Roger Hung

Today, Points of Light honors the exceptional work of volunteers at its Tribute event, hosted this year by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. In celebration of emerging opportunities for volunteerism that strengthen the bonds between Asia and North America, read the story of today’s Daily Point of Light, an Asian-American who leads 200 Dallas youths in service, teaching them how to become leaders.

Jenting “Roger” Hung understands the transformative power of education. Without it, his journey to America might not have been possible. Now, he channels his appreciation into volunteer service, working with more than 200 high school students to meet the needs of the Dallas/Fort Worth community. Along the way, these young people learn how to become leaders.

Hung tells of the difficult living conditions he experienced growing up in a remote part of Taiwan, centered around the lack of infrastructure. “There was no access to doctors, no transportation and not a lot of communication between villages,” he recalls. “Most of the people around me did not go to school.”

As a young person, Hung knew he wanted a different life, and that a college education was his way out. He moved to Texas in 1981 to study computer science and management, then went on to become a systems engineer in the private sector. Throughout his journey from a place one-fifteenth the size of Texas, Hung always held sacred “the importance of education, having the right attitude and developing skills for work and personal life.” He sought a way to show his appreciation for what he had.

Since 2001, Hung has guided the North Texas Youth Honor Society (NTYHS), an extracurricular program that brings together students from 18 area high schools to participate in community service projects. Led by the students – from initial planning to scheduling, recruiting volunteers, communication and cleanup – and with guidance from Hung, the work of NTYHS intersects with many groups, including the Dallas Chinese Community Center and the Chinese Institute of Engineers, as well as local schools.

NTYHS students bring their youthful energy to service opportunities ranging from orchestrating spelling and math competitions to hosting social events for disabled youth, and even lending a hand in school cafeterias. Collectively, they manage 25-30 volunteer projects at any given time and contribute more than 12,000 hours of service annually. And NTYHS participates as a certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, keeping students motivated to serve through positive recognition.

Inside all the effort the NTYHS students put into planning and carrying out their good work, their mentor feels the most important dimension of this experience is that they learn how to become leaders. Says Hung, “It’s so important for young people to develop a passion for their community. So many people have come through NTYHS and changed completely. Working with each other, they learn a lot.”

Certainly the best testimony about the lasting impact of Hung’s work comes from the young people involved in the NTYHS program. “Working with Mr. Hung helped my personal development as a leader and made me more aware of the diverse community I live in,” explains Lucy Wang, now a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania. “There are numerous leadership styles, and through my experiences in volunteer work I was able to discover my own. Leadership, I came to understand, was largely about effective communication and organization.”

Hung knows helping youths reach their potential through service is important because it prepares them for the world they will inherit. “In our community, we need to help each other,” says Hung. “Community service doesn’t cost anything, but it makes a great impact.”

The Daily Point of Light Award, created by President George H. W. Bush in 1989, celebrates the power of individuals to spark change and improve the world. Earlier this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron started the daily award in the UK to recognize outstanding individuals who are voluntarily making change in their communities and inspiring others. Today’s UK awardee is Jenny Wong, who has volunteered with Manchester Chinese schools since 1976. She set up the Weekend School at the Manchester Chinese Centre in 2005, helping thousands of young people stay connected to their culture. Jenny is also a key volunteer at the Manchester Chinese Archive project, which tells the story of the Chinese community in Greater Manchester.

Miguel Guerra

During Pro Bono Week, Oct. 19-25, Points of Light and A Billion + Change are recognizing the exceptional work of skills-based volunteers like Miguel Guerra, today’s Daily Point of Light honoree. Read his story and nominate someone you know as a Point of Light.

Miguel Guerra gives a motivational speech to young people in Chicago.

Miguel Guerra’s information technology career has taken him around the country, working with a team that builds wireless networks for food manufacturers, aerospace firms and professional football stadiums. But perhaps one of the most important destinations to him is a school classroom near the inner-city Chicago neighborhood where he grew up.

