Christopher Craig
Throughout the course of the past ten plus years, Christopher Craig has provided dedicated service to the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS).
Christopher began as an EMT with the NC-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team and since has served various roles within NDMS including a combined role of Communications Specialist and EMT for the National Medical Response Team East, lead Communications Officer for the NMRT-E team and Deputy Commander of the NMRT team. During his federal service, he has deployed to countless disasters, and has served his country on multiple National Specialty Security Events. His service has not only served the people of the United States during their most vulnerable times, but has also served The Department of Health and Human Services, NDMS, the NMRT team, and each individual that makes up those different divisions.
Outside NDMS, Christopher has shown great dedication to service to those in need, through his volunteerism at the local, state, and federal levels. He began his emergency medical service with the Ocean City Beach Patrol as a Surf Rescue Technician in Ocean City, Md. He then transitioned into a volunteer role as an EMT-I and Rescue Technician with the North Meck Volunteer Rescue Squad in Huntersville, NC – where he continues to serve.
Christopher has touched countless individual’s lives. He has helped communities when they are at their weakest and has gone so far as to recruit others like him into volunteer roles – furthering his reach and effect.
Christopher has remained selfless throughout his service, dropping everything for his fellow neighbor whenever necessary. He represents the true spirit of service that we all long to possess. This is what makes Christopher a Daily Point of Light.
PCU Mississippi SSN 782
The Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Mississippi, a submarine for the U.S. Navy, has an average of 55 volunteers who together, have accomplished 866 hours of community service since the inception of the program in October 2010.
The crew volunteers in many ways; from assisting the elderly, veterans and active duty troops stationed overseas, to assisting in educating school age children from kindergarten to fifth grade.
The PCU Mississippi’s community service program directly benefited more than 10,000 local people in the New London County area in 2010. The program improved the quality of life for military veterans, children, low income families, elderly, and the Mississippi cities of Groton, New London, Norwich, Mystic and Ledyard.
PCU Mississippi packed and delivered holiday meal kits to less fortunate military families for Christmas and Thanksgiving, provided cooking, cleaning and helped raise donations and provide support to children participating in a bowling contest at the Special Olympics.
No other submarine has had a community service program during the building of their ship. PCU Mississippi’s crew volunteers have completed more community service as a sea going command than all of the large shore facilities in their area. That is why the crew volunteers of the PCU Mississippi are Daily Points of Light.
Curt Metzger
Curt Metzger, of the United States Navy’s Blue Angels, volunteers and coordinates volunteers from the Blue Angels squadron for the Habitat for Humanity organization in Pensacola, Fla.
Curt is a long-time Habitat volunteer, starting with his experience at Habijax in Jacksonville, Fla. When he was transferred to Pensacola, Curt looked for a local Habitat to continue his volunteer service. Curt recruited several Blue Angels to volunteer during Pensacola’s 2011 Build-a-thon held during the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation Week.
Curt’s volunteerism addresses poverty housing issues in the Pensacola community. He helps build affordable homes for families who are in need of stable housing. As a member of the military, Curt commits most of his time serving our country. In his off-duty time, he continues to serve through his volunteer work. Because of Curt’s volunteer service, more families are able to realize their dream of homeownership. Curt has also spear-headed a really strong, long-lasting partnership between the Blue Angels and Habitat for Humanity.
Curt does not volunteer out of obligation, but simply because he has a good heart. Although he volunteers a lot, what’s more important and obvious about his volunteerism is the quality. He takes time to build relationships with Habitat crew leaders, staff and family partners. He doesn’t just “go through the motions” on his days of service. He is sincere in his support of Habitat’s mission and that is why Curt is a Daily Point of Light.
John and Susie Trautwein
The Will to Live Foundation was established in October 2010 by John and Susie Trautwein in an effort to fight teen suicide after their 15-year old son Will, took his own life.
The Foundation is doing an extraordinary job supporting teenagers with the concept of "Life Teammates." These are teens that support each other, listen to each other, and give each other the Will to Live. John and Susie are teaching many young people that there is an option to suicide when times are tough, and are helping teens understand that they have friends to whom they can turn to for help.
The Trautweins have motivated, inspired and encouraged hundreds if not thousands of teenagers. They are truly remarkable people who have turned their own personal tragedy into an opportunity to help untold numbers of other people.
Although they have suffered terrible loss and hardship, the Trautweins have tried to ensure other teens know there is help and support available to them. John and Susie are good people doing extraordinary work and that is why they are Daily Points of Light.
Edward Shiinoki
Edward (Ed) Shiinoki is a volunteer who works in the Division of Interpretation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Although he is 67 years old, Ed has the energy of a 20 year old and has been working with the National Park for about two years.
One of Ed’s volunteer roles includes directly helping with planning large interpretive trainings that are held every three months. Every three months volunteers travel to Hawaii, where Ed picks them up at the airport, greets them, and makes sure they have everything they need for their first night in their dorm. On his weekends he takes them out on tours of the island and gets them affiliated with the resources and where to find them. He also helps put together their training manuals, gets them acquainted with daily functions of the visitor center, and is available to them for any needs they may have.
