Feed My Starving Children 2019
AT&T employees and retires with their families volunteered at the Hope Filled Holiday event for Feed My Starving Children during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Volunteers hand-pack rice, soy, dried vegetables and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals. The completed meal packs are shipped to FMSC partners around the world. The meals are packed for undernourished children and distributed worldwide to schools, clinics and feeding programs.
Pioneer Pie Day 2019
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WITH DISABILITIES – On 12/2 Life Members gathered at Park Lawn Charity for PIONEER PIE DAY! Park Lawn is a non-profit organization located in Oak Lawn that offers a wide variety of programs and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sixteen large pies were purchased from Sam’s Club and Baker’s Square donated five sugar-free pies for those who are diabetic. The Pioneers sliced and plated Pumpkin and Apple pies for approximately 100 participants at the Park Lawn Work Center. Pies were also provided for participants at other Park Lawn facilities and for those who reside in their community living homes. In addition to the pies, trays of candy canes and Hershey Kisses were also available. The highlight of the event was when Jim Tabor, Program Manager played his guitar and we all sang Christmas Carols as a group! It was a wonderful and very memorable day and a great time was had by all.
“Pioneers Rock” 2019
The Decatur Life Member Club of the AT&T Pioneers resurrected our Life Member Council “Pioneers Rock” project from 2015/2016. At that time, the Club purchased and donated 9 adult and 9 child rockers to 8 facilities in our local area. The rockers are purchased from Cracker Barrel and a plate is affixed to each chair, “Donated by the AT&T Pioneers.” In honor of one of the Club’s long-time Pioneer volunteers and her years of service and leadership in Decatur and beyond, 4 adult rocking chairs were donated to the Country Lane Memory Care Assisted Living in Riverton, Illinois. The chairs were presented on November 22nd and they will provide years of enjoyment to the residents.
Camp Manitoqua 2018
Life Member Pioneers formed a multi-year alliance with Camp Manitoqua in 2018. Located in Frankfort, IL, the camp cares for specific unique groups that oversee an underserved, struggling and/or “at risk” population. Annually, they host 13,000 retreat and outdoor educational guests in addition to 2,600 day and overnight campers. Our first project was to donate, assemble and seal coated outdoor cedar furniture and each piece of furniture was branded with a plate, “Donated By AT&T Pioneer Volunteers.” The Camp followed up with a request asking if we could assist with a conversation area and fire pit. It was not feasible to ask retirees to do such heavy, physical work but we found a way to “answer the call.” We applied for a Pioneers Charitable Foundation Fund Grant to help offset the of hiring a professional landscaper. The project was estimated at $10,000, it came in at $9,122, we were awarded $5,000 and we moved forward. Heavy machinery was brought in to level the ground and decomposed granite was used for the base of the trail and conversation area. The granite will be easy to maintain and it will last for years to come. A fire pit was constructed and a large boulder branded “Donated by AT&T Pioneers 2019” was placed on-site. Volunteers helped to maintain the grounds around the conversation area and they will continue to keep a Pioneer presence at the Camp!
A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held at the Camp on 9/25/19. Joining the Life Members and volunteers were Jim Holland – Frankfort Mayor, Laura Vroom – Camp Director, Camp Staff employees and Jeff Adducci – AT&T External Affairs Director. During the ceremony the Camp Director commented, “The conversation area has been a blessing to our campers and retreat guests. We live in a world where people live very busy lives and it is getting more difficult to get people to talk to each other face to face. This area gives them an opportunity to sit, relax and reconnect. The setting is ideal with its location and we have already received positive feedback from those groups who have utilized this space during their events.” The Mayor said it takes volunteers to make a community great and he thanked the Pioneers for their support of Camp Manitoqua.
Distributing Chemo Comfort Bags
Life Members throughout the State are in their communities distributing Chemo Comfort Bags to cancer treatment centers. Each item in the Pioneer comfort bag was well thought out to assure we were meeting the patient’s needs: a fleece throw, an inspirational word-find puzzle book, a deck of cards, a notebook so patients can journal during treatments and jot down questions they might have for their Doctor, an AT&T Pioneer pen, lip balm, body lotion, hand sanitizer, tissues, mints, a bottle of water and a small 12″ x 12″ fleece Prayer Blanket.
