.

The Group also offers The Hope Group as another service. This is a support group for post abortive women who are going through the emotional trauma left by an abortion. These traumas are sometimes dormant for more than 20 or 30 years and when they surface they cause emotional chaos. The Hope volunteers are truly extraordinary. All of them have had an abortion and suffered the traumas and gone through the healing and forgiving process. They want to share their recovery with these women who are still in chaos and help them become emotionally healthy. The Hope volunteered goes the “tenth mile” with each lady who attends the group. These volunteers are on call 24/7.

Sarah Goeke

Sarah Goeke is a recent graduate from Cape Central High School, but she has been very active in her community. Sarah has served Old Town Cape as a volunteer leader of the Downtown Kids Association since spring of 2004. The purpose of the Downtown Kids Association (DKA) is to involve students and young adults in all aspects of the redevelopment of downtown Cape Girardeau so that they feel a connection with this important part of our city and continue to support the area throughout their lives. In her role as leader of DKA, Sarah is a full voting member of Old Town Cape’s Board of Directors.

Sarah has also worked over the past year to complete her mission as the volunteer leader of the DKA. In doing this she has developed a youth movie night on the Common Pleas Courthouse grounds and helped organize a trivia night to raise funds for the event. More than 75 people attended the first even alone. Encouraged by this early success, she continued to find ways of improving the event so that it draws more young people and their parents to Old Town Cape. In March of 2005, Sarah was instrumental in the success of the downtown cleanup day, recruiting more than two-thirds of the total amount of the volunteers present for that event. All of the volunteers recruited by Sarah were high school students.

Sarah’s enthusiasm for these projects has carried over to others who she was able to recruit for assistance when needed. These motivated members of the DKA have ensured that the program continued to grow and flourish now after Sarah has graduated from High School and begun her pursuing her college education away from Cape Girardeau.

Old Town Cape’s vision is to become a community that cherishes it’s past and in an economically viable district for the citizens of Cape Girardeau to live, work, and to play. This vision is supported by Sarah’s work through the DKA, believing that the entire community, including youth, must support the redevelopment of downtown Cape Girardeau if its efforts are to be successful. Sarah’s work also reflects Old Town Cape’s mission statement; Old Town Cape preserves the historical integrity of Cape Girardeau and promotes economic development using the Main Street Four Point Approach. She does this by encouraging community youths to not only get involved with the redevelopment, but to continue to support it throughout their lives.

In addition to her work through the DKA and Old Town Cape, Sarah was and is active in Cape Central High School’s choir, orchestra and drama program. She has performed vocally at many area churches and is a very visible part of the arts community in Cape Girardeau. Sarah has been a motivated member of Old Town Cape and the Downtown Kids Association. Through her time and dedication, she has shown this community great how to give back. Sarah has been a determined and enthusiastic volunteer.

Chris Snoberger

In her efforts to provide shelter for her neighbors and to care for animal life, Chris Snoberger dedicated her time to a number of organizations. As a volunteer for the Texas Ferret Lovers Rescue, Snoberger works diligently to improve the treatment of ferrets in her community. She serves as treasurer, spending four to eight hours every week balancing the organization’s budget, paying bills, keeping records, and saving ferrets. As one who has helped rescue abandoned ferrets she has helped raise awareness about animal rights issues in her area, spreading the organization’s message to the surrounding animal control units and raising the level of care ferrets receive in her area. She has participated in projects that raise funds to pay medical bills accumulated by the owners of ferrets, and has even taken in sick ferrets in need of extra care. Snoberger carries tremendous responsibility within the rescue, which may explain why the organization leaders say “she’s always dependable”.

But caring for ferrets is not her only volunteer endeavor on behalf of animals. Snoberger also plays a role in the animal advocacy organization, Saving Pyrs in Need, Inc. (SPIN), which finds safe homes for Great Pyrenees dogs. Volunteering regularly as SPIN’s Events Coordinator, Snoberger has organized a Pumpkin Patch Party, Halliburton Family Days, and the North Texas Irish Festival, each of which required volunteers to raise funds, adopt dogs and locate new foster homes. Thus, by involving herself in two causes close to her heart, Snoberger is able to raise awareness in her community, as well as save the lives of many animals. And by helping to control the animal population and improve the lives of ferrets and Great Pyrenees dogs, Snoberger helps the community as a whole.