Guerra is proof to the students – many of whom live near the edge of poverty, gang influence, crime, drugs, and who lack support – that they can change their circumstances.

“I’m fortunate … because I can now try to reach the younger versions of me who were told to make ‘the right choice’ but had never been personally exposed to the countless options outside of a four block radius,” he says.

Guerra volunteers with a Chicago nonprofit that introduces youth to technology. As a mentor, he relates to his audience like few can. He has experienced firsthand what the students are facing. And he speaks their language. The message strikes a hopeful chord: if you believe in yourself, it’s never too late to change your life and get a good job, which can open new doors.

Guerra remembers his life at 26, riding his bicycle through the streets of Chicago at 2 a.m., returning from a second shift job to support three kids, with no car and no money. Back then, he says, “I didn’t even know that the place where I am today even existed.” Guerra says he came incredibly close to not being able to turn his life around, but he had support from his family.

Young people are captivated by the images he shares of the many places he’s been because of his career. There’s the family beach vacation and swimming with sharks. And a video clip of Guerra skydiving.

These visuals emerge from Guerra’s hobby as a photographer and videographer, and give context to what’s attainable through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

“I’m inspired every time a student walks up to me after a talk and thanks me … and feels hopeful after what I’ve shown them,” says Guerra. “I think of how important it is to show them what’s possible.”

Guerra works as a consultant with CDW, a Fortune 500 IT solutions provider. CDW’s involvement with Lumity, a Chicago nonprofit that engages volunteers to facilitate college and career readiness as well as technology support for charities, led to Guerra’s introduction as a skills-based volunteer in 2013. “It’s powerful to hear from somebody who looks like you, grew up in your neighborhood and knows exactly what you’re up against,” says Lumity Executive Director Kara Kennedy.

CDW supports Guerra’s pro-bono work and acknowledges skills-based volunteering as a key driver to creating social and business value.

Guerra encourages other professionals to make time to volunteer.

“Think of your most vulnerable moment and the people that were there for you,” he says. “None of us made it on our own. Someone has given us that helpful nudge at some point. It’s important to reach back and do the same for someone else.”

Gilman Sullivan

Together, Points of Light and Billion + Change are recognizing the exceptional work of skills-based volunteers during Pro Bono Week. Read the story about today’s Daily Point of Light honoree, a professional who works with military members transitioning out of active duty and into civilian jobs.

They risk their lives defending our country, thrust into situations where they have to make quick decisions and think on their feet. But when they transition out of active duty, military servicemen and women encounter what some perceive to be their most daunting challenge yet: interviewing for a civilian job.

Gilman Sullivan, a Navy veteran employed at a software company in Charleston, South Carolina, volunteers his time and talent at area military bases to help service members prepare for their entry into the civilian job market. Sullivan teaches interview skills, helps men and women create their 90-second “elevator pitch,” performs mock interviews and instills confidence in his pupils.

Sullivan says most people enter the military right out of high school or partway through college, but go on to accumulate more education, often multiple degrees and skills, while on active duty. Despite this, many have never interviewed for a job, and consequently need a pep talk. “I think there is a very strong sense that they have lost time against people that didn’t go into the military, so that they are starting behind, and that is so far from the truth,” says Sullivan of his pupils.

Despite their skills and background, this lack of job-seeking experience means recent veterans are more likely to be unemployed than their civilian counterparts. The unemployment rate among veterans who joined the military after September 11, 2001, averaged 9 percent last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was about 1.6 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate for the civilian population.

When he finally got the green light at the Charleston Air Force Base and the Naval Weapons Station to show his presentation and explain why he wanted to do this, Sullivan said the response from military brass and senior Navy support personnel was, “When can you start?” He now delivers a monthly presentation to active duty personnel who are entering the civilian job market. Sullivan estimates he has delivered 88 workshops over the past five years, training more than 1,000 people. His students are varied in age and class sizes can range anywhere from one person to 40.

