Donald Spano
Donald Spano enjoys doing something most of us don’t. He likes doing taxes. In fact, it’s so much fun for him he’s devoted 21 years post-retirement to volunteering as an AARP tax preparer.
Donald Spano (left)Yearly, from February to April 15, Spano works as a the regional coordinator for the North Atlantic region (Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey), managing 4,000 volunteers as they complete tax forms for senior citizens for free. All total, AARP has 35,000 tax preparation volunteers nationwide.
“I like working with older adults. They’re nervous about the IRS for some reason or another, and we get to calm them down and get their taxes done,” he said. “I deal with people who are widowed, and they don’t have a clue what’s going on. I walk them through the steps.”
As a regional coordinator, he designs next-year plans for his team and ensures they have up-to-date equipment. He also makes sure each volunteer completes three hours of training and passes a tax-preparation test by at least 80 percent. To be IRS-certified, volunteers must pass yearly.
Annually, AARP’s tax services assist roughly 200,000 people. Spano has worked at two preparation sites during his four-year regional coordinator tenure. He prepares taxes for five people at each site weekly, totaling approximately 2,100 individuals.
For customers, he said, preparers gather biographical information to put into the computer, including financial data. They try to keep each tax preparation appointment to an hour or less.
Preparing taxes is a detail-intensive job, but Spano said it’s worth it to see his clients’ happiness. Many return annually, and, as long as the customers keep coming, he’ll be there to meet them.
“I’ll keep doing this. I enjoy it. I do my kids’ taxes and their kids’ taxes,” Spano said. “As long as I’m healthy, I’ll do it.”
Carol Dow-Richards
Carol Dow-Richards is a woman whose passion was born of incredible emotional pain no mother would want to endure. When her son had a stroke at the age of ten, he was unable to speak, read or write and in a wheelchair. She felt incredibly isolated and confused. It was years before her family even met another with aphasia. Today, she uses the pain her family endured to passionately deliver services to connect families, share information and strategies, and offer programs to help end the isolation.
Carol Dow-RichardsDow-Richards helped start Aphasia Recovery Connection, to serve people who suffer language disabilities post-stroke or brain injury.
Up to 38 percent of stroke survivors suffer from this invisible disability.
ARC’s mission is to deliver compassionate support services to improve the quality of life for people recovering from aphasia and their families and friends. ARC is committed to help end the isolation that aphasia brings. ARC embodies the values of collaboration, compassion, dignity and acceptance. ARC delivers this mission with passion, “we are families helping families.”
Every week, Dow-Richards’ volunteer service at Aphasia Recovery Connection reaches 10,000-20,000 stroke survivors, families and professionals dealing with this devastating–and underserved–language disability called aphasia. ARC won the impact RAISE award from the National Stroke Association for their innovative activities and programs that she’s developed as a volunteer such as their innovative ARC at Learning Sea Cruises and Aphasia U Boot Camp.
People with aphasia are often isolated and many face depression. Dow-Richards’s innovative approach started simply through Facebook. ARC added video conferencing to connect people face to face and help guide others struggling with communication. The nonprofit is now the largest online support service for people with aphasia and has eight groups offering social connection as well as video calls where people can practice communication skills. She raises awareness by designing free shareable posters that often have a reach of over 3,000.
When a woman gives of herself selfishly to an underserved population, she creates worth. This mother took a painful journey and makes the journey easier for others. She gives without pay – she enriches the world rather than herself. Dow-Richards has volunteered thousands of hours to help make the world a better place. When a woman is passionate and empowers others, like Dow-Richards- she creates worth.
Nina Faulk-Knight
For as long as she can remember, the act of volunteering has always been a passion for Nina Faulk-Knight. Growing up, watching her mother and grandmother give back to their local community, Nina realized then the power she had to truly make a difference. Whether it’s her volunteer work at church, mentoring young children or helping with adult literacy, Nina has always been at the forefront of change in her community.
Nina Faulk-KnightSince 2010 Nina has worked directly with the AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE). The Legal counsel provides free legal and social work for low-income seniors in the Washington D.C. area. Nina serves as a liaison between the lawyers and clients, giving a voice to those often forgotten about.
“Volunteering at LCE is educational, inspiring, technically challenging, and I enjoy every moment … It is truly the best “job” I’ve ever had,” said Nina.