Besides her love of animals, Snoberger also finds time to volunteer for the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. A volunteer for four years, Snoberger recently took on a leadership role as Crew Chief, leading new volunteers and giving instructions on work sites. In addition, Snoberger lends a hand wherever and whenever needed, working at fundraising events, helping to recruit volunteers and ever extending her volunteering to the classroom where she serves as a construction 101 course trainer, a position that finds few volunteers willing to take on. These volunteer efforts for Habitat for Humanity demonstrate Snoberger’ selflessness and willingness to help in whatever capacity she can. While she has been helping Habitat for Humanity, the Dallas chapter has become the seventh largest homebuilder there and the fourth largest Habitat affiliate in the US.

Snoberger not only dedicates herself to organizations around her community, but she is also the chair of the Aetna Volunteer Council in the Dallas Office encouraging and organizing events for her fellow co-workers to volunteer. She has donated her time and energy to numerous organizations, and has greatly influenced those causes close to her heart. Through her contributions to animal organizations and to Habitat for Humanity, she is deeply involved in her community’s overall well-being. This involvement led her to be nominated for the 2006 and 2005 Aetna Voice of Conscience Award, in which she received runner-up status both years.

Sophia Key West

As a volunteer, Sophia West has empowered over 18 million families nationwide over the past 10 years with her English/Spanish character development abduction prevention DVD’s and performances. Addressing the need of crime/violence prevention and predator awareness, Sophia’s program and materials lead to a long term intergenerational solution.

As a child, West was victimized by a child sexual predator and suppressed the anxiety of the attacks. Later she married and was haunted by the nightmare again one Christmas Eve when her son attempted suicide. It was discovered that he had been sexually abused for years by a trusted family friend. West refused to allow her family to be victims. She founded a campaign, to stop predators and to educate families on the ten psychological deceptions that predators use to gain control over their victims. These are the same deceptions that are used on the internet, phone or face-to-face.

For more than ten years, West has traveled the nation with her innovative approach, lecturing and educating millions of children with interactive programs. West, a master magician, interlaces the program with good magic tricks that segue into the deceptions that negative individuals use to manipulate children into gangs, drugs, violence, and sexual abuse or to their death. She trained thousands of volunteers to follow in her footsteps as mentors to teach programs. West lobbied Congress for a grant under DOJJ to create and distribute free bilingual English/Spanish family crime prevention kids nationwide. After launching the national initiative where families, schools and organizations utilize these materials, West’s efforts have reached another 8 million families nationwide. Most recently she has partnered the charity with the Navy’s Community Service Outreach Division and with the National Education Association. West volunteers thousands of hours each year, even while pregnant with daughter, Michaela Victoria, now 5 months old. In 2005, she received the President’s Volunteer Service Gold Medal and she just received The Volvo For Life Heroes Award, the Governor’s Volunteer of the Year Award and President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for unwavering commitment to stopping crime, violence and to protecting all children.

In a nation where the Department of Justice estimates that 7 out of 10 girls and 3 out of 7 boys will be victimized before they reach the age of 18 and where 551,000 registered sex offenders are living within our communities, West brings to light the truth about predators. She is often quoted saying, “Only 10% of child sexual predators are ever caught, which means that 90% or over 7 million avoid apprehension and thrive within the shadows of ignorance. We cannot be with our children at all times, but what we teach our kids will protect them forever.”

Criminals seek two things to successfully commit a crime, vulnerability and opportunity. West’s program creates an invisible shield of awareness around each child eliminating their vulnerability. Crime can only be reduced when we raise the awareness of potential victims. In a world where we often seek treatments for problems, West brings a solution.

