SuzAnne Palmer
In 1989, Dr. SuzAnne Palmer was an instrumental participant in the formation of the Baldwin County Council on Substance Abuse. The BCCSA was a true grassroots endeavor spearheaded by concerned community members to stave off the burgeoning spread of cocaine use, as well as marijuana and designer drugs. Dr. Palmer gave tirelessly of her time and willingly shared her expertise as this fledgling group of activist paved the way for what eventually would become the Oconee Prevention Resource council serving not just the children, young people and families in Baldwin County, but those in 5 other rural counties in middle Georgia.
Dr. SuzAnne Palmer has been a dynamic and dedicated leader of the Oconee Prevention Resource Council (OPRC). Not only does Dr. Palmer deliver hundreds of babies, she cares passionately about their well-being as they continue to grow towards adulthood. As President of the Oconee Prevention Resource Council Dr. Palmer has been an involved and extremely effective leader in providing guidance in the implementation of programs that benefit the under-resourced and under-served children and young people in our community. Dr. Palmer organized the first of the “Super Stars” programs, in the Graham Housing Authority, 15 years ago. Designed to provide positive alternatives to the negative behaviors that lead to substance abuse, teen pregnancy and academic failure, “Super Stars” was a vital program for these at-risk elementary-age children. Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Palmer, “Super Stars” continues to this day and has expanded to 5 other counties.
For the past 14 years Dr. Palmer has recruited physicians from our community to provide free physicals for more than 4,200 young people who attended the National youth Sports Program (NYSP) for 5 weeks each summer. For the majority of these young people, this physical was often their only contact with a doctor from one year to the next. Not only did this physical enable a child to participate in an excellent program, but often health issues of concern were discovered and ultimately treated.
For the past 15 years, Dr. Palmer’s leadership has enabled the OPRC to help fund Red Ribbon Week activities in Baldwin County. Red Ribbon Week is recognized, nationally, as a way of honoring a Drug Enforcement Agent who was killed, in 1985, in a drug-related event. Prior to each Red Ribbon Week celebration, Dr. Palmer contacts each of the physicians within Baldwin County and is able to raise over $2,000 to be used within our school systems to promote the prevention activities that are a part of Red Ribbon Week.
In addition to providing resources for Red Ribbons Week, a small portion of the funds raised are utilized in the “Pull Tab” project, a collaborative effort of the ADPi Sorority at Georgia College & State University, the OPRC, the Baldwin Public and Private school systems and the local McDonald’s restaurants. The children collect the pull tabs from cans all through the year. The tabs collected are recycled with the money going to the Ronald McDonald House in Macon, GA. Three times during the school year, “Happy Meals” are delivered to the class, at each of the 5 elementary schools, who has collected the most tabs during a 9-week period.
Lauren Cantor
Lauren has volunteered her time to The SCOTTY Fund for the past nine years. The SCOTTY Fund is charitable, non-profit organization which provides financial and family services to children with life-threatening and critical illnesses and their families. Lauren has helped at many fundraisers and has helped with preparing meals and gifts for ill children and their families.
Over the past three years she has taken over a leadership role at our main fundraiser, The Annual Bethel Town Picnic. She has been in charge of the Ice cream booth that has earned over five hundred dollars each year for our fund. Lauren has been instrumental in getting the ice cream donated, setting up peers to work at the booth, and working the entire day herself. Her ability to take initiative and follow through makes her a strong leader.
Lauren also volunteered her time to work in summer school classes for the Bethel Public Schools, of which I am the coordinator. Lauren was a tremendous help with the young students. She was flexible, creative and organized.
Lauren Cantor is an energetic, thoughtful, hardworking young lady who will make a positive mark on whatever she chooses to do in the future. She is one of those rare individuals who unconditionally gives to others and helps wherever she is needed.
Jeremy Brown
Jeremy volunteers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tuskegee, Alabama in various positions. Some of these positions include Nurse Aide, Engineer Aide, and Office Aide. He have volunteered over 1,000 hours. His father works at the hospital so he know about the needs of the veterans. Jeremy duties were whatever the nurses asked him to do. He ambulanced patients to their appointments, gave them ice water, restocked medical supplies, listened to veterans tell their life stories, worked with computers, copiers, filing, fax machines, and also the cleaning, and changing of air condition vents. I would say that the nurses were impacted because there was a stress relief for them and the veterans could count on him to sit down and listen to their stories.
