Army Veteran Fights Terrorism by Funding Education for Refugee Children
To kick-off National Volunteer Week, which starts on April 23, Points of Light and Got Your 6 are recognizing a volunteer who epitomizes the power of service to unite people for good – even over large distances and across borders. Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Zack Bazzi. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer, family or organization as a Point of Light.
Photo: Younes Mohammad
Zack Bazzi, co-founder and executive director of TentED, with a child who just received a new pair of shoes.
For U.S. Army veteran Zack Bazzi, protecting our national security and making sure Americans are safe is an ongoing mission. However, he believes that the solution to keeping our nation safe goes well beyond our borders.
“We live in a world that’s very connected. It’s more complex than ever,” Zack said. “Good governance in Mosul, a city that a couple of years ago no one in the U.S. knew where it was, affects security in my hometown of Boston. And so in this very mixed up world that we live in, conflicts no longer play out on battlefields. They’re more like ideas, and ideas cannot be defeated by armies. They cannot be checked by borders.”
Zack believes that putting an end to terrorism and extremism means stopping it before it begins – and the fundamental solution is education.
“Any place where you don’t have good schooling to challenge bad ideas that eventually lead to extremism and terrorism is a place that’s dangerous to Americans,” Zack said. “Investment in educating children displaced by war overseas is also an investment in American national security.”
That’s why he, along with two other veterans, started TentED, a nonprofit that funds other organizations to help provide education and supplies to refugee children displaced by war.
Photo: Anton Fric
Students read books in a new library, funded by TentED, on the grounds of the Mar Elia Church in Erbil, Iraq.
From a project that provided 200 girls and boys with school uniforms to a library that created a safe environment for more than 200 refugee children to learn and read, TentED has provided funding quickly and efficiently to make sure that these children receive an education while also being provided with the resources to help them heal from their traumatic experiences. To date, Zack and his organization have made a difference in the lives of 1,250 Iraqi children and refugees.
The idea for TentED came from Zack’s experience as a volunteer aiding Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. He met and formed relationships with individuals and families who had been uprooted by the conflict. Moved by their courage and resilience, Zack knew that he had to do something. He saw that while there were many large organizations that were doing the heavy lifting, what was needed were smaller, nimbler organizations that could be responsive and do quick, high-impact projects. With fellow veterans Scott Quilty and Patrick Hu, Zack created TentED to help fill gaps in organizations’ programming by rapidly funding urgently needed educational support.
Co-founder Scott said that one of Zack’s best traits, and a driving force to TentED’s success, is his ability to form positive relationships with everyone he meets.
“Zack makes friends as if it were his part-time job,” Scott said. “When you first meet Zack, he is very charismatic. All the TentED board and TentED volunteers have met Zack at one point, and were just infected with his good nature and attitude.”
Photo: Romina Peñate
Students study at Garanawa Elementary School in Erbil, where TentED funded three months of bus transportation for students who could not afford it.
In addition to supporting TentED, Zack hopes that Americans will become educated and aware of the complexities and challenges facing Iraq and the Middle East region.
“People cannot just be focused on what’s within our borders because the problems that affect us are oftentimes initiated somewhere else,” Zack said. “The smart population will ensure that our government is designing and implementing smart policies that are effective in the short-term as well as the long-term.”
To help Syrian refugees in the United States, consider volunteering domestically with the International Rescue Committee to mentor refugee families and help them develop job skills or learn English. Volunteer with your local HandsOn Network affiliate or search for local opportunities at All for Good.
Finance advocate champions new financial literacy education standards in Delaware school system
To kick-off National Volunteer Week, which starts on April 23, Points of Light and Bank of America are recognizing a volunteer who has united her community around the cause for financial literacy education for people of all ages. Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Connie Montana. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer, family or organization as a Point of Light.
If Connie Montana had her way, figuring out how to balance a checking account or improve a credit score would be as commonplace in America’s schools as learning the difference between a metaphor and a simile.
For more than two decades, Connie has volunteered to help people improve their financial literacy through one-on-one financial coaching. She also influences large initiatives that promote the inclusion of financial literacy education standards in all Delaware school curricula as a board member for the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship and a member of the Delaware Department of Education’s Financial Literacy Task Force.
“When I realized what an impact you could have on [young people], helping them to understand the business of their lives and their financial futures – that’s when I really became passionate about [volunteering],” said Connie, who is a senior vice president and community relations manager for Bank of America.
