Ryan Traynor, right, guides students through an activity during a summer camp his family created at their local library in Emerald Hills, Calif.
When school lets out for summer break, most students cast aside their textbooks for the distractions of the season. But one family in San Mateo County, Calif., dedicated their summer to helping young people improve literacy and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) comprehension, raising the students’ odds for success when they return to classrooms in the fall.
Martha Traynor, her husband Steve and son Ryan, 15, created summer camps at the Redwood City Library for kids ages 8 to 12 to conduct experiments and learn STEM concepts. Working together, the Traynors designed every aspect of the camps, from curriculum to recruiting teachers.
“We knew that by offering a STEM class in the summer we could stop the summer brain drain common when children avoid learning activities during the summer break,” says Martha. “Also, we could encourage their interest in STEM careers, reading and research by experimentation.”
San Mateo is adjacent to Silicon Valley, the technology hub that employs tens of thousands of engineers and technology professionals. But only half of third grade students in San Mateo are proficient at reading.
And California experiences the largest gap among all states between minorities and STEM degree achievement. The Traynors are working together to close this gap, coming through with creative experiments that elicit the “aha” moment to keep children excited.
The Traynors have always been avid readers, cherishing a lifelong connection with their local library. Martha serves on the board of the Library Foundation. And her son, an Eagle Scout, has actively supported the library throughout his childhood.
When Ryan was 11 and seeking to earn his Boy Scout reading merit badge, he began reading to 30 preschool children each week in low-income areas through a library program, Traveling Story Time.
For most of these children, Ryan was the only one in their lives reading to them. He discovered that the one book he gave them each year through the program was the only book many of them owned.
When he learned the number of books in a family’s home is a predictor of future academic success, he wanted to do more. So he started a Youth Literacy Council to bring his peers together around the issue.
The Traynors launched their summer STEM camps, which drew 120 participants, each receiving free books and an educational toy to take home. The family recruited 28 teenage volunteers to help lead the classes and experiments.
“By working together we all learned a lot, not just about the subjects, but about each other,” Martha says. “And it made us even closer. Being able to depend on each other to write scripts, gather the needed materials and get everything together on time required trust, coordination and excellent communication.”
The average assessment score before the Traynors’ sessions for the students in the summer camps was 10 percent correct. After receiving instruction in the camps, test scores rose to an average of 90 percent correct.
“These teen teachers showed the students how to complete the experiments themselves, allowing them to find satisfaction and enjoyment in their successes in STEM,” says Martha. “Hopefully this experience will generate the scientists, engineers and teachers of the future.”
Koran Family
In honor of Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, Points of Light and Disney are recognizing the exceptional work of volunteer families with the Daily Point of Light Award. Meet today’s winning family, the Koran Family of Holly Springs, NC, and nominate someone in your community.
More than half a million people struggle with hunger in the counties served by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. And about 30 percent of those people are children, according to Activate Good, an organization that martials volunteers in North Carolina. This struck a chord with Steven Koran and his 10 year-old daughter, Isabella.
Steven, a single father, believes that food can bring people together. So he and Isabella, or Bella, have volunteered monthly at the Food Bank for the past few years.
“I grew up where having food on the table was the focal point, it was what brought the family together,” says Steven. “It’s something where you would want everyone to have that experience, not just sit down at an empty table, but one filled with food, laughter and smiles.”
Steven brings his daughter to the Food Bank because he wants to teach her the importance of giving back to the community.
“One of the things I’ve been trying to raise my daughter around is that, it is one thing going to church and hearing the word of God and Jesus, but for me volunteering is actually practicing that and being a good Christian. It’s not just the, talk but the actions that are important,” says Steven.
Steven says volunteering not only makes a difference in the community, but also helps strengthen family bonds, giving family volunteers a memory of serving those less fortunate.
Steven and Bella started volunteering together in 2009 and haven’t stopped since. Through the Food Bank, they have packaged hundreds of pounds of nutritious produce and food. According to Activate Good, the Korans’ volunteer efforts at the Food Bank were part of a cumulative effort in 2013 that saw distribution of a record 52 million pounds of food, or the equivalent of 43.5 million meals, to area residents in need.
