Justin Laferriere

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Justin Laferriere. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or organization as a Point of Light.

Justin Laferriere

As a young child, Justin Laferriere felt helpless as his family of eight – his parents and six kids – was evicted.

They all squeezed into a two-bedroom hotel room, but once that living arrangement was no longer an option, the family applied for an affordable-housing apartment for low-income families. While waiting, the family lived in a homeless shelter for nearly a year.

During the 12 years he spent in affordable housing, Laferriere was exposed to many volunteer organizations working to help improve the lives of low-income families. He remembers local college students hosting cookouts and handing out toys, back-to-school shopping with Salvation Army volunteers and the local church passing out boxes of food every Saturday.

“When I was young, I never realized how much we depended on help from others and how amazing these people were for helping,” Lafferriere says. “So shortly after graduating high school, and then joining the United States Navy, I knew that it was my turn to give back.”

Lafferriere, stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, has volunteered at the Nashua Homeless Shelter, handing out food and warm blankets; the Norfolk Memorial Library, assembling bags full of gloves, hats and socks for the homeless; False Cape State Park, helping clean up trails; the Green Reader Program, reading to kids and teaching them about recycling; and more. Laferriere is deeply aware of the effect a volunteer can have on a person.

Laferriere is now serving as a volunteer coordinator for the Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions. He has provided more than 50 junior sailors with opportunities to help the community with beach and park cleanups that will help preserve the areas for future generations to enjoy. 

“I take any volunteer opportunity I can,” he says. “Being in the military requires a lot of my time, but any chance I get to volunteer I take advantage of it.”

Kristen Pizzo

In a world riddled with false notions and unrealistic beauty expectations, young girls often feel pressure to attain beauty at an unhealthy cost. Kristen Pizzo is bringing awareness to this issue and evoking change. 

In 2009, at the age of 11, Pizzo was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.

“My recovery process took about three years, and those were the most trying years of my life,” said Pizzo. “During my recovery, I read an article in People magazine about Project HEAL, and knew I had to get involved when I was well enough.” The article she read that day changed her life. 

Kristen Pizzo

Project HEAL (Help to Eat, Accept, and Live) is an organization aimed at spreading awareness of eating disorders, raising money for those who cannot afford eating disorder treatment, as well as promote a platform of positivity and self-esteem. Though there are over 40 chapters around the world, none existed in San Jose. In 2013, while still in high school, Pizzo sought to change that, becoming Founder of the San Jose chapter.  

Pizzo is proof that age has no bearing on your ability to influence your surroundings. Though a minor, her voice has played a major role in impacting her environment. Her willingness to speak out has helped raise close to $ 5,000 to fight eating disorders. Whether it’s a speaking engagement at her annual girls’ leadership conference, Strong Girls, Strong Women, or it’s simply just advising her high school peers, Pizzo has been on a mission. “I hope that someday eating disorders can be eradicated completely,” said Pizzo. “I know it won’t be in my lifetime, but I know I can be a part of this movement that will push our society toward change.”

The Miller Family

Meet the Daily Point of Light Award-winning Miller family. Read their story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or organization as a Point of Light.

Lily Miller shows two of her lovebirds.

Back when she was in second grade, Lily Miller volunteered at a craft fair to help raise money to build a playground where all kids could play, including children with vision, hearing or mobility impairments and others with special needs.

She and her mom, Terry, had given great thought to what they would contribute to the fair, and after some research online, they decided to make stuffed lovebirds.

Their plump little creations proved so popular that Lily, now 9 years old, wondered whether she could do more with them.

She and Terry read “I Am Malala,” by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out about education rights for girls. Lily found her answer.

She says she was surprised that some girls “cannot learn to read or do math because they are not allowed to go to school.”

The Miller set up a production line in their Missoula, Montana, home. Lily traced and cut the template and she and her younger sister, Maizy, stuffed the birds. Terry then stitched everything together, with the entire process taking about 45 minutes.

So far, they’ve made and sold about 500 of the birds – available at www.lilyslovebirds.com – raising $4,000. They donate the money primarily to Conscious Connections Foundation, a nonprofit based in Spokane, Washington. The organization’s program Power of 5 is devoted to helping girls in Nepal gain access to education.

“It’s important for girls to go to school because when we teach girls about the world, they will teach their kids and the world will become a peaceful place,” says Lily. The organization says that a donation of just $5 can send a Nepalese girl to school for one month.

