Neighborhood Initiative Program-

The North Richland Hills Neighborhood Initiative Program (NIP) was created in 2004 to help the elderly, single parents and persons with disabilities with minor exterior home repairs and yard work. The NIP partners with local volunteers to help complete each project, such as replacing rotting word, painting, repairing fences, mowing yards and trimming trees. All equipment and supplies have been donated by local businesses or purchased with monetary donations.

The NIP has helped over 600 residents to date, and because of the program’s success the City Council agreed to allow the program to move towards indoor projects as well. The NIP makes North Richmond Hills, TX a better place to live, work and play.

Dana Halle

The Teen Club’ to educate and support young teens with Down syndrome. While there are many programs that focus on young children and adults with disabilities, there is a huge deficit of programs to address the important educational and sensitive social issues that arise for children with Down syndrome ages 11-17. During these years, many teens start to become aware of their disability while going through the whole range of teenage issues faced by their typical peers. Bodies start to change, crushes emerge, peers begin to engage in more independent activities, sport teams often become too competitive and friends may begin to pull away from those with Down syndrome. The Teen Club will serve as an after-school education and social club where teens can receive tutoring, work on developing social skills and make new friends. With peer support from local high schools, universities and philanthropic clubs, the Teen Club will host our Teen Book Club and offer activities to promote educational and social growth and independence. Our goal is to create a welcoming environment in which teens with Down syndrome and typical peers can interact, learn and grow.

Luke Southwell

When he was in fifth grade, he, his sister and his friends started a school newspaper. They picked topics, wrote articles, met deadlines and set the newspaper. When they were in middle school, they wanted to share their elementary school newspaper experience with other kids and show them that writing could be easy and fun. They put together forms for every type of article a kid might want to write (the forms break down who, what, why, where, when and how) and we used lots of games, speakers and activities. They started working with one Title I elementary school and now work with a total of 10 schools/programs. Last year, they published more than two dozen newspapers and printed 10,000 copies. We have more than 200 middle and high school volunteers, reach more than 350 elementary students a year and are still completely run by students and volunteers. Their student board has grown from the six students who founded PressFriends to a student board of 28.

Ilka Murray

Ilka Murray serves in ministry beside her husband and ministry partner, Pastor Roderick Murray of Life Changes Church in Douglasville, Georgia. First Lady Ilka is a non-traditional Christian committed to encouraging men, women, boys and girls from all walks to life to push through the layers of hurt and pain to breakthrough in experiencing the life that God has in store. First Lady Ilka is a prophetess to the nations with constant word from God. She is also the founder of WOMANALIVE ministries a womens ministry commited to providing the tools and support to Empower women to become ALIVE in every area of their lives. When women get connected to WOMANALIVE, they gain insight, strength, vision and support to maximize their purpose and to love their design.

Victoria Baudendistel

Victoria has developed a community clothes closet where foster kids can shop and find just the right outfits for them… for free. So many times, these teens are taken out of their homes with just a backpack and the clothes on their backs. She wants to offer them a place where they can browse through "gently" used items and feel as though they are shopping and getting what they want, just like a "regular teen."

Laura Kooyman

Laura's school is part of a military community where families frequently come and go. While Fort Meade provides various support services for families, nothing compares to personal relationships. Most of their students don't live near their grandparents or aunts and uncles who can provide respite for parents (especially if one parent is deployed). Also, many live paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford many ‘‘date nights’’ or ‘‘girls’ nights.’. She has created a program for parents to bring their kids to school one evening a month to attend Culture Camp (including art, music, genealogy, etc.) and parents can attend a fun networking event (bowling, museum, dinner, etc.) to help develop relationships and support with fellow parents. Through the camp, students would work on projects to promote sharing, working together, responsible behavior and believing in themselves. It would particularly demonstrate being a good friend and helping others for the parents.

Karrianna Turner

As one of the nations most vibrant, promising and emerging leaders, and a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Karrianna Turner has been advocating on behalf of youth and young adults for more than a decade. Her aim has been to bring a critical and significant voice to an otherwise overlooked and unheard generation. She has done this through a variety of concepts designed to promote citizen diplomacy and activism ensuring a healthy and positive development for the next generation of youth and young adults entering a new and fresh era of global leadership.

At the tender age of 18, Karrianna journeyed to Atlanta with the pursuit of continuing her education. As a student at historic Morris Brown College, Karrianna was heavily involved in campus activities that best served the interests of the student body. Having served as the youngest Chief of Staff on the Student Government Association, she continued to take further strides as the Executive Vice-President, Public Relations Specialist, and Corresponding Secretary. Karrianna’s remarkable way of capturing an audience with her eloquence and uniqueness has enabled her to travel to a variety of countries, including Spain and Greece, debating with the International, Award-winning Model United Nations Society where she served in the capacities of Secretary General and Parliamentarian. Mrs. Turner-Marshall continued her commitment as a servant-leader serving in capacities of Freshman Class President, Residential Assistant, Political Science Association, Queens Alliance, Sigma Lambda Student Guides, Student Senate, Student Judiciary Representative and the Morris Brown College Gospel Choir. She also served as president of the Gamma Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and an Intern in the Governor’s Intern Program, where she assisted the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities and organized hundreds of college students at local institutions to register to vote, through hosting campus Voter Registration Rallies.

Upon graduation, Karrianna was employed with the Fulton County Human Services Department, Office of Children and Youth as a Program Coordinator. In this role, she coordinated the following programs: Conversations with Our Daughters, Beat the Odds, and the Homeless Youth Crisis Network. Karrianna journeyed from this position to work with the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. where she served as the National Director of Youth Program Development; in this role, she developed and implemented all national signature youth initiatives along with planning “Youth Day” at the mayoral annual convention, galvanizing more than 300 youth from cities across the nation while managing more than 40 AmeriCorps*Vista members and site supervisors in more than 20 cities across the United States. Karrianna has also served as the Director of Membership/Marketing for the multi-million dollar facility, The Villages at Carver Family YMCA, where she was responsible for marketing this elaborate facility in addition to membership retention and recruitment. Karrianna has most recently set her sights on higher pursuits as the President/Chief Executive Officer of Twenty (20) Something, Inc. which is a private, charitable organization designed to provide personal and professional leadership development exclusively for young women ages 20-29. She is also a consultant with the Federal Government.

Roderick Murray

Roderick Murray is the Pastor of Life Changes Church in Douglasville, Georgia . A cutting edge ministry catered towards reaching the un-churched and believers that want to experience the abundant life in God. Pastor Rod is a life changer at heart challenging everyday people to live beyond average means and experience the power, dominion, and favor that God has for the contemporary Christian. Pastor Rod is breaking barriers as Pastor of the fastest growing church in Douglasville , Georgia . He is revitalizing the traditional church mindset, dedicated to life enhancement, family enrichment and community involvement. Pastor Rod serves in ministry with his wife and ministry partner, Ilka Murray.

Kirstopher Durham

Kristopher Durham volunteers much of his time with Talbot County’s Department of Emergency Services rewriting the county’s hazard mitigation plan to include hazard specific information. The plan will now include all natural disasters, helping the community to better prepare for any horrific events.