Sleep Train, Inc.

There are nearly 60,000 children in the foster system in California.

Many have suffered the effects of neglect, poverty and even abuse.

Studies show that for many foster children, these challenges are just beginning.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Sleep Train, the largest mattress chain on the West Coast, has taken on assisting local foster children as a part of its mission. Founded in 1985 by Carlsen, Sleep Train has joined forces with specific and targeted foster charity organizations and the community to help California’s foster children. Since 2008, Sleep Train’s Foster Kids Program has focused its charitable efforts on providing support to children living in foster care in California. Through advertising and public relations awareness, the collection and distribution of important material items like clothing, shoes, pajamas, school supplies, gifts, and cash donations, Sleep Train's Foster Kids Program has successfully delivered hundreds of thousands of items and more than $700,000 in cash to these organizations. For this service work, Sleep Train has been recognized with the Daily Point of Light Award.

Sleep Train continues to raise awareness and support for the plight of foster children, and is currently collecting clothing for kids of all sizes and ages at all of their locations. You can get involved or learn more at www.sleeptrain.com.

Victim Call Program Volunteers

Boston University Premedical Society

St. Francis Auxiliary/Volunteers

Sarah Uphole

Joe and Elaine Griswold

After years of teaching in the United States, raising two children, enjoying 3 lovely granddaughters, and traveling frequently to Central America, a long dreamed-of trip to East Africa in 2003 changed Joe and Elaine Griswold forever.

During their safari vacation, the Griswolds and fellow travelers decided to make a side trip to a government sponsored village school in Lukaya. Due to road delays, they arrived hours after they were expected, but 700 students waited enthusiastically to greet them. The couples then toured the school and the village and by the end of that visit, were coming up with ways to help the children. As Joe Griswold states "We went to view the animals but were captured by the children."

While researching a way they could make a lasting contribution to Lukaya, the Griswold’s learned that over 50% of Lukaya’s population is under 18 years old with huge numbers of orphaned and vulnerable children because of the spread of HIV/AIDS. As a small truck-stop along the main highway of East and Central Africa, Lukaya’s populations live along the road termed "the AIDS Highway" because of its role in spreading the disease through sub Saharan Africa.

With strong backgrounds in education and a firm belief that knowledge is a powerful asset for individuals and communities, the Griswolds and many American partners and donors, began the Mustard Seed Academy, a school serving approximately 300 children from ages 3 to 13.

Today the Mustard Seed Academy hosts small class sizes, well-educated Ugandan teachers, good nutrition and health care. It is also a well-known model for sustainable development as the school’s directors and teachers are local to the community and the campus uses socially responsible and environmental friendly building materials. The school grounds even contain a medicinal garden that helps with improved nutrition, resulting in children who are more resistant to common diseases such as malaria and typhoid.

Debbie Reid

Rich Smith is a dedicated volunteer of the Tonto National Forest. For nearly six years, he has served the public by reducing the natural resource impact from off-highway vehicles (OHV), while improving recreational opportunities for Tonto National Forest visitors.

From March 2005 to 2008, Rich formed and led the Friends of Sycamore, a group of individuals and volunteers who helped address concerns in high-use OHV sites that were negatively impacting the Tonto National Forest.

Since then, he has organized the volunteers into a non-profit corporation, Tonto Recreation Alliance (TRAL). The organization has educated others about the importance of respecting forest land by encouraging user ethics. With the Tonto National Forest receiving the greatest number of primary OHV visits—529,000 visits annually—than any other individual national forest, Rich’s motivation was quickly embraced by the Mesa Ranger District.

In 2009, the Mesa Ranger District discussed with TRAL the need for conservation of a riparian area at Mesquite Wash. The goal was to keep OHV traffic out of the area. TRAL partnered with the Forest Service and Rocks Stars Motorcycle Club to install signs and barriers at all of the entrances to the sensitive areas.

He also is currently training others to lead projects. Under Rich’s leadership, a member of TRAL organized a clean-up to remove 25 tons of trash with the help of 500 volunteers. The trash filled four 40-yard roll-off dumpsters!

Rich’s service began with Friends of Sycamore and has grown to a non-profit organization that has formed partnerships and provided more than 2,000 hours of volunteer hours annually. Rich is making a difference in his community.

Rich Smith

Cindy Baczewski

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix had a plan to combat the increases in juvenile crime, gang activity and drug trafficking that was plaguing the West Valley. Together with several community partners, they were preparing to tackle these challenges by expanding programs and building three new Clubhouses in these needy areas. However, to be successful in these efforts, the Boys & Girls Clubs needed to increase the fundraising and volunteer efforts of its auxiliary groups.

For seven years the Boys & Girls Clubs have counted on Cindy Baczewski to help them achieve these lofty goals and change the lives of disadvantaged area youth.

During her seven years of service with MetroOrg, Cindy has played an integral role in transforming the group through a restructuring and rebranding process. MetroOrg is a volunteer fundraising and direct service group that supports the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. But, when Cindy joined MetroOrg in 2003, the group was a loosely formed volunteer organization providing very limited fundraising support for the Clubs’ vital programs and services. Today, thanks to Cindy’s perseverance, the organization is an attractive service outlet for young professionals and has grown its membership by 700% while also improving member retention and engagement.

The group began to plan and execute several large-scale fundraising events, including Global Gala, a food and beverage tasting event and auction that attracts 300 guests each year, the Heatstroke Classic Golf Tournament and Best of Texas Poker Tournament. Through these events, the group has consistently exceeded initial fundraising goals netting a profit of $108,000 in fiscal year 2008-09.

Beyond her many roles within the MetroOrg, Cindy also gives her time to serve in other capacities within the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. At any given time during the year, Cindy can be found assisting Club staff with quality assessments, coordinating donations for badly needed program supplies and even taking youth participants on fieldtrips.

Through all of her roles at MetroOrg and Boys & Girls Clubs, Cindy has never lost sight of the goal to provide hope and opportunity to youth in some of the West Valley’s most underserved neighborhoods.

Renee Van Heel

All Fired Up

When wildfires devastated her community in 2007 and burned her home, Renee van Heel did not wallow in despair, instead she got “fired up.”

Renee founded a support group to help the women of the San Diego community who had lost their homes. The organization, Fired Up Sisters, works to get fire victims back into their homes and help fire victims to become fire survivors.

The group has grown to include six hundred women in the last two and a half years and continues with its efforts until all of its members are back in their homes. It meets bi-weekly and each meeting includes guest speakers which assist the fire victims with such things as stress reduction, solving insurance problems and dealing with family issues.

Under Renee’s leadership the group became a smooth-running machine equipped to solicit and distribute donations to burned out victims. Renee designed the program to include a donation leader trained to procure discounted services and donated items from stores. Another group leader manages the collection and distribution of donated items. So many individuals and companies were inspired by Renee’s call for help that the quantity of donations collected necessitated the rental of a warehouse. Renee inspired others to take over a host of other responsibilities including organizing fundraising events and expanding volunteer opportunities to benefit the fire victims through partnership with the Hands On Network.

Members are so grateful for the support and assistance that Fired Up Sisters has provided them during their difficult time that they want to document their processes to help potential victims of a future catastrophe. Renee and the group want to help future victims by giving them access to the tools they developed so they have support at the very beginning of their crisis.