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By Gail Fleurent
As I adjusted my hare in the backseat, the driver announced we had reached our first destination of what would turn out to be a very fun-filled day. It was Thursday, March 20, and I woke up with a feeling of a special spring in my tail. Six other volunteers from Thomas Sherwin's Southern Mass Council and I started the day at 8:45 a.m. The morning was overcast and had a chill cold enough to make one's ears stand right up. Wearing my fur coat is what kept me warm outside and knowing what we were all doing that day kept me warm inside. Hopping out of the car, I was so excited my nose was twitching. We all knew the fun was waiting for us inside the Gomes School in New Bedford, MA. Once inside we were whiskered away to keep out of sight from the children. We were able to sneak into classrooms to hide plastic eggs, including beeping ones for the visually impaired students. Once all the eggs were strategically hidden, the teachers brought their kids back into the classrooms to find those eggs. The children were so eggstatic when, once they found an egg, they were able to bring it up to me, the Easter Bunny, in exchange for a bag of candy! We continued this routine at the Hayden-McFadden and Kennedy-Donovan Schools in New Bedford. That same afternoon, we hopped towns and entertained the children at the Spencer-Borden and Silvia Schools in Fall River, MA. Soon it was 3 p.m. and the end of a very hare-raising day. The Southern Mass Council had successfully put a smile on 173 students this day. With more than 15 years at this project, we hope to continue down this trail for many years to come. |
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By Ruby Molina
On Thursday, March 20, the Verizon West Chapter's Pete Heiden Pioneer Club visited the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Texas. This Life Member Club (LMC) has been visiting Scottish Rite for many years at Easter time. The Texas Scottish Rite Hospital is one of the nation's leading pediatric centers for the treatment of orthopedic conditions. The LMC held an Arts and Crafts Day where volunteers helped the children decorate colorful Easter baskets and ornaments. The eight volunteers from the club who participated at this Easter event all described this visit as WONDERFUL experience.
(Photo, l-r, top row: Linda Mom, hospital volunteer, Lacey
Moore, Juan Villegas, Ruby Molina, hospital volunteer, Lacey
Sproat, Chris Addy. L-r, bottom row: Joel Castillo, Melanie
Nance)
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Gerry McLaughlin from the Fort Pitt Chapter
On a cold winter evening 14 years ago, a high school friend named Ed suggested that Gerry and her husband take their unused blankets and coats and a couple dozen sandwiches to Market Square in Pittsburgh. Ed, who had been homeless himself for about a year, knew how desperate his homeless buddies were in these conditions. After that first delivery and conversations with the men and women who so desperately needed food and clothing, Gerry and her husband solicited support from the Fort Pitt Chapter. The chapter now works with Operation Save A Life, Jubilee Kitchen, and Operation Safety Net to provide the homeless with necessary day-to-day products. The most notable project has been the collection of hotel toiletries from traveling Verizon employees, families, and friends. The donated soap, shampoo, and lotion are combined with purchased items (a washcloth, comb, razor, toothbrush and toothpaste) and placed in a zip-lock baggie. About 200 of these kits are prepared every month (more during the winter months) and delivered to these organizations. Kits are prepared by volunteers at the Pioneer Office in Pittsburgh and at Saints Peter & Paul Church in Wilmerding, PA. To date, chapter members have distributed more than 35,000 of these toiletry kits! The Fort Pitt Chapter, along with St. Bernadette's Church in Monroeville PA, organizes a clothing drive during September to get a head start on clothing, coat, and blanket collections for the winter shelters. The community very generously contributes new and used items for distribution to Operation Safety Net, the traveling medical van at Mercy Hospital. |
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By Al Lewis, vice president, Liberty Bell Chapter
In celebration of the emergence of Spring and the Easter holiday, Liberty Bell Chapter held its annual Fellowship Breakfast on Saturday, March 15. This celebration is always held at the Carousel House, a facility for the handicapped community. This center enables an individual to participate in sporting activities because everything is geared toward the needs of anyone with a physical handicap. Our day began with an empty canvas containing a gymnasium, tables and chairs. Through the efforts of our Chairperson Robbie Reiner and her dynamic team of volunteers, each table was festively decorated, a delicious breakfast served, faces painted, pictures of each child taken with the Easter Bunny, eggs delivered, and a magic show performed. There were 130 Pioneers and 20 active employees who served the attendees. This day is specifically designed for Pioneer friends, families and members who usually interact in the process of working on our many projects throughout the year. Through this breakfast, we've watched families over the years begin or expand, and observed children grow into adults with their own families who now teach their children the importance of volunteering. The day ended with raffles of Easter baskets and other treasures donated by the councils and generous friends of TelecomPioneers. We took the time to acknowledge the hard work of the chairperson and her committee, and above all the volunteer kitchen staff who always prepares a perfect breakfast. We left the Carousel House at the end of the day with a renewed desire to help build stronger communities. |
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Barbara Hamilton of the Warren Life Member Club (LMC) read an
article in the newspaper about National Salute to Hospitalized
Veterans Week being February 10-16. This honorary week promotes
the opportunity to say thank you to more than 98,000 veterans of
the U.S. armed forces who are cared for in Department of Veteran
Affairs (VA) medical centers, outpatient clinics, domiciliaries,
and nursing homes.
