DR. JOHN CANAKARIS

Dr. John Canakaris has volunteered at the Free Medical Clinic in Flagler County for more than three years. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no ambulance service, no Embergency Medical Response Team and no Medical Society. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no free Medical Clinic.

Prior to the inception of the Free Medical Clinic, residents of Flagler County had to use the Flagler Hospital emergency room for “normal doctor’s office visits.” According to the CHCPP report in 2006, the hospital has saved about $211,937 since the Free Medical Clinic opened its doors to provide assistance to the uninsured.

Dr. Canakaris has a vision to help the many people who have simply “fallen between the cracks.” He knows there are many who are unable to afford insurance, yet some of those same people do not qualify for Medicaid. Dr. Canakaris opened his office for the Free Medical Clinic to start this program.

Dr. Canakaris is serving and has served as Medical Director of the Flagler County Free Medical Clinic since it opened its doors. He is the founder of the Flagler County Medical Society and is still actively involved in the organization as well. He has proven through his involvement that he is an outstanding example of selfless giving for the benefit of others.

John Canakaris

Dr. John Canakaris has volunteered at the Free Medical Clinic in Flagler County for more than three years. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no ambulance service, no Emergency Medical Response Team and no Medical Society. Before Dr. Canakaris, there was no free Medical Clinic!

Prior to the inception of the Free Medical Clinic, residents of Flagler County had to use the Flagler Hospital emergency room for normal doctor’s office visits. According to the CHCPP report in 2006, the hospital has saved about $211,937 since the Free Medical Clinic opened its doors to provide assistance to the uninsured.

Dr. Canakaris has a vision to help the many people who have fallen between the cracks. He knows there are many who are unable to afford insurance, yet some of those same people do not qualify for Medicaid. Dr. Canakaris opened his office to start the Free Medical Clinic and obtained sovereign immunity.

Dr. Canakaris has served as Medical Director of the Flagler County Free Medical Clinic since it opened its doors. He is the founder of the Flagler County Medical Society and is still actively involved in that organization as well. He has proven through his involvement in many organizations in the Flagler community that he is an outstanding example of selfless giving for the benefit of others.

Hyundai Diversity Action Team

The Hyundai Diversity Action Team is a group of nearly one hundred Hyundai Team Members that donate their time, energy and money to efforts in the Montgomery, AL area. Last year, the group completed more than fifteen projects that ranged from literacy to health and hunger/nutrition and shelter. The Diversity Action Team (DAT) made a donation to Habitat for Humanity in Montgomery, which assisted Habitat in building a home for an individual in the area. Team members donated their time to help build the home from the ground up. Hyundai is also the primary sponsor for the Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon at Eastdale Mall in conjunction with Cumulus Broadcasting. They also hosted first-graders from nearby elementary schools to celebrate the joy of reading and Dr. Seuss’s birthday for Read Across America.

The Hyundai volunteers also supported the March of Dimes Ride for Babies campaign. They coordinated a fundraiser and Team Members made financial donations and participated in the ride to Talladega Speedway. Many have been personally affected by complications of premature births of their own children, so the relationship is a good fit. DAT volunteers support Rebuilding Together and Team Members donate their time to renovate the home of a local resident in need.

In addition, DAT volunteers have sponsored clothing drives, which have resulted in the collection of several car loads of clothing to donate to those who had a need in the community. They have planned and hosted food drives that collected more than five thousand seven hundred pounds of food for the local food bank. The Hyundai DAT has collaborated with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers & the American Red Cross and hosted blood drives for local hospitals.

The Hyundai DAT has also benefitted Elmore and Montgomery County Public School systems with school supply drives; the Salvation Army with coat drives; and the United Way with an annual Corporate Fund Drive. They have also participated in Make A Difference Day, and their projects beautified the grounds for the South Haven Nursing Home.

The list goes on and on to include annual Toys for Tots Drive, adopting a family during the holidays and sponsoring children during the holidays. What is most impressive is the consistency and compassion of their service. The Hyundai DAT looks at their community, finds out the needs, and then creates plans to meet those needs.

Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties

The Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties held the First Annual Kids Safety Fair, which was located at six different locations across the county on October 27, 2007. Kiwanian volunteers have been a devoted group for seven years and spend each month contributing a considerable amount of time, money and other resources to the Family Life Center staff and agency.

The First Annual Kids Safety Fair had a vast positive impact in Volusia and Flagler communities and for the Family Life Center. Thanks to the dedication of more than five hundred twenty Kiwanians and community volunteers who worked in excess of one thousand one hundred twenty five hours, over two thousand families and five thousand children in two counties have been educated on safety information.

