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Volunteer Spotlight

CFES.org > ShoreCAN Volunteer Center > Volunteer Spotlight

Al Nurmi & John Letherbury

How two strangers became fast friends while volunteering in their community.

The Seton Center, established by the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington is a neighborhood community center located in Princess Anne. Seton Center staff work to identify and respond to the needs of local residents, especially the area’s migrant farm workers. Working alongside staff are many dedicated volunteers, including Al Nurmi and John Leatherbury. John and Al have been volunteering at the Seton Center for ten and four years, respectively. They consider themselves a team and even more impressive, close friends.

Al and John were introduced to the Seton Center by other family members who volunteered at the Center and both men stayed on as permanent volunteers. They take pride in living in Somerset County and have similar tastes outside of their volunteer work - country music, preferring to work behind-the-scenes and tinkering while fixing things around their homes. When asked what they would be doing if they weren’t volunteering, both laughed and responded that they had plenty of things to do around their homes!

While walking around the food pantry kitchen with Al and John, you get a keen sense of how well they complement each other and the pride they take in both their volunteer work and each other, is evident. They are in charge of food donation storage and whether the work takes two days or five days a week, they both tackle the tasks together and in the best interest of the clients of the Seton Center. Organization in the kitchen is as impressive as a five star restaurant’s kitchen - can labels organized in a row and boxes clearly top up and face out.

Both Al and John feel that out of all the reasons to volunteer, the most important one is giving back. They both have felt blessed throughout their lives and felt inspired to do for others and give back to their community. Clearly the story of these two friends is a great story of dedication!

Jane Corcoran

The Community Foundation is pleased to recognize Jane Corcoran for outstanding service to our community. Jane has been an active volunteer in our community since 1978. Jane has been a CFES volunteer since 1997, and has served on the Board of Directors since 2004. She is one of the most active CFES board members, serving on all two grant review committees and chairing a third!

Jane is a person who gives of her time and expertise and seeks none of the recognition that she truly deserves. She has served on the Peninsula Regional Hospital Junior Auxiliary Board since 1978 logging in over 2700 hours!

Additionally, Jane has volunteered with the Village of Hope since 2001 and through serving in virtually every leadership role, including Chairman of the Board, has been instrumental in all facets of the organization. According to Village of Hope Director Jessica Smith-Harper, “Jane is a tireless contributor to the Village. There is no event that takes place that does not have her hand in it at some level. She volunteers for everything and brings resources to us from the community. The gifts of her time and talent are unequaled and we are so fortunate to have her.”

Thank you Jane for your commitment to our region!

Sarah Wood

Sarah Wood may look like your typical teenager bouncing around a Barnes and Noble storefront but just speak to her for a few minutes and you will realize she is quite the young lady, one who is socially conscious, service minded and very intelligent.

Sarah has been a Girl Scout since first grade and as a member of Troop #492 in Worcester County she is in her ninth year and working on a Girl Scout Gold Award. Her project focus is racism in the community and she is concentrating on leadership and mentoring as she works towards the Award requirements.

The Gold Award is considered the culmination of commitment and success and the highest award that Girl Scouts aged 14-18 can earn.

At fifteen years old, Sarah is a freshman at the Salisbury School where her hobbies are playing the saxophone and participating on the mock trial team

. Sarah's mom vouches that Sarah is a serious faced prosecutor on the team and gets things done. She is very interested in languages and the humanities and is learning several languages this school year. She is also in the process of being recertified in CPR/First Aid through the Red Cross. Sarah has a long time to decide on college and career, but she already knows that counter terrorism interests her and someday she may choose to work in that field.

Sarah has been involved in her community in a number of ways and has volunteered with teams from church, school, and with the Girl Scouts. Last year, she worked for a week on a Habitat House project with her school team during experiential week and felt that experience was exciting and beneficial as she was able to see parts of the project finished in that week's time. She also spent a week at George Washington University during a Civic Awareness Week and while there she volunteered and attended workshops on urban poverty and homelessness.

