Jeannette Zentgraf

Jeanette Zentgraf is a senior volunteer who shares her time with the Lolo Elementary School. She is a caring older adult who loves children and donates her time to the teachers, staff and students at Lolo.

Jeanette is a dependable volunteer. She comes to school whenever she is scheduled and the children and staff look forward to spending time with her. Teachers look to Jeanette for support in many activities. Jeanette assists with school plays, after school programs, weekend performances as well as making copies for the staff.

Jeanette is a great role model for the students and her peers. Some of the children may not have positive adults who are consistently in their lives. Jeanette has been serving Lolo faithfully for the past five years, so the students know they can depend on her. She is a welcomed face and is always there to lend a hand.

Jeanette is someone willing to go the extra mile to help others. She lives a life of integrity and will stand up for what is right, even if she is standing alone. She serves because she believes it is her duty to do so; however, she enjoys knowing she can make a difference in someone’s life.

The staff and students of Lolo Elementary look to Jeanette as an example. She is a good listener and does not mind performing tasks that some may look upon as menial. Jeanette makes the time to follow through with her commitments and is able to even assist the teachers in the evenings or on weekends. Jeanette has volunteered many hours to the school and makes sure the teachers and students have coverage when additional adults are needed.

Jim Hummer

Jim Hummer was born in Crawford, NE in 1926. He moved to Missoula with his siblings in 1947 to live with an aunt and uncle after his parents’ death. Jim married in 1954 and had four daughters. Jim worked at Anaconda Lumber as a Stationery Engineer maintaining and repairing all of the steam equipment at the mill. Jim retired in 1989. After his wife’s death, Jim helped care for her aunt and uncle and would take them to the Senior Center for potluck dinners and pancake suppers. At the Center, he reconnected with Kathy Taylor, a former co-worker. Kathy was the Senior Center’s board President at the time and a member of the Wednesday Kitchen Crew.

Jim joined the Missoula Senior Center on October 12, 1996. Kathy knew he would be a great volunteer and soon convinced him to serve. He agreed to volunteer at the Thrift shop two days a week and in the kitchen on Wednesdays. He has faithfully maintained that schedule for the past 10 years. From October 2005 to September 2006, Jim served 672 hours with an average of 56 hours a month. Jim does not log in the times he helps clean up after potluck dinner, pancake suppers or Friday night pinochle. It also does not include the hours he serves at the Homecoming Stew Dinner, where the Center fed more than 200 people and Jim washed every dish.

Jim is a volunteer who does what he says he will do. He always shows up on time for every shift, whether it is for the Thrift Shop or in the kitchen. In addition, he works until the job is done—even if that means he will be late for something else. Jim is a valued member of each of the Thrift Shop cashier crew, the Wednesday Kitchen Crew and the Thursday Kitchen Crew. If he is not able to make an event, he is always missed. Jim’s honesty, willingness to lend a hand and his shy, self-deprecating manner make him a trusted and valued volunteer.

Jim comes is dedicated to the events at the Senior Center and is around even when he is not working. He plays pinochle on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, dominoes on Monday and cribbage on Friday. He often brings one of his brothers to pancake suppers and potluck dinners. While he is attending a social event, Jim is always the first to offer a helping hand. He routinely offers rides home to those who can no longer driver, washes the dishes, puts away the games and takes care of the tables and chairs.

James Hummer is an integral part of the Missoula Senior Center. He is a wonderful example of a member and a volunteer. All who come to the center enjoy his company and his quiet helpfulness. The Center functions all the more better because of volunteers like Jim.

Carrie Dobbins

Carrie Dobbins accepted a volunteer opportunity working with autistic twins while their mother nursed their father who had terminal cancer. Carrie instantly developed both a compassion for this family’s struggles and a sincere interest in Autism.

She continues to have a weekly commitment helping the boys, and has expanded her service to include advocacy and fundraising efforts to boost research and support services for families touched by Autism. Her compassion and dedication to a family and their twins has resulted in an impact on others in the community. Now other families are aware of resources available to them.

Carrie’s efforts truly do “serve those who are disconnected from the larger community” and hopefully her fundraising will help towards the goal of “a long term solution.” Her service is ongoing and she is in her second full year. In terms of “demonstrated impact,” these twins have been able to find success as mainstreamed students and their teachers/caseworkers point to Carrie’s help as being a major factor in their progress in school.

Last year, Carrie gave over 200 hours of service. She will continue to have a relationship with the twins in addition to serving the Kinston community in other areas of need.