One of the ways the article suggested remembering veterans would be to send Valentine's cards to the veterans at the various VA hospitals around the country. At the Warren LMC's Bookmark Workshop in January, Barbara organized members to write notes and sign Valentine's cards to be sent to the veterans in the Lyons, N.J., VA Hospital. Paula Wright, president of the Morristown LMC, was at the workshop and thought the project was such a good idea that she brought it back to her members at their February 4 meeting. They also signed and wrote notes in Valentines to be sent to Lyons VA Hospital. The Valentines were sent with a letter describing the Verizon TelecomPioneers, a picture of the members with their Valentines, and a couple of pages of Pioneer history taken from the national website. The Warren LMC also included a small donation earmarked for the women veterans at the hospital. The Warren and Morristown LMCs want to share this fun, easy and very worthwhile project with other LMCs for a bigger impact on Valentine's Day 2009. Anyone interested may call Lorrie Smith, president-Warren LMC, at 908-475-2475, or Paula Wright at 973-398- 6484. For more information and a list of the VA facilities closest to you, please visit the VA's website at www.va.gov. |
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By Paul Redline, president, Maryland Chapter
For the past 20 years, active and life member Pioneers have been conducting Easter egg hunts for sight-impaired children at two Baltimore Area locations. One site, the Maryland School for the Blind, has more than 100 young people who participate in locating the beeping eggs to exchange for Easter baskets full of candy and prizes. The second site is an elementary school in Baltimore with 40 sight- impaired students. More than 30 volunteers participate between the two facilities. Life Members Margaret High and Betty Bilzer construct the Easter baskets for the children, while Jack Ritter and Tom McHugh maintain the beeping egg mechanics. An amusing aspect of the hunt is watching the children locate the eggs, then observing them turning off the beep. Through the years they have become quite savvy to the egg operations. The only casualties we find is damage to the on/off switch when the children slam dunk them into the collection box. To me, this activity is what Pioneering is all about. |
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On March 18, the Fort Pitt Chapter once again visited the
Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children (WPSBC) to the
delight of the students in the Early Childhood Department. For
more than 25 years, active and retired Pioneers have been
coordinating a "Beeper Easter Egg Hunt" for the youngest WPSBC
children.
"It's just heart warming; the kids are truly priceless," said Sylvia Arenda, chapter community service chairperson. "Every year we all look forward to seeing their smiles." More than 20 life members volunteered for the event this year and shared in the enjoyment of providing each tot with an Easter basket filled with toys and goodies. Developed by a TelecomPioneer engineer, the beeping eggs are traded in by the children for special treats. The Easter Bunny, clowns, and the children's special favorites - the Fort Pitt Chapter therapy dogs - make this annual tradition a highlight each year. |
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On Thursday, March 20, the Excelsior Chapter partnered with the
YWCA Aid to Victims of Violence to host a Social Fair in
Cortland, N.Y. More than 100 people visited the Pioneer table,
which had a colorful abundance of handouts focusing on domestic
violence. The information described how domestic violence
victims can recognize, report and receive help.
(Pictured, l-r: Cathy Carbone, a Verizon Telecom Pioneer, and
Rita Wright, the director of Aid to Victims of Violence.)
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Dear Nova 5 Pioneers,
On February 15, our vets were treated to a spaghetti and meatball dinner hosted by your chapter. Mike Schnepf, Matt Mahoney, and a host of other Pioneers prepared the entire dinner and also served our men and women. To be honest, once a man or woman serves in our Armed Forces, he or she is seemingly forgotten, past sacrifices not withstanding. To be remembered is something special for my guys and gals, and with that, let me close by saying thank you to one and all. The food was outstanding and everyone enjoyed the food and the company of the Verizon Volunteers. Thomas Mullifield Director, Veteran Services New Era Veterans, Inc.
Founded in 1994, New Era Veterans, Inc., is a non- profit
organization that provides housing and other services to more
than 150 men and women veterans. It is located in Bronx, NY.
Visit
www.neweravet erans.org for more information.
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Our Estore manager would like to hear your recommendations on new products. Please e-mail bruceyennie@verizon.net with your feedback.
Verizon TelecomPioneers
P.O. Box 4406 . Salem, MA 01970
email:
info@verizonpioneers.org
phone:
978.745.9600
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