Sullivan works as a practice manager for Blackbaud, a global provider of software and services for nonprofit organizations. His employer’s support of the time he spends volunteering with military service personnel validates the importance of skill-based volunteer work.

“At Blackbaud, we believe that service to others makes the world a better place and Gilman lives this value each and every day,” says Director of Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy Rachel Hutchisson. “We’re pleased and proud to support Gilman’s volunteer service by giving him the flexibility to conduct his interview workshops, for military personnel entering the civilian workforce, during the work day when the job centers on the military bases are open.”

Sullivan says every time he conducts his class, he learns something new – a question or concern – that he tries to integrate into future presentations. No matter what, he tries to show these men and women that they possess experience others do not have, and once comfortable in presenting themselves, his pupils are capable of winning any interview.

“I tell them, people know because you are coming out of the military that you are disciplined, you are capable, you have done things that they don’t even understand, but they respect.”

Who are the exceptional volunteers in your community using their talents to help others? Share their story by submitting a nomination for a Daily Point of Light award at https://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination

Caroline Sartorius

Meet Caroline Sartorius, today’s Daily Point of Light Award winner. Read her story and nominate someone you know as a Daily Point of Light.

Caroline Sartorius visits with undocumented Haitian children in the Dominican Republic village of Ascension.

Most teens aren’t interested in following in their parents’ footsteps. “But it so happens that what they do is really cool,” said Caroline Sartorius about her own parents, who run the government consulting firm Social Impact, which works in international development. Their work inspired Caroline, a senior at South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., to seek out international service projects of her own.

In 2012, Caroline joined a 10-day project in the Dominican Republic with the service program Global Leadership Adventures. There she met Megan Ratnam, a Canadian youth minister and full-time volunteer in the rural villages of Ascension and Caraballo.

Ratnam works to remove the obstacles that keep residents impoverished. Her work involves raising money to pay for documentation and uniforms required for children to attend school and secure transportation to and from school.

Most of the residents of Ascension are undocumented Haitians. Ratnam navigates through red tape and pays fees to secure birth certificates and passports for children, which allows them to attend schools and receive other benefits.

Caroline Sartorius, right, spends time with children during a trip to a Haitian village.

Caroline wanted to do more to help, so she took information about the project back to her community, where she launched a fundraising campaign. She raised $9,000, including a double matching grant from the San Francisco foundation Humanity United. The money helped pay for birth certificates and passports for about 230 people.

Caroline didn’t stop there. Earlier this year, she contacted Ratnam about taking on another project: a formal assessment of the program. Caroline created an interview guide and an oral survey for different demographic groups in Ascension that have been affected by the documentation program, including students, teachers and parents.

With an interpreter, Caroline went door to door in the village. After completing interviews with about 15 households, she wrote up a report with suggestions on how to improve Ratnam’s processes.

“She had her interview questions, and she had her objectives. She knew just how many people she wanted to meet with. She was so extremely organized,” Ratnam said.

The report was helpful. It highlighted the fact that Ratnam was probably too dependent on a small number of people to handle some very specific jobs. Caroline suggested that Megan train other individuals in the process to expand capacity and improve sustainability of the documentation program.

“Everything she recommended was really good. She was right,” Ratnam said.

Caroline says her work with Ratnam has inspired her to pursue an education in international development and political science. Now 17, Caroline is considering universities with those programs.

Caroline says she believes that making a difference at any age starts with baby steps.

“I think people don’t really understand how big of a difference they can make in the world,” she said. “I think once you get involved in something, you can really see how it expands from there.”

Olivia Post

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Post of Evanston, Illinois has grown up playing soccer her entire life. When she learned about an impoverished town in Central America where children have no means to play “futbol,” she started a cause to put the game she loves within reach for them.

