SHEILA WEINBERGER COPE
Sheila would probably say that volunteering saved her life.
Years ago she had been a journalist in New York City and an intellectual property lawyer in high-tech Silicon Valley near San Francisco. She opened and ran a successful yarn store. Then, in 2008, her life changed dramatically. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She had always been active, go-getting, afraid of nothing. She suddenly felt that MS had taken all that away from her.
Last winter, HandsOn Nashville sought someone to develop its social media networks, someone who could work at home. Sheila jumped at the chance, and social networking quickly because her favorite volunteer project. Even during the 2010 Nashville flooding, while sick in the hospital with pneumonia, she helped mobilize volunteers with her tweets and online posts.
In the months after the flood, Sheila organized more than 25,000 online fans and followers of HandsOn Nashville to focus their disaster recovery efforts through the action center. She helped inspire Nashville citizens to volunteer and in doing so, she too has been inspired.
Rayme Nuckles
Frank Banks
The economic recession has not been kind to many, especially the homeless and the charitable organizations that aid them during their time of need. Already stretched in terms of finances and resources, many charities have found it hard to continue serving their communities.
Frank Banks, an 18-year-old philanthropist, has founded his own organization help those in need when they need it most. Still a college freshman, Frank started his own organization, the Frank L. Banks Foundation, at an age when most people are more worried about getting to class on time.
He developed a love of volunteering after going on mission trips in high school. After spending time with abused children, senior citizens and the homeless, he realized his passion. His organization conducts monthly clothing and food drives for various homeless shelters in downtown St. Louis.
The first clothing drives started small, but over the course of a few weeks they really took off. In his 8th month, he has been able to help over 200 homeless a month through physical clothing drives and social media efforts.