Kate Sylvester
Give an Hour
Give an Hour’s mission is to develop national networks of skilled volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise in our society. The organization leverages licensed mental health providers to give one hour a week to provide services to veterans, service members and their families. In return, they ask that veterans, service members and their families give back an hour to the community. Give an Hour supported the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, and serves on the National Advisory Council that guides the Community Blueprint Network, a Points of Light military initiative, sponsoring Community Blueprint pilot sites in Norfolk, Va., and Fayetteville, N.C.
New York Cares
FoodCorps
FoodCorps, a nonprofit national service organization, seeks to address childhood obesity and food insecurity by increasing vulnerable children’s knowledge of, engagement with and access to healthy food. Service members build and tend school gardens, conduct nutrition education and facilitate Farm to School programming that brings healthy, affordable local food into public schools. The program also trains a cadre of leaders for careers in food and agriculture. For the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, FoodCorps mobilized members to host an America’s Sunday Supper, engaging approximately 950 participants in service. In recognition of Global Youth Service Day, FoodCorps service members are gathering together with local Washington, D.C., volunteers to build and plant gardens in several area schools. In doing so, the organization hopes to call attention to the importance of service and inspire others around the country to do the same.
Sherri Brown
Carmelita Rood
Seattle Works
Robert Reeg
Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families serves as a bridge between families and service organizations that are striving to help make military life more sustainable. It was a major partner for the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance and has been integral to the success of the Community Blueprint Network. Points of Light worked with Blue Star Families and the White House Joining Forces initiative to create the “serve” component of the Joining Forces website through Operation Honor Card and All for Good. The two organizations also worked together on the planning of a gathering at White Oak of military and civilian leaders to create a plan to build bridges between the two sectors and cohesion at a local level to benefit veterans, service members and their families. Blue Star Families also serves on the National Advisory Council that guides Points of Light military initiatives including the Community Blueprint Network.