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Community
918 / 585-5551 phone The Council is a citizen- Questions or comments Copyright© 2009 |
Congratulations to all who were honored at the Council's annual Awards Celebration, October 26th, 2000 at Gilcrease Museum!
In the spirit of the Dream
Catcher ... The Awards Presentation, in the Gilcrease Auditorium, was followed by a Reception in the Vista Room, hosted by AEP - Public Service Company of Oklahoma.
Award winners and
presenters
(left to right):
Brook and Jill Tarbel presented the Tarbel Award for
Contribution
Joseph C. Fallin, Esq. ... Longstanding leader and advocate for Oklahomans with disabilities
The annual Tarbel Award honors a community
volunteer, civic leader, or organization for notable contributions in the
field of disabilities in the Tulsa community. The award celebrates an
individual's or group's commitment to possibility for all people, and the
richness brought to our lives by diversity and cultural competence. This
award celebrates people who have disabilities, and Tulsans who help to further
the mission of the Tulsa Area Alliance on Disabilities: "To ensure the
full participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of community
life." (Written by Laura Dempsey-Polan, Ph.D., Director of the Tulsa Area Alliance on Disabilities)
Joe grew up with parents who strongly believed that, with excellence in performance, charm and brilliance would always win the day. When it came time to navigate the "seeing" world, Joe also learned that humor was a great tool to provoke needed change and, many times, it worked. Following his common education days at Oklahoma’s school for the blind, Joe finished his B.A. at O.S.U. and after graduating from law school worked as a Vista volunteer to help Oklahomans in poverty. During law school, he served in student government at OU with the likes of Mike Synar, Dave McCurdy, and Frank Keating. And, with his usual aplomb, he managed to corral bipartisan friendship and support for systems change to make it easier for the next students with disability—no more hiding students with disabilities behind black curtains. Joe continued to defy commonly held views about professional work and the blind community. After passing the bar, he wasted no time opening a general law practice in eastern Oklahoma. As his practice grew in the late 1970s, a group of college-age students with disabilities were referred to him. These applicants faced rejection from a prominent private institution of higher education due to their disabilities and they could not find representation. Joe reluctantly took their case at great personal and professional cost, ultimately winning entrance for each student with key policy changes sustained today in this institution. This landmark case was the first Access and Rehabilitation Act, 504 case settled in Oklahoma and the birth of a committed disability advocate. From this point on, Joe continued to win both state and national attention on disability rights work and was invited to the first White House Conference on disability rights under President Jimmy Carter. Joe became a resolute volunteer for many prominent disability advocacy groups in Oklahoma, including the Council for the Blind and the Oklahoma League for the Blind. He helped found and lead Oklahoma’s first cross-disability organization, the Oklahoma Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. With Governor Nigh and this new Coalition, Joe co-wrote the first state statute to establish a state organization—the Office of Handicap Concerns—which was designed to serve as an inside government advocate for Oklahomans with disabilities. Joe also continued advocacy work at the national level, particularly on issues impacting the blind community, and helped form Oklahoma’s voice on what was to become the Americans with Disabilities Act. During this time, Joe was asked to join the original staff of the Office of Handicap Concerns to help complete Oklahoma’s first statewide disability needs assessment, the first statewide hearing process on disability issues, the first 504 trainings for state agencies, and some of the first legislative trainings for constituencies with disabilities, with a related newsletter and the first Oklahoma hotline on disability issues. Joe was also instrumental in establishing and running Oklahoma’s early Client Assistance Program (CAPs) and helped strengthen consumer rights in the reauthorization under the Rehabilitation Act.
Today, while Joe and his wife Sandy run a successful estate planning firm, Joe’s community contributions include chairing the Mayor’s Commission on the Concerns of Tulsans with Disabilities and related work as "provocateur" with Tulsa’s transit system to ensure transportation for Tulsans with disabilities. He remains active in both the Oklahoma Council of the Blind and the League for the Blind and, in all his spare time, has become an awareness trainer for the Center for Public Management at OU with Oklahoma’s new workforce centers. Finally, Joe is a proud founder of the Oklahoma
Foundation for the Education of Blind Children and Youth which promotes Braille
literacy, Brailling in schools, the creation of a public center for expedient
creation of Braille textbooks, organizing opportunities for blind students to
meet one another, and promoting entrance into Oklahoma schools with full
supports for blind children, especially schools like Oklahoma’s math and
science school. The Foundation also helps schools obtain grants to fund these
efforts. Managing with unrelenting humor, those who know Joe understand that his lifelong disability rights work has been full of controversy and results. We honor Joe today for his pluck, his persistence, and his willingness to overcome skepticism for the good of all. As Joe would say to all who work to achieve equity in the field of disabilities, "it’s hopeless but not serious!"