Sarah has many fine memories of volunteering, including the Girl Scout Indian River Retreat and the overnight stay at the Salisbury Zoo. She enjoys community projects because while getting things done and sharing time with others is fantastic, it's the opportunity to learn and grow from the experience that really matters.

Please join us in thanking Sarah for all her exceptional work. We wish her the best as she moves forward with her Gold Award and her high school years. We are sure she will be setting a positive example for others to follow for years to come!

Carol Steffy

Carol Steffy is a resident of the Eastern Shore who is building a legacy by creating a fund at The Community Foundation that will encourage volunteerism and visitation in local nursing homes and senior centers while building capacity for existing senior care programs. Carol established The Carol Steffy Spirit of Esther Fund to honor her mother's sense of adventure, dedication to others and in appreciation of those who took the time to visit and comfort her in her later years of life.

Esther was a kind hearted and fun spirited woman who never hesitated to explore the world - visiting the landmarks and places that interested her. She was very attentive to her loved ones and spent many hours visiting her older family and friends in various homecare environments while seeing to their comfort and well-being. According to the

National Center for Health Statistics, 50% of nursing home patients have no close relatives, 46% have no living children, and 60% have no visitors at all. When considering these shocking statistics one should also know that human contact is critical to the care and well-being of patients. Patients who have good emotional and mental well-being actually respond to nursing and healthcare more positively.

Through her past experiences as an advanced practice registered nurse and nursing home administrator, Carol made the connection between her mother's gifts and commitment to care for the elderly and these statistics and realized there was a way she could make a difference in her local community. Carol is a retired state hospital system employee and currently serves on the board of the Deer's Head Hospital Foundation. In her spare time she teaches CPR and workforce development courses, and offers psychological psychiatric consultations.

Volunteering in a nursing home can be a daunting concept but the programs Carol is working on will give volunteers the tools they need to feel more comfortable around elder patients, such as care carts with books, magazines and toiletries for them or trained animal visitors to tour nursing homes and senior centers. There will also be mentoring and training involved for anyone interested. The intangible benefits to volunteering alone-such as pride, satisfaction and accomplishment are worthwhile reasons to serve. For our communities, volunteering allows us to strengthen our neighborhoods, improve lives, and solve problems.

If you are interested in being a part of the type of programs mentioned above either as an agency or a volunteer you can contact Carol at: 410-543-2119 or carolsteffy@hotmail.com

Join us in thanking Carol for all of her hard work, dedication, and selfless service to our community. Thank you Carol, for just being YOU!

Jean Pollek

Jean Pollek has spent much of her lifetime here on the Eastern Shore, living in Delmar, Delaware and other small towns nearby. She has children and

grandchildren and loves spending time with them. Jean is an avid reader and enjoys crossword puzzles. She also sews and does craftwork and shares her handiwork with her family and friends.

Jean retired from the insurance industry after working for twenty seven and a half years but she didn't stop working then, she just shifted gears and kept being active by working part-time. Unfortunately, Jean became unemployed and in the face of a life changing ordeal she did the next best thing … she volunteered!

Through her volunteering at the Delmarva Blood Bank Canteen and at Deer's Head Hospital she gained a sense of accomplishment, enjoyment, and made many new friends. At Deer's Head Hospital, Jean volunteered in four different departments performing office tasks and assisting staff. One day, much to Jean's surprise she got a great benefit from her volunteering- a job offer! Jean now works part-time for Deer's Head in their Dietary Department. She's still active on the volunteer roster and donates at the hospital's bake sale events. She also enjoys spending time with and helping the patients of Deer's Head - especially those that don't have many visitors.

Jean is so thrilled to be a part of the Deer's Head family which she describes as very caring and close. Jean is a wonderful example of someone who, even after a lifetime of employment, still gives back to her community day after day.

Helen Young, Deer's Head Volunteer Coordinator:

"Jean was very flexible and willing to volunteer her time and skills wherever there was a need. She has supported many of our auxiliary fundraiser by renting tables at our holiday bazaar and summer yard sale where she sold her sewing projects and crafts. She has been a real asset to Deer's Head Hospital Center!"