Ann Meadows

Catholic Social Services has had the distinct honor and privilege of having Mrs. Ann Meadows volunteer with them since 1981 (for 25 years). Mrs. Meadows has volunteered her time, her home and her love to care for foster babies that have come through Catholic Social Services while they are waiting to be placed with their adoptive families. She and her family have given of themselves fully and tirelessly to bond with these babies and let them feel the love of a family.

Over the course of 25 years, Meadows has cared for 42 babies for Catholic Social Services. The agency could not have carried out its mission to provide adoptive services for the community had it not been for people like Meadows. She has served an integral function in an extraordinary capacity for the agency. The commitment that she has given the agency has made it possible to bring together so many families through adoption.

Meadows has been available on a moment’s notice to take these newborn babies into her home and care for them as her own. All the while, Meadows has raised her own six children, and cared for her grandchildren as well. She is also very active in her church, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Prattville. She has been married to Mr. Charles Meadows for almost fifty years.

Catholic Social Services takes pleasure in sharing the tremendous attributes of such an outstanding person. Meadows always greets everyone with a smile and gentle warmth. She has welcomed not only the babies into her home, but also the nervous first time adoptive parents at times to visit with their baby. You can only hear praises sung about Meadows from all of the adoptive families because of her commitment, dedication and compassion.

Though she has lived a life of service, it is doubtful that she will ever realize the depth of how much she has touched these adoptive families over the years. To know that their child has been loved and nurtured by such a loving and selfless person and family while waiting to be placed for adoption is comfort beyond words for most adoptive families. The foster families provide this service out of the goodness of their hearts. There is no adequate way to express the deep appreciation for what Mrs. Meadows has done for the agency and for countless families over the years.

David Marker

Dave Marker has been a member of Retired Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVP) of Senior Services, Inc. since 2001, delivering Meals on Wheels (MOW) and volunteering for Probate Court for almost 9 years. Last year Marker volunteered 450 hours which, when calculated by the Point of Light Foundation value of $18.04 per volunteer hour, equates to $8,118.

Marker is a friendly face and welcome visitor when he delivers MOW to homebound residents. “He is cheerful, has a great sense of humor and loves what he does,” says Ann Wesselhoff, MOW director, “Oftentimes he is the only contact seniors have with the outside world.” According to Marker, “It’s instant gratification. They smile and thank you when you give them a meal.”

As a volunteer for MOW, Marker provides staff at Senior Services with a daily report on a person who might otherwise go by unnoticed. If a client does not answer the door, staff is notified. Marker is an advocate for seniors who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks.

Marker also volunteers for Probate Court in response to another community need. He has been trained to interview clients disconnected from the larger community, to spot abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and to make certain that the guardians are meeting the needs of the wards of the court. “It’s hard work, but I feel I make a difference and that’s why I continue to do it.”

According to Pat Neal, Intake Specialist and Coordinator of Probate Advocates, “Marker is known as a ‘sweeper’. Advocates choose their cases and Marker takes the oldest, least desirable, most challenging ones. With over 500 cases under his belt, he is now skilled enough to intercede for case intervention. He also has taken on a leadership role and is trained to instruct new volunteers. As we say here, we are ‘Marker dependent.’ We get more positive feedback about Marker than any other volunteer, and many ask for Marker when they have to be re-evaluated. He makes everyone feel so comfortable and his calming demeanor takes chaos out of a house. For kids, he’s the quintessential grandpa.”

At 73, Marker volunteers despite the obstacles that accompany old age. Another obstacle is financial as Marker pays for gas and other related costs while in Kalamazoo County. Since many of the volunteers prefer not to drive long distances to interviews and advocate for wards, Marker travels throughout the state, “because it’s important work that has to be done,” and receives limited mileage reimbursement outside Kalamazoo County. Wards of the Court are often obstacles themselves and it takes a very special individual to volunteer in such a challenging situation. According to Neal, “The task of providing for a ward can be very demanding. Volunteers like Marker are an essential link in the chain of service this court provides to its guardians for their wards.