Susan Neal presented Chester Cadieux, The Community Service
Council
important community service initiatives
QuikTrip Corporation is a Tulsa-based convenience store company which has been in business for over forty years, operating stores in ten states, with over 4700 employees. For many years, in Tulsa and in other cities throughout the country, the QuikTrip commitment to "doing the right thing" has been a leadership force for positive change. QuikTrip sets a fine example in corporate philanthropy, in promoting volunteerism, and in working to keep children and youth safe. QuikTrip believes strongly in investing in the communities in which it operates. Each year, the company budgets a percentage of its annual profits as contributions to eligible nonprofit organizations, investing strategically to make a lasting impact, not just put band-aids on problems. QuikTrip says, "Our priority is contributing where the need is critical and the effect is long-term." Local United Way organizations and other nonprofits have benefited greatly from the company’s generous support. QuikTrip encourages all its employees to improve the communities where they live and work by volunteering their time and energy to community organizations. Management staff often serve on local nonprofit boards and volunteer committees, and lend their skills and leadership to benefit community initiatives. QuikTrip is an active long-term member of the Corporate Volunteer Council, sponsored by the Tulsa Volunteer Center, a program of the Community Service Council, and Debi Graham, QuikTrip Community Affairs Coordinator, is currently a member of the Community Service Council board. All QuikTrip’s employees are encouraged to volunteer, and are given up to sixteen hours a year of paid volunteer time to work on corporate volunteer projects. Over the years these projects have included the United Way Day of Caring, Special Olympics, working in homeless shelters, refurbishing homes for the elderly, helping teachers bring new skills to their classrooms, and mentoring children through Adopt A School programs. Responding to community emergencies, QuikTrip quickly sent an 18-wheeler truck filled with bottled water and batteries to the Salvation Army in Oklahoma City to help with tornado relief. Especially noteworthy is QuikTrip’s involvement in an innovative initiative called "A Safe Place." Since 1991 QuikTrip has partnered with Youth Services of Tulsa to educate young people about accessing help and avoiding becoming victims. QuikTrip stores serve as Safe Place sites where youth in crisis can come for assistance, 24 hours a day; all store managers are trained to respond effectively. This program, successful in Tulsa, is now also in operation in several other cities, with QuikTrip’s support. QuikTrip has earned many honors for their participation in the Safe Place program, including a citation for Excellence in Corporate Community Service from the Points of Light Foundation. On October 5, 2000, QuikTrip received the Outstanding Corporate Involvement Award from the National Safe Place Office. The Community Service Council applauds QuikTrip
for its unusually wise and thoughtful partnerships with community organizations
to help improve Tulsa’s quality of life. It has long demonstrated how a
company can use its leadership to make a significant difference for the
community in which it operates. We are pleased to present the 2000 Community
Service Council Partner Award to QuikTrip Corporation.
Dream Catcher Awards The Community Service Council Dream Catcher Awards celebrate progress toward catching, shaping, and realizing our community's dreams for a brighter future.
