April 2009
	March 2009
	February 2009
	January 2009

April 2009

2009 South Jerseyan of the Year Award Winners Announced by Senator Walter Rand Institute at Rutgers-Camden

Three prominent southern New Jersey citizens will be honored by the Senator Walter Rand Institute (WRI) for Public Affairs at Rutgers–Camden for their leadership contributions to the region during the annual “Celebration of South Jersey” event on Friday, May 1.

The eighth annual Senator Walter and Leah Rand South Jerseyan of the Year Awards will be presented to Michael Carbone, president of TD Bank’s metro Philadelphia market; Daniel Lombardo, president and CEO of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley; and New Jersey State Senator Stephen Sweeney (D.—3). More>

Experience Corps Tutors Making a Big Difference for Kids

Richard Sennott, Star Tribune Ann Godfrey, a volunteer in the Experience Corps program run by Volunteers of American-Minnesota, reads along with first-grader Cody Williams.

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found students with Experience Corps tutors made at least 60 percent more progress in two critical areas -- sounding out new words and reading comprehension -- than students who weren't in the program.

"From kindergarten through third grade, you're learning to read; after that you're reading to learn," said Janet Triplett, coordinator of the Experience Corps program for Volunteers of America-Minnesota. "If kids learn to read well by third grade, they have a better chance of being successful." More>

Family Emergency Shelter on Preston Marks 25th Year

By the time 34-year-old Tanya Wolfe got up the courage a few months ago to reach out to her son's pre-kindergarten teacher for help, she was desperate. Wolfe, a South Carolina native, had nowhere else to go after a series of events left her living in Louisville without a place to call home for herself and 3-year-old Alex Moran, who was born premature and has special medical needs.

"She put me in touch with a social worker through (Jefferson County Public Schools) and they told me about this place," Wolfe said of the Family Emergency Shelter, 1321 S. Preston St. "I've been here 31 days. We're here safe and sound."

The shelter, operated by the Volunteers of America, is celebrating 25 years of helping needy families this year. More>
 

Football Great, Theismann, to Speak at Celebrity Dinner

Joe Theismann, a former Notre Dame All-American and a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Washington Redskins, will be the featured speaker at the 6th Annual Volunteers of America Celebrity Dinner. The dinner will be held on Monday, May 11 at Genetti’s Hotel in Wilkes-Barre. Theismann, the NFL’s MVP in 1983, was a standout at the University of Notre Dame, an All-Star in the Canadian Football League and a Superbowl Champion with the Redskins. His professional playing career lasted 14 years but ended abruptly in 1985 after sustaining a broken leg during a nationally televised game against the New York Giants.

The play that ended Theismann’s playing career was voted the NFL’s “Most Shocking Moment in History” by viewers in an ESPN poll and was dubbed “The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget” by the Washington Post.

Theismann spent twenty years working for ESPN on their broadcast and is an entrepreneur today.

“Joe Theismann’s story is a great one and he is an excellent speaker,” says Bill Jones, VP/COO of Volunteers of America of PA. “He has achieved success at every level of his career and we are really looking forward to his appearance here,” said Jones. More>

VOA Celebrates National Library Week

Volunteers of America celebrated National Library Week today by hosting an "I love to Read" literacy event at the Blair-Caldwell Public Library, located at 2401 Welton Street in Denver. Local celebrities Ervin Johnson, ex-Nugget, Rick Crandall, KEZW Radio, and the Denver Post's own William Porter read stories to over 100 low-income preschoolers and kindergartners. The children were delighted as library mascot DJ Kitty helped Johnson read two stories, including "Little Raccoon" and "What Will the Weather Be Like Today?". Rick Crandall read "An Extraordinary Egg" and Porter had an enthusiastic audience member help him read "Pipo the Puma" and "Moose's Loose Tooth." More>

Pinwheels Placed as Symbols of Child-Abuse Awareness

More than 350 pinwheels were placed Wednesday outside the Volunteers of America office in Alexandria to remind area residents their help is needed to prevent child abuse. The ceremony to place the pinwheels is among concluding events of Child Abuse Awareness Month. The ceremony was conducted in conjunction with Cleco and Volunteers of America. More>

Volunteers Relieve Pressure on Seniors' Caregivers

Loveland’s Nona Noding was searching for a way to spend her extra time after getting laid off from her job. Rose Marie Brown was seeking some help in caring for her husband, Doug, who has Parkinson’s disease and cancer. They were strangers, each looking for something different — but found all their answers through a friendship, formed through the Caring Companions Program of the local Volunteers of America. More>

March 2009

Green Runners Stream through LoDo

A river of green ran through Lower Downtown Denver Sunday morning, as 5,500 runners participated in the annual Runnin' of the Green. Susan Cone, like most runners, was dressed for the occasion. She was wearing green, striped socks and green makeup. "This is our first time doing this race, but it seems like it's the funnest one so far," she said. "Go green or go home!"