Working with the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, which offers K-12 schools supplemental classroom instruction on economic matters and practical skills such as conscientious spending and saving habits, Connie spearheaded the development of one of the organization’s most successful programs – “Credit: The Most Important Grade You’ll Ever Earn.” Now in its ninth year, the program has engaged more than 5,000 incoming college freshmen at the University of Delaware.
Another of center’s programs that Connie is deeply involved in is the Personal Financial Challenge. The program is geared toward high school students, who first take an online test to gauge their financial literacy. “The top scoring teams go to the University of Delaware for a Jeopardy-like quiz bowl competition,” Connie said. “And, we have about 20 talented volunteers who come and help with that.”
Courtesy: Connie Montana
Connie Montana teaches college freshmen at the University of Delaware about the wise use of credit.
Last year, Connie was the first woman recipient of the James B. O’Neill Award for Excellence in Economic Education, honored largely for her work in providing personal finance education to first-year university students and increasing the number of high school students in Delaware who are receiving financial education.
Connie is also an active member of the Department of Education’s Financial Literacy Task Force. The task force has been instrumental in proposing new state standards for financial literacy that will be integrated into existing K-12 curriculum for schools that choose to opt in. “We’ve already doubled the number of students who are getting financial literacy in classrooms … and [the new standards] will obviously have the multiplier effect there,” Connie said.
Always on the go, Connie sits on the Strengthening Communities Council for the Delaware Banker’s Association and conducts grant reviews as a volunteer with the Governor’s Financial Literacy Education Fund.
“Volunteering, in general for me, is responsible citizenship,” Connie said. “But, it’s also about diversity, inclusion, advocacy, friendship, team-building, and impact – all that is woven together in the simple act of service.”
Symone Stokes
As part of generationOn’s Make Your Mark on Hunger campaign, sponsored by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Points of Light is recognizing young changemakers who are helping to alleviate hunger and food insecurities in their community through service.
Symone Stokes first realized the need for healthy foods in her community when she was at school. Her class had discussed the importance of nutrition but there wasn’t any access to healthier alternatives. The vending machines were filled with chips and soda, and corner stores sold unhealthy foods like chips, candy and fattening snacks.
“Some of our peers eat those foods for breakfast and lunch and then eat fast food for dinner,” said Symone.
Symone, a part of Global Girls Inc., an organization focused on empowering Chicago south side girls through art and performance, influenced how she went about making a change in her community. She wanted to start where she was.
Ryonn Gloster, Symone’s partner on the team, is a teaching artist and program specialist at Global Girls and helped Symone’s idea get off the ground.
“It’s something we brought to the table,” Ryonn said. “At Global Girls, Inc. we do theatre and dance, which is exercise and moving your body. It’s important to eat right as well and it helps us not be so tired on stage.”
Symone and Ryonn not only want to provide healthy foods, but strive to educate the community about how to live healthier lives through good foods and exercise. Through Global Girls, Symone and her team are making videos to inform young people in the community to eat better, share ideas on how to create a healthy environment – like starting a community garden – and provide exercise routines. These videos are put on social media for easy access, as well as distributed in schools, churches, and clubs.
“Videos are visual, and youth are on technology all the time,” said Symone. “When you go on Facebook, it’s video, SnapChat is all video. It’s entertaining and there’s so many things you can add to the video to make it pop and people can remember it.”
“I’m glad I’ve been educated on this and I definitely want to pay it forward. It’s sad about how people don’t know how bad this food really is for us,” said Ryonn.
Currently, they are planning an event on Earth Day where community peers and leaders connect and have a brunch to promote healthy living and showcase what the organization has done. “We’re going to lead conversations about healthy living, debut our videos, on healthy living and healthy food,” said Symone.
Symone and Ryonn focus on reaching youth because they understand how hard it is to be young and not know better.
“We see the problem up close because we were once among those people who ate that way and sat on the couch with our cell phones,” said Symone. “Information and education helped us change.”
They’re now providing the same opportunity for education and information to others, reaching youth where they are and helping them improve their lives one video at a time.
To learn more about how you can get involved and Make Your Mark On Hunger, visit www.generationOn.org/hunger.
Leading by Example: California Mom Teaches Daughters the Importance of Giving Back
Points of Light and Disney have partnered to honor families who are working together to make a difference in their communities, recognizing them with a Daily Point of Light Award. Meet the Giron Family, read their story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Plenty of little girls aspire to be like Disney princesses – beautiful, magical and strong.
Laura Giron’s daughters, ages 10 and 11, have been taught since toddlerhood that real magic and beauty comes from giving time and compassion to people in need through volunteer service.