For over 40 years the LCE has been campaigning and championing the dignity and rights of elderly citizens. For those D.C. residents 55 and older, LCE has helped stop home foreclosures and evictions, produce wills and the powers of attorney, represent seniors victimized by scams and predators, as well as a bevy of other social and legal needs. For decades, LCE has been devoted to empowering, defending and protecting vulnerable seniors.
Working with LCE, Nina has been more than a bridge linking the elders with their proper representation; she is also vital in LCE’s operations. Nina has been instrumental in converting older and outdated computer processes, helping make case-tracking systems more user friendly and efficient.
It is the heart and selflessness of people like Nina Faulk-Knight that continues to uplift and empower those who need it most.
Marc Copeland
As the youngest of nine children, Marc Copeland is used to pulling his own weight. He was also raised to never expect special treatment, despite the fact that he was born 46 years ago with Down Syndrome.
Marc CopelandUntil 2013, Marc worked at a small manufacturing business in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. When the business closed up shop, this perpetually busy guy didn’t waste any time. He started volunteering at Cox North Hospital that March, and since then he’s racked more than 5400 hours of service in three different departments. Marc’s sunny disposition, infectious grin and famous bear hugs make him a popular guy around the hospital. “Other departments want Marc too and he’d love to help – but he has no more time to give,” said Pat Long, Cox Health Volunteer Coordinator.
Marc lives with his sister Merrian, who supervises food service at Cox Medical North. “I put in long days starting at 5 am, and Marc is there with me every day,” she said.
“I like to help people,” said the always positive volunteer. His service takes him all over the hospital, in the cafeteria, where he cleans tables, and counters, helps carry trays when needed, prepares the salad bar and wraps silverware for patients. Then he’s onto accounting, stamping invoices and statements, helping with filing and shredding documents. In the fitness center, where he works out himself five days a week, Marc cleans equipment, sets out towels for the members, organizes bikes for the spinning classes, helps with paperwork, and anything else that needs doing. He has worked in outpatient admissions walking patients to their appointments and is a super people person – there are just not enough hours in his volunteer day.
Service isn’t new to this Special Olympian, who won the bronze medal in swimming freestyle in 1991. For the past 15 years, he’s volunteered at his church twice a week, organizing the music for Wednesday practice and helping with the kids during Sunday School. He’s also a crackerjack fundraiser, raising more than $15,000 in the past 10 years for A Sporting Chance, a Missouri-wide non-profit that gives everyone, from young people with special needs or at risk teens to seniors the chance to participate in sports and recreational programs.
Marc is especially loved at McAlisters Deli, a local restaurant that holds fundraising nights four times a year. Marc buses tables, refills drinks and serves food to customers, always with a smile on his face and a hug ready to go.
“I know from talking with my peers and employees here at the hospital that Marc is a joy to work with,” said his sister. “He’s fun and lightens the load of the day. In the three years he’s been working with us, I can see a difference in employee morale. His joy for life is just contagious.”
Melissa Ann Sullivan
Military service is significant for Melissa Ann Sullivan, and she’s volunteered extensively to show her appreciation and respect.
“I’m acutely aware of how things were prior to 9/11. This is the conflict of our generation, and I’ve looked at how it’s affected society to see how I could do my part,” she says. “Service is very important to me – something my parents instilled in me at a young age.”
Most recently, Sullivan has volunteered more than 80 hours with the federally-operated Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH). Currently, she’s planning a Spa Day for the AFRH ladies who account for 10 percent of the home’s 450-person population.
Sullivan greeting an honor flight veteran at the WWII Memorial in DC.She distributed more than 100 jackets during the 2015 VA Winterhaven StandDown and engaged dozens of homeless veterans during the June 2015 Friendship Place “One Day Veteran Stand Down.” Additionally, in 2010-2011, she volunteered more than 40 hours in the Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services (CAUSE) Digital Entertainment Library and has spent more than 16 hours with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). She also worked for 10 hours with The Mission Continues in multiple 1st and 2nd Service Platoon-led projects in Washington.
Sullivan’s initial interest in serving appeared in high school when she launched a service project called Operation H.E.R.O. (Helping Each Other Reach Out) through the website AnySoldier.com . The website offers soldiers’ wish lists during deployment. Sullivan organized car washes, bake sales, and garage sales to fulfill wish lists for more than 1,000 soldiers over five years.
After moving to Washington, D.C., Sullivan worked with Honor Flight, an organization which charters flights for World War II veterans nationwide to visit the capital for a day. Each flight brings between 50-and-90 veterans. Greeters meet them, and those who are physically-disabled or who need additional services receive a guardian. In six years, Sullivan has greeted approximately 5,000 veterans and been a guardian for 15.
