Watch the "Today" show this week! Willard Scott and Smucker's might be celebrating Lillian Davis' 100th birthday, which is July 18. With 55 years of service in the Maryland Chapter, Lil has held the position of Metro East life member president on and off since 1976. For the past 10 years, Lil has worked in the Pioneer Office in Cockeysville, MD.

Lil actively supports the chapter's Vial of Life and Book'em projects. She also works with outside vendors selling their wares to help raise thousands of dollars for the chapter. Lil heads the life member club committee that has produced thousands of Hug-A-Bears for the Maryland Chapter. Lil also continues to participate each year in the Pioneer Spring Beeping Egg Hunt at the Maryland School for the Blind. Apart from her commitment to the Pioneers, Lil also volunteers with the Red Cross and the National Dyslexia Foundation.

"She is legendary in Maryland for her spirit and enthusiasm, and for her dedication to Pioneering," said Mary Weber, Maryland Chapter president.

The Liberty Bell Chapter's Northeast Council noticed that some of the people and organizations that it serves ask what the Pioneers are all about. With a desire to spread the word about Pioneering, one of the Northeast members designed a brochure. The pamphlet is three panels on each side of an 8-1/2 by 11 sheet. About half of the brochure describes the overall Pioneer organization. The remaining half explains many of the community service activities in which the council is involved. That section is illustrated by eight small color photographs taken at the various locations falling under the community service description. The entire project was created in the Microsoft Word program. If you're interested in a copy to customize for your council, please contact Al Collins at acolphoto@verizon.net.

On June 22, Dot and Dom Shiavone and Marge and Hank Koehler delivered food that was collected at the Paumanok Chapter's Spring luncheon to the Queen Of The Most Holy Rosary Outreach Center In Roosevelt, Long Island, NY. The members collect food items, school supplies, toys and $10 food mart gift cards at their open meetings and luncheons for donation to this center, whose staff then distributes the items to those in need.

The Maryland Chapter Pioneers is holding its 3rd Annual Golf Ball Drop fundraising event. It will take place at Maple Run Golf Course on Friday, September 17, 2010 in connection with the chapter's Annual Golf Tournament. Tickets are $5 each for a golf ball with a number on it. On September 17, the chapter will drop 500 or more golf balls from a bucket truck onto a putting green. The closest ball to the pin will win $500, the next 10 balls will win $50 each and the next 20 balls will win $20 each. That is a total of 31 winners. The prize money is based on the number of tickets sold, so the prizes could change. Proceeds will help fund educational projects such as Book'em and Students Under Construction.

Please send a check made payable to MD Chapter Pioneers and mail to: Pioneer Office, 99 Shawan Rd., Room 200, Cockeysville, Md. 21030. Mark your envelope "Golf Ball Drop" You'll be sent a stub with your golf ball number on it. For more information please call the Pioneer Office on 410-393-6648 or 6649.

June 7 was the 35th Day Of Caring at Rye Playland, New York. The Pepsi-Cola company and Westchester County opened up Playland to all special education and special needs children and adults in Westchester County for a day of fun with free rides. The Mountain Valley Empire Pioneers volunteered their time to assist people getting on and off the rides, painting faces and applying temporary tattoos. More than 2,000 people attended this year. Many thanks to Eva Tyler, an active Pioneer, who has been organizing Pioneer participation in this event for many years.

Dalia Santiago is Verizon New York's "Employee of the Month" for her outstanding contributions to the community. She currently serves as the vice president of the Nova 5 Chapter. Her position with the Pioneers gives Dalia an opportunity to engage with the Verizon Foundation so she is excited when she can join organizations like Community of Mayors, an organization that provides recreational therapy for kids with special needs. Dalia and the kids have a great time participating in events and activities that include special outings to amusement parks and museums. Dalia especially enjoyed participating in Operation Santa Claus at JFK Airport. The program hosted more than 4,000 kids with special needs who were served lunch and refreshments, received toys and greeted Macy's Santa Claus, who arrived via Delta Air Lines shuttle.

Dalia partners with the Foundation in serving as the campaign coordinator for initiatives at her Flatbush Avenue office including Showers for the Shelter, Tools for School, Hopeline, and Season Readings. She recognizes the importance of supporting Verizon's sustainability efforts. She recently volunteered to support "Go GREENgineering," an E-waste, acid recycling initiative that helps reduce, reuse and recycle Verizon-owned assets. Dalia and the members of the Network Engineering department are making great strides in the cleanup of all abandoned and unwanted equipment in Brooklyn by collecting and properly disposing of monitors, printers and fax machines. Dalia has worked in Payroll, Human Resources and OSP Engineering. She is currently a Drafter with OSP Engineering.