Join us in thanking Jean for all of her hard work, dedication, and selfless service to our community. Thank you Jean, for just being YOU!

Arlene Page

Arlene Page is one of "Maryland's Most Beautiful People" and in 2006 she won that award in appreciation of her service work in Worcester County. Arlene is a retired National Security Agency housing officer who speaks fondly of her years with the
NSA. She was able to travel and lived in London for three years while she worked at the American Embassy. After her retirement from the NSA, Arlene served as the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity in Worcester County. She has committed

the years since her retirement to volunteering and chooses to make a difference by donating her time and energy across ten different organizations performing such jobs as director, board member, coordinator, and educator. She is especially interested in patriotism and affordable housing initiatives. Arlene's many hours of dedication have benefitted organizations such as the Democratic Party, The Veterans Memorial Board, The Community Church of Ocean Pines, Habitat for Humanity, and the Worcester County Affordable Housing Task Force.

Arlene's husband Ted supports her volunteerism by occasionally serving on committees with her or jumping in wherever needed. Currently, both are assisting potential public office candidates in Worcester County. Ted is also retired and is an
accomplished photographer. A few fond volunteer memories for Arlene are the times she organized one hundred volunteers to frame a house in one day for Habitat for Humanity and the day her flag etiquette class was complicated by high winds (thankfully Ted was on hand that day).

Arlene's list of achievements is impressive but even more so is her lasting ambition to help and educate others. She feels that every person should have a home to be proud of and should have a sense of pride in themselves and their communities. Arlene will tell you that sometimes those things come from the successful results of a volunteering project and sometimes they come from basic human compassion,
fellowship, and connection with the people we meet through volunteer projects. Arlene also feels that the younger you start volunteering the longer you will do it and the easier and more natural it becomes.

Join us in thanking Arlene Page for all of her hard work, dedication, and selfless service to her community. Thank you Arlene, for just being YOU!

Greg Horsey

Profile by Ann Reading

Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County is extremely proud of its most involved volunteer of 2009, eighteen-year-old Greg Horsey of Salisbury. With 525 hours of service under his belt from August through December 2009, and 674 to date, Greg surpassed the second greatest volunteer by a whopping 87 hours.

Greg says when he heard that he was the top volunteer for the entire Wicomico County Habitat affiliate, he was speechless. He first became involved with Habitat through the Telemon job-training program, which pays its employees to participate in local non-profit organizations while they search for other employment. When the job-training program ended in December, Greg continued contributing great portions of his time working at Habitat’s ReStore in Salisbury without pay.

The ReStore sells new and slightly-used building supplies, furniture, and appliances at greatly reduced prices to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County’s home building program. In the ReStore, Greg works in the warehouse and helps organize donations, but says his favorite part of volunteering lies in the strong spirit of teamwork he’s found among his fellow volunteers and Habitat employees. This bond encourages him to follow through with volunteering, even as he continues to search for a job.

“I just want to show people that you can’t blame things on where you came from. I come from one of the worst neighborhoods in Salisbury, and I’m still out here trying to give back,” Greg said.

Habitat is grateful for the part this devoted and positive young man has played in betterment of this community. Because of his devotion to Habitat, Greg was recently hired as part of the ReStore’s staff as a customer service representative.

Ed Montgomery

People tend to volunteer for a variety of reasons. Some in our current economy are using volunteering as a bridge between jobs while improving their resume. Others volunteer during retirement as an encore career, seeking to stay active and learn new skills while still enjoying the golden years. Ed Montgomery volunteers because he "really enjoys and finds great joy in doing something to help the community." Ed does more than just help the community, Ed makes his community a better place to live.