The father-daughter duo make time for other causes, too, including creating Christmas cards for children with cancer, fostering pets in need of adoption and participating in events like Race for the Cure.
Bella enthusiastically describes the Christmas cards she and her dad make for the terminally ill during the holidays. “I made them homemade, I actually cut them out and wrote on them,” she says. “I wrote out sayings like ‘I hope you have a Happy, Happy Christmas!’ It was really fun and we kept doing it until we made a lot of cards.”
When asked how he became inspired to volunteer, Steven traces the origins back to his parents. “They were always helping out the less fortunate and giving back,” he recalls. “I’m a single parent with Bella, so it’s one of the lessons I wanted to teach her in life.”
On Family Volunteer Day, taking place Nov. 22, the Korans will continue their family tradition with three generations in attendance at “Crafts for Causes,” a special event where volunteers make cards and gifts by hand. Steven’s parents will be joining him and Bella as volunteers. It only seems fitting the mentors who taught the principle of giving back to Steven will be able to work alongside their son as he teaches his daughter the very same life lesson.
Bella proves herself to be a quick study when asked for her thoughts on volunteering. “It’s working together and making things happen, like [fostering] a dog or giving cards,” she explains. “We do everything we can as a family. We try to do it all together.”
Cosenza and Grimes Families
In honor of Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, Points of Light and Disney are recognizing the exceptional work of volunteer families with the Daily Point of Light Award. Meet today’s winners, the Cosenza and Grimes families of Chicago, IL, and nominate someone in your community.
By most definitions, the concept of quality time shared between uncles and nieces might involve a trip to the zoo or an ice cream cone. But Jim Cosenza has other plans for the time he spends with his 8 year-old niece, Jalen Grimes. For nearly two years, Jim and Jalen have volunteered together with the Honeycomb Project, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that inspires and motivates families to build stronger communities through service.
Jim felt compelled to spend time with Jalen in the community in an impactful way. “I wanted to do something that would have meaning and would express our values,” says Jim. “I started doing research for volunteer organizations that would work with children.”
Jim and Jalen completed their first volunteer project together right before Jalen’s 6th birthday. Since then, this uncle-niece duo have done just about every project that Honeycomb has offered. Together, they have delivered groceries to the elderly, played Bingo with seniors, cooked breakfast at a homeless shelter, cleaned up a beach, packed school supplies, made blankets for the homeless and gardened at an urban farm in South Chicago, just to name a few. In 2014, Honeycomb has engaged more than 1,600 volunteers, young and old alike.
Through these many volunteer experiences with her uncle, Jalen is already beginning to understand complex community issues firsthand. In their first year of volunteering, Jim says the entire idea of going up to someone’s door and giving them groceries was a big one for a six-year-old. But it led to revealing conversations. Jim used the opportunity to explain to Jalen that “there are people who can’t go to a grocery store, while she and I can buy whatever groceries we like.” Jim says, “It is these kind of events that open up discussion about our community.”
Jim says he has seen his niece grow through this exposure to different people and communities in ways she would have never experienced without volunteering. “Many of these people are really outside of her enclosed orbit,” he explains. For him, watching Jalen interact with the seniors while delivering their groceries was moving, “kind of filled with wonder and curiosity.” The proud uncle also sees how he’s affected. “What I am doing with her, I am seeing community issues through the eyes of an 8 year-old,” says Jim.
Jim emphasizes how much stronger volunteering has made his connection with not only his niece, but their entire family. He says he and Jalen have been able to share their experiences with their entire family.
“We’re talking about big world issues and I’m doing that with an 8 year-old and she’s getting it and we’ve all grown closer as a result of it. The entire family will engage in conversation, problems and what we can do about it.”
Greg Georgantas and his daughter, Katie, pick up litter during a trail cleanup event near Anaheim, Calif.
It was always an integral part of his life. But Greg Georgantas’ passion for volunteer service really took hold when he started working at Disney. Now, his whole family is involved in giving back – together – to their community in Anaheim, Calif.
Greg joined Disney in 1996 as a part of the custodial staff. It didn’t take long before he got plugged into service opportunities through VoluntEARS, Disney’s employee volunteer program.
