Congratulations to our Winners!

The Saint Louis Torchbearers 2, a grassroots non-profit in St. Louis, MO nominates Velma Bailey. Velma is founder and volunteer CEO for 9 years. Velma’s untiring efforts helped bring resources to the fight for justice and equity in her inner-city community, especially when camp was held during the Covid-19 Pandemic. In 2011 a boy in her neighborhood was shot getting off his school bus & later died. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s surfaced, "it’s not the actions of our enemies we remember, but the silence of our friends." Tragedy transformed into community triumph. Our founder enrolled likeminded people to host a 3 week back to school safety camp in her neighborhood park. Just a stone's throw away from the incident that took a boy's life, space was created giving life to many for years to come. Our founder & volunteers began causing "good trouble." They wanted their legacy to show they were not silent, but visibly vocal about what mattered to them most, the lives of the children in the inner city. The grassroots seeds of justice planted & are yielding a bountiful harvest of fun exciting safe supervised learning experiences with no fees to the children. Our founder has garnered partnerships with 50+ businesses and agencies. The outgrowth allows the grassroots organization to offer additional programs; HomeWork Mentorship, 25 Super Saturday outings per year, 6 Saturdays of biking on trails, Toys for Tots, Back to School Shopping, Overnight Camping and more. It is common place to see the children who participate in this programs hosted by the St. Louis Torchbearers 2 swimming daily, canoeing/kayaking in the Post-Dispatch Lake in Forest Park or at the RiverLands, ecosystem exploring in Quiver River Park, Fishing at Robertsville State Park, dressed game riding METRO to a Cardinal's Baseball Game, analyzing Bible stories to discern character traits to emulate, observing the Board of Alderman, visiting US District judges, re-enacting the Dred Scott Case at the Old Courthouse, hiking in MO State Parks, or Bird Watching. The children who live in a food desert, suffer in zip codes with the highest incidences of the most violent crimes and face serious transportation challenges now have an advocate and champion who can help them gain equitable access to resources in the St. Louis Region. Children who just desperately wanted to learn, make significant contribution, and be loved can now LIVE to create a life for themselves out of what they did not know existed. Margaret Mead’s quote became so personal to the lady who volunteers everyday of her life for 9 years. When people scoffed at her, laughed at her and tried to discourage her, when her under-resourced community seemed to cave in to crush her efforts, she continued to act on behalf of her constituency of vulnerable children remembering, Never Doubt That A Small Group Of Thoughtful Committed Citizens Can Change The World: Indeed It’s The Only Thing That Ever Has. Our founder encourage of all of us to have the audacity to hope.

United Planning Organization (UPO) is the designated Community Action Agency for Washington DC established in 1962 to provide human and social services to residents with low-income residing in underserved communities. Our mission is to Unite People with opportunities and by doing so we solicit the help and support of our most prized assets "Our Volunteers"

It is no secret that our volunteers are the cornerstone of our foundation, as they have contributed to much of our success, and impact. Our volunteers truly embody the spirit of Community Action and supports our efforts of being Change Agents. With that said It gives me great pleasure on behalf of UPO to nominate Ms. Wanda Dudley.

Ms. Wanda, a senior living in southeast, Washington, DC bridges the gaps of hunger, and advocates for the rights of seniors to ensure they have access to their wants and needs. Seniors are the second-most vulnerable population when it comes to hunger, and Ms. Wanda has dedicated over 5 years, and thousands of volunteer hours to support UPO's partnership with Capital Area Food Bank's (CAFB) Senior Food Commodity Grocery Plus Program as Volunteer Program Coordinator Team Lead.

Ms. Wanda coordinators the registration, food distribution, and logistics for over 350 seniors on a monthly basis. Ms. Wanda is genuine, dedicated, and passionate about providing the best service and experience to each and every senior she comes across. During the pandemic although Ms. Wanda was a part of the vulnerable population who was recommended to stay home and quarantine her love, service, and compassion for her community wouldn’t allow her to stay still. She made her way to the office with mask and gloves to make calls to her 350+ seniors to coordinate deliveries, which limited the senior’s exposure to the virus.

Although tragedy has hit Ms. Wanda hard through the murder of her husband, her son, and the death of another son due to illness, her light never dimmed; instead she has become the light in the midst of the darkness, and has inflicted hope, peace, compassion, and joy in the lives of others. Ms. Wanda is a true testament of someone who gives hope to people who think life has dealt them an unbearable hand — because she once felt that way too. For these reasons and many others Ms. Wanda is truly deserving of this award, and recognition.

