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Answering the Call...
This issue is dedicated to all the Pioneers who
answered the call for assistance after Hurricane Katrina battered
the Gulf Coast. Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston visited
several devastated cities and reported, "Every time I looked into
the face of a person victimized by this disaster, I was reminded
that this could be any of us. And as I watched the hard-working,
determined, compassionate volunteers, I realized that they too
represent us - making a difference in people's lives through our
contributions."
Verizon TelecomPioneers from all over the nation began
collecting truckloads of essential supplies shortly after landfall.
By the time the New Orleans levees broke, Pioneers were assisting
local Red Cross and Salvation Army agencies by cleaning facilities
for evacuees, manning telethons that eventually raised $30 million,
and organizing fundraisers.
The TelecomPioneers remembered the smallest victims of the
storm by shipping hundreds of Hug-A-Bears to shelters, donating
dictionaries to schools with ruined libraries, and ensuring local
evacuee students had school supplies.
"I am proud of our quick response," said Steve Kohn, executive
director of the Verizon/Frontier/Telcordia TelecomPioneers. "We will
continue to support those impacted by Hurricane Katrina through our
volunteer and fundraising efforts until there is no longer a need." |
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Paumanok helps Mobile, AL
Last Friday, Paumanok partnered with the Dayton
Avenue Elementary School in Mannorville, NY, to sort and pack more
than 25 boxes of supplies. All last week, students had brought in
canned goods, water, personal hygiene items and school supplies to
fill these boxes. The supplies were distributed through the Lambs
Chapel in Center Moriches, NY, to a church in Mobile, AL. |
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Kinnard Life Members are sew good!
In the first 10 days after Katrina hit, 35
Kinnard members spent 826 hours making 207 Hug-A-Bears for the
hurricane's littlest victims. The chapter sent the bears via UPS to
the Women's Hope Center in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. "We cannot
thank you enough for coming to our aid in these difficult times,"
said Lora Bordelon, Support Director, Women's Hope Center.
(Photo: The Reading LMC contributed 100 of the Hug-A-Bears.) |
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Frontier packs 45 boxes
Within a week of Hurricane Katrina, Frontier employees
collected four sleeping bags and enough essential supplies to fill
45 boxes. Members sorted, boxed, bagged, and transported all the
items contributed. |
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This is what Pioneering is all about...
Following are brief descriptions of the Verizon
TelecomPioneers' generosity by chapter. For full stories, please
visit the chapter websites which can be accessed through
www.verizonpioneers.org/ChptrLocatr.htm.
AGB volunteered to assist the Red Cross and
Salvation Army process donations, answered phones at a telethon, and
volunteered through Habitat for Humanity.
WJ Denver assisted with a telethon and helped
100 evacuee families get settled at Middletown Navy Base.
Frontier donated $25K to the Red Cross and
collected blankets, sheets, towels, and books.
Kinnard sent $700 of Wal-Mart gift cards and
207 Hug-A-Bears to the Women's Hope Shelter in Livingston Parish,
LA, and manned a telethon.
Maryland volunteered to assist the Baltimore
NAACP process Verizon donations, manned a telethon, donated to the
Red Cross, and sent Hug-A-Bears.
McCully Downstate partnered with the Perth
Amboy Mayor's office to provide resources for 100 evacuee families,
cleaned evacuee apartments, and manned a telethon.
McCully Upstate assisted 25 evacuees families,
manned a telethon, and hurriedly made more Hug-A-Bears.
Mountain Valley Empire collected clothes for
the Salvation Army and raised funds through a Haunted House project.
Nova Five collected evacuee essentials for the
Red Cross "Katrina Welcome Center" in New York and manned a
telethon.
Old Dominion assisted at a telethon call
center.
Paumanok collected living essentials and
school supplies that were delivered through a radio station and a
church, donated three cases of dictionaries to a devastated school,
and delivered 500 pounds of dog food to Gulf Port, Miss.
Thomas Sherwin assisted evacuees at Otis Air
Force Base and manned a telethon.
Verizon West partnered with the Binky Patrol
to send 10 boxes of blankets to Miss., made more than 200
Hug-A-Bears, and donated funds to the Red Cross, the American
Heritage Academy and the Arlington ISD.
West Virginia partnered with Network Services
to fill a tractor trailer with bottled water that went to Louisiana.
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Remembering man's best friends...
On Sept. 20, the Paumanok Chapter delivered
over 500 lbs. of dog food, plus dog and cat supplies, to the Animal
Defense League of Long Island as part of the Operation Halo Program.
The supplies were donated by active employees in Great River. The
ADL trucked the supplies to Gulf Port, Mississippi.
(Photo courtesy of the Humane
Society of the United States) |
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The Life Member Spotlight is on... Violet Etler
Violet "Vi" Etler has been an active life
member of the Paterson-Passaic-Ridgewood Life Member Club in H.G.
McCully Upstate Chapter since she retired from the Legal Department
in 1983. She was elected as club president in 2003 and currently
serves on the club's executive board as both past president and
fellowship chairperson. Vi has been actively involved in various
club and council projects through the years, but the one she
embraces the most is collecting new and used clothes for those in
need.
Vi has also led a very active public service life. She has held
several leadership roles in the East Bergen Business and
Professional Women's organization, served on the Bergen County
College Board of Trustees, as well as on the college's Foundation
Board of Directors. She has served on the American Cancer Society's
Board of Directors in Bergen County, the Fair Lawn Mayor's Youth
Advisory Committee, the Mayor's Health Committee, held leadership
roles in her town's various Democratic Clubs, and chaired the Bergen
County Board of Ethics.
Although it is hard to imagine where Vi finds spare time, when
asked what she does with it, she answered "I read 10-12 books a
month." As can be imagined, Vi's never-ending desire to help her
community wherever and whenever help is needed has been a true
inspiration to both Pioneers and non-Pioneers alike, and H.G.
McCully is proud to call Vi Etler one of their own. |
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Start your holiday shopping now...
What a darling! This bean-filled bear, made by
the Boyds Collection Ltd., was personalized especially for the
Verizon TelecomPioneers. Measuring 10” high, he proudly sports a
snuggly cream-colored sweater featuring the Pioneer logo embroidered
in black and blue thread. This chocolate-colored bear can easily sit
up because of the placement of beans in his backside. Price $12,
plus shipping. Regularly, $22.95, plus shipping. Also available at
case pricing (15 Bears per case). |
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