You can also find Ed helping with maintenance, creating new trails in the park with signage and directions, and assisting cultural demonstrations.
Although Ed’s permanent home is off island, he has a house on island so he will stay for weeks at a time and volunteer for 15 to 20 days straight without a break. He comes early and often stays late at night working on whatever projects his supervisor or someone else gives him. When Ed is not volunteering in the National Park, he serves as a care giver for his wife’s parents near his home on Oahu Island, Hawaii.
Ed’s service to the National Park Service through training, giving tours, cultural demonstrations and maintenance as well as his care for his in-laws is what makes him a Daily Point of Light.
Stacie Blake
Stacie Blake is a volunteer for Community Tampa Bay, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting dialogue and respect among all cultures, religions, and races, through education, advocacy and conflict mediation.
The organization envisions a community free from discrimination, in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect. As a mission-driven and volunteer-driven organization, Community Tampa Bay has more than 200 talented individuals, representing constituencies of various racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic and religious groups. Members volunteer their time, talent and expertise, dedicating more than 9,000 hours of their time every year valued at $192,240 each year. Community Tampa Bay believes that it can improve its community – one person at a time.
The award winning program ANYTOWN™, celebrating its 20 year anniversary is the oldest of the Community Tampa Bay’s programming. ANYTOWN™ is a youth leadership and diversity awareness program that empowers diverse groups of young people to create more inclusive and just schools and communities, where all individuals are treated with respect and understanding. It equips students with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to become role models, leaders and advocates for inclusion in their schools, neighborhoods and communities. Community Tampa Bay helps them become bridge-builders between different communities.
Once youth have graduated from the program, Pinellas County students are invited to join Facilitating the Leadership of Youth (FLY), addressing issues of concern to teens with youth led community summits in Pinellas; while Hillsborough County students join Hillsborough Youth Collaborative (HYC), promoting youth voice and inclusion through civic engagement and HYC Radio. All graduates are invited to attend the Be Intentional Institute, four workshops a year that develops skills, attitudes, and behaviors to exemplify and model a community free from discrimination in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect.
Community Tampa Bay™ is unique because it promotes genuine interactions amongst racial, ethnic, gender, and social lines. The organization promotes in depth dialogue about multiple levels of culture, identity, diversity, and inclusion. Members seek to create a safe environment for dialogues, cross-cultural interactions and a true understanding of diversity in relation to the community. It is because of the time Stacie has spent volunteering with Community Tampa Bay that she is a Daily Point of Light.
Robert Fellows
Robert Fellows is a volunteer member of The Masonic Angel Foundation (MAF) which provides modest assistance for children who might otherwise fall through the cracks of the social service system.
Typical recipients are children of working-class families that have suffered a financial setback or financial challenge they cannot meet on their limited income. MAF works with partner schools to preserve the child's confidentiality. Requests are submitted by professional staff at the school to one of the local MAF volunteers. Since its establishment in 1998 MAF has opened 148 chapters in 12 states. All requests to the MAF are fulfilled within one business day.
In 2010 the Foundation added a new Laptops for KidZ (LFK) project which provides refurbished laptop computers to be sent home with children who do not have access to a computer at home. The Laptops for KidZ project has opened up a whole new universe of educational opportunity to disadvantaged children in the past 18 months. LFK has placed 219 computers since its inception at absolutely no cost to the school or recipient family.
Thousands of children in need of food, clothing, eyeglasses and other basic needs receive immediate assistance under a cloak of complete confidentiality. School staff is supported in doing their jobs by fast, efficient response to benevolence requests. MAF has provided Thanksgiving meals, holiday gifts and special program tuition to many children of the years. They assist with after-school and summer program tuition so parents can continue working. Robert’s service to the Masonic Angel Foundation is what makes him a Daily Point of Light.
Elena Davis
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Elena Davis. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer, family or organization as a Point of Light.
Seven years ago, Elena Davis was sitting at an intersection when a homeless woman approached her car. She immediately began to rummage around for spare change. But, when she rolled down the window to hand over the coins, Elena was surprised to be met with a different request.
The woman didn’t want money. She wanted water.
Elena was floored by the realization that something so essential to human life was out of reach for many of America’s homeless population.
“The homeless woman asking for water was kind of literally [the] key that opened this lock,” Elena said. “And, I haven’t stopped since that request.”
What Elena hasn’t stopped doing is providing clean, safe drinking water to homeless populations across the country. Her Houston, Texas-based nonprofit, I Am Waters, has supplied more than 3.5 million bottles of water to its shelter partners in 14 cities and six states.
“We’re the only nonprofit in the United States serving this particular need and it’s a huge need,” Elena said.
As public water fountains teeter on the brink of extinction and less investment is made in water infrastructure, gaining access to safe drinking water is becoming an increasingly fraught process for homeless individuals. The demand for Elena’s assistance to combat that trend has been high.