Jamie Harper

From the nominator:

“Miss Phoenix City Jamie Harper elected to increase the ability for TEARS to grow within our mentoring and coaching program in September of 2006. Since that time Jamie has successfully recruited volunteer mentors and coaches, designed and executed fundraisers to support after school programs for the youth involved in our mentoring program including organizing a benefit concert in our behalf that generated over $500 in funds, over 60 gifts donated to the youth we serve during Christmas as well as a network of future volunteers and contributors.

Jamie refused to stop there and continued to see the needs of our youth. Many of the youth who are mentored by TEARS are also attending our tutorial program; Jamie saw the need for these students to be supported academically. After speaking in our behalf to a local Motorcycle Ministry our tutorial students received 12 backpacks full of supplies valuing over $275. In addition to that donation, TEARS has also received request for additional information on our tutorial and mentoring services.

Jamie is personally involved in the youth we serve participating in award ceremonies, game planning in educational development and participating in Abstinence Pledges. The youth we serve have greatly benefited by the dedication and passion that Jamie exuberates in all she does. Jamie has been an instrumental part of the growth of TEARS. Within these last months we have been able to serve over 500 youth within the Russell County community and have grown to serve two additional counties.

Jamie understands that mentoring and coaching our youth involves more than just spending one hour a week with a child. To be effective it takes community support and awareness to the needs of the youth in the community. Jamie has used her personal influence within the community to speak out for the youth concerning issues of abstinence from drugs, alcohol and sex until marriage, child abuse awareness, literacy outreach, tutorial development and the need for after school services, she has talked on our behalf on the local radio stations, at teen summits and in local congregations.

Recently TEARS saw the need for more tutors to assist the youth after school, in a matter of moments Jamie was volunteering to personally tutor those youth. Jamie’s dedication has taught many of us that you can always make time to serve our youth. Jamie managers to balance out a full school and work schedule, full time church duties and the responsibilities of being Miss Phoenix City. With all this on her plate she still makes time for that she is most concerned with, the character development of the youth of Phoenix City.

As a result of Jamie’s continued support TEARS continues to provide wrap-around services for our youth. Jamie’s referrals for funds and community support assisted TEARS in the implementation of three additional services to our youth; a dance program, literacy assistance services and an advance leadership program. We at TEARS know Jamie has truly been a blessing to our organization she and is most definitely a point of light within our nation.”

Members of First Congregational Church

The members of First Congregational Church in Cedar Rapids, IA, display their incredible compassion and generosity to the children of their neighborhood. Members have supported the neighborhood children in a number of ways, but most significantly by opening up their doors to the Boys and Girls Club to provide much needed support and programming to children in need of an alternative to running the streets after school and during the summer months.

Johnson School of the Arts (JSA) is located in the heart of the Wellington Heights Neighborhood of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The students are in grades 1-5. Sixty-one percent of the neighborhood population belongs to a minority group in a state with a 3% minority population. They have the largest growth of families with children in the city, 32% are under the age of 17 (2000 census). JSA is a Chapter I school, 67% receive free and reduced meals, one quarter of all students here are homeless, approximately 30% have at least one parent incarcerated at some point during their school career. They have a federal grant in place to support these children.

The Children’s Defense Fund listed Iowa as the state with the highest number of working parents. Parents’ work weeks are 25 hours longer per week than their children are in school or 100 hours per month. Although there is afterschool programming in the city, children in the area lack transportation to these programs and/or the financial means to participate. 66% of parents pay fees for afterschool programs in Iowa, the national rate is 44%. Without afterschool programs there are many unsupervised children running the neighborhood after school. According to OJJDP, most crimes are committed by youth between the hours of 3-6pm and summer time. This trend is well documented in this area.

Because of First Congregational Church members’ commitment, Boys and Girls Club has been able to offer programming to our students and students from other schools in the Wellington Heights area. They offer, at no cost to Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Rapids, their facility to house the program at the church. This includes the church grounds; their school has no green space, so they use this space as well during the day.

First Congregational Church members have also opened their hearts and purses/wallets to Johnson students. Members have bought school supplies; donated to the family account; provided mittens, socks, underwear and belts; gave Christmas presents to Johnson families in need; provided space for the students’ concerts and workshops; and even offered their chapel as a place of refuge for the staff during the time following the events of September 11th. Members from the church volunteer throughout the year to help out with Boys and Girls events such as Thanksgiving celebrations, Christmas parties and the annual summer events. Some serve on the Boys and Girls Southside advisory board; provide academic support and moral support to the Boys and Girls club staff.

This Southside Unit produced the National Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year Award, Stacey Walker, for this current year (2006-07). The community of Cedar Rapids recognizes the value and importance the service of the members of the First Congregational Church brings to the children of Johnson.