Susan Neal presented the Dream Catcher Award to:
... Committed system-builder for home and community based long term care services for low-income frail elderly and others with chronic health needs
When a community’s vision for doing important things in a better way is entrusted to a person with the knowledge and skills needed to make that vision a reality, great and lasting results are possible. Such a person is Deborah Karns. Her work with Tulsa’s Long Term Care Authority has resulted in a nationally-acclaimed system providing care at home for thousands of Oklahoma’s most vulnerable people. Just a few years ago, frail older adults and others with chronic health needs and low incomes had only one choice: a nursing home. Community based services were scarce, fragmented, very difficult to access, inadequate and under-funded. Deborah had a dream that by coordinating the services and resources of these multiple agencies, it would be possible to provide home and community-based services to those in need of long-term care, for less than the cost of nursing home care. This was also the dream of the Community Service Council and the group of committed organizations and volunteer leaders the Council brought together for planning in the late 1980’s. Their efforts in conjunction with those of the Metropolitan Human Services Commission (MHSC) led to the creation of what is now the Long Term Care Authority. As its leader, Deborah searched the country for model programs, then created a new model well-suited for Oklahoma’s demographic, geographic and economic characteristics. Transforming fragmented services into a well-functioning system was not easy. Each agency had its own rules and eligibility requirements. If an elderly person or someone with disabilities needed help with medications, personal care, chores or home delivered meals, he/she had to fill out several different applications, meet several different sets of criteria, and make a lot of phone calls. This was daunting for professionals and almost impossible for consumers and family members, not to mention costly and wasteful. The "fix" required coordinating services and resources of multiple agencies including HCFA, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and the Department of Human Services. With Deborah’s leadership, these agencies began to unravel the barriers, form partnerships, adopt companion policies and eligibility criteria, and work together to build one of the most innovative programs in the nation. To secure ongoing funding, she arranged for a waiver from the federal government to allow Medicaid nursing home dollars to be spent on home and community based services. Today, a person needing long term care services makes only one phone call, to the Long Term Care Authority’s Advantage program. Deborah was told it couldn’t be done. She started small, serving five people in three Tulsa zip codes. Today, the Long Term Care Authority serves more than ten thousand people across the state, making it possible for people to remain in their homes and retain their independence. This coordinated system has earned national recognition, and Deborah is now providing leadership for state and national organizations addressing long-term care issues across the country. In nominating Deborah for this award, Glenda Whitsett wrote, "Deborah describes the Long Term Care Authority as a ‘learning organization,’ a place where we are required to look at what we do with a critical eye and work together to grow and constantly improve." She continues to strive for further improvements in the system and how it works for people. "She never forgets who she is working for--people who have long-term health needs. Most Advantage consumers will never know her, but thanks to her vision and leadership, they, and many others still to come, have improved quality of life." The Community Service Council is pleased to honor
Deborah Karns with a Dream Catcher Award.
Susan Neal presented the Dream Catcher Award to: Steven Dow and Jerome Lee ... Visionary risk-takers and partnership builders for high quality early education and care for young children from low-income families
CAP was awarded the Head Start program in 1998. While the program had its strengths, it also had areas needing improvement: half-day rather than full-day programming; isolated, poorly equipped classrooms; a non-professional teaching staff; and a lack of collaboration with public school systems. Today, with community collaboration and blended funding, CAP’s Head Start program features exclusively full-day and extended-day classrooms ranging from six to twelve hours of education and care per day; contemporary, well-equipped classrooms located throughout low-income areas of Tulsa County; a teaching staff far exceeding Head Start’s credentialing requirements, with over half now certified in early childhood education; and a growing collaboration with schools. To transform its Head Start program, CAP had to transform itself, evolving from a small relatively unsophisticated agency with fewer than 30 employees into a comprehensive anti-poverty agency with more than 200 employees and the most current technologies. So that Head Start could benefit from the best Tulsa has to offer, CAP engaged many active partners. These include Family and Children’s Service (providing partnerships with approximately 1,000 Head Start families annually), Tulsa Housing Authority (providing Head Start sites at several of its apartment complexes), area child care providers including Day Schools and Crosstown Learning Center (converting existing facilities into Head Start early childhood education facilities), Tulsa City-County Health Department and OU School of Nursing (providing health screenings and services), and Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority (providing transportation services). Perhaps most significantly, CAP has partnered with area public school systems, which can now contract with Head Start programs to educate low-income young children and help prepare them for success in kindergarten. The new partnership between CAP and Tulsa Public Schools has transformed Frost and Reed Elementary Schools from long-abandoned dilapidated facilities into early childhood education megacenters serving more than 400 low-income children and families in North and East Tulsa. This was accomplished through a complex innovative funding arrangement which overcame many regulatory and administrative obstacles. The plan included partnerships involving the Tulsa Children’s Coalition as well as the Tulsa Industrial Authority and Bank One, Oklahoma. This funding plan constructed by Steven Dow serves as a clear example of "where there’s a will, there’s a way." Bob Harbison, former director of the Tulsa Children’s Coalition, has called the facilities at Reed and Frost "a showplace for the nation." A new Head Start facility is planned this year on the campus of McClure Elementary School. In nominating Steven Dow and Jerome Lee for this Dream Catcher Award, Harold Katz notes that "CAP shares the Community Service Council’s vision of community collaboration working towards an ever-improving Tulsa." Harbison adds personal praise for Dow for his vision, his dedication, and his role as "a champion for poor people." He describes Lee as a fine team-builder, highly regarded by those who work for him and by his peers throughout the state. Through outstanding leadership, committed community collaboration, and innovative funding, these honorees and the CAP partners have transformed Tulsa’s Head Start program into an initiative that is life-changing for hundreds of low-income families, a credit to the Tulsa community, and a model for the nation. The Community Service Council is honored to present Dream Catcher Awards to Steven Dow and Jerome Lee.