(Photo:) Dalia is dressed as Jelly Bean the clown in the Community of Mayors event held in Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn for autistic and disabled kids.

The Pioneers' Centennial is approaching in 2011. In preparation for this momentous anniversary, the organization has launched a Pioneers' Facebook page and invites you to 'like' its page!

Pioneers have joined the Facebook community to provide members with an avenue for online fellowship without geographical boundaries to network, reconnect and share ideas, best practices and resources to support your hometown volunteer efforts. New to Facebook and need assistance? Access resources available to support you in joining the online community.

The Pioneers also added a dedicated Centennial section to its website to share news and opportunities for ways you can participate in this one-in-a-lifetime anniversary. Be sure to bookmark the site and visit often for updates.

Last month, we ran a story asking for winter weather clothing and school supplies to be sent by the McCully Upstate Chapter in care of MSG Chad Rhinehart to the children in Panjshir, Afghanistan. The response was overwhelming. Following is a heartfelt thank you from MSG Rhinehart.

Verizon Pioneers,

I want to thank you all for your donations and all your hard work. Your contributions and generosity have changed the lives of many Afghan children. My team's mission involves the rebuilding and reconstruction of Afghanistan. This includes new construction projects, such as; schools, clinics, bridges, and many more. At the same time, we focus on encouraging both children and adults to attend school. This is done by delivering school supplies and making cosmetic repairs to the classrooms. This improves both attendance and morale of the students. It may be difficult to change the hearts and minds of the older generation, but the children are the ones that will change Afghanistan into a country that they can live and work in safely.

Once we receive the donations, they are opened and sorted. We break them down according to the age group that they are intended for, including: Primary school, Secondary school, High school, and Adult Education. Then, they are further sorted according to what gender they are intended for. The amount of supplies delivered to a school depends on how many students attend. Since I have been back from R&R, we have delivered school supplies to four primary/secondary schools and one Adult Education school. The students are in the midst of their "midterms." They are currently taking tests, and then will be released for a couple of weeks. Our mission on July 6, 2010, took us about four hours up into the mountains. There, we delivered supplies to children who had no school building, and another that used a mosque as their classroom. The children and parents were very excited and requested that we extend their appreciation to you all. We explained in detail how the school supplies and clothes make it to their villages. So, on their behalf, "Thank you."

MSG Chad Rhinehart
SPC Alison Cherkosly
SPC Christopher Buckley

P.O. Box 4406 . Salem, MA 01970

What is a Pioneer?

The Liberty Bell Chapter's Northeast Council noticed that some of the people and organizations that it serves ask what the Pioneers are all about. With a desire to spread the word about Pioneering, one of the Northeast members designed a brochure. The pamphlet is three panels on each side of an 8-1/2 by 11 sheet. About half of the brochure describes the overall Pioneer organization. The remaining half explains many of the community service activities in which the council is involved. That section is illustrated by eight small color photographs taken at the various locations falling under the community service description. The entire project was created in the Microsoft Word program. If you're interested in a copy to customize for your council, please contact Al Collins at acolphoto@verizon.net.

Reaching out to the hungry

On June 22, Dot and Dom Shiavone and Marge and Hank Koehler delivered food that was collected at the Paumanok Chapter's Spring luncheon to the Queen Of The Most Holy Rosary Outreach Center In Roosevelt, Long Island, NY. The members collect food items, school supplies, toys and $10 food mart gift cards at their open meetings and luncheons for donation to this center, whose staff then distributes the items to those in need.

Golf Ball Drop

The Maryland Chapter Pioneers is holding its 3rd Annual Golf Ball Drop fundraising event. It will take place at Maple Run Golf Course on Friday, September 17, 2010 in connection with the chapter's Annual Golf Tournament. Tickets are $5 each for a golf ball with a number on it. On September 17, the chapter will drop 500 or more golf balls from a bucket truck onto a putting green. The closest ball to the pin will win $500, the next 10 balls will win $50 each and the next 20 balls will win $20 each. That is a total of 31 winners. The prize money is based on the number of tickets sold, so the prizes could change. Proceeds will help fund educational projects such as Book'em and Students Under Construction. Please send a check made payable to MD Chapter Pioneers and mail to: Pioneer Office, 99 Shawan Rd., Room 200, Cockeysville, Md. 21030. Mark your envelope "Golf Ball Drop" You'll be sent a stub with your golf ball number on it. For more information please call the Pioneer Office on 410-393-6648 or 6649.

