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Atlanta - The Corporation for National and Community Service today honored three outstanding Senior Corps volunteers and a private foundation for their extraordinary service with Spirit of Service Awards.
The awards pay tribute to the most outstanding participants in each of the Corporation’s programs. This year’s recipients are Foster Grandparent Thelma King of Jacksonville, FL; RSVP volunteer Joel Becker of Hauppauge, NY; Senior Companion Patricia Gratton of Grand Junction, CO; and the Pinkerton Foundation of New York City.
The awards were presented on June 2 in front of 1,500 Senior Corps project directors gathered at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. The annual conference, the world’s largest gathering of volunteering and service leaders, brought together more than 4,700 attendees from across the United States for training and networking with the aim of expanding the ranks and effectiveness of America’s 61 million volunteers.
“These honorees have gone above and beyond the call to serve and are a shining example of the power of individuals to make a difference,” said Corporation CEO David Eisner. “They represent America at its best and are living proof that service is a solution to some of our toughest problems.”
 “Granny King,” as the children call her, is a retired registered nurse who supports inner-city youth at Jean Ribault High School’s Exceptional Students Education Program, which serves emotionally and academically challenged students. King uses auditory, cognitive, kinesthetic skill-building activities that help students with no linguistic ability learn to use their bodies to communicate. When asked how she communicates with these children, her response was, “All kids understand the language of love.” Granny King’s success with these children has not only helped to raise their self-esteem but also has raised their graduation rates by 82 percent.
 Becker, a retired engineer, is an Adopt-A-Family volunteer, focusing on assisting families in need. During his service, he noticed that the families had one thing in common: none had computers in the home so the kids were missing a valuable tool that could help them with their academic skills. He approached the RSVP of Suffolk County with a proposal to refurbish donated used computers and then install them in the homes of low-income families. That idea became the Community Computer Connections Program, sponsored by RSVP and managed by Becker. He works with the county’s health and welfare council to ensure that t he computers are received by families and individuals wit h the greatest need, and has recruited more than 30 other senior volunteers to help with the program.
 As a Senior Companion, Gratton has come to understand all too well the importance of being independent. A stroke left her with permanent physical disabilities but her determination remained as powerful as before. She relearned many basic tasks, including how to drive her specially equipped car. She is now back on duty as a senior companion, serving many of her clients four to seven days a week and offering them her undivided attention as she provides companionship and assists with such tasks as grocery shopping and medical appointments. She also serves on the Senior Companion Advisory Council and sees herself as a community ambassador, exerting good will and persuading others to support the program. As a Volunteer Team Leader, she provides guidance to other volunteers, helping the Senior Companion project achieve an 85 percent volunteer retention rate.
 The mission of the Pinkerton Foundation, an independent grant-making organization, is to strengthen and expand community-based programs for children, youth, and families in economically disadvantaged communities in New York City. Recognizing the promising literacy model of the Experience Corps of the Community Service Society of New York, it has provided more than $1.5 million since 1997 to support the recruitment and training of volunteers to serve in some of New York’s poorest neighborhoods. This financial support affirms the Foundation’s belief that all children deserve a chance to succeed.
The Spirit of Service Awards were part of a jam-packed agenda at the Senior Corps gathering, which was the first time all 1,500 Senior Corps project directors have met as a whole since 2002. Other highlights included Assistant Secretary of Aging Josefina Carbonell announcing a three-year partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service to engage 55+ volunteers in serving vulnerable populations; the introduction of new marketing materials for Senior Companions, RSVP, and Foster Grandparents; presentation of new research survey results; and more.
The Corporation for National and Community Service engages more than four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet local needs through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
The National Conference on Volunteering and Service, co-convened by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light & Hands On Network is the world's largest annual gathering of volunteer and service leaders. For more information, visit http://www.volunteeringandservice.org.
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