Jeremy’s activities at the VA Medical Center has the impact of putting smiles on the faces of veterans and also taking some of the stress away from the overworked nurses. I am sure the veterans thought each day he came to work he was doing his for them but he was the one getting the rewards. Nothing could compare to the smiles he would receive. The veterans faces would just light up for such a simple thing as saying good morning. He felt proud to be able to give back to the people who had served our country. He realized the veterans thought they had been forgotten by our younger generation. A majority of the veteran’s families do not come to see them in the hospital. This would make the veterans very sad and lonely. Jeremy knew this was not helping them to get well. The patients would tell him they were lonely. He knew they just wanted someone to talk to and to take a little time with them. They would tell him it made them happy to see some young faces and pretty smiles every day.
Volunteering does make a big difference, even if you just take the time to listen to a veteran when others are too busy to listen. You may think it does not make a difference, but to those veterans who have nothing but time on their hands it means the world to them. No one really understands how others volunteer and his sitting down and listening to a veteran’s life stories impacted them. Jeremy truly know that the impact was pretty strong, but he did not know how strong. He learned there is more to life than making money.
Volunteering makes you value getting an education. The veterans always told him to get his education. The veterans said, “Get your education, so you will have more options in life.” He never knew how destructive was until he worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It makes him say, “I should volunteer to the veterans because of what they did for me and my fellow Americans.” They have all of these wounds and disablements for our freedom and the freedom of all other Americans. Some of the veterans have families that don’t come around to see them or families that don’t live close enough to visit. So Jeremy feel by him volunteering, he can compensate for their lost love of family. There is nothing better than seeing a happy veteran to him. The bad things you really do not see until you volunteer and see how the real world is. It makes him want to do more volunteering and things for the veterans. It feels good to be able to give your time to someone that has given so much to our country. He called it, “Serving Our Fallen Heroes.”
Benjamin Davis
Ben Davis has volunteered at the John Winthrop School Lighthouse After School Program in Bridgeport, CT. for the past two years. He instituted a chess club with the 4th and 5th grade students encouraging higher order thinking at all times. Most of the students had little knowledge of the game, but Ben had tremendous confidence in their ability to learn and demonstrated significant patience throughout the course of each year. His inquisitive nature was evident as he probed students about the strategies they used and additional options at their disposal. Ben was reliable, enthusiastic, highly motivated, and innovative with his teaching style. He was truly an asset to the Lighthouse Program staff.
In addition, Ben culminated each year with a trophy ceremony. Thanks to his generosity and that of his family, each student received a personalized trophy for their participation. His time spent with the children at Lighthouse left each of them with a greater understanding and appreciation for the skills required to play chess that can carry over into their everyday life.
Zain Gillani
The voluntary services that Zain Gillani performs are multi-faceted focusing mainly on helping children of underrepresented communities. Being a child of immigrant parents he understands the opportunities he is blessed with.
During the school year he volunteers through LINKS (Linking Ideas and Networking Kids with Science) a club formed by High School students in August 2006 and is sponsored by Fernbank Science Center. As a member of LINKS, they do an outreach program for underrepresented elementary and middle school students called Science Night Out, which is a hands on science activity on Friday nights for three hours. Zain as one of the founders and members of LINKS is involved in planning out the activities and then teaching the activity to the young children. They teach them about various scientific topics and have labs and demonstrations about robotics, chemistry, forensic and animal sciences.
The other volunteer activity that Zain is involved in during the school year is working as a FUN (Fernbank Ultimate Naturalist) volunteer, which he has been doing since the seventh grade. He gives his time at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, where he shares his knowledge with Museum patrons trying to help encourage curiosity, creativity and appreciation of natural history and science in young people.
He is also the founder of Zain's Helping Hands Service Projects through which he has volunteered for the Lions Club. He collected used cell phones, under the program Cells for Sight, and donated them to the Lions Club which in turn sells the cell phones and uses the money to provide eye care and eye glasses to people in need. In the fall he does a project called Sight Night, where he collects used glasses during the month of October culminating on Halloween Night and he donates the glasses to the Lions Club who clean, measure, and distribute the glasses to people in need. Zain has been working on Cells for Sight and Sight Night for the past two years and hopes to continue doing so every year. Zain's Helping Hands Service Project serves as an umbrella organization under which he does many projects. In the two years since its inception it has grown to include a Website to update the community about projects and solicit help from the community.
His summer volunteer project is the highlight of his year. This is his second year participating as a counselor for a camp for children of immigrant parents. This camp is aimed at providing a sense of direction and helping the children be self-confident through play and role models. Camp Mosaic requires all counselors, returning or new to undergo a vigorous training and requires hundreds of hours of preparation and training to provide a comprehensive, enjoyable and excellent camp. It is entirely staffed by volunteers. Zain looks forward to this camp every year and puts in his full dedication prior to the camp for training and during the camp preparing the lesson plan and activities.
Zain is involved in various extracurricular activities whether it is volunteering, academic or hobby related. His schedule is multi-faceted and has provided him with a well-rounded array of experiences. He exhibits distinct leadership abilities that are highly valued in any program.