Besides helping those in need, the effort has other payoffs. “The Nepalese girls write thank-you notes to Lily and Maizy,” says Terry, “so there’s a real close connection to the other side of the world.”

Practical lessons also include the mathematic (figuring out how many girls they are helping) and the geographical. (“Yes! I want to go to Nepal,” says Lily. “I want to see Mt. Everest!”)

Gradually, the Millers’ speed in making the birds increased – the trio now spends about 15 minutes on each one. They’ve enlisted dad, Ken, to help with the shipping.

This past spring, the family’s effort was highlighted by A Mighty Girl, a website that catalogs educational materials for girls; two days later, a massive earthquake hit Nepal, killing thousands and devastating villages.

Now, the lovebirds are on back order ($9 for one, three for $25) as the girls and their mom work to catch up. Lily is in charge of the designs – she prefers a style that uses a colorful pattern on top and a solid on the bottom. “A lot of the fabrics are donated,” she says, “and I like looking through all the different ones.”

As the lovebirds wait to take flight, Lily says she “gets happy just thinking about where they’re going.”

Lynne Warrick

Retirement for most people usually equates to laying around the house, doing very little, but for Lynne Warrick it is the exact opposite. At 92 years young, she constantly defies the odds.

Lynne Warrick

After a long career with the federal government, Warrick’s work wasn’t done. Always considerate and compassionate of others, Warrick transitioned that passion of helping others into Lynne Warrick Institute, Inc. (LWII). Since 1989 LWII has helped those underserved by providing new opportunities and outlets that aren’t readily available. LWII, a nonprofit organization, focuses on three specific program areas: environmental, personal health and education.

Relocating her company to Broward County, FL in 1999, Warrick’s impact in that community is and will forever be felt. At her age, she still has the remarkable ability to make a difference.

“I do this for the kids,” says Warrick. “I just want them to know that education is the key to success and as long as you give it your best you can be anything that you want to be.”

Whether it’s pertaining to personal health or even the environment, Warrick continues to impact her surroundings. As Founder of the Florida Education Fishing Foundation (FEFF), Warrick has helped teach children proper fishing skills as well as instill an appreciation for the environment.

In 2008, knowing that South Florida has the highest rate of new HIV/AIDS cases in the country, Warrick created Ban-AIDS. A program that provides peer-to-peer counseling, Ban-AIDS goal is to educate students on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

“I want to make a difference in the lives of children who are socially and economically deprived,” says Warrick.

While the idea of working after retirement doesn’t seem very appealing, her efforts in this social climate are very much needed and greatly appreciated.

Trisha Prabhu

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Trisha Prabhu. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or organization as a Point of Light.

Trisha Prabhu

When Trisha Prabhu read about a 12-year-old Florida girl who killed herself after being taunted mercilessly online, the news shook her. 

“I was stunned to think that someone who was younger than I could be pushed to a place where they’d think their life wasn’t worth living,” says Trisha, 15.

And although the Naperville, Illinois, teen had occasionally been teased online herself, she had no idea that in some cases the pattern could go on longer and cut deeper. As she learned more about cyber-bullying – which 20 percent of American high school students say they have experienced – she decided to do something.

“I was raised in a family where I was told that age shouldn’t be a limit,” she says. “You can always make a difference.”

Building on her experience in coding, Trisha developed ReThink, a software product that issues a prompt whenever a user types a potentially offensive text, tweet or Facebook message.

“Most kids have morals instilled in them growing up and have inherently good intentions,” she says, adding that as adolescent brains aren’t fully developed, young people often succumb to impulsiveness and take unnecessary risks.

Reaching out via social marketing platforms, Trisha recruited teens to test ReThink. In more than 93 percent of the cases, users reported reconsidering their initial inclinations and choosing not to send offending messages. With such a success rate – and bolstered by her appearances at the White House and a TEDxTeen conference – Trisha decided to make a push to introduce the product, at no cost, to schools nationwide for download on classroom computers.  

Trisha says that when school starts in September, ReThink could potentially roll out to hundreds of thousands of kids.

She knows that’s just a start – kids have myriad opportunities to use other computers and smart phones to fire off taunts, plus the program doesn’t yet address sending sexual or otherwise iffy images.

All in good time, says Trisha. “Meanwhile, when no one is there peering over (young people’s) shoulders, ReThink acts just like a parent. In fact, I’m considering changing the wording to say, `Is this something your mother would be proud of?’”

