2003 NRTA With Our Youth! Award Recipients

NRTA announces the winners of the With Our Youth! service award for 2003.

Source: AARP.org | July 31, 2003

The NRTA With Our Youth! program is a volunteer service initiative implemented by retired educators' associations and open to 50+ adults nationwide. Volunteers work with children and youth to provide meaningful educational and life-skills support. The NRTA With Our Youth! program grew out of a commitment NRTA made during the 1997 Colin Powell-led President's Summit for America's Future to volunteer and work with youth. Nationally, more than 45 million service hours in over 2,000 communities have been provided by retired educators reaching well over 1.5 million youth. The fourth annual With Our Youth! awards were presented in Salt Lake City on August 3 during NRTA's national leadership conference. Award recipients included:

STATE

Maine Education Association Retired
MEA-R was honored for their work in the "R.E.A.D.-IN-MAINE" program which stands for "Retired Educators Are Delivering." Retired educators in every county across the state have been actively encouraging intergenerational contact by reading aloud to individuals of all ages. Pins and coupons were used as part of an incentive and tracking program culminating in prizes for the individuals who read the most in each county.

South Carolina Education Association – Retired (Innovation Award)
SCEA-R's "Shower for Scholars" program was honored for providing much needed school supplies as well as scholarships for students planning to pursue teaching. The program, which involved approximately 95 projects, also included one-on-one mentoring, tutoring and related activities. The "Showers for Scholars" program involved SCEA-R members statewide and resulted in a donation of over 16,000 volunteer hours.

LOCAL

Crawford County Retired Educators Association
The Crawford County Retired Educators Association, a local unit of the Georgia Retired Educators Association, has become a vital resource in their community. Members worked with young people through tutoring, participating in "Read Across America", judging contests and partnering with AARP in "bag stuffing" with youth for elderly shut-ins, among other activities.

Patrick County Retired Teachers Association
Patrick County Retired Educators, a local unit of the Virginia Retired Teachers Association, have become an essential part of the community through their extensive volunteer activities. Over the last year, Patrick County Retired Teachers Association has donated a total of 1,412 volunteer hours serving 1,890 youth through tutoring, judging competitions, teaching and providing basic supplies such as food, clothing and eyeglasses.

Southwest Retired Teachers Association
The Southwest Retired Teachers Association, a local unit of the North Dakota Retired Teachers Association, created the "Heritage Box" project which is presented to schools and girl scout troops to bring regional history alive in an interactive way. Students participated in hands-on activities such as curling hair in rags and making butter to develop an understanding and knowledge of life in North Dakota from 1900-1950.

INDIVIDUAL

Darlene Carlton
Darlene Carlton, a member of the Washington State School Retirees' Association, has been a committed volunteer helping small groups of first graders improve their reading skills for the last 15 years. Carlton also conceived WSSRA's mini-grant program for active teachers. This program provides financial grants to current teachers to purchase much-needed learning tools for their students. The program started with one unit and quickly expanded to provide over $26,000 to Washington State students last year alone.

Pearl N. Sorenson
Pearl Sorenson, a member of the Utah Retired School Employees Association, is a four-year volunteer with the "Reach Out and Reading" program based at Primary Children's Hospital clinic which serves Hispanic and Russian immigrant children as well as other youth. Fluent in Spanish, she translates stories for Spanish-speaking children and has secured donations of books to the library. Some days, Pearl and her husband, G. LaMar, work with as many as 25 children.

Christine P. Tolbert
Christine Tolbert, a member of the Maryland Retired Teachers Association, worked from 1980 to the present to restore and preserve the first public school in her county for African-Americans. Today the school is a museum toured by schoolchildren and an historical focal point in the county. Since 1980, she has donated 23,445 service hours to this project among other activities. Tolbert is also co-author of A Journey Through Berkley, Maryland: A Tapestry of Black and White Lives Woven Together over 200 Years at a Rural Crossroads.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Submit a nomination for the 2004 With Our Youth! Awards

• Become a With Our Youth! volunteer. Contact the NRTA national office at 202-434-2380 to receive the free With Our Youth! information kit or email gruiz@aarp.org.

• Read more about the NRTA With Our Youth! program.

• Additional questions about the winners? Please email rvillarreal@aarp.org or call 202-434-2380.