Laura has worked for The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California, for 19 years, and quickly embraced the company’s encouragement of volunteerism during off hours – involving her two daughters from the time they were tots.
“I’ve been pretty much volunteering since I started at Disney,” said Laura. “When my girls came along, it was super important for me to show them that spirit as well.”
When Laura’s oldest daughter, Abby, was only 6 months old, she brought her to a Habitat for Humanity groundbreaking event – wearing a Disney VoluntEARS onesie. The baby was photographed clasping the ceremonial shovel.
“It was really important for me after that to find volunteer opportunities to include my children,” Laura shared. By age 3 or 4, Abby and her younger sister, Abree, were regularly pitching in at beach clean-ups and other projects. The girls proved such hard workers that today they’re often given leadership roles, helping to guide other kids during volunteer events.
Laura said she began lobbying Disney to expand family involvement in its established culture of giving back. Disney’s VoluntEARS program (spelled that way in homage to Mickey Mouse’s famous ears) has offered community service opportunities to Disney cast members and staff since 1983. The program has served more than 40 countries on six continents. In 2016, Disney VoluntEARS contributed 542,823 hours of service globally.
But, Laura also looks beyond Disney for additional ways to keep her daughters and herself active in volunteering.
“I got hooked in with this organization called Big Sunday, which is based in Hollywood,” said Laura. “They have events almost every month. It’s extremely family-friendly. I started project-leading the events at Big Sunday because I could bring my girls.” Laura also became a co-leader of her daughters’ Girl Scout troop, which focuses on community service projects to earn badges.
For Laura, who grew up in Burbank, it’s vital that her kids know that not all families are as fortunate as they are. She believes life is even more sheltered for today’s kids.
“They’re sitting there right now and they’re playing on their iPads and their phones and they have a room full of toys,” she said. “Once a month, I give them a box and I say, ‘Fill it up. You have way too much and we’re going to donate these to kids who don’t have toys.’”
“When we were kids, we were playing baseball and making mud pies and riding bikes. For me, an important part of volunteering is connecting kids to nature,” she added. “Volunteering is also getting kids off the couch and away from electronic devices – learning to actually talk to others and to adults. One of my girls is shy, so for her to learn to interact with people is important. Volunteering can be a very safe environment to do that.”
The Giron family’s enthusiasm is contagious.
Suzanne Rosales, whose daughter, Maya, 10, and son, Julian, 8, are close in age to the Giron girls, said her kids are developing leadership qualities, thanks to joining in Big Sunday and scouting events.
“A lot of kids don’t do volunteer work,” said Suzanne. “I think there’s a lack of it nowadays, and few kids understand how much people can be in need. It’s a huge part of their development to give back.”
When little Abree Giron showed up with pizza for everybody at one of the events, having paid for it with her own money, Suzanne said she realized the children were becoming “natural givers.”
Linda Noel, Laura’s supervisor at Disney, says that she is in awe of Laura’s ability to meet her demanding work schedule and also find the time to give back. She and Laura work in the Disney’s charitable giving department, where they oversee management systems that track and process charitable donations, including globally. Linda says employees like Laura Giron, who care enough to help others on their time off, bring that same dedication to their work.
“Her volunteerism truly does come from her heart,” Linda said.
If you know a family making a difference in your community, like the Girons, nominate them for a Daily Point of Light Award.
Clavell Lawrence
As part of generationOn’s Make Your Mark on Hunger campaign, sponsored by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Points of Light is recognizing young changemakers who are helping to alleviate hunger and food insecurities in their community through service.
Clavell Lawrence was 11-years-old when he started noticing the importance food had in a community. And to further understand why people were so passionate about growing local and fresh food, he toured a community garden, sparking his interest in growing his own food.
“I think that gardening can create and generates a sense of accomplishment in my life and in my community,” said Clavell.
He has also seen firsthand the effects that hunger had in his community and realized that he wanted to provide a stable environment for kids in his school, people in his neighborhood, and even people in his own family to be able to thrive.
Last year, Clavell and his peers received 10 fruit trees from the New Jersey tree Foundation which they decided to plant around a local school. This not only beautified an empty lot, but provided parents and their children with free access to fresh fruit. Additionally, the trees were left at the disposal of students and staff members which promoted planting awareness.
The community garden also provides fresh produce to a food bank also on site. Clavell hopes to see an increase of the amount of fresh produce so community members can access that and enjoy growing and maintaining the plants themselves.
This year, Clavell will hold a project day called “Garden Gurus” with activities to clear out the garden after the winter and prepare it for the warmer months and do some planting. There will also be a youth summit to help youth learn from each other.