Olivia created Cents4Soccer, an effort to collect soccer gear to send to children in the town of Panajachel, Guatemala. With help from her high school and a local rival school, her club soccer teammates and friends, Olivia gathered more than 600 pieces of gently used soccer gear – including shoes, shorts, shirts, balls and bags – to send to Panajachel, located in Guatemala’s highlands. To cover shipping costs, Olivia designed Cents4Soccer bracelets and sold them to friends.

How did she come to know about this town 1,900 miles from her home in the Midwest? When a close family friend adopted a young boy from Guatemala, Olivia was exposed to a new culture. According to Olivia, this family visits Guatemala every year so the boy knows about his culture. “One year, they invited me to go,” Olivia recalls. “I had heard about the poverty there, and I wanted to do something to make their lives better.”

While on her trip to Panajachel, Olivia held a training camp for more than sixty kids, four days a week, for one month. While she went to teach soccer, Olivia got involved in more than she could have imagined. In her spare time, she taught villagers how to install water filters and helped deliver food and medicine to nearby villages.

“The most rewarding part was making these friendships with the people in Guatemala,” Olivia recalls about her trip. Olivia has stayed in touch with the people she worked with in Panajachel to ensure that her mission and hard work continue. She even got help recently from Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire men’s team to donate more than 300 pieces of equipment.

Finding common ground through the game of soccer, Olivia has forged lasting international bonds with Panajachel’s youths. “It’s a completely different world than what we live in,” she says. “Soccer is my passion and I wanted to share this.”

If you know someone like Olivia helping kids find joy, nominate them today for the Daily Point of Light Award at https://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination.

Bill McGahan

Stories of homelessness are interwoven with many of the same complications and set-backs. Lack of education, dependence on handouts, broken families, addiction and criminal records are all too common. Add a sudden job loss, and getting back on track can seem impossible.

Bill McGahan leads an organization that peels away those layers and helps restore men to self-sufficiency. McGahan is the founder of Georgia Works, a residential program putting chronically homeless men in Atlanta back to work. The nonprofit provides room and board, case management and professional development while contracting with private employers willing to hire its participants.

To be accepted into the six- to 12-month program, men must have no outstanding warrants and agree to four rules: 1) Remain drug and alcohol free while in the program, 2) accept no handouts other than health care, 3) get along with other participants, and 4) work.

In the year since its inception, Georgia Works has graduated 22 of the 86 men who made an effort to enter. Most graduates have their own apartments and still hold the job they got through the program.

About 34 men remain in the program working toward graduation.

“The whole idea of the program is to take people who have bad habits and create good habits,” said Jack Hardin, board chairman for Gateway and co-chairman of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta's Regional Commission on Homelessness. “We haven't done it long enough to have a long term read on how it will stick, but those guys are doing great. I think it's making a big difference, and I'm very excited about it.”

The typical “client” is in his 30s or 40s, has been arrested more than a dozen times and has two or three felonies for robbery, drugs or forgery, according to McGahan. Many have no high school degree and have long overdue child support and court fines. Their driver's licenses have been revoked and they have no credit, no bank account and no mailing address. Family relationships have been frayed or broken, and they have no relationship with their children. “They're lonely, and they have no way of getting out of that hole,” McGahan said.

Georgia Works case managers help participants tackle each of the issues standing in the way of getting and holding a job. That work starts with reaching out to courts to resolve probation violations and child support fines, which sometimes includes negotiating a reasonable payment plan. Case managers teach men how to talk honestly about themselves and their criminal records with potential employers. Participants must complete daily chores in the dorms and attend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. The program also offers GED courses.

The cost to put one man through Georgia Works is about $10,000 a year, McGahan said. But through its work program, he expects Georgia Works to eventually pay for itself. “Most all homeless programs other than [Georgia Works] are based solely upon donations, but I'm hopeful get it to the point where it's almost break even, where the money we generate for our labor can greatly offset the costs of the program,” McGahan said.

