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January 2008
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Vol. 3 / Issue 1
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In This Issue
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Quick Links
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Dear Jill,
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If you're receiving this issue at work, the design might be
compromised because Verizon firewalls are blocking the
coding. You may view a clean version on the Verizon
TelecomPioneers'
website. If you'd prefer a version be sent to your home
e-mail address, please e-mail
newsletter@verizonpioneers.org
and we'll exchange your e-mail addresses.
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On December 19, 2007, the Buffalo/Niagara Life Member
Club in Buffalo, NY, presented to the Domestic Violence
Shelters of Western New York the donations made by
attendees at SantaLand on Dec, 8, 9, and 15, 2007. The
donations included $1,150 in cash, $4,850 in gift cards,
and hundreds of personal toiletry items. Additional cash
card purchases were made possible by funds provided by
the Verizon TelecomPioneers to help stage SantaLand.
"Santa's Park," a popular Erie County attraction held
annually at Chestnut Ridge Park, had been cancelled for
the third year in a row due to budget considerations. In
an effort to revive the attraction, the Verizon
TelecomPioneers volunteered to host "Santaland."
Santaland 2007 was a huge success, with close to a
thousand children from throughout Western New York
enjoying the holiday fun.
Phil Hahn, project coordinator, reported, "The community
response to our effort this year was fantastic. The
corporate sponsors and the diversity of volunteers that
we were able to recruit was critical to the success of
SantaLand. We the Pioneers were thrilled that we were
able to preserve this holiday tradition for the
children, and raise awareness for the issue of Domestic
Violence in Western New York."
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By: Ellie Dickerson, project chair
For over 30 years, the Upper Darby Council of the
Liberty Bell Chapter has filled shopping bags with non-
perishable food items to be distributed to recipients of Meals
on Wheels and Aid for Friends in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
On December 19, 10 council members and their partners met to
pack 150 baggies with 10 items such as cereal, soup, oatmeal,
hot chocolate, peanut butter crackers, and candy canes.
Aggressive fund raising is done all year to support this
project. Donated gift certificates are solicited from local
supermarkets. The project averages about $400 a year. Much time
is spent contacting the Meals on Wheels coordinators and buying
the food. A special thanks goes to Joan Rafferty for making all
the purchases and setting everything up in a production line so
the bags could be filled easily.
Aid for Friends is a service that provides homemade meals that
are delivered frozen, seven at a time, by a volunteer visitor to
shut-ins. It is the council's most rewarding activity. For some,
it is their only Christmas gift and the thank you notes that the
council receives are heart-wrenching.
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Need a soloist for the "Star Spangled Banner" or a Santa for
Santa Bell? Carolyn Matthews-Alston is your volunteer. An active
life member of the AGB Chapter Executive Board, Carolyn never
hesitates to share her beautiful voice as well as other gifts
when called upon. She has been council president and held other
executive positions as chapter committee chair, chapter vice
president, and chapter president. Her motto, "TelecomPioneering:
A Noble Tradition of Caring," describes her every day efforts.
She always asks "What can I do?" and with vigor and enthusiasm
moves forward to complete the task. During Santa Bell, when the
male Santas were slow to arrive, Carolyn donned a hat and
lowered her voice to be one of our most effective Santas of the
evening.
An active member of her church, she incorporates her church
activities with her Pioneering. This relationship has blossomed
and included the TelecomPioneers in the neighborhood effort of
Ms. Hannah Hawkins Children of Mine Youth Center. This center
provides a safe and structured environment for children after
their school day. Carolyn volunteers as a mentor and most
recently coordinated the effort to provide haircuts for the
young men attending the center. During 2007, Carolyn established
and maintained another relationship with the East Capitol Center
for Change that mentors Middle School girls. At a joint
Volunteer/Membership Pioneer-sponsored drive, the location and
the center provided the refreshments that yielded 10 new members
and seven new volunteers for both the Pioneers and the ECCC.
One of Carolyn's most rewarding accomplishments was signing up
the former president of Verizon DC to join the TelecomPioneers.
Carolyn's enthusiasm for Pioneering has spread throughout her
family. Her daughter, Kathy, is the chapter's PA7 coordinator
and her husband, Bill, was head chef at the successful breakfast
prepared for the recovering troops of the local Fisher House at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Carolyn lives her motto of
fusing TelecomPioneering with her enthusiasm of caring.