The Prayer Blankets are handmade by volunteers, a metal cross is stitched to the blanket and it is placed inside a zip lock bag along with an AT&T Pioneer note card expressing our personal words of encouragement. The blankets help to remind patients that they don’t have to go through anything alone and that the AT&T Pioneers care and share in their fight.
To date, 300 Chemo Comfort Bags have been donated to treatment centers and each center has also been provided with a generous supply of healthy, nutritional snacks for their patients. The head nurse at the Amita Cancer Institute in Bourbonnais commented, “it is such a blessing to have bags like this to present to patients on their first day of treatment.” This project has touched the hearts and lives of many in various ways and it remains ongoing for the Life Members!
Operation Gratitude Letters
Volunteers took the time to say “Thank You” during Operation Gratitude Letters of Gratitude Military Community Service project. Telecom Pioneers were able to write in their own words letter of thanks to our men and women serving our country and protect us all. This was a heartfelt opportunity to share words of encouragement and thanks to those in the military that are away from their family and loved ones.
Operation Gratitude-SAY “Thank You”—Every Operation Gratitude Care Package includes a bundle of letters from the American people, thanking troops, veterans, new recruits, wounded heroes and their caregivers, or first responders for their service to our country. Care package recipients tell us that these letters, notes, and drawings are the most cherished items in their box.
During the conference volunteers worked with Operation Gratitude. Operation has delivered more than 2.1 million care packages filled with items donated by grateful Americans and service-friendly companies that want to express their support for heroes serving overseas and here at home. Together we are working to bridge the civilian-service divide. This military based community service event involved making paracord bracelets for our men and women serving our country and protecting our freedom at home. Not only do these bracelets look cool, they can actually be used to save a life in an emergency situation. They are included in Operation Gratitude Care Packages because they’re both functional and meaningful, as they are handmade by an American who wants to show their appreciation to our troops and first responders.
2019 Telecom Pioneers Conference
During the 2019 Telecom Pioneers Conference the San Diego, LMC retirees gathered volunteers to help make sleeping mats for San Diego’s homeless community. Many gathered around tables to cut and weave plastic bags that transformed into brightly colored sleeping mats for the homeless. This project allowed member from various chapters to meet and share other community service projects in their local areas. The San Diego LMC was also promoting their Wine and Mats a gathering at a local winery where they will come together with other and make additional sleeping mats. This was a very fun, yet very helpful project. It is nice to know that something so inexpensive can offer comfort to a homeless person in need.
P.A.T.H. (People Assisting the Homeless) Connections Housing
Together, the llinois Chapter and LMC members agreed to donate an entire case of Granola Bars, bulk socks for men and women as well as multi-packs for tooth paste as a Chapter. These donated items along with others like deodorant, hand sanitizer, and tooth brushes were put into baggies and donated to P.A.T.H. (People Assisting the Homeless) Connections Housing and distributed to homeless individual and families in San Diego. PATH Connections Housing is an organization geared to prepare individuals who are homeless, chronically homeless, and/or deemed vulnerable or at risk on the streets for permanent housing. PATH is able to provide an array of services and support to its clients and residents each day. In addition to the one-on-one case management provided by PATH & Alpha Project, Connections Housing offers support services each week from its PATH Depot community partners, ranging from employment support, mental health services, recovery support groups, faith programs, and more.
This was a very worthy cause and will benefit a homeless individuals and families in the San Diego area. As a team we all agreed this was a great way to give back. There were so many smiling faces and helpful volunteers as we walked around in an assembly line and filled bags with required items and left the completed baggies at the end of the table. There was a note added to each baggie acknowledging that the items were donated by Telecom Pioneers.
AT&T IL Pioneers All Children Shall Have Shoes project Dec. 6, 2018
AT&T Illinois Pioneers kicked off the first of three scheduled Shoe Projects in Homewood, IL on Wednesday, November 28th. Our project was held at Famous Footwear located at 17820 Halsted St. in Homewood. Famous Footwear has partnered with the AT&T Pioneers for over 15 years. We had 45 volunteers comprised of active employees, retired employees, friends and family members. This was an exciting day for both the volunteers and the students.
