| Award Winners |
| Congratulations to the 2011 Chapter and Individual Excellence Award winners, V/F/F/T Hall Of Fame inductees and Centennial Lifetime Achievement Award winners who were recognized at the Pioneer Conference in Boston, Massachusetts on November 4, 2011! |
| Face to Face meeting VP’s presentation |
| Click here to view Steve Kohn’s Power Point presentation to the VFFT attendees at the Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. on Thursday, November 3, 2011. Click here for PDF |
| Telling Amy’s Story |
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Hosted by actress and advocate Mariska Hargitay, and told by Detective Deirdri Fishel, Telling Amy’s Story follows the timeline of what happened to Amy Homan McGee in the week, months, and years leading up to her domestic homicide. While the end to Amy’s story can not be changed, her parents and co-workers, law enforcement officers and court personnel hope they can change outcomes for the millions of victims, survivors and loved ones affected by domestic violence every day. Please visit Telling Amy’s Story to learn more about ending domestic violence. |
| Final Military Honors |
 On October 26, Colonel Joseph Massaro, 11th New York Regiment of the United States Volunteers – America addressed the Paumanok South Bay Life Member Club in New York.This non-profit, federally-funded organization renders military funeral honors, reflecting the highest regard and respect accorded to military service and demonstrates military professionalism to the nation and the world. All eligible veterans are entitled to a flag folding ceremony, presentation of the flag and the sounding of taps. |
| S.A.F.E. Supplies |
 Residents at the Services To Abused Families (S.A.F.E.), a domestic violence shelter that serves Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Madison and Orange counties in VA, received much needed supplies from the Old Dominion – Blue Ridge Council . Gina Mullins, community outreach coordinator for S.A.F.E, wrote, “Thank you for the generous donation of cleaning supplies, garbage bags, toilet paper, paper towels and laundry detergent. S.A.F.E. is truly grateful for your support.”Peggy Starr, Blue Ridge Council Pioneer, is pictured with Gina Mullins, S.A.F.E. community outreach coordinator.
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| Our Life Member Spotlight |
 Christine Liszner started volunteering in the early 1970s when she joined the Junior Women’s Club and the “Dizzy Dames” branch of the Red Hat Society in Clifton, NJ. A past Queen, Liszner formed a spin-off group, the Red Hat Angels, a team of women who raise funds all year and participate in the Clifton Relay for Life each May.Currently, Liszner holds the fellowship position in the McCully Upstate Passaic-Paterson-Ridgewood Council and Life Member’s Club. For the past seven years, she has sent 17 military care packages each month to troops overseas. Doing all the shopping herself, she has put together and sent almost 1500 packages, which included various items specifically requested by the troops. Overall, Liszner has impacted about 250 soldiers in the units. |
| Improving Attendance |
 Getting children to go to school is challenging. Thanks to the Maryland Pioneers, Riverview Elementary in Baltimore County has boosted its attendance record. Last year, attendance was below the state standards. This year, with incentives, nearly 96 percent of students attend class every day. Students, who had perfect attendance, received gold coins and shopped for school supplies in the Pioneer “Students Under Construction Pantry.”
Volunteers also read and distributed books to K-2nd grade students. They gave dictionaries to third grade students, showing them that it pays to go to school. Students in 4th and 5th grades made Blankets of Honor for soldiers wounded in the line of duty. Also, the Maryland Pioneers donated $250 towards Riverview’s Thanksgiving Food Drive. Check out television coverage on WJZ and WBAL. |
| Helping Tornado Victims |
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Kindergarten teacher Wendy Bolling said, “It’s amazing because there were a lot of rooms that were destroyed. So to replace those materials for a teacher and also as a parent not having to come up with it all on your own, the community has definitely come together.” Visit WWLP to see the television coverage. |
| Veteran Appreciation |
 Earlier this year, the Thomas Sherwin Pioneers received an award from the Bedford VA Hospital for fulfilling their wish list throughout 2010. This was made possible through the Pasquale Grillo Memorial Fund.
“Recognizing your dedication and commitment to providing for Bedford’s hospitalized Veterans…Thank you for helping us to Keep the Promise” was the inscription on the award. Tammy Follensbee, director of Bedford VA Hospital, presented it. The Thomas Sherwin Pioneers are also assisting Jamaica Plain, Boston, New Bedford, Cape Cod and Brockton veterans as ongoing projects. |
| Special Gratitude |
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We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to you and the Verizon Telecom Pioneers for all that you have done and continue to do for our school by providing scholastic books, various school supplies at the start of the school year, dictionaries and thesauruses. We do have a number of families that unfortunately are unable to afford to purchase these items. All of the items provided by the Verizon Telecom Pioneers are essential pieces in assisting our students toward a good education. Very truly yours, Eugenia Dragon is a member of the Mountain Valley Empire State Chapter. |
Partnering with Springfield Forward, the 