The Orange County Disability Awareness Council is proud to nominate Ms. Wendy Schwade her outstanding leadership, tireless efforts, and support in addressing and raising awareness about issues of hunger and healthcare in our community and service to others. is a grassroots agency comprised of professionals and nonprofessionals in the areas if education, employment technology, human services and healthcare. In addition, TDAC was founded 1977 and in 1990 appointed by the mayors of Chapel Hill Carrboro and Hillsborough and Orange County Commissioners advisory agency on matters regarding ADA and barrier removal. We provide education and training to all citizens regarding disability access and we offer volunteer opportunities, The numbers are staggering. In 2020, the Food Bank provided 32.9 million pounds of food to 618 hunger programs in our counties. Nearly 35% of recipients were children under eighteen years of age and 15% were the elderly. For many recipients, 79% of whom live below the poverty line, every month can bring with it challenging decisions about whether to pay the rent or seek needed medical care, to put gas in the car or healthy food on the table, to purchase warm gloves or school supplies for a child. But what is also staggering is how the efforts of one person, one particular person, can truly make a difference in addressing this problem. Wendy has volunteered at the Orange County Disability Awareness Council since retiring five years ago 2105, where she has just completed her 300th hour of volunteer service. Since COVID-19 it was remarkable to witness her volunteer to cook food for families and deliver in a vanpool to those in need. I like many others with disabilities have been nourished by her generosity.

Volunteering with Grace As Grace opened the door to the old church overlooking the harbor of the small Alaskan community, a truck loaded with food donated by a local grocery store pulled up with a few other volunteers. She began the task of setting out all the food to be given to the needy of the community as she had done every Friday for almost 20 years. Some of the volunteers were from the church, others were those she mentored, actual recipients she offered dignity by giving them the opportunity to give back by helping with the process. The food was laid out on long tables to make it easy for people to pick up. The fruit and vegetables had to be evaluated and sorted since some of them had inevitably gone bad. It was a donation of food that would otherwise be dumped. The church had made this arrangement to provide food for the less fortunate and it was Grace’s mission to keep this going-even in the events of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the protests of her family due to the vulnerability of her age-group, she masked up every week, and with the help of the other volunteers, arranged to have people line up outside, offered masks to those who didn't have them, and had them come in a few at a time to help ensure the safety of all involved. Grace was determined that especially during tough times people have food. At exactly 12 noon, she opened the door and with a warm smile and greeting let in the line of people waiting to feed their families. An old man who lived on a boat in the harbor, a single mother trying to feed two growing teenage boys, a young father with two children in tow who was currently living at a campground, these were just a few of the needy. No names were taken; no determination of need was required; anyone who came was welcomed in to choose the food they needed. Grace believes this is how it should be-welcome to all, free to choose. Many greet her as a friend they see each week. For a few regulars who don’t have transportation, she always fills a few boxes and delivers them on her way home. If there is any food left, it is donated to a local shelter. In 10 minutes, the crowd and the food was gone. She cleaned up and left, locking the door behind her-another day in many that she has served the less fortunate. As her name suggests, Grace is a gift to her community.

I nominate Reverend Tad Iwata of the Tenrikyo Honolulu Ko Church for the 2021 AARP Show Your Love Volunteer Contest. He has responded to pleas for his help from me, and from other organizations, not just this past year, 2020, but prior to this time. These requests increased tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some examples of his leadership efforts to benefit our community: 1. The Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation helps children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Due to the pandemic, the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation was not able to hold their normal fundraising events. Rev. Tad worked with director Donna Witsell to provide gifts and meals for the children during the December holiday season. During the pandemic, Rev. Tad helped to raise $3000 in donations and gifts to provide support to over 200 children and their families. 2. He delivers Lanakila Meals on Wheels every week for homebound and disabled seniors during the pandemic. 3. He organized with Pagoda Restaurant for food sales from which funds were raised to provide meals and personal protective equipment for essential workers at Next Step Homeless Shelter, the Institute for Human Services, the Blood Bank of Hawaii, Kuakini Hospital, Nuuanu Hale Nursing Care Facility, and Dr. Tacata’s Medical Clinic; and funds were also donated to the Institute for Human Services, the Hawaii Foodbank, and the American Red Cross. 4. He prepared and delivered 3000 comforting cards to residents of 15 nursing homes, and also to military personnel stationed in Hawaii during the holidays. 5. He assisted with service projects such as donating kitchenware, furniture, clothing, and other household goods for families in need during the pandemic. 6. He created a safe drive-thru food event to bring joy to 170 homebound seniors of both the Kapahulu Senior Center and Lanakila Senior Center, providing nourishing and delicious meals prepared by Pagoda Restaurant. 7. He assisted with Waikiki Lions Club’s Project DANA, providing bags of personal protective equipment, household goods, and nourishing food to homebound and disabled seniors. 8. He officiated virtual funeral services for many seniors who passed away during the pandemic, helping the families find peace, comfort, and closure during the difficult time of grieving, when mortuaries were closed for services. The Tenrikyo Church motto is to lead a Joyous Life by serving others. He is a role model for others. By his example, and the respectful way he treats people, he promotes the dignity of life and improves the quality of life for all he comes in contact with. I am a senior, who was battling cancer in 2017 – 2018. He and his family helped me personally when they took me into their dormitory so I could be close to St. Francis Medical Center where I received chemotherapy and radiation treatment. They drove me to and from my appointments when I was too tired to walk. They cooked meals for me. They provided me with prayers and encouragement. With appreciation, Lynda A.