“I was drawn to the camaraderie and doing something constructive,” Greg says of VoluntEARS. “With every volunteer activity, you could have a good time and accomplish something.”
Eager to take on more responsibility, Greg became part of the VoluntEARS Leadership Council, which acts as the liaison between Disney employees and nonprofits, evaluating service opportunities outside the organization where Disney can make a positive impact and mobilize resources.
He’s served in this leadership role for more than 15 years, attracting thousands of employees, whom Disney calls “cast members,” and leading hundreds of service opportunities in the community.
Christine Georgantas and her daughter, Callie, volunteer at a beach cleanup event.
Greg is now among the longest-tenured representatives on the council and has also carried the mantle for corporate citizenship as Disney’s VoluntEAR of the Year.
As a husband and father, having his family serve the community alongside him brings special joy.
With a grin, Greg tells the story of how he met his wife, Christine. She was working at a store in Disneyland. Christine says Greg swept his broom through the store and pretty soon swept her off her feet.
When they started their family, it was a given that volunteerism would be a cornerstone in raising daughters Katie and Callie, now 8 and 4 respectively.
“My view has always been that I could sit at home and play games with my children, or we could go out and do something,” says Greg. “I want my kids to see that it’s for fun. It’s not a chore. It’s a habit to go out and help others.”
The Georgantas family regularly volunteers with Orange County Food Bank, Trails4All cleanup events, beach cleanups and a bevy of walk and run events for charity where they hand out water to participants, including the AIDS Walk, ALS Walk, MS Ride and others.
Greg also serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove, the Boys & Girls Club Orange County Area Council and the Boys & Girls Club California Alliance.
Christine knows these experiences are shaping the way her children think about their ability to make a difference: “I’m hoping that volunteering and seeing the different ways to volunteer is teaching my kids to have a positive and altruistic approach when it comes to the community and the world.”
Daughter Katie agrees, adding, “It makes me happy and proud to know that we help other people, nature and animals.”
For Greg and Christine, serving the community conveys to their children that helping others makes for a fun and meaningful experience, especially when you share it with people you love.
“You have a choice to go out and make the world a better place,” Greg says. “Make someone smile. Make their day a little better.”
Hall Family
Each month, the Hall Family finds a different volunteer opportunity in their community.
In honor of Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, Points of Light and Disney are recognizing the exceptional work of volunteer families with the Daily Point of Light Award. Meet today’s winning family, the Hall Family of Salt Lake City, UT, and nominate someone in your community.
Garden cleanup in January. Lemonade stand in June. Book drive in August. For the Hall Family of Salt Lake City, Utah, every month brings a new volunteer experience.
Heidi, husband Dave and their two daughters Audrey, age 10, and Scarlett, age 6, seek out a different organization every month where they can contribute their time and talents.
“Our first exposure to family volunteering was back in 2009,” Heidi remembers. “Audrey and I had the opportunity to go with a group and feed the homeless in a local park. It was a remarkable experience and we decided we would give back to our community on a regular basis.”
“The kids get to see firsthand the need that is involved,” Dave explains. “And that brings us closer together as a family.”
That feeling has stayed with them throughout all of their monthly endeavors.
In 2014, The Halls spent time in January volunteering at their local botanical garden.
Once the weather started warming up, Audrey and Scarlett set up a lemonade stand in June and contributed all the proceeds to a local homeless shelter. The girls said they wanted kids at the shelter to have as much fun as they were having that summer.
The Halls turned their attention in August to coordinating a drive to collect school supplies. After two weeks of actively promoting the drive, the Halls brought a group of children together to help stuff 50 backpacks full of books and supplies. During October, the Hall Family made fleece blankets and knit hats for cancer patients at the local children’s hospital and coordinated a hat drive that brought in 50 hats.
“There’s so much need out there, and it’s hard for us to pick one in particular,” Heidi says. “With younger children it’s important to show them the amount of need there is and that everybody needs a little bit of help every now and then.”
The girls have really taken to their monthly assortment of family volunteer projects. “It gives us time to be united and have some fun together,” Audrey says.