“We only did eight shelters to build up the model the first summer,” Elena said. “And, we immediately started getting calls from Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida saying, ‘Are you going to come here? We need water.’”
“The thing that I heard most commonly in that first year and a half of doing this was ‘Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?’”
I Am Waters delivers bottled water to 42 shelter partners, including six Salvation Army locations spread across Houston, Austin and Dallas, Texas, and Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The nonprofit also services Covenant House locations in New Orleans, New York City and Washington, D.C.
The brand is carried in some stores, with 100 percent of the net proceeds going back to the nonprofit. Distributors include limited Whole Foods locations in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and 150 Timewise Food Stores.
For Elena, making the decision to become an advocate for the homeless wasn’t just the right thing to do – it was personal.
“I don’t think I would have been so deeply impacted by that woman’s request for water at that intersection had it not been for this history that I was carrying,” Elena said.
During her childhood, Elena moved frequently with her three siblings as their mother searched for work. By the time she was 14, she had attended 12 different schools in 12 different cities.
“We just had this very chaotic life,” she said. “While we didn’t have issues accessing water, we didn’t have enough food to eat.”
Eventually, the family settled in Hollywood, California, where Elena’s fortunes changed. At 16 years old, she was discovered by an agent and picked up by Ford Models. She modeled for 15 years in New York and Paris, always carefully guarding the secret of her humble beginnings.
“After I moved to Paris, I never spoke about where I came from, ever,” Elena said.
That secret past is now an asset to Elena, informing the way she operates and identifies with people in need.
Each I Am Waters bottle is labeled with a signature heart and bright blue letters that spell out one of four words – hope, love, peace or dream. The messages are, in a way, love notes – meant not only to inspire, but also to make the homeless women, men and children that receive a bottled water feel cared for and acknowledged.
This month, I Am Waters released a combined qualitative and quantitative study, co-created by U.T. Health Science Center and UCLA, that evaluated the impact of I Am Waters’ packaging on the recipients of the water bottles.
“What we’ve learned from the study is that the most important thing to the homeless absolutely is the water, yes, but [also] importantly it’s the word,” Elena said.
According to the study’s findings, the words on the label serve as powerful messages that seed positivity and help to “reassure that their life can change if they still keep love, hope, peace and their dreams alive.”
One of the words – hope – made a significant difference in the life of Amanda Kelley. After losing her mother and brother in a house fire, Amanda’s life spiraled out of control. She fell prey to a series of abusive relationships, and eventually found herself homeless and seeking assistance at the Women and Children’s Shelter in Austin, Texas.
“The homeless shelter passed out the bottles of water, and I really didn’t think about it,” Amanda said. “Then, I was sitting on the crosstown bus waiting and looking at the bottle – and it hit me about having hope.”
“I started connecting in my mind that having hope is okay. When I got told ‘no,’ I started thinking about how I can get a ‘yes.’”
“[The word] hope is all over my house now,” shared Amanda, who is now happily married and working toward her bachelor’s degree in human services. “A lot of blessings came with having hope.”
It’s stories like Amanda’s that drive Elena to do more to expand the reach of I Am Waters, including diversifying the organization by adding new programs. Next on the horizon is I Am Jobs.
“It’s a huge hole in the continuum of care … helping the homeless source jobs, transportation,” Elena said. “That is our next big push.”
This post was written by Jia Gayles.
Mason Cares
Mason Cares is a group of volunteers that come together each 9/11 in order to honor the memory of the individuals who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on America as well as local police, fire departments and rescue personnel for the daily service they provide to their community.
Some of the projects the team has worked on are helping the volunteer fire department with the maintenance items that they can't get to, putting together information packets for fire safety for community members and collecting donations to purchase safety equipment.
This is an event that unites volunteers of all ages, including special needs children working alongside state senators and representatives. The whole community comes together to honor and show appreciation for those we lost in the terrible events of 9/11 and those that are there to serve their neighbor at a moment’s notice. That is why the volunteers on the Mason Cares team are Daily Points of Light.
Earl Flower
At 85, Earl Flower is retiring from volunteer service after spending more than 1,300 hours giving back to his community since 2002. During these years he volunteered with his local food pantry, church, built homes and provided aid in the establishment and management of the ReStore organization. ReStore provides furniture, appliances, building materials and supplies at thrift store prices that support building and repairing homes. Earl served as volunteer manager for ReStore in 2008 for four months. Without his help, the organization would have lost significant program and self-generated revenue due to reduced operations.
Earl also helped build homes for low-income people approved for his community’s Habitat for Humanity program and simultaneously mentored young volunteers. The community now has a successful Habitat organization consisting of 14 homes in the city of Staunton, Va. due in part to Earl's support.
Earl has touched the hearts and lives of everyone he has encountered. He has a great sense of humor and a loving heart. His business insight and personnel management skills are unique assets that benefited the program greatly. This is why Earl is a Daily Point of Light.