Barbara Lesperance is a Volunteer Diabetes Educator with Urban Ministries of Wake County: Open Door Clinic. As Barb began volunteering with us in 2002, she has transitioned with our organization throughout the years. The year 2020 was no different as she quickly pivoted her services to continue to serve our neighbors in need during the pandemic. She was one of our first volunteers who, during COVID-19, agreed to continue her practice through telehealth visits with our patients. Barb manages the diabetes education program at Open Door Clinic. She has been a key contributor to standardizing the diabetes education curriculum issued through our organization for many years. She has eagerly adopted our electronic health record and invested time in learning how to use it to her full capacity. This past year, she was instrumental in recruiting and training an additional volunteer diabetic educator. This addition to her team has enabled the Open Door Clinic to increase the number of clients consoled. Her leadership has created a valuable program for Urban Ministries of Wake County. As a diabetes educator, Barb provides encouraging advice to the patients of the Open Door Clinic. Barb exhibits respect when discussing adopting better dietary content, timing of eating and insulin administration, administering insulin and other diabetic medications, and encouraging an active lifestyle with individuals. With the aid of a dedicated Spanish-English interpreter, Barb reaches our LatinX clients and has made an impact on their well-being also. She created a comprehensive library of bilingual hand-out materials to aid our care delivery and continued education of our clients. Walking past Barbara's door when she is in session is always a treat -- she is so positive and encouraging of our clients and expresses a belief that they can improve their diet and health practices. She has provided both group and individual classes over the years. Barbara visits with approximately 6-8 patients each day she volunteers and when she was able to host classes (pre-COVID-19) might have 10-12 participants. Even during COVID-19, the program that she supervises has regularly seen over 40 unique patients monthly. In addition to educating the patients of the Open Door Clinic, Barb is a prominent consultative resource to our health care providers, rotating UNC Medical Students, and clinic Interns. She actively collaborates with our medical providers to advise supplemental adjustments that can be made to a client's medical or activity regimen, which permits them to enhance the services that is provided to our clients. Many students of varying academic levels volunteer with Open Door Clinic. Barb regularly takes the time to answer their questions and support their efforts in diabetes knowledge and advocacy. Our providers have had many patients express gratitude for being able to have access to Barbs expertise and many have made significant progress in their disease management as a result. She actively and energetically supports our mission to empower our patients and to help them gain more self-confidence and quality of life through diligent management of their chronic medical conditions.