Pictured:
Pictured: Steven Dow (left) with Nancy and Ted Kachel, Claudia Arthrell and Jill Willey
Steve Kennedy presented the Dream Catcher Award to: Representative
Mike Thornbrugh, ... Effective advocates for a multidisciplinary team system for child abuse investigations, implemented throughout Oklahoma Our society is committed to protecting children. Everyone agrees that when child abuse occurs, community intervention is essential--and many agencies and caring professionals are ready to help. But unfortunately, the process of investigating a child abuse/neglect report often further traumatizes the child. He or she may be removed from home or school, taken to a shelter, placed in the home of strangers (foster care parents), physically examined by medical personnel, and interviewed separately by Child Welfare workers from the Department of Human Services, police investigators, and prosecutors. The Community Service Council has been working to address the problem of child abuse for over twenty-five years, and child abuse prevention has long been a top priority of the Metropolitan Human Services Commission. We recognize that the child abuse/neglect investigation process is very complex. The Council reviewed the process in the 1980’s and the flow chart filled a whole wall. The process is complicated by state law, court decisions, and various procedures within the Department of Human Services, law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors’ offices. Prosecution can be very difficult; often it comes down to the child’s account of what happened opposed to the parent’s account. Young children’s verbal skills may be weak or not yet developed. Further, a lack of coordination among those involved in the investigation process may result in facts missed, witnesses unidentified, charges never filed, or cases lost in court. A concept Tulsa began implementing more than ten years ago removes many of the problems with the investigative process, making it more effective while greatly reducing its traumatic effects on children. All aspects of the investigative process are brought together in one place--not at the police station, but in a warm and caring environment. This place is now housed in a stand-alone non-profit, the Child Abuse Network (CAN), which serves as the home to and coordinator of Tulsa's multi-disciplinary team. The Community Service Council, the Junior League of Tulsa, and public and private agencies worked together for years to make this new "best practice" model a reality for children in our community. Rather than telling their version of what happened to them separately to DHS Child Welfare investigators, police officers or sheriff’s deputies, prosecutors, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), children can now go through this process just once, with all present. The team then reviews the case and determines the appropriate response. Working each investigation as a team results in the best possible outcome for the child as well as more efficient, cost-effective and accurate investigations and prosecutions. Recognizing that the multi-disciplinary team approach is the best practice, in 1995 the state passed the Ryan Luke Bill calling for establishment of teams statewide—but no funding was provided. A number of teams established themselves, only to find that without stable funding they could not continue. Some programs folded, while others made do with insufficient resources and staffing. Tulsa's team faced the possibility of having to close its doors if consistent financial support could not be identified. The nominees for this award understood this problem, and worked together to address it. They developed a plan for establishing a stable state funding source for Multi-Disciplinary Child Abuse Investigation Teams throughout Oklahoma. The Child Abuse Multi-Disciplinary Account (CAMA) was created in 1999, and in 2000 the Legislature and Governor approved an increase in certain court fees to provide a dedicated source of revenue of several million dollars to fund child abuse investigation teams and advocacy centers in Tulsa and in large and small communities throughout our state.
Together, their vision, dedication, and effective
action has resulted in more effective and less traumatic intervention to protect
abused and neglected children throughout the state of Oklahoma. The Community
Service Council is pleased to honor Mike Thornbrugh, Mike Morgan, Ken Lackey,
Barbara Gish and Susan Neal with this Dream Catcher Award.
Senator Mike Morgan
Representative Mike Thornbrugh, with his parents. He asked that his Dream Catcher Award be presented to his mother: "She is the one who gave me the dream."
