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SPOTLIGHT VolunteerS

INSIGHTFUL INDIVIDUALS

March Volunteer of the Month

Beverly McMullin has been a Cleveland Sight Center volunteer since July 22, 2005. After speaking with a close friend who also volunteered at our organization years ago, and who spoke highly of her own experience, Beverly was eager to dedicate some of her free time to helping others and supporting our agency’s efforts. Some of the volunteer assignments Beverly has been involved in include our annual Holiday Greeting Card project, assisting our Development division with mass mailings, as well as offering a hand to our clients who are blind and visually impaired as they participate in Sight Center recreational events.

When asked to describe her personal experience as a volunteer at Cleveland Sight Center, Beverly states, “All of my job assignments have been memorable, and I truly enjoy working with other volunteers and Sight Center clients.” In addition to the many hours Beverly devotes to the Sight Center, she also finds time to volunteer in the mailroom at the Arthritis Foundation in Cleveland, where she received an award for “Volunteer of the Year.” Beverly works as a nurse’s aid at Judson Park Nursing Home, and also continues to be very active in her spare time playing volleyball, basketball and tennis, and also going for an occasional swim.

We at Cleveland Sight Center are proud to recognize Beverly McMullin as our spotlight volunteer for the month of March, and sincerely thank you for the over 925 hours of dedicated service to our agency!

February Volunteer of the Month and
EYE-deal Volunteer of the Year, 2007

Caroline Oberndorf started volunteering with Cleveland Sight Center while she was a student at Laurel School. She used to cook turkeys for holiday parties at the Grasselli House on East 55th Street.

In 1983, Caroline was elected to the Board of Trustees. In addition, she has served in numerous other areas, including the Nominating Committee, Development Advisory Committee, Linda Eastman Society, and the Public Relations Advisory Committee. For over 10 years, Caroline has shared her expertise in art to help Cleveland Sight Center realize donations of more than $50,000 per season for the holiday greeting card program. A gifted party-planner, she has been involved in donor appreciation events for Cleveland Sight Center. The Sight Center’s opportunity to host its annual meeting at the Cleveland Skating Club is due to her membership there.

Caroline is a board member who actively participates in many capacities, not only with her advice but with her hands-on involvement. She gives her time and talent for the good of the agency. She has even recruited her husband, Ed, to volunteer during the past two years. Year after year, Caroline has worked tirelessly to help Cleveland Sight Center provide services for individuals with vision loss.

We congratulate Caroline and thank her for the life-long contributions she and her family have made over the years!

January Volunteers of the Month

For the past 25 years the Cleveland Police Department has generously donated its time delivering holiday food baskets to Cleveland Sight Center clients who are blind or visually impaired.  Each year between 15 and 20 Cleveland police officers, as well as officers from Euclid, CMHA, University Circle and Garfield Heights, arrive at Cleveland Sight Center to pick up the food baskets.  Each holiday food basket is prepared by our own volunteers and filled with a variety of nonperishable food, fruit, candy and even teddy bears.  Approximately 200 baskets were delivered to clients in financial need in December of 2007, and over 4,000 baskets have been delivered throughout the 25 years this special event has been underway.  Cleveland Sight Center extends its deepest thanks to the Cleveland Police Department for 25 years and over 1500 hours of dedicated volunteer service, and salutes them for their caring commitment to making the holiday season a little brighter.   

December Volunteer of the Month

After being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at age 9 and experiencing his own limited vision, Chuck Spencer became a client at Cleveland Sight Center in 1967, and participated in our rehabilitative programs to learn to live independently.  He understands the challenges faced by individuals with vision loss, and credits the Sight Center with his renewed sense of hope.

Chuck began volunteering for the Sight Center in 1986, devoting himself to organizing and running support groups and low vision fairs throughout Cleveland’s westside churches, nursing homes and senior centers.  In 1992, along with his lovely wife Edna, he began to co-lead the Parma Low Vision Support Group, which continues to be a successful and very active group nearly 20 years later.  Regular attendance averages 25 people, but has on occasion reached as high as 50 people.  Chuck recently retired from his volunteer station, but is confident that the group will continue to thrive and provide a sense of family and hope to all who participate in the meetings going forward. Parma Sun Post featured an article about Chuck and Edna in the November 22, 2007 edition.

“Reaching out to others is important,” Chuck says, “taking your disability, regardless of what it is, and reaching out to others to make them feel good about themselves is what it is all about.”  Prior to becoming a volunteer, Chuck was employed by the Gas Company for 37 years until his retirement in 1983.  Married for 62 years and with three children, Chuck and Edna are very close to their family and active in their church.  Chuck and Edna enjoy frequent travel, including several trips to Hawaii, and loved to share their stories with their support group friends to motivate them to enjoy all that life has to offer.

We at Cleveland Sight Center proudly recognize Charles Spencer as our Insightful Individual for the month of December, and thank him for 1836 hours of dedicated service, as well as his wife Edna for 1427 hours of service.

November Volunteer of the Month

Patti Nugent can rattle off the date she began volunteering for Cleveland Sight Center like it is her birth date. “It was March 11, 2002. I remember the exact date because it is important to me,” she says. “I started my nursing career at Mt. Sinai (a medical center in University Circle), and I used to pass the Sight Center and see people with white canes learning to cross the street and move around in a newly blinded world, and I thought, ‘That is a good place; they do good work there.’ ”

Patti began helping at the Sight Center in the Crafts for Sale area and then moved on to become a radio reader on the Cleveland Sight Center Network, a radio frequency that broadcasts newspapers, publications, shopping ads and more to Sight Center clients. She reads the USA TODAY, Catholic Universe Bulletin, National Geographic, and Saturday Evening Post on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Sight Center’s radio studio.