Heidi started a monthly club at an area elementary school that brings 30-60 students and parent volunteers together to discuss community needs and do service projects. Heidi also started a blog, http://unlockingtreasures.blogspot.com/, to share the family’s experiences and volunteer resources.
Friends and coworkers are always asking Heidi how her family finds time for all of this good work. “I think people think they have to solve world peace all at once,” she says. “But what we have done as a family is just take baby steps and do what you can.”
Wilder Family
The Wilder and Asay familes help local animal shelters.
In honor of Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, Points of Light and Disney are recognizing the exceptional work of volunteer families with the Daily Point of Light Award. Meet today’s winning family, the Wilder Family of Las Vegas, NV, and nominate someone in your community.
When the Wilder family visited a local animal shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada they hadn’t planned on tackling a new service project that day. But as Lexie Wilder, age 10, walked around the shelter, she was struck by the conditions the animals were living in.
“As we walked around the shelter, the animals did not look to comfortable on the concrete floor,” says Lexie. “I knew we had some extra towels, but not that many for all of the cats and dogs at the shelter.”
With that, Lexie enlisted the help of her mother, Tammy Wilder, her grandmother, Barbra Wilder, her aunt, Brenda Asay, and her cousin, Hannah Asay, to round up towels the animals can use for their bedding. Turning the project into a family affair has allowed the Wilder and Asay families to spend more time together, doing something positive for animals living in shelters.
The Wilders realized the hospitality industry in Las Vegas could be their endless source for towels and bath mats. Lexie started her campaign by writing to areas hotels with an appeal to donate their excess supplies so she could bring them to the animal shelters. Then she had the idea to plan a towel drive through her school and Girl Scout Troop. The project turned into a community-wide commitment to help the animals living in the shelters.
As Lexie’s effort picked up steam, the rest of the family got involved to help in the driving, organizing, mailing and delivering of the soon to be thousands of towels and bathmats.
According to Tammy, “It is our job as a family to support each member in our family; just as our family continues to learn through our service activities that it is our job as community members to support the members in our community.”
Lexie’s grandmother, Barbara Wilder, agrees, offering her perspective that “Letting the youngest volunteers take the lead enables them to build life-long skills such as leadership, budgeting, delegating and following through with projects and commitments.”
With the support of her family, Lexie was able to expand her goals. She reached out to her city councilman who has connected her with even more resources to gain new donations. Thanks to the efforts of the Wilder and Asay families, thousands of towels and bath mats have been donated to local shelters and countless animals are sleeping more comfortably tonight.
Their efforts are making an impact. But Lexie and Hannah don’t really see it as a job. According to the girls, “We get to meet new people, do something different and understand how working together can make a lot of good things happen.”
Cross Family
On Veteran’s Day, Points of Light salutes the military families who not only make sacrifices, but continually support the men and women in the United States armed forces. And in honor of Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, Points of Light and Disney are recognizing the exceptional work of volunteer families with the Daily Point of Light Award. Meet today's winning family, the Cross Family of West Point, NY, and nominate someone in your community.
LTC John Cross, Commandant of the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, his wife, Laura, and their two children, Danielle, 14, and Josh, 11, are a well-traveled family.
Having moved 11 times in the past 19 years – whether to Germany or various posts around the United States – the Cross family has learned to adapt to their ever-changing surroundings. The common denominator at every stop has always been to support not only men and women in uniform, but their entire community through volunteer service.
The family has made their current home in West Point, New York since 2012, which is the longest amount of time they have ever been stationed anywhere. Regardless of how long they spend in a particular place, the Crosses make the most of their time by serving their country and those in need.
“Being in the military, you are kind of nomadic,” says Laura. “Wherever you are planted you find ways to get involved because you are only there for a short period of time.”
Laura credits the military atmosphere with providing ample opportunity to plug into different causes through ministries, school systems, mentoring programs, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. She feels that since military families are generally so transient, there are so many ways to jump in and join community causes.
At West Point’s venerable United States Military Academy, the Cross family has helped two graduating classes through a mentoring program where Cadets can ask questions about how to handle different situations as their responsibilities grow in the army. These Cadets hear perspectives on all dimensions from the military spouse, children and officer of the Cross family. John says, “We help young people develop skills and character traits that enable them in the future.”
