Jade Broglio
Lynn Bawson
Lillian Collins
“I started working with kids in the neighborhood because I realized that they are our future, and like Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ‘We are not alright if they are not alright.’ What kind of civilization can we call ourselves if we overlook our most valuable commodity?”
With a few donated books, a dingy old building, little help and her own resolve, Lillian Collins established Eastside Academy, an after-school program aiming to reach at-risk youth in need of additional instruction in math and reading. With many of its students living in a drug-ravaged part of Clinton, Okla., Lillian founded the school to provide a safe haven for its students. Much more than just a tutoring program, Eastside Academy offers students meals, transportation, field trips and incentives for attendance and effort, along with love, guidance and discipline when needed.
Knowing that the key to keeping students from falling into the wrong crowd is in keeping them busy with positive activities. Students can also gain exposure to the arts through a partnership with a local ballet school.
Although Eastside Academy is still an unfunded program, Lillian is able to meet the staffing needs of the program by being creative. Lillian calls upon junior teachers to teach younger children under Lillian’s supervision. The benefit is two-fold – the children have new mentors closer to their own age, and the junior teachers gain leadership skills and confidence.
Four years ago, after seeing the positive impact of Eastside Academy, Clinton residents voted to build a better facility to house the school. With Lillian’s leadership Eastside Academy is having a deep educational and behavioral effect on Clinton. Prior to Lillian’s founding of Eastside Academy, test scores for African American children in the local elementary school were lower than the 30 percentile. With more than 100 students enrolled at Eastside Academy, the students’ scores are now in the 80th to 90th percentile, and school administrators and parents have seen an improvement in overall student behavior and attitudes.
Chris Beasley
G.T. “BUCK” SMITH
Loretta Warfield
The holiday season is an especially tough time for families that are struggling. In Curtis Bay, an industrial part of Baltimore, Md., some members of the community are no exception to these hardships. Loretta Warfield tries to minimize this stressful time with her holiday outreach program.
The holiday outreach program helps 30-50 families each year with both Thanksgiving and Christmas by giving each family a box of food for both holidays and an assortment of gifts before Christmas. Loretta began this effort in 1998 with a partnership with the Curtis Bay Elementary School. The partnership provided turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas to local families that otherwise would not be able to afford them.
While the program was still in its early years, Loretta rallied and inspired her colleagues to donate one dollar each week. Eventually more than 100 employees were participating and eventually volunteers would “adopt” families and provide them with food and gifts. Volunteers began to help in any way they could, whether it be buying food, wrapping gifts, or making deliveries.
Loretta, a two time cancer survivor, is certainly doing her part to improve the lives of the people in her community. Her efforts have been recognized on CNN and in 2001 the mayor named March 2, “Loretta Warfield Day.” This is why Loretta is a Daily Point of Light.
Jeannette Barnes
Jeanette Barnes coordinates and operates weekly off-site adoption events at a local Arkansas Petsmart store. About 50 Sundays a year, she drives to the shelter, loads animals and equipment, drives to the Petsmart store and set up an adoption display with the animals. She provides advice, counseling and information for every potential adopter. Rarely does a week go by that at least one pet is not adopted t the off-site location.
When she is not helping the shelter, Jeanette is active in animal rescue with her own group, Animals R Us, which provides foster care and adoption for homeless pets. She also assists other organizations by providing transportation services—all free of charge to the organizations but paid for out of her own pocket.
In addition to those things, Jeanette also volunteers with the local search and rescue team and makes time for training with her search dogs, and is often called away from her home to conduct searches at all hours and in all kinds of weather. Jeanette and her former canine partner, Hannah, who passed away in late 2009, were instrumental in locating the bodies of two boys who had drowned in a small lake near their home last summer.
Jeanette has saved the lives of thousands of animals with her service. Even if animals that have a temporary foster home waiting for the them across town or across the country but have no way to get there, Jeanette will find a way to get them there. With a network of people with the same mission, volunteers are moving animals from over-crowded and over-burdened shelters into new homes with new families.
As a search and rescue volunteer, she has helped find missing persons and helped many families find closure when the body of a loved one was found. She is always ready to help, and will drop everything to help a person or animal in need.
The adoption rate reached 90 percent for the first time. Most government animal shelters are lucky to adopt 25 percent of the animals they bring in, but thanks to Jeanette’s dedication to helping the homeless animals with foster care and transportation, we are able to place nearly every adoptable animal that comes into the shelter.
Jeanette’s seemingly boundless energy and endless compassion reminds volunteers that saving just one makes all the difference. She rarely takes a day off from serving her community and is truly an inspiration to others.
Beverly Talanian
Beverly Talanian has contributed more than 2,300 hours of volunteer service as the unofficial librarian at the Joplin Youth Center since October 2005. The Joplin Youth Center is a juvenile correctional facility that provides residential treatment for teenage boys ages 13 to 15. Boys sent to Joplin typically have 30 to 90 days remaining on their juvenile court commitments.
Each Tuesday, Beverly spends most of the day overseeing library services for approximately 60 youth. She assists the boys in selecting books appropriate for their reading level and takes every opportunity to open their world to more challenging forms of literature. In addition, Beverly reviews book reports submitted by the teens and works closely with those who are struggling to complete an assignment, encouraging them along the way and recognizing their efforts. She serves as a liaison with school staff and has been instrumental in making sure that students are properly credited for the work they complete towards high school graduation.
Beverly has made the Joplin Youth Center’s library a reality by filling a void created by budget cuts. Funding is not always available to keep the library fully stocked, and Beverly has often purchased books at her own expense. In addition, she takes time to research publications that will further enhance the teens’ library experience and makes recommendations to Joplin’s administration for new purchases.
Due to Beverly’s diligence, the center offers teens a quality library program that enriches their lives, opens their world to new possibilities and helps prepare them for future academic endeavors.
Barbara Price Boles
Our past can sometimes be the greatest gift we can give to the future. Few people recognize this as much as Barbara Price Boles. She has dedicated her life to the preservation of history in Yorktown, VA and has inspired others to take a greater interest in their heritage, and in their communities.
Ms. Boles has dedicated more time serving as Regent of the Comte De Grasse Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), than she did as a registered nurse. DAR is a volunteer women's service organization dedicated to keeping America strong by promoting patriotism, preserving U.S. history and supporting education programs. Regularly she represents her chapter at the state and national levels. She has also promoted DAR in schools through the DAR Good Citizen Program, Project Literacy, and scholarships. She has even used her own money to promote national events such as the 4th of July, Yorktown Day, and Flag Day.
Her biggest contribution to DAR, however, is her commitment to the preservation of the Yorktown Custom House and Gardens, a 300- year old national treasure. Not only has she overseen applied to grants for its restoration, and overseen its archeological dig, but has used her own funds to help restore historical papers. She is currently still working hard to raise funds to support the repair and restoration of the Custom House.
Her work has not stopped at just being a Daughter of the American Revolution, but a sister to the sick and shut in. She often visits the sick in their homes or in the hospital, sends cards for encouragement, and takes them to their doctor’s appointments. She also uses her past experience as a registered nurse to help people understand their medications and medical diagnosis.
Ms. Boles’s interest in her heritage and history has led her to join the Tidewater Genealogical Society. She has traced her own lineage, and helped countless others tap into their own histories.
Recognizing the need to preserve our history, culture, and legacy, Ms. Boles has had a great impact on her community. Besides helping to restore national treasures, aiding the sick, helping people research their heritage, and she stands as an inspiration of how to take your passion and use it to better serve you community.