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By: Deb Foley, W.J. Denver Chapter President
Every Tuesday at the Greendale Central Office, W.J. Denver
Chapter retirees gather to repair Talking Books. These dedicated
individuals have been repairing this vital tool for the visually
impaired for the past 15 years. Since 1992, a varied group of
retirees has dedicated their time and talent to repairing
recording devices that are used by the visually impaired. The
machines are a lifeline to books, periodicals and other reading
materials that are placed on tapes and distributed through the
Library of Congress. To honor those who have dedicated their
time to this valuable project, Chapter President Deb Foley and
Council President Bruce Broadard presented Certificates of
Appreciation from the Library of Congress, along with the
Chapter's Heart of Pioneering award, to these dedicated
individuals. We thank them for their time and dedication to this
project. Without individuals like them to repair the machines,
many would not be able to hear written text. To date they have
repaired 6,000 books and collectively given 39,000 hours of
volunteer service. The Greendale C.O. is located in Worcester,
Mass.
Pictured - L-R seated: Rosel Patton, James O'Brien. L-R
standing: Robert & Charlotte Mahon (visiting potential
volunteers), Elaine Reynolds, Ed Gill and Bruce Broadard in
back.
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The weather outside was frightful, but the love and joy inside
the Kennedy Recreational Center in Harlem, NY, was delightful as
the Harlem Dowling West Side Center for Children and Family
Services celebrated the gift of giving during its annual
Christmas Celebration. The festive event, presented by the Nova
5 Chapter Pioneers, included an award presentation honoring four
outstanding volunteers for kitchen help and serving Christmas
dinner: Joanne Finck, Elizabeth Bennett, Raphella Murray and
Francine Dixon. In addition to recorded music provided by a
D.J., the program included a performance by talented young
singer Raul Bama, a Christmas Dinner, and lots of family fun.
All attending children received personalized gift-wrapped
presents and were treated to face painting and balloon
sculptures by Manhattan Council clown Ron Spaulding.
Harlem Dowling is a leading multi-service child and family
centered agency. The non-profit agency is dedicated to serving
children and families in crisis and distress. For nearly two
centuries, Harlem Dowling has provided assistance to children,
and their families and the community by offering home foster
care, adoption, therapeutic placement, supportive housing for
youth aging out of foster care and other support services.
Related services include family preservation, HIV/AIDS services,
family-support services and after-school programs for children
and their families in Central Harlem, Washington Heights,
Southeast Queens, and Far Rockaway.
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By: Leni Herr, fundraising chair, LH Kinnard Chapter
The L.H. Kinnard Chapter has been changing the way it's
raising funds. We still have the normal 50/50s and raffles,
which may bring in a couple hundred dollars; but for bigger
money with a lot less work, we have been using Collette
Vacations and other travel agencies. Our Pioneer Travel Trolley
regularly runs trips for groups and individuals and these trips
can quickly bring us hundreds of dollars in fundraising money.
The travel agencies pay us commission money when we book through
them. Some examples of trips for 2008 are an Alaska cruise/tour
in July, New England/Canada cruise in September, and an exciting
tour to London & Paris, also in September. We can also make
arrangements for individual travel, with fundraising dollars
going back to the chapter.
We also sell calendars and other products on the region E-Store
at
www.verizonpioneers.org/Estore.htm. It's a great way to get
rid of left-over inventory. For questions on fundraising or
information on Pioneer Travel Trolley trips contact LeniHerr@aol.com.
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Dear TelecomPioneers,
Thank you for your kind and generous donation of paper towels,
Happy Meal toys, books, games, crayons and posters! It is people
like you who make a difference in the lives of our residents and
their children. Together we can reach out to victims of domestic
and sexual violence.
Sincerely,
Melissa M. Jones
Outreach Coordinator, Madeline's House
This note was written to the Old Dominion Chapter's Richmond,
VA, Council Pioneers after donation of 190 items to Madeline's
House, the only domestic violence shelter in a six-county area
in south central Virginia. Richmond Pioneers have supported this
shelter over the past four years and will continue the
relationship in the years to come.
Jan Belote
Richmond Council President
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Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. - Conference call seminars with
Dr. Tim about Mt. Everest history and facts. Go to
www.verizonpioneers.org for more information.
Feb. 1 - Verizon Scholarship Application Deadline. To
view guidelines and application go to:
https://www.scholarshipamerica .org/i-applications/verizon/
March 1 - Competitive Grants deadline. Guidelines and
application available on www.verizonpioneers.org. Click on
"Documents & Forms."
May 1 - V/F/T TelecomPioneers Vice Presidents Project
deadline. Applications available on
www.verizonpioneers.org. Click "Documents & Forms" in the
left navigation bar.
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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
phone:
978.745.9600
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