While everyone was having a great time in the run, it also helps a serious cause. The money raised at Sunday's event goes to the Volunteers of America Meals on Wheels program, where each runner's registration fee can feed a senior for two weeks. More>

Mayor-Rapper Duo Tell Stories of Lives, City

Mary Verner, part-time rapper and full-time mayor, suggested recently she might start putting her policy proposals to a beat. Anything to get the message out. Verner, 52, became a minor Internet sensation after her performance last month of a rap duet, "Coming Together," hit YouTube.

The song is a collaboration between Verner and 19-year-old Eastern Washington University freshman Josh Ogle, aka Gasmasq. Part Spokane history, part biography — both performers have overcome obstacles — the rap sings the city's praises but doesn't hide its darker side. More>

Need a Used Set of Wheels? Name Your Price

Rev. Jim Brown in the Volunteers of America Vehicle Donation lot in Everett, Wash.

Too many, used cars are too pricey, but not if you know where to shop. Jim Brown - the Rev. Jim Brown, that is - runs the Vehicle Donation Program for the Volunteers of America. The VOA lot in Everett isn't fancy, but the vehicles are priced to move. And the shoppers know it.  More>
 

Permanent Housing Facility for Chronically Homeless Men Open in Rochester

Donna Catalano sees too many of the same stories. Stories of homeless men who had jobs but were laid off and through certain circumstances found themselves homeless, trying to put their lives back together. Volunteers of America hopes to put a dent in that scenario with the opening of Jacob's Ladder, a permanent housing program on Ward Street for men who experience long-term or repeated episodes of homelessness, cycling between the streets, shelters, parking garages or abandoned areas in Monroe County. More>

February 2009

Foreclosure Help During Bleak Housing Economy

Robert Abbott knows all about the tough economy. Hard times caused him and his wife to get behind on mortgage payments...and almost lose their home. "I tried everything. This and that. I called the mortgage company and tried to work things out but I couldn't work things out with them," he said. Abbot then tried to go to another foreclosure company for help...with no luck. His answer finally came from Volunteers of America in Shreveport. Through their free help, he got his mortgage re-negotiated and his home saved. More>

Homeless Population is Increasing

JoAnne Fletcher lost her job and became homeless back in October and she says she knows where she would be if the Volunteers of America didn't step in to help.

Panel Discusses Recidivism, Re-Entry to Society

Charles Thomas, a former prison inmate and now a senior treatment coordinator, speaks during a hearing at Rutgers-Camden.

After 28 years behind bars, Charles Thomas was finally released, but he was far from free. Like the roughly 14,000 people released from prison in New Jersey every year, the Woodlynne resident struggled to adapt to life outside a state prison.

"I went through a Volunteers of America program," said Thomas, who was 19 years old when he was incarcerated and 47 when he finally was released. "If it wasn't for that, I don't know where I would be today."

Tenth Annual Oscar Night - America Gala

Volunteers of America Delaware Valley's signature fundraising event, the Tenth Annual Oscar Night® America Gala hosted by TDBank, hopes to break last year's record of $230,559. The Oscar Night Gala will light up the night at Loew's Philadelphia Hotel, 12th and Market streets, on Sunday, February 22 from 6:30 PM until the final Academy Award is handed out. Proceeds from this year's event will benefit families with limited income, homeless families with special needs, and youth re-entering society from the criminal justice system. More>

January 2009

Emergency Lodging for Homeless Women- Theodora House Among Denver's Model Programs

In the organization of Volunteers of America, Theodora House in Denver occupies a tiny niche. But to the women who tuck into one of its 27 beds at night, the emergency shelter is everything. Hollie Jones is project manager of Theodora House, which is seeking a Season to Share grant. She oversees the shelter from top to bottom - and tells us a little about what lies between the two. More>

Sacramento County Shelter to Serve Abused, Neglected Seniors

They are society's forgotten victims. When elderly people suffer abuse or neglect, it often happens in isolation. When they are rescued, they typically are shuttled to motels, homeless shelters or other places unequipped to respond to their needs. In Sacramento, these fragile seniors soon will have a temporary home where they can find safety and healing.

After nearly a decade of fits and starts, the Sacramento Senior Safe House will open its doors this spring to older people who have been physically abused or neglected, often by their own loved ones. The home, under construction in the Arden Arcade area, will be one of the first facilities of its kind in the country.

"It brings me to tears to realize that this finally is happening," said founder Maxine Krugman, who has been an advocate for senior citizens in Sacramento County for more than a decade.

The county's Adult Protective Services division will make referrals to the safe house. The nonprofit Volunteers of America will own and run the home, which will have room for six to 12 people. More>

Volunteers of America of Illinois' Veterans Housing Project Addresses Lack of Affordable Housing and Employment Needs in Chicago

In Chicago, approximately 1,200 Veterans are homeless each night with more than 18,000 experiencing homelessness annually. Veterans account for more than 50 percent of those considered "chronically" homeless in Chicago.