“My plan is to have a youth hunger summit, where youths will learn more about food insecurity, how to be a hunger advocate, and how to use their skills to be a leader to fight hunger,” said Clavell.
Above all, Clavell holds a strong emphasis for youth to get engaged in the betterment of their own communities. He wants his work to inspire and engage young people to change the narrative society has for them, and in turn, for them to step up and plant seeds of food but also seeds of a healthy change.
To learn more about how you can get involved and Make Your Mark On Hunger, visit www.generationOn.org/hunger.
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Howard Zhang
In volunteerism, there is no such thing as a small action. Everything someone does to better a community always has a large impact in so many ways. 17-year-old Howard Zhang stands by this, and hopes to one day do more.
“I believe the small things we do now will translate to a major impact later,” said Howard.
A junior in high school, Howard started volunteering two years ago when he recognized the need to help the homeless in his community. He reached out on his own to companies and manufacturers willing to donate products to those in need, and from that, he obtained 960 pairs of socks to give out which sparked his total involvement in volunteering.
Howard ultimately created an organization called “Here2Assist” to advertise a healthy lifestyle and to set a positive example for the community.
“Our mission is to impact and improve the hygienic conditions of those in need,” said Howard.
The organization consists of him and a group of peers spending time assembling care packages for those in need, with items like seasonal clothing, first aid supplies, and a booklet of locations in the area where people can seek help. They later distribute the supplies firsthand to people in their community.
Here2Assist has accumulated around $11,520 worth of donated items, and even with their focus on their immediate community, they also connect with volunteer organizations overseas. The group reached out during the height of the refugee crisis to donate to organizations like World Relief and ended up giving 480 pairs of socks to Syrian refugees.
At the core, Howard wants to continue to extend his volunteerism while encouraging others to do so as well to make the world a better place.
Kate Astchinow
As part of generationOn’s Make Your Mark on Hunger campaign, sponsored by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Points of Light is recognizing young changemakers who are helping to alleviate hunger and food insecurities in their community through service.
There are many ways to alleviate hunger in a community. Volunteering at food drives and donating to food banks are a few great ones that the majority of people think of. But high schooler Kate Astchinow thought of an idea that just required some effort and a pair of scissors.
Kate Astchinow was in seventh grade when she began to realize how much of a problem hunger was in her community. She was shocked to find out some of her classmates had to attend the Food Pantry in order to eat. So she did something about it.
She founded Cutting Out Hunger, an organization which utilizes the extreme couponing concept to purchase food for the Highland Park Community Food Pantry. The organization has donated over 40,000 dollars’ worth of food and over one million dollars’ worth of coupons for families, especially military families.
The idea of extreme couponing came to her when she recalled how her mother would sometimes coupon, in awe on how much they would save. “I realized how that could be applied to helping others,” said Kate.
Kate first started out just asking friends and family in her community to donate coupons they didn’t need. “They were very willing to donate their coupons because most people don’t actually use them, and they knew it was for a good cause,” said Kate.
Not too long after, Kate applied for and received a town grant, which kickstarted the organization into full gear. Now, Cutting out Hunger is comprised of about 400 students trained in food insecurity. Kate and a few of her friends also began the first club chapter of the organization at her high school.
The group searches through circulars and donated coupons, and shops for food to donate to the pantry based on the coupons they have, prioritizing sales and deals first. Based off of the food pantry’s need, Cutting Out Hunger purchases the food at a discounted price and donates the food.
It is important to Kate that families in her community are not only getting the food and products they need, but are also being educated on how to help them to be more food secure. Starting this year, Kate is starting EduCutHunger, a program meant to educate people through classes, targeting financially underserved individuals, on how to use coupons to maximize their purchases.
“We want to spread this knowledge to others so we can eventually lessen the reliance on the [Highland Park] food pantry,” said Kate. “There’s a famous quote that says “give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he can feed himself for life” and it’s kind of that same concept being applied here.”
Kate credits all of her friends and volunteers that have brought the program together, and she has some advice for anyone questioning about volunteering in their own communities.
“I would say if you see a cause you’re passionate about, if there is nothing existing you can take your own initiative. “I have learned that when compassion turns into action, it is very powerful.”
To learn more about how you can get involved and Make Your Mark On Hunger, visit www.generationOn.org/hunger.
