Maria Precht
Maria Precht has dedicated 900 hours to the Junior League of Annapolis, a non-profit organization comprised of women committed to promoting civic action. Maria’s service is largely spent with children and homeless families.
She recently distributed 1,000 bags of school supplies to children at local schools through the League’s Book Bag program. To raise awareness about childhood obesity, Maria taught healthy eating choices to kids in her community. She has prepared and served meals for homeless people, provided assistance with transitional housing options, and offered skills-based job readiness training.
Maria has focused on issues that currently affect society. She is providing individuals of all ages with tools to make informed decisions and improve their lives. Maria is addressing childhood obesity by teaching children healthy eating habits and encouraging them to make smart decisions. She is increasing students’ chances of success in school and providing them with a sense of pride.
She also serves as the Junior League’s Vice-President of the Finance committee. She is charged with developing funds to keep the organization viable to provide valuable programs to the community. Maria was voted the 2010 C&S Wholesale Grocers Volunteer of the Year based upon her strong commitment to volunteerism and service. She truly cares about the people that her organization is helping and understands how important her work is.
Maria is extremely enthusiastic and dedicated to volunteering and making a difference in her community. In spite of her demanding job at C&S Wholesale Grocers, she had made volunteering a priority in her life.
Magdelene
Founded by in 1997 by Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest on Vanderbilt's campus, Magdalene is a residential program for women who have survived lives of violence, prostitution and addiction.
For two years, Magdelene offers housing, food, medical and dental needs, therapy, education and job training, all without charge or to the women receiving treatment. Magdalene’s programs are grounded in 24 principles about living gracefully in community with each other. Residents, graduates, staff and volunteers share daily tasks, offer hospitality, build on each other’s strengths, and provide compassionate, disciplined support.
With a waiting list of over 80, women come to Magdalene from prison, the streets and from across the Southeast. They range in age from 20-50, were sexually abused between the ages of 7-11, started using alcohol or drugs by 13, have been arrested on average a 100 times, and have spent about 12 years on the street prostituting. Seventy percent of the women who join Magdalene are clean and sober 2 1/2 years after beginning the program.
After four months in the program, women find work, return to school and/or enter Magdalene’s job training program at Thistle Farms, a social enterprise. Magdalene offers a matched savings program to help residents prepare for economic independence upon graduation. Women who remain in recovery two years post-graduation are eligible for a new home buying program administered by two local congregations and Magdalene.
Magdalene was founded not only to help a subculture of women, but also to help change the culture itself. Participants and supporters stand in solidarity with women who are recovering from abuse, addiction, and life on the streets. Magdalene stands as a witness that in the end, love is more powerful than all the forces that drive women to the streets.
Project Angel Faces
After a terrible car accident that left her body severely wounded, dancer Rhonda Killough, decided to found Project AngelFaces as a part of her physical and emotional recovery.
Today, Project AngelFaces is a multifaceted social service organization working to improve the quality of life of community elders, youth and mentally handicapped individuals in need by providing them with fresh fruits and vegetables. Project AngelFaces participants and volunteers believe in the abundance of the world, making needed food available for Henderson, Nevada community members.
Not only does Project AngelFaces collect local, neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables and donate the harvest to existing social service providers who care for seniors and youth, but they also provide consultation, install, manage and maintain organic gardens across throughout Nevada.
To train others to grow their own food, Project AngelFaces provides organic gardening education. Through two programs, Project AngelFaces improves the quality of life of high-functioning intellectually challenged individuals and at-risk youth ages 6-12 engaging both groups in active fun and friendship while learning about nutrition and organic gardening.
Project AngelFaces invites us all to consume locally grown food, and lessen the burden on the global community to provide for our needs. They know that when we share what we have readily available, we build healthy, happy communities.