Through the education that this project provides to local families, thousands of children can lead happier and healthier lives. Parents also have the knowledge of more resourceful tools on safety education for their families, which will lead to the prevention of injuries, deaths, and harmful relationships.

The Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties initiated this project. It took hundreds of volunteer hours to organize and produce this successful event! Their hard work and dedication has created a great effect on those who had the opportunity to be a part of this activity. The mission of the Kiwanis is to “Serve the Children of the World” one family, one child, and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties continues to achieve the Kiwanis mission in all they do and in particular in the Annual Kids Safety Fair.

Wesley & Donna Hankes

Wesley and Donna Hankes devote their time and efforts to Disaster Relief Operations and Events. They are on-call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. They respond to single family fires and assist with whatever is needed on the site. They have been volunteering and assisting the community for two years and have made a tremendous impact in just that short time.

Donna and Wesley have participated in the damage assessment of the February 2007 Tornadoes. They have assisted with the Long Term Recovery program for clients of the Christmas Tornadoes every day for six months. The Hankes have also assisted in the damage assessment and feeding of families affected by the Tornado in Eustis which hit in September of 2007. In addition, they have assisted the Red Cross Disaster Action Team Members and participated in events like Port Orange Days, Fire Prevention Days and many others.

Wesley and Donna have helped the community recover after disasters which is an extremely important task. While many volunteers participate in serving the community during times of disaster, this couple is always willing to help with preparedness education as well. This includes meeting with area fire departments and the residents of their community to promote home fire preparedness, and attending community fairs to educate residents on a large scale of disaster preparedness.

Wesley and Donna are a volunteer team who is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Bunnell area American Red Cross prepare for, respond to and help victims recover from disasters.

Lisa Doig

Lisa Doig leads a community organization that was established to improve communications and disaster preparedness and response in the Hispanic community in northwest Volusia County in Florida.

Working with community leaders, she was the driving force in creating the GCRD in 2007. The GCRD includes members from major groups in the northwest Volusia County area: United Hispanics, Farm Workers Association, Community Foundation, Battered Women Advocates, Catholic Charities, Nation Farm Working Ministry, Volusia County Schools and others.

The GCRD is activity planning and preparing for disasters by arranging community education events, organizing citizens to quickly spread crucial information and increasing the training and participation of many of the citizens. To increase the group’s preparedness efforts, Lisa organized trainings (in Spanish) in the nationally recognized CERT program.

Lisa coordinated many programs for the community through GCRD including: Red Cross preparedness, Pandemic Flue awareness, and Skywarn Radio training from National Weather Service in Spanish. She facilitated with the Volusia Interfaith Networking in Disaster group, current efforts to bring mobile homes to eligible people still suffering from the 2004 hurricanes and the tornadoes of 2006 and 2007.

Lisa has provided the enthusiasm, leadership and organization for the community to withstand the next disaster. She has a personal love and passion for helping the citizens in the northwest area of Volusia County to be better prepared for an upcoming disaster. Lisa’s life philosophy describes her motivational drive, which is simply put, “Don’t pass up opportunities.”

Kayla Drummond

Kayla M. Drummond has taken part in a variety of volunteer efforts in her Deltona, FL community. She has served one year as an eighth grade mentor at Heritage Middle School.

In addition to mentoring, Kayla is also an active volunteer with the Girl Scouts of America. As a result of her volunteer work, Kayla has been nominated as a Citizen of the Month for the past two years.

Kayla participates in almost any event that involves community service at Heritage Middle School. She constantly seeks out activities where she can work with people and help others.

Always with a positive attitude, Kayla is willing to lend a hand to anyone with 110% effort. She is an inspiration to youth and adults alike as a result of her commitment to volunteer work.

Sew Many Memories

Sew Many Memories creates Memory Bears and heart shaped pillows for bereaved family members. With the help of hospice counselors, a bereaved individual chooses an article of clothing from a loved one who had passed away and gives it to the group. The group, in turn, lovingly creates a keepsake bear or pillow. Over the past year, this group has made more than one hundred fifty memory items from bowling shirts, pajamas, night gowns, tee shirts, bathing suits, baby blankets and uniforms.

Many recipients carry their bears with them everywhere. Memory Bears can be seen in cars as well as places of employment. Others place the bears in their loved one’s favorite chairs. Most talk to their bears, hug their pillows and feel the presence of their loved one after these items have been carefully created.

Sew Many Memories volunteers are aware they cannot remove the pain of tragically losing a loved one, but the group brings comfort and extends love through their memory bears and pillows. They are recognized for their compassion, hard work and dedication to comforting those who have lost loved ones.