Thanks to the help of our volunteers and the staff at Famous Footwear, we were able to provide 200 pairs of shoes or boots to students from the following 7 schools, Bryant Elementary School located in Harvey, IL, John Gordon Elementary School located in Posen, IL, Sykuta Elementary School located in Country Club Hills, IL, Meadowview Elementary School located in Country Club Hills, IL, Sandoval Elementary School located in Chicago, IL, Tonti Elementary School located in Chicago, IL, and Jane Adams Elementary School, also in Chicago, IL.
Thanks to Melisa Cameron from AT&T Community Engagement. Not only was she able to provide some financial support, she came out and worked as one of our volunteers as well. Also, thanks to Melisa for informing us of the Believe Chicago Initiative. All 3 of our Chicago Schools fall in the “Believe Chicago” districts.
In addition to shoes or boots, the students received a goody bag with books, toys, and candy from AT&T. Famous Footwear also provided a pair of socks to each student. We truly thank Famous Footwear for their years of partnership with the AT&T Pioneers and the assistance they provide by taking measurements for each student.
The Mayor of Homewood, Richard Hofeld, was in attendance and always finds time to put this event on his schedule. He supports and attends this event annually. This year we also had Country Club Hills School Board Member, Patricia Hutson, attend the event and spend some time with the students from Country Club Hills School District 160.
Thanks to this event, we have obtained 2 potential schools for next year. We were approached at 2 different times by patrons who were in the store asking what was AT&T doing. After explaining to them our project, they asked if they could recommend schools for next year. WAY TO GO AT&T!!!
Manitoqua Ministries wins AT&T Community Engagement Contribution grant
The AT&T Community Engagement Contribution grant in the amount of $5,000 was awarded to Manitoqua Ministries on behalf of the AT&T Life Member Pioneers. The grant is part of a special AT&T initiative that awards local funding based on nominations by AT&T Pioneer Chapters and it gives Pioneers, with a strong record of volunteerism, the ability to identify non-profit organizations making a local impact.
The presentation was held on November 30, 2018 on the Camp grounds. Those in attendance were Jeff Holland – Mayor of Frankfort, Laura Vroom – Camp Executive Director and her Staff, Life Member Council Board Officers – Jackie Steffgen, Gerry Steffgen, Gary Miles and Don Spindler, Life Member Volunteers – Paul Haak, Pat Haak and Pat Miles and AT&T External Affairs Director Jeff Adducci.
Manitoqua Ministries is a Christian ministry that, at its core, desires to provide a setting for guests of all ages and situations to come and find rest from this hectic World. For some, rest comes from spending a night in one of their cabins as opposed to the inner-city of Chicago. Other guests receive a few hours of respite through participating in their challenge course or one of their outdoor education classes. Throughout the year, they care for specific unique groups that oversee underserved, struggling and/or at-risk populations. In addition to the 13,000 retreat and outdoor education guests, they also serve over 2,600 campers through their day and overnight camp programs.
The Camp will use the funds to purchase various educational sports equipment such as ropes and helmets that are used for their rope course and tree climbing activities. These activities help children learn how to step out of their comfort zone and build their courage. Archery and dirt boarding gear will be purchased for their educational programs. These programs help children learn about native animals and the great outdoors. Additionally, building materials and equipment will be purchased for initiatives and field courses that are used to teach children how to work as a team and encourage one another as they try something new.
In addition to the funding, this past summer the Life Member Pioneers donated, assembled and seal coated outdoor cedar furniture for the Camp. The furniture was placed in areas where adults and children could gather in small groups to express their feelings in stressful situations and it helped to provide the groups with some much needed privacy and comfort. Some of the cedar furniture was on display for the presentation and Mayor, Jim Holland was anxious to sit in one of the chairs. He was extremely impressed with the quality of the furniture and the work that the Volunteers did to “answer the call.” The furniture will be put to great use for many years to come! The Life Member Pioneers have formed a multi-year alliance with Camp Manitoqua and new projects are already in the planning stages for the New Year. Stay tuned to learn more!
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