With over fivevolunteer jobs Ed expresses that "time isn’t a burden or a problem, you need to have a relaxing and enjoyable time while volunteering, so find something you thoroughly enjoy." Ed enjoys a variety of different volunteer jobs including serving as chairman for the Atlantic United Methodist Church Helping Hands Ministry, serving as board member for the United Methodist Church, serving as the Co-Executive Director and Chair of the Worcester County Local Management Board, serving as Vice-President on Diakonia’s Board of Directors, where he will take over responsibility as President this July. He is also a member of the Worcester County Homelessness Committee and also serves as a point of contact for the Census 2010 Partnership of Worcester County. The obvious question is where does he find the time to volunteer at so many different places at once? "Many of my volunteer activities are done on differing nights during the month and my wife keeps an active calendar of activities…she tells me where I need to be!"

Ed finds that volunteering helps expose him to a side of the world he previously had no experience with. In 2001, Ed retired from Vitro Corporation in Silver Springs, Maryland. During his 33 years with the organization he performed various duties including test engineer, integration and design engineer and program management support. Since retirement Ed and his family moved down to Ocean City and quickly became an important part of the community "I wanted to feel like a part of my new community," Ed stated. Now he is "learning about an area of human needs that he knew nothing about." Helping the homeless, jobless and others with a variety of needs, Ed has also spoken to delegates advocating on behalf of Local Management Board programs which he calls his crash course in political science.

Ed states that "it isn’t about recognition" however he does have a couple of accolades to hang on his wall. In April 2010, he was recognized and presented with a plaque by the Worcester County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council at their annual event for contributions to the improvement of quality of life by reducing alcohol and other drug abuse in Worcester County. This was through work on the Local Management Board. In March 2009 he was one of a group recognized during the Worcester County 2009 Maryland’s Most Beautiful People Volunteer Awards Ceremony.

Ed states that volunteering is very satisfying and he gets to meet such marvelous people in his daily interactions. Ed definitely demonstrates the community spirit and works hard to help make our community a better place for everyone. Improving the lives of those around him is what he strives to do, and that speaks volumes about his character. Take Ed’s example and strive to improve your community. Thank you Ed for everything you do, you make a tremendous impact in our community.

Heather Malone

One of the most often quoted reasons for not volunteering is “I just can’t find the time.” Heather Malone, a mother of three with a full time job, thinks differently. “If you don’t think you can find the time, you have to make the time,” states Malone. She sets quite an example for all of us to follow. No matter how busy you think you are, if an employed mother of three can find the time to volunteer, we all can find time to volunteer.

Heather certainly does keep a busy schedule when she is not volunteering. In addition to being a mother to two children she works full time at Lifetime Masonry as an accountant. She coaches her daughter’s softball team and is a Mary Kay consultant. Heather loves to stay busy. She doesn’t just volunteer for one organization but for three! She has volunteered at the Salvation Army for the past two years for their Kettle Drive campaigns during the holiday season. For the past three years she has been a “Meals on Wheels” driver, bringing food to the elderly and disabled. She also teaches classes for Junior Achievement and has been doing so for the past three years. She absolutely adores the children and they love when she comes in to teach.

During our interview as she was talking about teaching classes for Junior Achievement her son asked “Are you coming in this Friday to teach my class?” She replied that she was not to his great disappointment. Her kids love it when she comes to their school to teach a class. “You never know what the kids are going to say” exclaimed Malone, “it does not take that much time to teach a class and the teachers really appreciate it when you do so and they also get to see how much you care about education.” Malone stated “Their education is what I make it.”

With such a busy schedule I had to ask her when she had time to relax. “One again, if you can not find the time, you have to make the time to relax,” she replied. Heather enjoys going with her husband to the races in Harrington and Dover, as well as doing yard work and just getting on the tractor and riding around the yard! As I talked to Heather I could not help but ask myself if I would be able to manage my time as well as she does. Heather is an example to mothers and volunteers everywhere. “I definitely recommend everyone trying to teach a class for Junior Achievement, it is not about the recognition, it is about touching the lives of a child and seeing a smile on their faces when you walk into the classroom.” said Malone. It was a pleasure to get to sit down and talk with Heather and to share her story with everyone.

Are you interested in being a featured volunteer, or know someone that should?
Send us an email at shorecan@cfes.org to let us know.