Gina Marie Incandela

Gina Marie Incandela is a 6 year old girl who donates her time and performances to various charitable organizations and causes on a regular basis. She addressed the community needs for education and awareness of many causes such as autism and cancer.

The community and the world are different as a result of Gina’s efforts. She touches people in a very special way and draws attention to issues within the community that affect almost all members at some point in time. She uses her voice to reach people that might never have given such issues any thought, if not for seeing and hearing Gina.

Gina is special because when she was about two years old she was diagnosed with PDD NOS (a form of autism). Gina could not speak at age two, so her parents sought evaluations that led to the diagnosis. In addition to a speech and language delay, Gina did not have age appropriate social skills. She had poor eye contact, sensory issues and feeding issues. She had difficulty transitioning and did not adapt well to new environments. She was often afraid in public and could not tolerate noisy places such as theme parks or carnivals. She had odd behaviors such as scratching the floors and walls and stacking her toys instead of playing with them. She had no imaginary play skills, and when she went to a playground, she showed no interest in other children. Gina would simply pick up sticks and rocks.

The doctors that diagnosed Gina were unable to state whether her condition would improve or worsen. They were unable to tell her parents whether Gina would ever be able to speak. The doctor’s advice was to enroll her in a specialized program as quickly as possible to give her the best chance to overcome her disabilities. Gina started attending the UCP Charter School in Osceola County in a full time day program.

Unfortunately, many families are sharing the experience of such a diagnosis more frequently every day. Gina received various therapies including occupation, speech and language and behavioral. Gina is now in “regular” class at a private school. She still receives therapy at school and at home but continues to thrive and advance.

Gina has worked very hard over the past few years to reach every goal set for her. Now, this young lady that once was unable to speak is using her voice to reach others in a very special way. Gina had many volunteer performances during 2008. She was a part of the UCP Celebrity Gala hosted by Cheryl Hines of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Orlandao, Lake Buena Vista and Celebration Florida, the UCP of Central Florida Combined Graduation Ceremony, and the UCP National Conference in Washington, DC. These are only a handful of the many opportunities Gina has completed to volunteer her time and skills.

Gina still has to work hard each day to function in a world which she perceives much differently than most; however, she gives her very best effort each and every day. Gina never gives up even with the personal challenges she faces. She is a shining example of what children with disabilities are capable of when they are given the tools they need to succeed. She hopes many other children with disabilities and their parents will be inspired to set goals, reach them and fulfill their dreams.

Jonece Layne

While many children Jonece’s age prefer playing video games or watching reality TV during their free time, 12 year old Jonece Layne has been of service both in her community and overseas. She started volunteering at Erickson Retirement Communities/Riderwood Village 6 years ago at the age of 6, logging over 650 volunteer hours at that facility. She was recognized by that organization as volunteer of the year in 2006, having volunteered the most hours and being the youngest volunteer.

Her desire to share her knowledge with others, and to see others excel, prompted her to be a peer tutor in her elementary school while she was in the fifth grade. Seeing the educational need at her elementary school, Jonece created a peer tutoring program of her own when she was in Middle School and convinced the Principal of Glenarden Woods Elementary School, the elementary school she attended, to implement the Students Learning and Teaching Every Subject (SLATES) program. She also recruited senior students from Glenarden Woods as peer tutors. This program has successfully completed one year and has contributed to the increase in the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) scores at GlenardenWoods.

She has also been involved in an overseas outreach program. She tutored primary students in a rural school of a developing country in South America for one week in June 2006 and June 2008, and has donated a Math trophy yearly since 2006 to the highest scoring primary student in Mathematics at that school, who will be matriculating to high school. This score is based on the country’s national secondary examination. She uses her allowance to purchase the trophies.

Jonece has always showed a sense of caring and compassion for others sat a very young age. This coupled with her love of helping others and her maturity beyond her years brought her to Riderwood as a volunteer at age six. This has distinguished her volunteer efforts from children of similar age. At Riderwood she has brought cheer to the lives of the elderly on a weekly basis, by serenading them with soothing classical music at the piano. She assists the activities programming staff by transporting residents to and from activities and helping with the activities. She also does one on one visits with residents. She knocks on the doors of residents and sites. Some of the residents would have otherwise remained in their rooms, but withy encouragement from Jonece they decided to participate and often express their enjoyment at the end of the activities. Participating in these activities encourages the residents to interact with one another, fostering an increase in socialization and living longer healthier lives. They are more inclined to attend subsequent activities independently.

After many years of volunteering at Riderwood, Jonece has cultivated many bonds with the residents. They look forward to her visits and some residents show their appreciation by telephoning her to express their gratitude after her visits and anxiously looking forward to her next visit. She is truly an amazing 12 year old who continues to give unselfishly to her community.