Barbara Gish, with Dan Arthrell
Susan Neal, with Phil Dessauer, Jr.
Susan Neal presented the Dream Catcher Award to:
Melanie Spector,
To accomplish this, she developed a unique partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Tulsa Community College, and the Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership. Through the new HIV Prevention Peer Education Program, more than 120 incarcerated women have earned a college credit for completing a course on HIV prevention, and have become HIV prevention peer educators. Many of these women have a history of childhood abuse and poverty. Few have had the opportunity to attend college. This program prepares them for making healthy choices and avoiding risk behavior when they return to their families in the community. The program teaches incarcerated women, who are at great risk for HIV/AIDS, how to protect their health and avoid HIV infection. The program is now in five Oklahoma prisons and has reached approximately 6,500 inmates. The HIV Prevention Program for Incarcerated Women
was selected as one of seven highly successful HIV prevention programs for
incarcerated populations featured in a Centers for Disease Control national
satellite telecast to health prevention education programs across the United
States in April 2000. Programs in more than twenty states and Canada have
requested assistance in starting similar HIV prevention programs for
incarcerated populations. Melanie Spector has been described as "determined–a committed crusader." In nominating her for this award, Community Service Council senior planner Janice Nicklas writes, "For more than eleven years, Melanie Spector has worked on the front line helping underserved populations access health care. Her stamina and dedication to serving Oklahomans who have suffered poverty, abuse, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and drug and alcohol abuse make her an excellent candidate for the Dream Catcher Award." "Melanie works with Oklahoma’s ‘forgotten’ women–women incarcerated in Oklahoma prisons. Her passion for social justice, her conviction that everyone deserves a second chance, and her ability to help incarcerated women find new directions for their lives has inspired our whole community." The Community Service Council is honored to
present a Dream Catcher Award to Melanie Spector.
David Bernstein presented The David Bernstein Distinguished Leadership Award
1983
Charles Goodall
Rev. Russell Bennett ... Tireless and caring leader for individual and social justice
Pictured: David Bernstein, Russell Bennett, Carole Huff Hicks, Susan Neal, and Phil Dessauer, Jr.
Rev. Bennett is widely respected not only for what he does, but also for why and how. Bennett has been called a symbol of faith, courage, hope, and integrity. Shunning the limelight and quietly leading by example, he has long worked for social justice. He has inspired people at Fellowship Congregational Church for the past 22 years through his sermons, recently collected and published in a book entitled "You Are God’s Beloved Child." He has also served the community by writing compelling letters to the editor, engaging other congregations through the Interfaith Alliance, serving on boards of community agencies including the Community Service Council and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, and leading community initiatives addressing social concerns such as homelessness. He is known for his acceptance of all people and his willingness to hear them, remove barriers, and find common ground where all can work together for a common good. He unites people and builds trust. Since 1992, he has chaired the Homeless Services Network, an inter-agency group sponsored by the Community Service Council. Council Associate Director Jim Lyall writes, "Russell continually promotes a spirit of collaboration among organizations that serve the homeless and emphasizes the ‘important work’ that they do to help homeless people achieve self-sufficiency. He effectively works to enable homeless people to reach recovery and achieve independence." He led in the creation of a testing program which has reduced the spread of tuberculosis among shelter residents and the general population. He gained acceptance for an annual strategic planning process to help the Network achieve its objectives. He led the Network in developing and supporting Representative Payees to assist mental health consumers and homeless people with management of their financial affairs. In 1999, when some neighborhood associations accused homeless people and service providers of promoting the deterioration of neighborhoods and parks, "Russell recommended the use of community forums to create new understanding and mutuality between opposing groups. In a complete turnaround this summer, the Homeless Services Network honored one of those outspoken neighborhood leaders for his new involvement in homeless service planning and for raising funds to send homeless children to summer camp."
By example, Russell Bennett asks us all to use
our faith and our convictions to make a difference in our community. He is a man
who keeps the faith and challenges us to do the same. With a deep sense of
respect and appreciation, the Community Service Council is honored to present
the David Bernstein Distinguished Leadership Award to Russell Bennett.