Barbara Shaiman
Over the past thirty years, Barbara Greenspan Shaiman has dedicated her life to serving her community. Professionally she has been a teacher, a counselor and a businesswoman, and has presented nationally and internationally. Her most recent contribution to her community has been through the creating of Champions of Caring, a not for profit organization that she has devoted all of her time and energy to.
Barbara is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her mother Carola Greenspan is the sole survivor of a family of 65 people and her father Henry worked for Oskar Schindler, the basis of Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List. Given her family’s history she has worked to ensure that “the disease of silence and indifference never be allowed to triumph.” She believes that investment in our country’s youth by inculcating the values of service and social justice in these young leaders will lead to a strong and compassionate nation.
In 1995 she founded Champions of Caring, a 501© (3) “dedicated to sensitizing and educating young people to take active roles in improving their communities.” Since its inception, more than 2,000 high school students from the greater Philadelphia region who have given 750,000 hours of service have participated in its Recognition Program and 200 have participated in its Ambassadors of Caring Leadership Program. In addition, 5,500 inner-city students have taken its unique character education/service-learning school curriculum—Journey of a Champion that promotes academic excellence, prejudice and violence reduction, and active citizenship.
Under her leadership, Champions of Caring has become a dynamic and growing non-profit organization recognized throughout the region as a model for encouraging young people in their service, developing their leadership skills and helping schools in their efforts to nurture successful and compassionate young citizens. Champions of Caring build connections among teenagers who are otherwise isolated from one another both physically and socially. The teens who participate in Champions programs and are engaged in advocacy, outreach and community service come from all socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds and work together to find solutions to problems plaguing their neighborhoods, the nation, and the world.
As Philadelphia is a city that has become increasingly plagued by violence, Barbara’s work with Champions of Caring is now more vital than ever. Champions takes an innovative approach to social change by teaching young people to be the catalysts for these changes. While other groups focus on mobilizing adults, Barbara has dedicated her organization to train the next generation of leaders and social activists.
Rickie Santer
Rickie Santer is a senior at Division Avenue High School in Levittown, NY. He is currently serving his second term as Lt. Governor of the New York District Key Club Division 6. His wide variety of community service activities include leading over 1,500 Key Club members in 11 high schools in the service of others through club-based and division-wide projects.
Some of these service projects include volunteering as staff for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk, raising money for a $1,000 donation to the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center, trick-or-treating for UNICEF, cleaning-up the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s outdoor exhibit area, creating “Pillow Hugs” for injured veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, purchasing bed kits through Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) for children in the Philippines, co-sponsoring an Aktion Club for disabled adults in a local ACLD group home, a trash pick-up at a bird sanctuary, donating a trauma kit to the Nassau County Police Ambulance Unit, telethons for cystic fibrosis and two Relays for Life.
The most recent service project coordinated by Lt. Governor Rickie was a divisional talent show involving members of the entire Kiwanis family including Kiwanis Club, Key Club, Builders Club and Aktion Club members.
On May 26, 2007, Rickie was 16 years old when his Divisional Secretary and friend Katieanne Molloy shared her diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) with him. Although devastated by the news, Rickie began researching the disease. While Katie’s prognosis isn’t good, Rickie learned about some cutting edge research into treatments and the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Two days later, Rickie held the first meeting of his talent show committee that would eventually name the show the Spotlight 4 Sight (S4S). Through the talent show, Rickie and the committee hoped to raise $10,000 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Over several meetings, Lt. Governor Rickie and his committee created a logo, adopted a timeline, distributed registration forms, secured insurance for the show, booked an auditorium, wrote explanatory letters to Kiwanis Club presidents, planned a printed program which will included ads and boosters and arranged several pre-show fundraising events.
Through the summer, Lt. Governor Rickie and his committee have done volunteer work that led to a generous donation, arranged a meeting with a representative from the Foundation Fighting Blindness for Key Club officers, designed a lapel pin for sale as a fundraiser, held a 50’s themed fundraiser, made several informational presentations and planned a Coldstone Creamery fundraiser.
On October 19, 2007, the Spotlight 4 Sight Talent Show involved over 150 Key Clubbers, 100 Kiwanians, 15 Builders Clubbers and 10 Aktion Club members. These performers, judges and stage crew, included individuals ranging in age from 11 to 75, engaged in a single community service event that educated audience members related to retinal diseases and raised $10,000 to support research seeking treatments or a cure for retinal diseases that cause blindness.
