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Senior Corps Volunteers Receive National Award For
Outstanding Service
 May
10, 2005 - As the country celebrated National Volunteer Week, on April
22, 2005, the MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Area
Agencies on Aging honored Senior Corps volunteer Victoria Thorton-Lucas
with the Community Champion Award in the 2005 Older Volunteers Enrich
America Awards for outstanding contributions to her community.
The Older Volunteers Enrich America awards
celebrate the accomplishments of volunteers age 55 and over whose
volunteer service helps to build healthier communities. The awards
ceremony is being held today at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington,
D.C. Thorton-Lucas, of South Ozone Park, N.Y., launched the Bushwick
Community Council Service (BCCS) Soup Kitchen and Pantry in 1996 to
combat the pressing social needs in her neighborhood. BCCS provides
meals to more than 30,000 individuals each year, as well as free
clothing, job referrals, and a variety of job-training services.
Several other Senior Corps volunteers also received
honors. RSVP volunteer Betty Jo Harvey of Wichita Falls, Texas, was
recognized for her service with the American Red Cross. After the
explosion of the Columbia space shuttle, she worked with the search and
rescue teams, in addition to responding to numerous other disasters.
Senior Companion Ruth Harris of Denver volunteers a minimum of 20 hours
a week, providing encouragement and support to families facing the death
of a loved one, as well as tending to the needs of 1,100 elderly
individuals over the last 12 years. W.F. Vancleave of Billings, Mont.,
organized an RSVP volunteer force of approximately 140 volunteers for a
disaster preparedness phone tree. He also trained team leaders who in
turn train other volunteers to respond to disasters. Foster Grandparent
Bill Young of Sacramento has helped more than 700 students improve their
mastery of the English language and pass the GED test in math.
These recipients demonstrate the high caliber of volunteers that serve
in our programs, said Senior Corps Director Tess Scannell. My hope is
that other people age 55 and over will note the success of these
volunteers and offer their own skills and talents to a cause they care
about in their own communities.
This is the third year that the National
Association of Area Agencies on Aging has administered the awards for
the MetLife Foundation. Several Senior Corps members have been among the
recipients each year. People age 55 and over have tremendous skills and
experience that can be put to use to strengthen their communities,
Scannell added. "We encourage anyone over age 55 to log onto
www.seniorcorps.gov to find a local volunteer opportunity.
It's easier than ever to get involved, and your community and country
need you."
Senior Corps, a program of the Corporation for
National and Community Service, taps the experience, skills, and talents
of more than a half a million older Americans to meet community needs.
Foster Grandparents serve one-on-one as tutors and mentors to young
people with special needs. Senior Companions help homebound seniors and
other adults maintain independence in their own homes; and RSVP
volunteers conduct safety patrols for local police departments,
participate in environmental projects, provide intensive educational
services to children and adults, and respond to national disasters,
among other activities. Together with USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation
for National and Community Service is working to build a culture of
citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. The Corporations
other programs include AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For
further information, visit
www.nationalservice.gov.
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