“Whether I’m working with homeless veterans or older WWII soldiers, volunteering gives me the opportunity to share my gratitude,” she says. “In some cases, veterans share memories of their experiences with me that they’ve never discussed before.”
Erin Cummings
Erin Cummings (second from left), founder of Mittens for Detroit, with representatives from Gleaners Community Food Bank and The Children’s Center of Wayne County.For years, Erin Cummings had found success as a working actress, appearing in television series like Mad Men. In 2010, though, her career took a dramatic leap when she landed her first regular role in a network show, playing a medical examiner in the police procedural Detroit 1-8-7.
It didn’t take her long to fall in love with the often-troubled namesake city where the series was filmed. Soon after arriving, she noticed that baseball’s Detroit Tigers were hosting the Texas Rangers, which she considered her home team, during her birthday. “Somehow I convinced the Tigers to let me throw out the first ball,” the 38-year-old actress recalls with a laugh.
It was a fun way to celebrate (the Rangers won 10-0) but something much more meaningful occurred after she discovered that she had distant relatives in town and moved in with them. It was a blustery Halloween evening and as Cummings and her cousin Kathi handed out treats, a shivering little girl started crying because she had lost her glove. Kathi invited the girl and her family inside and found a pair of replacement gloves that fit, sending the girl back to trick-or-treating with a warm hug (and a few pieces of chocolate).
“I was so touched by this simple act and how it acknowledged a basic human need,” Cummings says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it could be to remedy discomfort, even if in a relatively small way.” Because the series had generated so much attention in Detroit, Cummings had already been incorporated into the fundraising circuit in town. But, she says, “I was only involved because of my celebrity and it felt a little empty. I started to wonder if I there wasn’t something more I was supposed to be doing there.”
After that Halloween, she had her answer and her nonprofit, Mittens for Detroit, was born. She started calling everyone she knew and before long she had a long list of volunteers willing to help with public relations, building a website and corralling supplies.
Erin Cummings delivers mittens to the staff of the Ruth Ellis Center, a safe house for LGBTQ youth.“Over the first four months, we collected almost 10,000 pairs of new gloves,” Cumming says. “And it was all done with in-kind donations, not monetary ones.” (Cummings’ choice of “mitten” in the name is a playful reference to the shape of Michigan, which has earned it the nickname of “The Mitten State.”)
The basic model remains the same, with collection boxes set up from October through January in retail locations throughout the state, including about 100 Starbucks. Gloves must be new, Cummings says, because they’re being distributed to people who “may not have owned brand new mittens or other articles of clothing, and the newness is a respectful and dignified way in which to give these pairs.”
To date, the nonprofit has collected more than 165,000 pairs of gloves and mittens from donors around the world. Several times through the season, the organization stages The Big Sort, where volunteers sort the items by gender, age group and destination – MFD now sends gloves to more than 100 schools, homeless shelters and nonprofit agencies in the region.
Although her latest acting gig keeps her in New York City these days and she’s frantically planning her wedding, Cummings remains deeply involved with MFD. She’s in constant contact with Executive Director Wendy Shepherd, whom she credits with growing and professionalizing the organization.
“My goal is to get back out there more often for the actual deliveries of the gloves, which is my favorite thing to do,” Cummings says. “I love sitting down and having lunch with, say, a homeless veteran and hearing his story. Or, helping a four-year-old child who’s never owned gloves and doesn’t know how to put them on.”
For those who don’t live in Detroit but are interested in, well, lending a hand, there are many ways to support MFD, says Cummings. Knitters can send their own creations, while those who would rather donate money enable MFD to purchase new gloves wholesale from a Michigan supplier. The organization’s website also has a shop that sells jewelry, cleverly designed by Cummings to suggest both a mitten and an open heart.
Erin Cummings is a shining example of how social innovation, cross-sector collaboration and citizen engagement can drive change. Join us in Detroit in June for Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service, which provides the singular opportunity for thousands from around the world to come together to shape the future of volunteerism.
Brandon and Bretton Gallashaw
It’s not unusual for twins to share interests. In the case of 28-year-old Brandon and his twin Bretton Gallshaw, their duality includes a strong dedication to service at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, something they’ve been doing together since they were in high school.
Brandon and Bretton GallashawRaised by their mother and grandmother, the pair is the eldest of six sons. Bretton, who came into the world eight minutes ahead of his brother, credits being reared by strong and faithful women for their strong sense of community. “Education was everything in our family,” said Bretton, who like his brother works in IT for a healthcare institution. “We went to Catholic School as a way to strengthen our religious beliefs.”