St. James School Literature & Community Class
The Student Care Team from St. James High School in Montgomery is a very special group of high school students who provide support for Alacare hospice patients across Montgomery County. These eleven students have made a strong commitment to visit sick and elderly members of their community after school two days each week throughout the school year. Visiting in teams of two, they provide companionship and emotional support to patients, and brief relief to their caregivers and family members. They also phone the patients each week to check in and see if there are any additional ways they can be of service. In addition, they help out with special projects such as housecleaning, yard work, and running errands.
To date, the St. James Student Care Team has provided support to more than 15 of Alacare’s patients in Montgomery County and collectively given more than 700 volunteer hours of service to the volunteer program. This specific group of youth volunteers works collaboratively together and portray a true team spirit approach to offering comfort and support to Alacare patients and their families.
The student volunteers demonstrate the magic that can happen when we step out in faith and bring together youth and older citizens. Volunteers who choose hospice as their primary community project must be extremely dedicated to serving their community, and need confidence in dealing with the complexity of real-life issues such as death, dying, grief, and bereavement. This can be especially challenging for teenagers, many of whom have never had to deal with those things in their personal experience.
Joan Hecht
Joan Hecht has worked full time, on a volunteer basis, with the Lost Boys/Girls, since their arrival to America in 2001.
Joan established an all-volunteer 501© (3) foundation in 2004 called “Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan,” to assist with their health and educational needs. To date, she has helped over 48 local Lost Boys and Girls with college tuition and books. Seven Lost Boys recently graduated from their junior college through her program, with five earning places on the Dean’s List, Presidents List and National Honor Society, as well as other awards. Another 5-7 will earn their bachelor degrees this year.
In addition to assisting with college tuition/books, her foundation has assisted with their numerous medical needs, including re-constructive surgery for one of the boys who was tortured by Sudanese soldiers. The removal of a stick from the foot of another Lost Boy, which had been lodged there for over ten years and most recently, she administered the second round of treatment for two potentially fatal parasites that they were at risk of contracting while living in Africa.
She and local Lost Boys speak actively across the US in an effort to raise awareness about the Lost Boys and the plight of the Sudanese people. She is highly sought after for her knowledge on the subject.
This fall she is launching an educational fund -raising campaign in schools across the US called Mission SSS – Stand Up – Speak Out – Stop the Genocide.
This campaign will not only help to fund the education of Lost Boys /Girl’s, but it will also help to educate American students to the plight of the Sudanese people and current events in our world history.
In honor of her work with the Lost Boys/Girls, Mrs. Hecht was named one of four finalists in the volunteer category for the 2005 EVE Awards, sponsored by the Florida Times Union. Her book, “The Journey of the Lost Boys,” took First Place in Education at the 2005 Promoting Outstanding Writers (POW!) Book Awards, earning her the title, “2005 Author of the Year.” Her book is also used in college curriculums across the US and 50% of the profits will benefit the people of Southern Sudan.
Mrs. Hecht has successfully helped this group of young men and women, who have faced horrors beyond our imagination, to become successful, productive citizens of our country and community.
Alma Hadley
You would think managing a criminal probation program would be a job for some young hot shot. After all, the program deals with people who have committed misdemeanor offenses and are being given a second chance. That’s not the case in Lapeer County. The Citizens Probation Council is directed by an 88-year old great grandmother volunteer.
Alma Hadley may be older, but she spends two-to five days a week administering her 77 member volunteer force to stop small criminals from growing into big ones. You’ve got to hand it to energetic Alma, who lives in Dryden with her 91 year old husband, Larry. The couple has 11 children and 27 grandkids. She hasn’t counted the number of great grandkids lately.
The Lapeer Program started in 1970. It took eight years to work out a formula that would work well with the court system as well as clients it administered. That’s when Alma was asked by the prosecutor to take the “job” as Director . . . Oops! She calls her job a “Vocation.”
The council handles people from 17 to 92 years of age who’ve been put on probation by Lapeer courts for misdemeanors – smoking or having small amounts of marijuana in their possession, minors found with liquor, petty retail fraud including shoplifting, embezzlement or small spousal abuse.
The program, which does not handle felonies or persons with violent histories, receives no tax support. It is funded by a $250 service fee paid by client. When court orders probation for an offender Alma appoints a volunteer to work with him or her. As part of probation most violators take a 16-session alcohol and drug abuse class similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, at old Clover School, west of Lapeer. Alma said more than 5,000 people have participated in the program since its inception.
“In our 36 years we have an 80 percent success rate,” Alma said. “Some who’ve gone through the program return for a second time because they want to, not because they are forced to.” “it’s said to see some of these kids with problems. We treat them like our own sons and daughters.” Alma is anxious to recruit more volunteers. “Our volunteers are the heart of the program,” she said. “They range in age from 25 to 92. Maybe a dozen have been with me for 25 years.”