A Day of Caring at Playland

June 7 was the 35th Day Of Caring at Rye Playland, New York. The Pepsi-Cola company and Westchester County opened up Playland to all special education and special needs children and adults in Westchester County for a day of fun with free rides. The Mountain Valley Empire Pioneers volunteered their time to assist people getting on and off the rides, painting faces and applying temporary tattoos. More than 2,000 people attended this year. Many thanks to Eva Tyler, an active Pioneer, who has been organizing Pioneer participation in this event for many years.

NY's Employee of the Month

Dalia Santiago is Verizon New York's "Employee of the Month" for her outstanding contributions to the community. She currently serves as the vice president of the Nova 5 Chapter. Her position with the Pioneers gives Dalia an opportunity to engage with the Verizon Foundation so she is excited when she can join organizations like Community of Mayors, an organization that provides recreational therapy for kids with special needs. Dalia and the kids have a great time participating in events and activities that include special outings to amusement parks and museums. Dalia especially enjoyed participating in Operation Santa Claus at JFK Airport. The program hosted more than 4,000 kids with special needs who were served lunch and refreshments, received toys and greeted Macy's Santa Claus, who arrived via Delta Air Lines shuttle. Dalia partners with the Foundation in serving as the campaign coordinator for initiatives at her Flatbush Avenue office including Showers for the Shelter, Tools for School, Hopeline, and Season Readings. She recognizes the importance of supporting Verizon's sustainability efforts. She recently volunteered to support "Go GREENgineering," an E-waste, acid recycling initiative that helps reduce, reuse and recycle Verizon-owned assets. Dalia and the members of the Network Engineering department are making great strides in the cleanup of all abandoned and unwanted equipment in Brooklyn by collecting and properly disposing of monitors, printers and fax machines. Dalia has worked in Payroll, Human Resources and OSP Engineering. She is currently a Drafter with OSP Engineering. (Photo:) Dalia is dressed as Jelly Bean the clown in the Community of Mayors event held in Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn for autistic and disabled kids.

Join the Pioneers on Facebook!

The Pioneers' Centennial is approaching in 2011. In preparation for this momentous anniversary, the organization has launched a Pioneers' Facebook page and invites you to 'like' its page! Pioneers have joined the Facebook community to provide members with an avenue for online fellowship without geographical boundaries to network, reconnect and share ideas, best practices and resources to support your hometown volunteer efforts. New to Facebook and need assistance? Access resources available to support you in joining the online community. The Pioneers also added a dedicated Centennial section to its website to share news and opportunities for ways you can participate in this one-in-a-lifetime anniversary. Be sure to bookmark the site and visit often for updates.

Thank you for Operation Panjshir

Last month, we ran a story asking for winter weather clothing and school supplies to be sent by the McCully Upstate Chapter in care of MSG Chad Rhinehart to the children in Panjshir, Afghanistan. The response was overwhelming. Following is a heartfelt thank you from MSG Rhinehart. Verizon Pioneers, I want to thank you all for your donations and all your hard work. Your contributions and generosity have changed the lives of many Afghan children. My team's mission involves the rebuilding and reconstruction of Afghanistan. This includes new construction projects, such as; schools, clinics, bridges, and many more. At the same time, we focus on encouraging both children and adults to attend school. This is done by delivering school supplies and making cosmetic repairs to the classrooms. This improves both attendance and morale of the students. It may be difficult to change the hearts and minds of the older generation, but the children are the ones that will change Afghanistan into a country that they can live and work in safely. Once we receive the donations, they are opened and sorted. We break them down according to the age group that they are intended for, including: Primary school, Secondary school, High school, and Adult Education. Then, they are further sorted according to what gender they are intended for. The amount of supplies delivered to a school depends on how many students attend. Since I have been back from R&R, we have delivered school supplies to four primary/secondary schools and one Adult Education school. The students are in the midst of their "midterms." They are currently taking tests, and then will be released for a couple of weeks. Our mission on July 6, 2010, took us about four hours up into the mountains. There, we delivered supplies to children who had no school building, and another that used a mosque as their classroom. The children and parents were very excited and requested that we extend their appreciation to you all. We explained in detail how the school supplies and clothes make it to their villages. So, on their behalf, "Thank you." MSG Chad Rhinehart SPC Alison Cherkosly SPC Christopher Buckley