For some of these Cadets, the Cross family is their surrogate family away from home. “We’ve had parents contact us and thank us for loving on their child while they are here at the academy,” says Laura. “So you know what the cadet is relaying to his or her parents is a positive thing. It definitely makes it worthwhile.”
In the short time they’ve been at West Point, Laura and John have formed strong enough relationships to keep in touch with some of the Cadets who have graduated. Laura says even if they never received a thank you, they would still sponsor these men and women. “We don’t do it for the recognition,” says Laura. “It’s not about you, but it’s about the impact you have on them.”
This selfless outlook is visible in all members of the Cross family. Josh, who volunteers in his school, with his Boy Scout Troop and Special Olympics, says his time volunteering made him realize, “that my talents could be used to help others and that it’s not always just about me.”
Danielle and Laura are involved as a mother-daughter team with the Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) outreach program, which runs a Christian addiction recovery center for women called the Walter Hoving Home. Through this program, Danielle and Laura have participated with a team of 35 volunteers in PWOC “spa nights,” where they interact with the women in the recovery center by giving them facials, back massages, pedicures and manicures.
“Many of them have never been treated like they are worth something,” Laura says. “To have someone dote on them, even something as simple as washing their feet or rubbing their hands, just relaxes and energizes them and then they share their stories.”
Laura emphasizes the relationships she and Danielle have formed with the women in the recovery center. Danielle holds craft nights and knitting and crochet projects two to three times a month at the Walter Hoving House in addition to spa night.
“Volunteering constantly reminds me of how great God is and how He can work in the most broken lives, restoring them,” says Danielle. “It always leaves me in awe.”
Just last week West Point neighbors, scouts and all the members of the Cross family came together to participate in an annual flag planting at the cemetery for Veteran’s Day. This solemn and symbolic activity epitomizes how the Crosses think holistically about all the members of their community.
“I grew up in a small town where you take care of each other,” says Laura. “The people around us, our neighbors, our friends, some of these cadets, have really become part of our family.”
Kose Family
In honor of Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, Points of Light and Disney are recognizing the exceptional work of volunteer families with the Daily Point of Light Award. Meet today’s winning family, the Kose Family of Delaware, and nominate someone in your community.
Nur Kose (left) volunteers at a booth with a friend. Nur and her mother, Nayma, help high school students study for the SAT.
For high school students, scoring high on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) means more choices for higher education. A mother-daughter duo from Newark, Delaware are volunteering their time to help hopeful scholars increase their test scores and get into college by offering SAT tutoring sessions at a local community center.
Nayma Kose and her daughter, Nur, have volunteered in a wide range of programs through the Zakat Foundation, a U.S.-based, Muslim-run charity organization, leading programs that reach the destitute, of all faiths, both at home and abroad. Both Nayma and Nur have been able to use this mission as their own and work with Zakat Foundation to establish their own initiatives supporting youth and education.
Nayma regularly holds 6-week PSAT and SAT sessions throughout the year to help students increase their scores on the two nationwide exams. She reaches out to professionals in the community in order to find volunteers to tutor students for two hours during each session.
“You don’t have to have a degree to teach someone, you just have to have the willingness to give up some of your time,” says Nayma.
Nayma has witnessed many success stories come through the tutoring program including one student who scored in the 99th percentile range on the PSAT, becoming a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship awarded to high PSAT scorers.
Students who have gone through the SAT tutorial sessions have raised their scores by 200 to 400 points, and PSAT students have raised their scores by 10-20 points. Both Nayma and Nur lead these sessions and work hard to give students all the help they need to succeed academically.
At age 16, Nur Kose has followed in her mother’s altruistic footsteps, and in 2013 initiated the 99 Orphans project, which sponsors 99 orphans in poverty-stricken areas where children without parents live without access to necessities like housing or food. Each sponsorship is a donation of $600 per child. Nur’s project has spread to other states including Pennsylvania and South Carolina, which contributed to reaching her fundraising goal for 2014 of $59,400.
“I thought a fundraising project for other kids like us would really encourage us as young people to work hard, and would be fun at the same time,” says Nur. “I really wanted the kids to be in charge rather than the adults telling the kids what to do. I wanted the youth members to show more responsibility and to feel like this was their project.”
