VolunteerLEON's Featured Story - April 2004

VolunteerLEON Youth Corps Wins 2004 Nonprofit Organization of the Year

Out of twenty-seven nominees for a nonprofit organization or club, the VolunteerLEON Youth Corps celebrated the victory of being named the 2004 Volunteers of the Year during the 26th Annual Volunteers of the Year Awards Luncheon sponsored by the Tallahassee Democrat. County Commissioner Chairwoman, Jane Sauls, attended the recognition luncheon and celebrated this accomplishment with the youth. 

VolunteerLEON Youth Corps is an organization of young people ages 12-18 determined to dedicate their talent, energy, and participation to making a lasting contribution in this community. Last year, these young people, served a total of over 11,000 hours all across our community.  Examples of their involvement include cleaning Renaissance Park in Marianna on MLK Day of Service; creating and delivering nearly 100 hand-made placemats to the residents of a nursing home on National Grandparents Day; public speaking regarding the need for a Teen Center; serving the homeless on Thanksgiving Day; ushering at the Tallahassee Little Theater, sponsoring the first Big Bend Youth Leadership Conference, and coordinating an intergenerational field day at Walker Ford Community Center.

Since inception of the group three years ago, Youth Corps has  made a significant impact on improving Tallahassee/LEON County with their HEADS UP focus areas which include HIV/AIDS, environmental issues, animals, disaster, school improvement, understanding intergenerational concerns, and prevention. HEADS UP is a result of youth discussions and planning sessions. Examples of Youth Corps activities that helped to serve community needs within the HEADS UP focus include cleaning Renaissance Park; bridging the communication gap between youth and adults during Join Hands Day; and showing concern for those less fortunate, homeless, and hungry on Thanksgiving Day.

When youth are actively engaged in the process of serving, which includes planning, they have ownership in the project and better understand the purpose of volunteering. The Youth Corps’ accomplishments include:

• Being the only youth service organization in Leon County , dedicated only to community service

• Cleared trails of debris, trimmed trees and raked pine straw at Renaissance Park in Marianna

• Delivered hand-made placemats to seniors  at a nursing home

• Helped to serve over 100 people on Thanksgiving Day 2003

• Working with Big Bend Cares to develop a peer HIV/AIDS education program

• Trained in disaster planning and preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.

VolunteerLEON Youth Corps’ activities are unique in that the youth not only serve in the community; they plan, organize and implement service projects that are meaningful to them giving them a chance to make decisions. “By developing service projects, we are directly involved in identifying community needs, creating a vision, setting goals, developing action plans and timelines. We then become a voice in the community.  This is a great way for us to earn service hours and give back to our community,” said Landy Hayes, veteran member of the Youth Corps and president of the Youth Corps Leadership Council.

Over a span of three years, the Youth Corps have participated in most of the Points of Light Foundation’s Seasons of Service projects and other volunteer days including Unity in Spirit of America, National Youth Service Day, Join Hands Day, Service Day for Homeless and Community, Build for Habitat for Humanity, Street of Service, Make a Difference Tallahassee and National Grandparents’ Day in which the youth were engaged in meaningful service projects in the Tallahassee community.   

In addition to serving in the community, another goal of the Youth Corps is to form chapters in all middle and high schools in Leon County .  We are confident that this will happen, especially since being named the 2004 Volunteers of the Year.