Abirami Kirubarajan
After an extraordinarily successful ten-year run in the United States, L’Oreal Paris has expanded the Women of Worth program to include a Canadian edition. In the program’s inaugural year, Points of Light and L’Oreal Paris Canada recognized and celebrated ten women who selflessly volunteered their time to serve others throughout their local communities, their provinces or, even, across Canada. For exceptional commitment to service, each honoree received $10,000 to donate to a charitable organization of her choice, and a national honoree received an additional $10,000 grant.
As the daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants who grew up during the Civil War in the 1980s, Abirami Kirubarajan is sensitive to the needs of refugees trying to make their way in a new world. Spurred to make a difference in the lives of fellow immigrants, she started volunteering as a teen at the Peel Multicultural Council in Mississauga, a city located in the Canadian province of Ontario.
“I immediately saw a huge gap with the young people coming to us,” she says. “I’d see young immigrants and refugees feeling a real clash between their parents’ identity, their own previous culture and the reality of living in Canada and speaking a different language.” Abi proposed starting a youth-led peer support group now known as Multicultural Youth CAN (MYC).
This youth-led peer support group connects 13 to 23-year-olds to services, community and their new culture. The chance to be among peers and access tutoring, English conversation circles, conferences, job search, and art therapy sessions has aided some 700 youth in their transition to Canada so far. She created a safe and welcoming physical and emotional space for these young people at a time when they needed it the most. She helps to fill the overwhelming gap between young immigrants and refugees feeling a real clash with their parents’ identity, their own previous culture, and the reality of living in Canada and speaking a different language.
Passionate about the mission, Abi, who is a dual U.S. citizen, has led the charge of that youth group, implementing programs and events, coordinating volunteer efforts and forging new ground with partner organizations, all the while going to school full time, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, running two other youth organizations and working part time.
Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking Find Peace and Healing Through Art
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Anne Pollack, who was a Top 30 finalist for the L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth Award in 2016. Each year L’Oreal Paris and Points of Light recognize and celebrate Women of Worth who make a beautiful difference in their communities. Ten honorees each receive a $10,000 grant to support their most cherished cause, and an online vote determines one honoree who will receive an additional $25,000 grant. Nominations for 2017 are now open! If you know a woman who works to create lasting and significant change in her community, nominate her to be one of the 2017 Women of Worth.
“The arts work to restore dignity, encouraging the survivor’s voice to come out of hiding and help create the safety of exploring extremely painful stories in a positive and productive way,” said Anne Pollack. “Art is a deeply reliable companion and an indescribably powerful coping strategy to manage PTSD. It restores a sense of inner peace and order in lives that are so deserving of our support.”
Human trafficking is not just something that only happens in developing countries. In fact, more than 100,000 of the 20.9 million individuals enslaved worldwide are trafficked in the United States. Victims who survive have access to various agencies and resources that support post-traumatic stress recovery and can help them rebuild their lives – but the road to healing is fraught with intense pain and anguish.
Anne Pollack’s quest to support the healing process of human trafficking victims has been nothing short of extraordinary. Believing that creativity is a powerful element in bringing humanity back into the lives of those who have been abused and exploited, she founded Crossing Point Arts, an organization that offers comprehensive arts workshops, in a participatory format, to trafficking survivors.
An accomplished musician, visual artist, and writer, Anne happened to attend a workshop that highlighted the travesty of human trafficking. Moved by the message and the need for creative healing resources, she gathered a group of fellow activist artists, crowdsourced funds and launched Crossing Point Art in 2013. Working in conjunction with anti-trafficking agencies in the New York City area (and supervised by creative arts therapists), Crossing Point Arts offers survivors free workshops in music, dance, visual arts, writing, theater, song production, poetry, and more.
“We could not do what we do without the agencies supporting our mission,” said Anne. “They strongly encourage survivors to seek healing through our program.”
Another integral part of the Crossing Point Arts community is the 25 teaching artists who share their talent with survivors, supporting personal expression through creativity and helping survivors reclaim their voices, learn long-term coping skills and manage PTSD.
“Our teachers are all professionals who have brought change into the lives of survivors, and in the process, experienced their own transformation,” said Anne.
In just four short years, the impact of Crossing Point Arts has been overwhelming. More than 1,100 survivors have participated in at least one workshop, and Anne estimates that 75 percent of the participants return for more classes.
“The creative and therapeutic approach we take has proven to be an integral aspect of survivors’ healing processes. Our trauma-informed and culturally sensitive workshops encourage community building, healing, and empowerment,” said Anne. “Survivors are actively reclaiming their voices, once silenced by their traffickers. Creativity provides the expansive opportunity for survivors to explore in a safe environment and to experience transformational qualities of self-expression.”