At their age, most 90-year-olds ease back on responsibilities instead of adding to them, but not Marie Picone As Marie still likes to say, “I’m just getting started!” With her strong Italian roots and fiery “never quit” spirit, Marie has devoted almost 30 years of service as a volunteer with Gulfside Hospice. Her efforts have helped guide the organization as it transformed from its early grassroots beginnings to become the largest hospice organization in Pasco County, FL today. Gulfside Hospice was founded in 1989 and Marie began volunteering only a few short years later, graduating from the second orientation class of hospice volunteers. (She still bemoans not being in the first orientation class!) At the time when Marie first joined Gulfside’s volunteer team, Gulfside had very few paid staff and the organization relied heavily upon volunteers to help with everything outside of patient care. As a result, Marie “wore many volunteer hats” as she did office work, filed records, ran errands, answered telephone calls, and tackled whatever tasks were needed to take care of the patients and their families. Money was tight back then too. Marie remembers how volunteers would sometimes gather in prayer for a donation to help them pay that week’s bills. Every gift received was celebrated by Marie and other volunteers as if they’d won the lottery! Seeing Gulfside’s financial struggles and wanting to get more involved to help change this, Marie joined Gulfside’s Board of Directors in 1996 and remains an active board member today. She is often forthright with her opinions and doesn’t shy away from challenges, often encouraging staff to seek solutions by thinking outside of the box. Because of her long-time commitment, Marie’s volunteer impact has affected nearly every facet of Gulfside as it has grown - from caring for a mere dozen patients daily to now serving more than 650 patients every day. Five years ago, her devotion to hospice took on a personal note when her husband Frank became ill and needed hospice care. Marie shares that experiencing hospice “from the other side” made her truly realize the personal impact it makes on each and every patient, and their entire family. Frank’s passing in 2016 only reinforced her devotion to staying involved as a volunteer and serving in every way possible. So, when a new fundraiser, the Charity Fashion Show, was launched in 2017, Marie agreed to serve as Co-Chair for the event. With her sage advice, experience and tenacity, the fashion show has grown to become Gulfside’s largest fundraiser and a signature event for the Women for Gulfside, raising more than $50,000 this year (even with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions). In addition, Marie is proud to be a Founding Member of the Women for Gulfside - a group committed to helping hospice patients by donating their time, talent and treasure. It’s hard to imagine a volunteer who has done more to help Gulfside Hospice patients than Marie Picone and she deserves the greatest recognition possible. After all, she’s just getting started!

For 36 years, Doug has provided professional legal services, free of charge, to those facing life limiting illness. All too often, people do not have end of life legal planning in place when an unexpected illness develops. Doug provides a compassionate approach to helping those in need of wills, power of attorney documents, and other legal needs. This professional service is brought right to the patient’s home, via phone and in person. Doug goes above and beyond to help patients and their families. He has provided this service for 36 years with a total of over 2,700 volunteer hours! Social Workers at Capital Caring Health have witnessed first-hand the impact of Doug’s work for patients and families. The best way to describe why Doug is deserving of the prestigious award is found in the words of social worker, Linda Malone as she describes Doug’s work via his name below… D--Dedicated to the hospice mission of patients and families first; respect for all O-Outstanding, friendly, easy-going manner of discussing and sharing of patient/family's situation with hospice team. Provides clarity and guidance to patients and caregivers on many complex legal concerns U-- Understanding of the complexities of end of life legal concerns with a plan of expedient action for a best solution for comfort and ease of family/patient management at this stressful time of life G--Generous with time, talents, and availability; patiently listening to each concern of the hospice team members, patients and families; a true advocate. DAVIDSON---his name, truthful character, and generous, loving spirit tells it all! A beautiful person to know, work and partner with as we advocate for patients and families with advanced medical illness. Other organizations Doug has supported through his amazing volunteer work include Big Brothers, where he volunteered for 7 years. Doug also was a tutor/mentor for 6 years in an after-school tutoring program at an elementary school and delivered meals for Meals on Wheels for a year. Doug has been instrumental in making our community strong through his many years of volunteer service. Doug is an example of living a life of service. Doug’s impact in helping families and patients over the last 36 years, is profound. It would be difficult to find another attorney who has given 36 years of free legal service to the community. Doug is one of a kind! Doug has helped thousands of families and patients get their legal affairs in order, so that their last wishes are honored. The type of dedicated professional legal service provided by Doug also provides our patients with dignity, respect and comfort. Doug spends time with each patient and family, showing great compassion as he helps them at a very difficult time. He is a deeply compassionate person and it shows in his work.