The following letter to the editor appeared in the "Tulsa World" on January 24, 1999:
CSC's outgoing President Carole Huff Hicks, outgoing President of the
Community Service Council, received sincere thanks and a bouquet of flowers,
presented by Phil Dessauer, Jr., Executive Director, in appreciation for her
two years as President and her many years of service to the Council
CSC Board member Lauren Brookey, and Loren Farr with Tulsa Public Schools, worked together to create a commemorative video for the Awards Celebration highlighting Russell Bennett's accomplishments
Online Photo Album
Special thanks to all those who work with us throughout the
year to help "catch, shape and realize Tulsa's dreams for a brighter
future."
OTHER 2000 AWARDS RECOGNIZING COUNCIL INITIATIVES, STAFF and BOARD MEMBERS -- congratulations to:
CSC Senior Planner JANICE NICKLAS, winner of the 2000 Russ Radley AIDS Grantmaker Award from Funders Concerned About AIDS. MARY FINLEY, Director of the Council's TULSA VOLUNTEER CENTER -- named 2000 Pinnacle Award Winner for Public Service by the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women and the Tulsa Women's Foundation! CSC Board member Linda Watts -- chosen to receive a 2000 Paragon Award from Leadership Tulsa! Volunteer of the Year winners!
Remembering ... The 1999 Community Service Council Awards "In this season of thanksgiving and celebration ..."
Annual Meeting, Awards Celebration & Holiday Reception Judy Berry The Community Service Council Partner Award: Steve Kennedy, HKH Advertising The Dream Catcher Awards: Jeff Beal, M.D., Bob Harbison, Lynn Jones, Rick Palazzo & Jan Creveling The David Bernstein Distinguished Leadership Award: Nancy McDonald For information and photos highlighting these honorees, and an "online photo album" from the 1999 awards, please go to the "1999 CSC Awards" page!
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In 1991, Joe continued his disability rights work
when he moved to Tulsa and joined Oklahoma’s Protection and Advocacy (P&A)
system. With the P&A, Joe represented client rights on numerous fronts,
particularly in the areas of poverty and employment. During this time, he
increasingly focused his volunteer time on the rights of blind Oklahomans.
Through his assistance, numerous days at the Capitol were organized and advocacy
was sustained for funding for the School for the Blind and for Braille literacy,
a recently endangered area of self-sufficiency for blind children and youth. Joe
also served as a technical advisor and member of the Community Service Council’s
Tulsa Area Alliance on Disabilities since its inception. His time with the
Alliance has been spent working with advocate awareness on transportation and
technology issues, alongside employment issues which ultimately led to creating
collaborations on access to job fairs.
Led by Mike Thornbrugh, this accomplishment was
truly a team effort, drawing upon the knowledge, talents and time contributed by
the five people honored with this award. State Representative Mike Thornbrugh
and Senator Mike Morgan provided the essential legislative leadership, with the
involvement and support of Ken Lackey, Governor Keating’s former chief of
staff and now president of OU-Tulsa. Barbara Gish, chair of a statewide
legislative coalition comprised of teams and advocacy centers, and Susan Neal, a
caring community volunteer leader who serves on the boards of Tulsa's Child
Abuse Network and the Community Service Council, worked closely with legislative
leaders and concerned citizens, building support for this important legislation.
Russell Bennett has long been on the front lines
in our community—asking the questions and taking a stand. He acts out of a
deep reservoir of faith, commitment and caring. His brand of leadership is
disarming, gracious and gentle. At the same time it comes from a risk taker—someone
who will not duck the tough issues. Community leader Nancy McDonald recalls,
"Russ and Nancy supported the voluntary integration of the Tulsa Public
Schools. Their children, David and Sarah, attended the magnet schools, and their
church sponsored meetings to inform parents and the community about the
integration plan ... Along with Rev. Bill Wiseman, he started the Tulsa
Interfaith Alliance in an effort to unite the religious community as an
alternative to the Religious Right activity ... Never afraid to tackle
controversial issues, he has worked for education of the community about
HIV/AIDS. He led his congregation through the process of becoming an Open and
Affirming Church, welcoming gays and lesbians. PFLAG (Parents, Families and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays) was invited to use the church facility as a
meeting place." He has also championed reproductive choice, and
understanding and help for people living in poverty. "If there is an
injustice done to anyone, Russ is one of the very first people to step forth and
say this is not right and what are we going to do about it? In his quiet way, he
has an incredible capacity to mobilize people and help them make a commitment to
seeing injustice and making it right."