When they were 16 and juniors in high school, the teens’ religion teacher encouraged them to visit the Ronald McDonald House as part of a community service project. The sense of joy they found in playing with the kids there and giving tours to the incoming families resonated so strongly with both of them that every Friday night, and often during the weekend, you can find both Bretton and Brandon volunteering at the location on Erie Avenue. Opened in 2008, the Erie House, like all of the Ronald McDonald facilities, offer a home away from home for families whose seriously ill children are receiving treatment at St. Christopher’s and other nearby hospitals.
Bretton enjoys interacting with folks staying at the house, but also works behind the scenes to make sure the non-profit’s computers are in perfect working order and the kitchen and play areas are tidy for the families to enjoy.
Brandon loves working closely with people and both brothers host video game nights for the kids. “Of course sometimes it’s troubling to see how a child’s illness is affecting the entire family,” said Bretton. “We see families from all over the country, all over the world. But the warmth of the house, the caring, it rubs off on everybody.”
Because these families are going through such tough times, both Brandon and Bretton want to do whatever they can to help. “It makes you realize that you can’t take life for granted,” Bretton said. “I really appreciate the extra time I can spend with my brother, doing something we both feel is important.”
Janine Guido
Janine Guido created Speranza Animal Rescue to save and rehabilitate the severely neglected and abused animals of Mechanicsburg, PA. Speranza is committed to saving as many animals as possible and finding them their forever homes. Converting the spare stalls in the horse barn of her parents’ farm into kennels and using every penny to her name, Guido started rescuing as many dogs as possible from high kill shelters and other unfortunate circumstances.
Guido giving one of her dogs some much needed love and attention.Speranza is a long-term residence for many of the dogs that come there, something that is unique in the world of animal rescue. Guido has also organized events that allow the community to visit the farm and she has also coordinated events to assist other charities in the area.
Guido has rescued and loved the most abused and unloved animals. She has taken dogs and other animals out of abusive situations and found them loving homes. Guido gives her all, often sitting for hours in pouring rain or freezing cold to catch a stray.
Guido has saved the lives of many dogs, educated the community about the often misunderstood pit bull and bully breeds and has also organized community events at the farm where the rescue is located. Most recently, Guido hosted an Easter egg hunt on the farm for the kids and families of the community so they could come out and meet some of the animals in need of a home.
All of the vet bills, food and rescue expenses are paid for by the dedicated Speranza supporters. Guido has never stopped caring for these animals, even in times when the cash flow slowed. Her day is spent working to support Speranza and then visiting, loving and caring for the animals as they wait for their new home. Guido will go above and beyond to bring a scared dog into the farm, sometimes waiting for hours in the cold rain until the dog is ready to come with her. Her nurturing soul provides unrelenting support to animals who have been neglected and pushed aside.
Guido has always had a passion for helping animals in need. At the age of 27, she realized that this was more than a hobby to her; this was her purpose in life.
Barak Source for Learning
Good things happen when both men and women have the resources and support they need for success, according to Barry Archer. And, they can accomplish more when they work collaboratively.
To foster this behavior, Archer founded Barak Source for Learning. Rooted in the Biblical story of Barak and Deborah, the nonprofit organization – which partners with the Durham Parks and Recreation Department in North Carolina – focuses on teaching youth that positive things come from doing good things for others.
Archer and some of the younger volunteers getting ready for a day of servicePrograms are open to all ages, races, and genders, he said, and they focus on conflict resolution, diversity awareness, and communication skills. Initiatives also concentrate on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math to build a broader sense of cultural awareness. All students are welcome to come learn skill that will make their lives more productive.
“Rich or poor, that doesn’t mean you can communicate well or that you can do math,” he said. “You can’t do music without math, and you can’t do science without engineering. Nothing is disparate.”
To meet this goal, the organization offers several programs. First, Diversity Matters targets 3rd-through-12th graders, teaching them how to approach and handle diversity in the community. A Leadership program offers 4th-to-12th graders fundamental skills. Third-to-12th graders can learn conflict resolution; K-to-12th graders can learn about healthy choices, such as physical activity and mental engagement; and K-to 12th-graders can learn about community engagement. After-school tutoring meets three times a week, and reading coaches offer guidance once weekly.
Ultimately, Archer said, these programs are designed to leave a positive impression on local communities. He foresees a future where these programs are his main professional and personal focus.