Our nominee, Mike Sweeney, has been deeply involved with our organization, The Triangle Nonprofit and Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC), for several years. Mike has passionately taken on the role of our Program Director for Nonprofit Services. His responsibilities include development, scheduling, and delivery of all training programs for nonprofit agencies. He oversees the Service Enterprise Initiative (SEI), Monthly Nonprofit Training, Quarterly Fundraising Training, and support to TRIAVA Training. SEI is the national Points of Light training program helping nonprofits maximize the impact of their volunteers. We conduct 2-3 cohorts a year (cohorts include 16 hours of training with 6-10 nonprofits.) TNVLC is one of only 2 training “HUBS’ in North Carolina. Mike has been trainer, coach, mentor, and cheerleader for all the nonprofits going through this program—many achieving national certification because of his help. The other ongoing monthly training sessions focus on nonprofit best practices. Mike handles setting the training schedule and securing speakers--usually at no cost for nonprofits. He has also recruited a team of volunteers with professional credentials to coach and support this training. His efforts have impacted hundreds of Triangle-area nonprofits (and by extension, the thousands of clients that these nonprofits serve). Often, he easily volunteers 20-30 hours per week (just for us!) Along with his dedication to our organization, Mike is also committed to several other organizations. Since 2008, Mike has served as an Automobile Mechanic at Wheels4Hope with responsibilities including preforming repairs on donated vehicles and has handled automobile sales, agency marketing and is a former Board Member. He is a Support Partner at The Carying Place and for more than 5 years has worked to provide weekly guidance to families on budgeting, financial planning, and life skills that lead to sustainable, permanent housing. At Dorcas Ministries, Mike has been a Financial Counselor and provides individual financial counseling on a referral basis. Most recently, Mike has taken on the role of Presenter/Producer with AARP Smart Driver. His responsibilities include delivering training webinars on new safe driving technologies (i.e., Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, etc.) to a nationwide audience as part of the AARP Safe Driver TEK program. Mike has become an essential part of our operations. Providing resources and support for nonprofits is the bedrock of TNVLC’s mission and Mike is the “glue” for one of the primary services we offer. Simply put... we could not do it without him. Amazingly though, as noted above, we are not the only recipient of his time and talent. Not only does Mike commit his time to these organizations, but he also gives his spirit of good will. He is always available to respond to a call for help. He provides sound advice and offers creative suggestions—many times resulting in much improved outcomes. Mike is also a genuinely funny guy, those who know him, count themselves lucky. I know we do. We feel extremely honored to nominate our exceptional volunteer, Mike Sweeney for the AARP Show your Love contest.

My mother, Sonia Valentin Fernandez, has been a lifelong community activist and volunteer. Her tenacity and benevolent spirit have assisted a wide array of organizations throughout New York City. Wherever she identifies need, she intervenes both wholeheartedly and effectively. At the ages of 5 and 7, my sister and I began accompanying our mother dressed as clowns to perform magic shows in pediatric wards. In our teen years we accompanied our parents to spend nights at a church-run homeless shelter. Each Saturday, at this same church, St. Augustine, our family ran their Helping Hands food pantry. Due to her influence, me and my sister were awarded the “Brooklyn Angels” award by Brooklyn Borough President Golden in high school, alongside 9 adults, for our commitment to volunteerism. Post-9/11, she assumed a role as a bilingual case worker with the Manhattan Salvation Army. She supervised volunteers on the midnight shift at Bouley Bakery; under her oversight, volunteers prepared fruits and vegetables for chefs preparing meals for Ground Zero workers through The Red Cross. That same year she also volunteered her time at Christmas parties for firefighters and their families. After Superstorm Sandy, she delivered food, clothing and much needed supplies to areas affected by the storm through the Coney Island Gospel Assembly. She served as Secretary for the Brooklyn Long Term Recovery group alongside Chairperson Rev. Cheryl Anthony and Vice Chair Laura McKenna. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she made wellness calls to seniors throughout Brooklyn, referring them to social services and publicly advocated for their prioritized access to vaccines and electronic devices, to combat their feelings of loneliness and isolation. She arranged appointments for senior vaccinations, organized and led virtual art classes and workshops and even purchased supplies, delivering to them participants personally. In 2021 she volunteered weekly to distribute 25-pound food boxes to thousands suffering from food insecurity. With Department of Sanitation garbage pick-up services reduced, she joined clean-up groups and coordinated a clean-up event at the historic Milestone Park. She currently serves as an executive member of the NYPD's 62nd Precinct Community Council, fundraising and coordinating public events such as their annual National Night Out, blood drives, a Thanksgiving turkey collection and year-end toy drives. She is an active member of Community Board 11 and as President of the New Utrecht Public Library’s Friends Group she has secured $50,000+ in grants for toddler and senior programs and the Library’s first LGBTQ+ teen workshop. As President of the Benson Avenue Block Association, she organizes block parties to renew the neighborhood’s sense of community and has secured beautification grants. She regularly volunteered at Greenwood Cemetery, sewed clothing for theater productions and mentored college-bound high school students. Her dedicated efforts to help those in need and the greater community are genuine, spirited and varied. Her impact on thousands of individuals through her volunteerism and community involvement is quite outstanding. Her civic and moral engagement and willingness to assist, in any capacity, is quite a noble feat and is undeniably remarkable.