Participants start out earning $15 per week while getting cleared for work. Within a couple of months, they're hired out to one of about a dozen private employers – largely contractors, waste management and recycling companies – where the men earn the standard hourly wage. The program distributes the men's paychecks, holding $100 weekly earnings for room and board and $50 that goes into savings. Most receive at least $70 per week of pocket money. By the time they graduate, participants have at least $1,500 in savings to secure an apartment and start a new life.

McGahan, 52, retired in 2012 from a successful career as an investor and began looking for ways to make a difference. His volunteering career began with New Jersey-based From Houses to Homes, a nonprofit that builds homes and facilities in rural Guatemala. He soon joined the board and created a project recruiting 20 to 25 Atlanta high school students annually to participate in a build. More than 100 students have helped build more than 20 new homes.

Like many Atlantans, he was troubled by the homelessness downtown. McGahan spent a year visiting shelters – sometimes staying overnight – to better understand the issues. He researched programs including the Gateway Center, a shelter that connects homeless families and individuals with the gamut of services available in Atlanta. A nationally heralded program in New York City, called Ready and Willing, inspired McGahan to develop something like it in Atlanta.

“There are two questions I get all the time,” says McGahan. “Why are you doing this? And why haven't we done this before? The answer to those questions is I 'm doing it because we haven't done this before.”

DPOL – Cleaning for a Reason

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when individuals and groups rally to increase awareness of the disease and the resources to help with early detection. And while the spotlight shines pink during this month, a nonprofit headquartered in Lewisville, Texas works all year long to give women undergoing cancer treatment access to free cleaning services, or what one maid service calls “vitamins for the soul.”

Since its inception in 2006, Cleaning for a Reason has supported more than 15,000 women battling cancer by providing free housecleaning services, according to Founder and President Debbie Sardone. These free services are collectively valued at more than $4.5 million.

Featured by Reader’s Digest Magazine in July 2014 as one of the “25 Uplifting, Quirky Things That Could Only Happen in America,” Cleaning for a Reason highlights the needs of women struggling with the physical and emotional costs of cancer treatment. Anyone, regardless of profession can help. “I never knew how good it would feel to give away for free what I do for a living,” says Sardone.

What started as an internal policy within Sardone’s own company, Buckets and Bows, grew into Cleaning for a Reason, an organization that has partnered with 1,100 maid services throughout all 50 states and Canada. Sardone vowed to meet this need after a woman called Buckets and Bows for a price quote, but promptly hung up after telling Sardone she couldn’t afford the services because she was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Sardone didn’t have the chance to offer this woman free services, but what emerged from that phone call is now a nationwide effort to help women fighting cancer have one less thing to worry about.

One woman who received the complementary cleaning services told Sardone that after surgery, just shampooing her hair was difficult, so cleaning the house was out of the question. The cancer patient said the cleaning services provided a huge emotional lift after a day of chemotherapy.

“By giving back in this small way, we are able to help women with cancer focus on their treatment, healing, and relaxing, and that’s what is most important,” Allison Helligso, owner of Pink Shoe Cleaning Crew in Omaha, a Cleaning for a Reason partner, told Edge Magazine.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 805,500 new cases of cancer diagnosed in females in 2014. One of the biggest challenges for the Cleaning for a Reason network is making their unique offering known to women battling cancer. Cleaning for a Reason recently struck up a partnership with Swiffer® featuring a social media campaign where women with breast cancer can share their story on social media with #SwifferGoesPink. Limited edition pink Swiffer products displayed in pallets featuring the Cleaning for a Reason logo are being sold in stores during the month of October.

“One of the biggest challenges we face is that there are so many women who need this service, Sardone explains. “We are always looking for more cleaning services to sign up to provide the cleanings, which is why we are grateful to Swiffer … for helping us spread the word.”

To apply individually, or sign up others coping with cancer to receive free cleaning services, visit http://www.cleaningforareason.org. Nominate someone who is making a positive impact where you live for a Daily Point of Light award. Details at https://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination

Cleaning for a Reason

Gracelyn Leath and Brooke Leath

Two teenage sisters motivating other teens to change the world they will inherit.