“I really like doing community building. It’s like shaping the community to be progressive and better for the future,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do this for a long time, and I want to do it full time – all day.”
Alison O’Neil
Today’s Daily Point of Light Award winner, Alison O’Neil, was recognized by L’Oréal Paris and Points of Light as a 2015 Women of Worth honoree for her extraordinary efforts to ensure that senior citizens continue to thrive. Nominate an inspiring woman who is creating change in her community to be one of this year’s Women of Worth.
Alison O’Neil, founder of the Beauty Becomes You Foundation.“My career focus has been the psychology of appearance and how we feel about the way we look when we lose our appearance to trauma, age, or congenital deformity. I’ve learned a lot about the value and importance of touch – especially among older people from the time I spent with my father when he was in hospice care.”
Alison O’Neil provides a variety of cosmetic hygiene services for senior citizens who aren’t able to secure these services themselves. In her professional life, O’Neil is considered a pioneer in the practice field of Medical Esthetics and Aesthetic Rehabilitation. She continues to share pearls of clinical & counseling wisdom with lay people and professionals internationally. She is confronting a new aging frontier and developing a specialty called Geriatric Aesthetics© to ensure that senior adults thrive.
When people aren’t touched, Failure to Thrive Syndrome sets in – and it’s common among older adults.The condition can affect a significant number of senior citizens in a variety of living situations, especially if they’ve lost a spouse or have had children move away. Alison created the Beauty Becomes You Foundation to combat this issue. Using her cosmetics and beauty industry experience, she provides services designed to maintain and improve appearance, as well as augment self-esteem, self-confidence and personal pride.
A senior receives a facial treatment from Alison.Through BBYF, O’Neil has provided, with the help of 25 to 75 volunteers per program, more than 15,000 services, amounting to approximately $750,000, to roughly 7,000 men and women since starting operations in 2006. Depending on the size and location of individual programs, called Days of Timeless Beauty, between 25 and 350 senior citizens can receive services. During these events, seniors can choose to receive three of five beauty services: manicure, pedicure, massage, haircut and facial. Some volunteers also offer ancillary healthcare services, such as blood pressure checks and foot care for diabetics. Photographers often take “after” pictures, and, when possible, seniors attend a cocktail party after receiving services.
Up to 35 percent of senior-community residents experience Failure to Thrive Syndrome, as do up to 40 percent of nursing home residents and up to 60 percent of hospitalized veterans. BBYF provides services in both senior centers and senior communities. Alongside providing beauty services to enhance a senior’s appearance, volunteers offer the gift of conversation and touch. BBYF created a volunteer program that allows spa and salon professionals to donate their time and products to enhance the health and well-being of senior citizens.
O’Neil believes BBYF is innovative because it focuses on bolstering self-esteem and confidence among senior citizens – a population that is frequently forgotten. Using her 30 years of expertise in the cosmetics and beauty industry where she has worked as a cosmetologist, aesthetician and educator, she has collected a cadre of spa and salon professionals willing to donate their time daily or weekly to the organization’s mission. Together, they offer services that many seniors can’t afford on their own while supplying social engagement. Volunteers can also complete a specialized training program to earn a Geriatric Aesthetics© certification and receive local and national recognition as a “BBYF Senior Select® Service Provider.”
Because O’Neil learned the importance of touch while caring for her father during his time in hospice, she is focused on ensuring seniors don’t live lives devoid of caring, touch and engagement. To her, physical beauty isn’t about vanity – it’s about identity. Helping seniors feel more like themselves increases the likelihood that they’ll feel as though they have purpose and meaning.
“This isn’t just about giving these men and women manicures and pedicures and saying, ‘Don’t you look beautiful?’ We’re touching them out of kindness. We’re building trust and creating a bond between individuals.”
“It is a sense of integrity that drives me not only to serve, but also to serve well, and to continue with the passion I originally had to start this. I pay attention to the words that people say to encourage us. So, I’m encouraged and driven by that. I’ve chosen to devote myself to touch lives in so many different ways – that makes the worthy person I’m trying to be.”
Martha Fortson, administrative manager, Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Complex, a senior center that frequently hosts BBYF says, “Alison brings together beauty industry professionals to serve seniors who might not have had any person touch them since their spouse died or children moved away. She offers services that many can’t afford and many wouldn’t think of on their own. She’s bringing them back to life.”
If you know a woman who works to create lasting and significant change in her community, nominate her to be one of the 2016 Women of Worth.