Patti is disabled due to an accident caused by a drunk driver, but she doesn’t let it dampen her enthusiasm for helping others or her dedication to Cleveland Sight Center. “I wish more people would give their time,” she says. “If people can give just a little, it makes such a big difference.”

Patti also gives her time in another worthy pursuit – caring for patients in their homes with her work as a visiting nurse. In addition, she found time this past fall to sell shopping passes for Macy’s Shop for a Cause, a fundraising event that benefited Cleveland Sight Center and other charities. We congratulate and thank Patti for selling more passes than any volunteer. Cleveland Sight Center salutes Patti Nugent as the “Insightful Individual” for the month of November.

October Volunteer of the Month

Ilene Rawson has been a dedicated volunteer at Cleveland Sight Center since June of 1993. She was inspired to get involved by personal friends who were also employees of the Sight Center. Ilene developed a special interest in the Sight Center after her mother was diagnosed with macular degeneration and received services here. Ilene has actively volunteered in several areas of the Sight Center including Business Enterprises as a reader, assembling gift baskets for our annual holiday basket program, as well as offering general assistance in the “EYE-dea” Shop, Volunteer office, Human Resources office, Public Relations office and Casework department.

When asked to cite her most memorable experience here at Cleveland Sight Center, Ilene mentioned that she wrote a letter to RSVP, a group in which she is a member, nominating the Sight Center for its “Volunteer Station of the Year” award - the nomination was accepted.  Ilene is also a volunteer at Menorah Park where she works in the gift shop.  Her hobbies include reading, needlepoint and traveling.

Prior to her years as a volunteer, Ilene worked as a teacher in the Cleveland and South Euclid School systems, as well as a travel agent for Cedar Center Travel.  She is a member of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Greater Cleveland. Ilene’s total volunteer hours to date are 1379.25, and we are pleased to honor her as an “Inspired Individual” for the month of October.

September Volunteer of the Month

Happy 20th Volunteer Anniversary to Muriel Chasin!  Muriel began volunteering in 1987 because she was “looking for something to do” in planning for her retirement as a Controller with an advertising agency.  Twenty years later she has built a career of sorts, along with many friendships, at the Cleveland Sight Center - contributing 2,803 hours - an average of almost 3 hours per week.

Over the years Muriel has been active in many CSC programs including Radio Reading, Fur Sale, Audio Describer, CRRS Workshop, and is a member of the RSVP group.  She is also a volunteer with the Cleveland Orchestra.

In November 2005 Muriel received the prestigious Ruth Davidson Award presented by the American Council of the Blind – Ohio (ACBO), for her leadership in CSC’s Audio Description Service.  Lynn Brewer, Cleveland Sight Center Network Supervisor, recalls how she enlisted the help of Donna Farr and others to “trick” Muriel into going to Columbus without spoiling the surprise of the pending award.

Since Muriel had a reputation for figuring out all surprises, the CSC staff had to be very convincing. They told Muriel that they wanted her to make a dinner presentation regarding Audio Description at the ACBO annual conference. Muriel was happy to do this, so off they went to Columbus, with Muriel – presentation script in hand – rehearsing along the way. When it slowly dawned on her that she was being recognized with an award for her volunteer service and was not actually there to give a presentation, a very surprised Muriel scolded her dinner companions telling them “you tricked me!” Muriel then graciously accepted the award, and proceeded to give her presentation regarding Audio Description.  She did not want to miss such a good opportunity to talk about described theatre and the positive impact it has on CSC clients.

Muriel continues to be a tremendous advocate for the Center and its clients.  Her dedication to us all is greatly appreciated!

August Volunteer of the Month

Ellen Dec has been a Cleveland Sight Center volunteer since 2004, after retiring from Delphi Automotive Systems as a training and organization development consultant.  In that short time, she has assumed responsibility for coordinating the agency’s speakers bureau, learned and performed every aspect of the holiday cards process, and initiated a general make-over of the former print shop area.  This disorganized, unsightly work area was transformed into one that is very user-friendly.  There are large-print and color-coded signs to designate each area, and also a diagram indicating where things are located. The new PR Work Room is now clean and well-organized so that projects can be completed more efficiently.

Ellen’s attention to detail and infectious laugh are instrumental in her successfully obtaining the right speaker, and making sure that the logistics of the presentation are clear. Her work with the speakers bureau, including presentations requested through United Way Services, has helped to educate the public about the programs and services offered by Cleveland Sight Center.  In addition, her help with the greeting card process has contributed to raising funds for general operating revenue.  Ellen is visually impaired, and therefore a perfect role model for productivity and independence.

In 2005, Ellen started volunteering in the Sailing program, and was appointed to the Sailing Advisory Committee in 2007, where she is a safety and compliance officer.  She works closely with Greg McGrath and his staff to ordinate teams.

Ellen has excelled in all of her responsibilities and is always willing to accept new challenges.  She has worked on special projects with Lisa Cellura, Jeri Rask, and the “EYE-dea” Shop, as well as being responsible for the daily duties of the office when regular staff are out.   Her willing spirit and efficiency make her a very valuable volunteer at Cleveland Sight Center.

In 2006, Ellen was a United Way Spotlight Volunteer.  Since her arrival she has given the agency 1,573 hours of her time.

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