Avis Ewer

 Imagine being sick, stranded in a rural town, in dire need of medical attention, what would you do? The answer is simple, call Avis.

For the past six plus years, seven days a week, every single morning, 84 year old Avis Ewer has been saving lives. As a Volunteer Driver for Penquis Transportation Brokerage, Ewer is responsible for transporting Medicaid patients to their doctors or covered services.

In a small town like Alton, Maine, with a population of roughly 1,000 people, transportation is a very serious problem. Lacking the infrastructure for public transportation, an issue as simple as getting to your doctor’s appointment really becomes a burden.

Ewer has been a steady force working to change these conditions. She is directly impacting the lives of those who need it most. From patients needing dialysis, to those recovering from addictions, Ewer has been there everyday to see them through their difficult journey

“Avis is the best kind of volunteer,” says Christopher Childs, the Non-Emergency Transportation Provider Manager at Penquis, who also serves as Ewer’s supervisor.

“Yes, on one level she is simply addressing a need. However, Avis takes that several levels higher. She truly gets to know her passengers and their family, and they get to know her …Now, take that deep, meaningful level of connection, and multiply it by 10 hours per day, seven days per week, and the scale of Avis’ impact becomes truly impressive.”

Ewer and fellow volunteer Rick McGuinness

Ewer’s dedication is evident in her consistency. For those who are fighting everyday, battling life threatening illnesses, when they have no one or nowhere to turn to, Ewer is there for them.

Childs explains it perfectly when asked what drives Ewer

“Avis’ inspiration is simple. She does it out of love.”

Nithya Deepak

For some, finding a book can be as easy as going to your neighborhood library, but for those who are faced with the challenge of being blind, that search becomes ever so difficult. Thankfully, the volunteer effort of Nithya Deepak is changing that.

Nithya Deepak

Since 2013, Deepak has been spreading the joy of reading to those a little less fortunate. Working with the Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind   (BESB), she has volunteered countless hours transcribing children’s books from print to Braille. While many children have a variety of titles to choose from, that same selection just isn’t available in Braille – leaving thousands of blind children without many reading options. Realizing the significance reading has played in her life, Deepak has been dedicated to providing that same influence to those that are in need.

The amount of joy that volunteering for this organization brings to me is indescribable,” says Deepak. “Every time I type up a book, before I turn it in, I always have a huge smile on my face as I think about those kids … It really brings me so much joy to know that I am making a difference for something that I care so deeply about.”

 Deepak has been transcribing books for the blind since she was 15 years old, her selflessness has been evident long before that. She has been volunteering since the second grade, assisting homeless shelters and family centers in the local community.

With a life-long passion for reading, Deepak’s willingness to give back comes natural. For as long as she can remember, she has been fascinated with books. Whether it is a life lesson or a good laugh, Deepak is fully aware of how impactful a book can be in a child’s life.

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Nicholas Christopher Metropulos

While a typical 16 year-old may be practicing for a driver’s license or studying for a test, Nicholas Christopher Metropulos is transforming his community. This young citizen of the earth is tackling the issue of environmental education, an issue rarely discussed in schools, by sharing his knowledge of marine science and conservation with those less fortunate. Metropulos, a Boca Raton, FL native is embarking on a change that will not only help those in need now, but also shape the future environment around him.

At just 16 years-old, Metropulos is the CEO of Fish for Families in Need (F4FN) http://www.f4fn.com/ . F4FN uses the sport of fishing as a guide to educate socio-economically disadvantaged children about the importance of conservation and securing fish populations for the future.

Metropulos has taught over 70 courses where he has combined the art of fishing and academic information, educating children on marine science and conservation. F4FN teaches proper and responsible angling and fishing practices that will reduce harm to marine ecosystems and ensure the survival of fish stocks.

 Metropulos not only engages the minds of these children, but also plays a role in nourishing their bodies. By partnering with local fishing tournaments, Metropulos has already fed over 200 patrons by collecting and cleaning already caught fish and donating them to local soup kitchens.
 

When Metropulos is not lending his time to help feed or teach those in need, he’s attending St. Andrews School. Metropulos is preparing for college with hopes of a career in engineering. While environmental education may not be on the forefront of today’s society, the efforts of Metropulos and F4FN assures us that the future is in good hands.