Nayma is supportive of her daughter and explains that volunteering isn’t necessarily something others can learn by being taught, but by being shown through action.
“When families participate in volunteer activities with their kids, they’re actually teaching them lifelong skills.” Nayma says. “We appreciate others who volunteer. You appreciate the hours people give to make something happen in the community.”
John Schmidt
Until its bankruptcy in 2011, Riverview Country Club and golf course, founded in 1898, was a historical symbol for Appleton, Wisconsin as the state’s oldest private country club. Despite closing, community members can still be found on its property to this day. But they have exchanged their golf clubs for an altogether different kind of gear: gardening tools. In 2011 Riverview Country Club, 72 acres of golf course, became Riverview Gardens, 72 acres of urban farming used for job training people in need.
Upon its closing, developers saw the opportunity for a high density housing project, but John Schmidt, president of U.S. Venture, had a different vision. Schmidt wanted Riverview Gardens to evolve into a financially self-sustaining job training program for people in need, using urban farming in a park setting.
The vision emerged for a community resource that could provide job training for the unemployed, homeless or those released from incarceration while also serving as a place anyone in the community can volunteer. Schmidt says this endeavor “changed the community’s perception of people in need, having them work side by side and recognizing that everybody wants the same thing, but that some people need help from others to get it.”
Schmidt was the spark that led Community Outreach Temporary Services (COTS) to buying the developers out. Schmidt says this kind of program, “frees up money in the community, or social dollars, so other issues can be addressed in a way that doesn’t require support long term.”
Riverview Gardens’ job training program frees up social dollars by enrolling men and women in a no-fail, 90-hour program. In 2014 alone, 240 people completed the program. Schmidt says the job training program creates a new story for people by changing their lives and the perception of their lives. “The people we serve come from all walks of life,” says Schmidt, “Our challenge is that there is a seemingly endless supply of people in need.” Riverview Gardens has helped transition men and women back into society after facing domestic violence, incarceration, unemployment or homelessness.
Anyone can volunteer at Riverview Gardens and the job training program is not the only way to help. Since its inception, participants have devoted more than 16,000 hours of volunteer service in a variety of outlets. Other programs offered include Youth Corps, or leadership training for high school students, Workshare, Outreach Gardens and Earn-a-bike. Earn-a-bike offers refurbished bikes to people who work 15 hours at Riverview Gardens. Workshare allows individuals and families in need to exchange volunteer service for a box of fresh vegetables during the summer growing season. Outreach Gardens works with four area shelters and community programs.
Schmidt observed that many people have preconceived notions of homeless men and women. “When you actually get in and work side by side with each other, you realize there’s not much difference,” says Schmidt. “Not only is it interesting and engaging work but it really does change people’s perception of people in need when they’re working side by side with them, work is a great equalizing platform.”
Women Roofers
What started as a one-off church project in 2002 became a bona fide cause for a group of women volunteers, repairing and replacing roofs for the elderly and disabled in and around Forest City, N.C. More than a decade later, and with countless roofs refurbished, the all-volunteer group of more than 60 moms, grandmothers and widows called the Women Roofers is still going strong.
The women volunteers participate through Rutherford Housing Partnership, which offers resources to purchase supplies and fix roofs at no cost. With a typical roof repair taking about a day to complete, the activity affords this group of women a chance to bond and socialize.
Perhaps the most remarkable feat for the members of this crew is that the vast majority of them had never repaired a roof before they got involved in this cause. Susie Kernodle, one of the original Women Roofers, is a seamstress by trade. She caught on quickly to roof repair. “I realized it’s no different from laying out a dress pattern,” she says. “You just use different tools.”
Ryan Traynor, right, guides students through an activity during a summer camp his family created at their local library in Emerald Hills, Calif.
Greg Georgantas and his daughter, Katie, pick up litter during a trail cleanup event near Anaheim, Calif.
Christine Georgantas and her daughter, Callie, volunteer at a beach cleanup event.
Nur Kose (left) volunteers at a booth with a friend. Nur and her mother, Nayma, help high school students study for the SAT.