Olathe Public Library

In 2005, Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland met with Olathe Schools Superintendent Pat All to discuss ways in which he could work with Olathe Schools to improve childhood literacy. In September, 2005, the “I Read With Mayor Mike” program was launched.

As the “I Read With Mayor Mike” partnership between the City of Olathe and Olathe Schools progressed, the Olathe Public Library joined with the City and Olathe Schools to form OLATHE READS, a community-wide consortium whose purpose is to promote the value and importance of reading. The City of Olathe seeks to be known as a “City of Readers.

The OLATHE READS goal is to bring literacy initiatives throughout Olathe under one umbrella, pooling the resources, expertise, and influence of the City of Olathe, the Olathe School District, and the Public Library to more effectively reach the community and accomplish the community’s literacy goals. Although the current emphasis is on children, OLATHE READS will eventually embrace new and existing literacy programs for older students and adults as well. While OLATHE READS has no paid staff members, an OLATHE READS Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from the Public Library, City of Olathe, and Olathe Schools, is leading the effort. An important goal in the near future is to work with KSD educators to identify areas in which OLATHE READS can make a positive impact on literacy programs for KSD students, as well as Olathe’s large deaf and hard of hearing population.

The scope and outreach of OLATHE READS will continue to evolve as additional literacy goals are established. There are three OLATHE READS initiatives currently underway: (1) “I Read With Mayor Mike” – Mayor Michael Copeland’s reading initiative in Olathe’s Title 1 elementary schools; (2) expansion and promotion of the Olathe Public Library’s Summer Reading Club; and (3) support for the Library’s Daycare Outreach Program. The OLATHE READS Steering Committee has identified these three projects as having significant potential for promoting the importance of reading in the community.

Olathe Public Library Summer Reading Club – The OLATHE READS Steering Committee quickly identified the Summer Reading Club as a critical part of promoting reading in the community, as research shows that there can be a significant drop in reading ability over the summer. Children who participate are provided with Summer Reading Club folders which serve as reading logs for recording the number and titles of books read and the library programs attended over the summer months. Each student is also given a free paperback book as part of the program.

Thanks to the increased support and publicity provided by OLATHE READS, 2006 participation in the Summer Reading Club increased by 83%, which was an incredible jump in just one year! An end of summer event was held with a special concert provided by “Trout Fishing in America.” It was noted by the library that adult summer reading also increased.

Olathe Public Library Daycare Story time Outreach Program—The Olathe Public Library’s Daycare Story time Outreach Program utilizes volunteers who are assigned to area daycare centers to read stories to preschool-age children, an effective way to share the joy of reading with children who may not normally visit the Public Library. The program is offered to Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) contracted daycare centers, with the hope of reaching lower-income children who may have limited exposure to books, reading aloud, and the Public Library.

Funding for OLATHE READS has been provided through generous grants from the Comcast Foundation and Wal-Mart, Olathe District Schools, and other community donors – a clear reflection of the brad-based community support that exists for the initiative. Grant funds provided to OLATHE READS allowed the Library to purchase a new selection of hardback books to be used exclusively for the Daycare Story time Outreach Program.

Keith Baldwin

When Keith Baldwin started the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program 25 years ago, under the Kiwanis Club of Copper County’s youth services umbrella, the partnership was one of the first for the two national organizations. Today the national Kiwanis organization designates RIF a “priority one” program and encourages Kiwanis volunteers to sponsor RIF programs in communities throughout the United States.

“In the early years, Keith recognized that young adults reading stories to the children had a helpful impact in encouraging third graders to see reading as an enjoyable activity,” said Ernie Griff, a longtime friend and Kiwanis volunteer.

This inspired Baldwin to organize members of a Michigan Tech fraternity to read to children at several of the RIF schools with the intention of getting young boys to show more interest in reading.

As the RIF program expanded to serve additional schools, Baldwin discovered that sorting the books was fast becoming an unwieldy challenge. He developed a coding system that was adapted by two major books suppliers, which sorts the books into boxes for each school. Volunteers from Kiwanis then label the books, deliver them to each school, and attend the book distribution parties.

While Baldwin’s community is remote and has many areas that are economically disadvantaged, it has embraced the importance of reading and books. Griff credits the RIF program with helping area children improve their scores on standardized tests in reading.

“Books are my passion,” said Baldwin. “They have made a difference in my own life. It is my fondest hope that they also make difference in a child’s life.”When Keith Baldwin started the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program 25 years ago, under the Kiwanis Club of Copper County’s youth services umbrella, the partnership was one of the first for the two national organizations. Today the national Kiwanis organization designates RIF a “priority one” program and encourages Kiwanis volunteers to sponsor RIF programs in communities throughout the United States.