That’s the story of Gracelyn Leath and Brooke Leath, a dynamic duo who have been tapping into that potential since 2012 by lending their time to TeenHOP, a group working to empower young teenagers to volunteer in their communities and encourage others to be positive citizens.

Gracelyn and Brooke have devoted countless hours to assisting TeenHOP from their home base in Alpharetta, Georgia, writing skits and presentations to illustrate why youth volunteerism stands out as a need in communities everywhere. The Leath sisters have also started TeenHOP clubs in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Mississippi to reach out to more youth in the United States. They created a camp and even send out monthly newsletters to spread the word about TeenHOP and their mission.

The sisters recall that getting their TeenHOP summer camp off the ground wasn’t easy. “The toughest challenge that we faced was planning TeenHOP Leadership Camp 2014. The location we did find to have the camp went out of business,” they say. But this setback didn’t stop the Leath sisters. They found a new location and managed to have a successful camp. “We are thankful to say TeenHOP Leadership Camp was a success!,” Gracelyn and Brooke enthuse. “We constantly encounter equally rewarding moments every time that we volunteer and leadership skills to apply in our communities.”

Gracelyn and Brooke’s leadership and giving spirits have inspired more than 1,000 students to start their commitment to service. The sisters say their inspiration came from their mother. “Our mother told us how much fun she would have volunteering in college, singing to the elderly at rest homes,” the two recall. “She encouraged us to help others and not have an entitlement mentality.”

This message has stuck with Gracelyn and Brooke. And now they work to inspire other teenagers to get out in their communities and volunteer. “We brainstorm with them to find fun ways they can give back to their communities and encourage them to focus on helping their communities with solutions, instead of complaining about their community problems.”

Know people like Gracelyn and Brooke who have found innovative ways to inspire others to volunteer? Nominate them today for a Daily Point of Light award at

https://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination

Mark Bustos

Mark Bustos is a hair stylist at upscale Manhattan Three Squares Studio, cutting hair for the likes of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, designer Phillip Lim … and just as important, the homeless of New York City.

In what is now a weekly ritual, every Sunday Bustos ventures out on the streets of New York City offering haircuts to those who can’t afford them and documenting the good deed on social media, where his nearly 200,000 Instagram followers cheer him on and are inspired themselves to do good

According to Mark, his work provides a boost to the self-image of those less fortunate. “I do believe people with a proper, professional haircut receive more respect than those who do not have a proper haircut,” he says. “Having a proper haircut also gives the recipient much more confidence.”

This journey began for Mark on a trip to the Philippines in May 2012, after renting out a barber shop to offer free haircuts to children. Since then, Mark says he intentionally cuts hair for the homeless in well-traveled spaces so the public can watch what he is doing and feel inspired to mirror this kindness to others.

There is no system to Mark’s Sunday haircuts. This 30 year-old stylist walks into random neighborhoods looking for a haircut recipient or will ask clients at Three Squares Studio if they notice homeless people in their neighborhoods or near their offices.

A photo Mark posted this month showed a man called, “Cowboy Richie.” Mark captioned a photo describing his encounter with Richie and their discussion about the shelter where Richie stayed. Richie told Mark, “I don’t like calling it a shelter. It’s our safe haven.” It’s people like Richie that Mark helps not only with a free haircut, but also empathy.

Mark encourages others to follow suit by adding the hashtag #BeAwesomeToSomebody to all of the photos he adds to his Instagram profile. Mark writes in one of his posts online, “Be present. Human interaction and connecting through meaningful conversation can change the way people think about themselves. The positive connections you make have the potential to become the high point in someone else's day.”

Know anyone with a great story? When you share it with Points of Light, we can help bring more attention and support to their cause. To nominate volunteers who are doing excellent work in the community for a Daily Point of Light award, go to https://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination