May 11, 2006

San Jose Junior League hosts annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon

Three of Almaden’s own receive Crystal Bowl Awards for outstanding service

By Candy Richter
Staff Writer

“I know of no great man except those who have rendered great services to the human race.” – Voltaire
This year, as it has for the past 36 years, the San Jose Junior League gathered together over 130 “great” men and women for their Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.

From top: Crystal Bowl Award winners Karen Sherwood, and Kaitlyn Howell. Photos by Jeff Frazee

Held at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara on April 26, this event was attended by over 870 well wishers representing not only the Junior League, their event sponsors, and local officials, but a wide variety of community-based organizations that have come to represent the very fabric of philanthropy and service within the San Jose area and beyond.

“We sent out about 1,800 [forms] in the fall,” said San Jose Junior League Presi-dent Martha Lazar-akis. “And we received over 130 nominations.”

From the nominated volunteers, an independent panel of judges selects 16 outstanding individuals that receive the coveted Crystal Bowl, donated this year by Tiffany & Co., as well as a $250 donation made to their nominating organization. Of the 16 Crystal Bowl winners, a second judging panel then chooses a single volunteer for the “Volunteerism at its Best” Award, given at the Luncheon. A $1,000 donation is made to this award winner’s nominating organization.

According to Lazarakis, traits shared by the Crystal Bowl winners are innovation, leadership, creativity and the ability to think “outside the box.” The winners are able to not only develop new programs or methods, but to see the expanded bigger picture, in other words, they are visionary in the way they approach their projects.

Looking at the three Crystal Bowl winners from Almaden—Karen Sherwood of Downtown College Preparatory; James Guido of Youth Focus; and Presentation High School’s Kaitlyn Howell, who worked at the Children’s Recovery Center of Northern California—is to see three real-life examples of those traits applied for the benefit of the community as a whole.

Crystal Bowl Award winner James Guido.

Karen Sherwood – Downtown College Preparatory: Following her seven years as the media specialist/librarian at Saratoga Unified School District, Karen Sherwood and her husband did what any early retirement couple would do—they jumped into their camper and traveled around the country for the next six months.

“We were camping on a beach in Oregon when I got a call from my friend,” said Sherwood. “It was the seventh year Downtown College Preparatory had been in existence and it was the first time they were facing college essays, application, etc. and they needed help.” DCP is hailed as the first charter high school in Silicon Valley, and the only school that explicitly prepares underachieving students for college success. This 400-student campus is characterized by high standards, a rigorous curriculum, a strict code of conduct, and a commitment to college success for all students.

Sherwood came home and helped her friend in the college lab, and by the end of that first year, the former principal came to her saying that they had no funding for the school’s ESL program. He knew Sherwood had a teaching background—she has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special ed. But what had really impressed him was her ability to “create a community.”

“My second year I became the ESL teacher and my intent was to continue to help in the college lab, but this [task] has been too huge,” said Sherwood.

According to Jill Case, Downtown College Preparatory dean of students who nominated Sherwood for her Junior League accolade, “Karen is extremely professional and teaches her class as if it were a paid job. Many of the staff didn’t realize that she was a volunteer.”

Next up for Sherwood is the integration of an information literacy program into her curriculum, which she plans to create. This will be like coming full circle, and a chance to use her media/librarian skills from the Saratoga Unified days.

“[Karen] has given her time, talent and energy to better the learning potential of DCP students,” said Case. “She helps them in taking a step towards a college education.”

In addition to her stint at DCP, Sherwood volunteered for two years at Sacred Heart and has been an active volunteer in her children’s school and in her church. Sherwood’s example of community service has rubbed off on her daughter who has just completed her masters in education at Northwestern University and now manages tutoring programs at Kid’s Korner, which provides on-site educational assistance to low income-housing children.

“It has always been very important to me to be involved in the community and I do that by volunteering,” said Sherwood.

James Guido – Youth Focus: According to those that know Jim Guido well, if you look up the definition of humility in the dictionary, you are likely to see his face smiling back at you. Not one for fuss and recognition, Guido is the perfect example of volunteerism for the sake of the cause alone. And from the Police Activities League, to the Charlie Wedemeyer Football Classic, to Youth Focus, chances are if you’ve grown up in San Jose in the past 30 years or so, you or someone you know has benefited from a program championed by Guido.

According to San Jose Junior League president Martha Lazarakis, traits shared by the Crystal Bowl winners (pictured above) are innovation, leadership, creativity and the ability to think “outside the box.”

From an early age, Guido has seen the value of giving back to the community and what a significant impact caring adults can have on the lives of youth.

“Back in New York were I’m from, my dad would walk me to school every day,” said Guido. “He would put me in the hands of a police officer that would help me cross the street. It was the personal contact with this police officer that held my hand, I really admired him and I got this feeling that maybe someday, I could do the same. I could help young people. I thought that was really outstanding, that he took the time.”

Guido himself ended up in law enforcement, working in the San Jose Police Department for 25 years.
It during was his involvement with the juvenile bureau that Guido saw the need for an effective prevention program.

“When I first became a juvenile officer I noticed 13–14 desks,” said Guido. “As crime increased there was 16 desks, 17, 18, 20. So I kind of wondered, all we do is wait until they get into trouble and we add more juvenile officers?”

Guido thought a better plan would be to get out and prevent problems, turn the kids around early so the department wouldn’t have to keep adding officers. It was then that he came up with the plans for what would become the Police Activities League, or PAL.

It was during the course of setting up the board of directors of PAL that Guido became involved with Youth Focus, also in its infancy.

The unpaid, all-volunteer staff and watching the young people come in at an early age and grow and benefit from the organization’s esteem-building programs is what attracted Guido to Youth Focus, where he serves as board president.

“Jim has a genuine interest in kids and has a wonderful ability to communicate and lead,” wrote Board Secretary Suzette Galloway in her Junior League nomination of Guido. “Since the 1960s, Jim has been instrumental in helping several nonprofits in creating programs for young people and helping to fund their existence.”

According to Galloway, who has served with Guido since he joined Youth Focus, “He has been volunteering his whole life, and has always been interested in helping young people. At Youth Focus we even have an award, the James Jake Guido Award, named after him that we hand out during our Salute to Youth night.”

Kaitlyn Howell – Children Recovery Center of Northern California: One of the most inspirational things about Kaitlyn Howell’s story is her age. At 17, she is one of the youngest Crystal Bowl recipients this year, and according to JLSJ President Zakarakis, part of a growing trend. “There are more young people getting involved and giving back.”

In her freshman year, Howell lost one of her best friends, Danny Fortune, to brain cancer. It was then that she made a personal vow to always be a giving person, much like her friend had been.

“Danny was very kind to everyone,” said Karen Howell, Kaitlyn’s mother “He had great strength and compassion. He was like a brother.”

When she was cut from her junior year volleyball squad, Howell had some extra time on her hands and through a family friend working at Good Samaritan Hospital became involved with the Children’s Recovery Center located in Campbell.

This live-in facility provides 24-hour care for medically fragile children with conditions that prevent them from being cared for in their homes. As a result, they sometimes do not have the same level of interaction with family members as other children experience, especially if their families live a distance away.

Howell started volunteering her time at the Recovery Center nearly 18 months ago, according to Activities Director Marilou James, who nominated Howell.

“What really has stood out is not only has [Kaitlyn] helped the children grow, but she has grown also. All of this has been inside of her, this compassion—she is a fantastic young lady.”

Although the volunteer program at the Recovery Center does require its participants to sign a six-month commitment, that hasn’t been a problem for Howell. In fact, her level of dedication to the children is one of attributes that has impressed James.

“She even comes by on birthdays. She goes beyond and above what is expected, she organizes games, is sensitive to the [kid’s] needs—very attune. She’s the only teenager that has been this consistent.”

For Howell, the feeling is mutual. “When I’m feeling down, I go visit my kids.”

Clearly this commitment has become an important part of Howell’s life. When her senior year rolled around and she was recruited again for volleyball, she turned it down because she knew it would mean giving up her volunteer time at the Recovery Center.

“Even my friends know not to call me between 5 and 7 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday,” said Howell jokingly.

With her senior year winding down, Howell now faces college, which for her means a move down south to the University of San Diego, where she is a presidential scholar and plans to major in biology. Asked if her experiences at the Recovery Center had influenced her career choices, she said that she “is looking at nursing a little closer, after seeing how rewarding it is, and that she will always want to work with kids.”

Established in 1967, the Junior League of San Jose is a nonprofit organization boasting over 800 dedicated members committed to supporting the community through the development and support of trained volunteers.

In additional to annual contributions totaling $4 million, JLSJ members donate over 25,000 volunteer service hours every year. Community programs that benefit from JLSJ support include Literacy; Early Parent Education and Family Support; Nutrition and Health; Safety Training; and Kindergarten Care. As one of 292 chapters in the International Association, The Junior League is one of the largest international volunteer organizations for women.

For more information on the San Jose Junior League, visit the website at www.jlsj.org.