“In the early years, Keith recognized that young adults reading stories to the children had a helpful impact in encouraging third graders to see reading as an enjoyable activity,” said Ernie Griff, a longtime friend and Kiwanis volunteer.

This inspired Baldwin to organize members of a Michigan Tech fraternity to read to children at several of the RIF schools with the intention of getting young boys to show more interest in reading.

As the RIF program expanded to serve additional schools, Baldwin discovered that sorting the books was fast becoming an unwieldy challenge. He developed a coding system that was adapted by two major books suppliers, which sorts the books into boxes for each school. Volunteers from Kiwanis then label the books, deliver them to each school, and attend the book distribution parties.

While Baldwin’s community is remote and has many areas that are economically disadvantaged, it has embraced the importance of reading and books. Griff credits the RIF program with helping area children improve their scores on standardized tests in reading.

“Books are my passion,” said Baldwin. “They have made a difference in my own life. It is my fondest hope that they also make difference in a child’s life.”

Ann Tackett

Ann Tackett directs the Monroe County Families First Resource Center, which operates the innovative RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) literacy program Shared Beginnings. Shared Beginnings provides books and motivational activities for teen parents and their children. Through her vision of building a community of readers, Tackett, her staff, and the RIF participants have enjoyed meaningful and memorable book events.

The center’s mission is to effectively provide programs that strengthen families. One key program is Lifting Youth to Brighter Horizons, an out-of-school GED program for youth ages 16-21. To enhance the program, she involves a vibrant network of volunteers and community partners to ensure that families have access to books and reading motivation activities. In addition, she works hard to ensure that out-of-school teens in Monroe County have viable options not only to complete their GED, but also to acquire work experience, attain career mentoring, and access opportunities either for higher education or jobs.

“RIF enriches our program and gives us a core base to build from,” said Tackett. “Being able to see the smiles on the children’s faces when they select their own books is really rewarding. The wonderful experience of reading and book ownership is very important.”

When Hurricane Katrina sent 200 men, women and children to Tackett’s community, almost overnight, she was able to organize the center as a home base for hurricane survivors, who used computers and fax machines to apply for aid. Tackett also collected food and clothing donations for those affected by the disaster and helped secure toys and books for the children.

Beaverdam Baptist Church

Mission to Hanover was started five years ago by Beaverdam Baptist Church as a mission to Beaverdam where the congregation began assisting local underprivileged, elderly and handicapped folks with winterization projects, spring cleaning, and home repair projects. Though the projects occur only twice a year, the preparation for each project makes this a year-round event. The church began to brainstorm about how we could expand the project to reach more and more folks.

On November 11, 2006, the church held its first annual Mission to Hanover which reached out to all local Christian churches and enlisted 31 churches that helped over 200 people with 135 home repairs and winterization projects. The church then began working on Mission to Hanover in June and created a manual with step-by step instructions on how to make this project successful in addition to a DVD to get the congregation engaged and a CD with all the forms and marketing materials that would be needed to make the event a huge success within the community. Four meetings were held for local churches to come and ask questions and obtain information. A newsletter was created and sent out via internet weekly with updates, FAQs and tips to help keep everyone engaged, motivated and informed. In addition, the Hanover Sheriff’s Office and Hanover Fire Departments agreed to assist with assessing selected homes for safety concerns. Smoke detectors were installed and homeowners were instructed on the safest escape route in the event of an emergency.

The Hanover County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to make the second Saturday of every November an official Mission to Hanover Day. This was done in an attempt to recruit more participation and make the project more widely known and accredited. Projects that are done to homes include covering windows with plastic for the Winter months, wrapping pipes, raking leaves, building ramps for the handicapped, siding homes, roofing, replacing windows, repairing rotten boards and stairs and many other miscellaneous home repairs. The church has the assistance of local businesses like tree services, plumbers and contractors who come out and assist with removing trees, fixing problems with leaks and wells and giving advice about how to complete jobs the most efficient and economical way possible.

Beaverdam Baptist goes back in the Spring and removes the plastic and wrapping on pipes and continues with projects that are phased out because of money and time restraints. The goal next year is to assist 275 homes and to engage 75 area churches. What is most appreciated about this project is the teamwork among different denominations. Church members lay down their differences and proclaim the command to “love our neighbors as ourselves” and work together to make a difference in people’s lives. Friendships and lifelong relationships are created through this event as well as the continued desire to assist homeowners in need. It’s a personal connection that makes all the difference. Local businesses assisted with water bottles for volunteers, coupons for sandwiches and advertising for the event. A huge celebration was arranged at the local high school for all volunteers to come and eat, sing and celebrate.