Briana Kinsey

Briana Kinsey has been a spokesperson for the Alabama office of the American Diabetes Association for two years. Since the diagnoses of her mother and several of her family members with diabetes, Briana has been a strong advocate for diabetes education and prevention. As a result, Briana created the platform, Daring to Defeat Diabetes, to raise awareness and funds to prevent diabetes. She seeks to inspire others, particularly young people to get involved in the fight against diabetes. She demonstrates her creativity and ingenuity in designing signature programs such as the Dance Away Diabetes event where she invited high school and middle school dance teams to the local mall to demonstrate their moves, focus on the importance of exercise and take the diabetes pledge. Through her efforts, Briana raised $2,500 for the American Diabetes Association and more than three 300 people took the pledge.

Additionally, Briana worked with the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama to create a "Daring to Defeat Diabetes" patch to increase awareness about preventing diabetes. She visits local Girls Scouts to talk about the new patch, the importance of eating healthy and exercising, and handouts pedometers to the scouts.

Briana has visited several schools and spoken to over 500 students about her platform as a way to spread the message of diabetes awareness. She volunteered with the Southeastern Diabetes Education Services and served as a camp counselor at their Camp Sugar Falls. She planned and hosted a fundraiser called the Sugar Free Sweetheart Fashion Show, which raised $6,234 funds for more children with diabetes to attend the camp through the Southeastern Diabetes Education Services.

Briana’s service through her platform Daring to Defeat Diabetes and her umbrella initiatives have helped drive the involvement of children and young people in the fight to stop diabetes. She is a role model for both youth and adults, and has been able to connect with the community through her hands on service.

Briana’s ultimate goal is to make a positive difference and to help defeat diabetes during her lifetime.

Hosea Mills

Mr. Mills started the Yes You CAN! Young Lady-Young Man Youth Foundation to serve as a positive, results-oriented, youth-mentoring organization committed to saving the youth of his local community, one child at a time. The organization focuses on building confidence and character in youth, ages seven to 17 years of age.

Donna Walter

Donna Walters is known as the first Volunteer Ambassador of Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh. She continues to serve as a Volunteer Ambassador of Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh for 30 hours a week Monday thru Friday, and has become a role model to other volunteers because of the dedication and commitment she demonstrates. She began volunteering at Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh as a way to give back after the death of her husband. Donna has become a firm fixture at Aurora and is recognized within the medical center and her community. She is known as the cookie woman, the blanket woman, the stuffed-animal woman, the listener, and most notably as the friend.

Vanis Buckholz

Vanis Buckholz personifies hope in action. Vanis, a 10-year-old, is the president of My ReCycler, a business he developed at age 7 after learning about Earth Day. As his business grew, Vanis decided he should do more than just help the environment and sought out opportunities to help kids in need.

Vanis connected with Project Hope Alliance, which works to end homelessness in Orange County, and now donates 25% of his thriving recycling company’s profits to the nonprofit. The financial support provided by Vanis helps make it possible for homeless children residing in motels and shelters throughout Orange County get to and from school each day. Project Hope Alliance stops at 29 various motels and shelters each day to pick K-8th grade children up for school, and pays for afterschool care and transportation to the Boys and Girls Club and back to the motels and shelters. Vanis is a part of making that happen.

Vanis demonstrates what children can do. He shows us that a 10-year-old is just as vital and contributing member of our community as a 45-year-old CEO. Additionally, he is an example of how we can be good stewards of our planet by recycling and creatively use recycling to meet the needs of those around us.

He is an incredible example to other children of why they matter and how they can change the world around them.

Stephen Straughan

Stephen is the consummate leader. From serving as an elected official for several years to heading up some of the largest community parks and playground projects throughout his community, he is well respected and held in high regard. As the leader of the Board for Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County, he stepped up and dedicated countless hours to rectifying the challenges and problems the organization faced including poor public perception, dismal programming, dilapidated facility, and a history of staff and board challenges. In less than 15 months under Stephen’s board leadership, the organization changed from an insolvent, failing nonprofit to a stable and consistent organization. Now, the Club is busting at the seams with kids. It is headed by leaders who have a passion for kids, a love for our community, and a business mindset that has launched the Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County to the forefront of youth development throughout our community.

Shayla Price

After earning $100,000 in college scholarships for herself, Shayla Price has become the “Scholarship Queen” of teaching students how to earn free money for their college goals. Price’s enthusiasm for ensuring every American has the resources to attend college and put food on the table is inspiring has resulted in more than 5,000 students receiving scholarships. Price has brought great awareness to the college affordability crisis by motivating and mobilizing community members and developing relationships with the media, government, and non-profits. Price has built partnerships with churches, libraries, and youth organizations to empower service recipients to continue to pay it forward.

In addition to her scholarship initiative, Price’s has taught civic engagement to high school students through the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. As a Governor-appointed Commissioner of Volunteer Louisiana, Price promoted an ethic of service and supported programs that created long-term results. In 2009, Shayla was honored as one of EBONY’s Young Leaders and received the first-ever Emerging Greatness Award from the National Black Women’s Town Hall. The White House has also featured her on its blog series, Women Working to Do Good.

Melody Schiaffino

Melody Schiaffino founded and chartered Ph.D. Moms in the fall of 2011 at the University of Florida. Ph.D. Moms aims to provide support to student-parents as they balance school and family. As a doctoral student and mother, Schuaffino found a need to ensure that student-parents knew they were not alone, given the challenges they face are unique. Initially the organization targeted female doctoral student-parents as this group was at greatest risk of attrition. However, due to overwhelming demand and diversity, the outreach and awareness efforts of Ph.D. Moms has grown and now covers undergraduate, graduate, medical, dental, and nursing student-parents.

Teresa Creech

Led by Teresa Creech, the Early Learning Partnership operates a free pediatrics clinic for uninsured children who do not qualify for Medicaid. The clinic consists of a core group of pediatricians who have been volunteering once or twice a week for nearly ten years. For the past ten years, the clinic on average gives 2,000 free office visits per a year saving families hundreds of thousands of dollars. Recently, the clinic has expanded to include more doctors and more medical professionals such as dentists who are also volunteers.

Susan Thomas

Susan addresses military needs by building and supporting a collaborative network for our nation’s wounded, ill and injured service members, their families and caregivers through her work with the USO and service with the Points of Light Community Blueprint Advisory Council.

Michael Dakduk

Through Student Veterans of America, Michael addresses military needs by providing a network and support system for student veterans. His dedicated service has made impacts on individual levels, as well as influencing the national infrastructure.