Brownie Troop, Cancer Educator Among 24 Honored as ‘Points of Light’

Following are the people and organizations that have most recently been named to receive President Clinton’s Daily Points of Light Award.

The awards, which are given to those who have done exemplary volunteer work, take their name from President Bush’s description of people who do community service as “points of light.” Some 1,020 people received the honor when Mr. Bush was in office.

The Points of Light Foundation, a Washington charity, assists the President in making the choices and carrying out the award program. More information about the award winners and the program is available at the foundation’s World-Wide Web site, http://www.pointsoflight.org, or by contacting the foundation at 1400 I Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington 20005; (202) 729-8184.

The recipients:

1130. Caitlin Janus, Barre, Vt., an eighth grader who created a therapeutic horseback-riding program for disabled children in rural Vermont and organized a pet-therapy program for elderly residents of a local nursing home.

1131. Suellen Fried, Kansas City, Mo., who has volunteered extensively for the past 35 years on projects related to child abuse, child-protective services, mental health, and prisoner rehabilitation, including as founder of the STOP Violence Coalition in Kansas City.

1132. The Shark Team at William E. Waters Middle School, Portsmouth, Va., through which students study the Chesapeake Bay and then carry out public- education and community-service projects on water conservation and pollution, including cleaning up shoreline debris and creating educational materials for younger children.

1133. Marion Perrotti, Ramsey, N.J., who volunteers 10 hours each week at the Dell Ridge Nursing Care Center, organizing recreational activities, talking with residents, and helping family members make decisions regarding the care of elderly relatives.

1134. Brownie Troop No. 644, Demarest, N.J., whose members carry out various community-service activities — including visiting sick children and collecting baby clothes for needy young mothers — in memory of Lauren Costanzo, a former 8-year-old member of the troop who died in December 1997 as the result of brain cancer.

1135. Milton Levy, Woodside, N.Y., a businessman who organized a six-week workshop on job-readiness skills for inmates at an alternative high school on Rikers Island and who continues to provide those men and other ex-offenders with guidance on employment and other issues related to re-entering society.

1136.Cheryl Burton, Lakewood, Cal., who regularly performs various community-service activities, including working with grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, cooking food in her home to serve to homeless people at a nearby park, and recruiting restaurants to donate leftover food to hungry people.

1137. John Miksch, Millburn, N.J., who organizes and teaches free courses that train participants to become state-licensed emergency medical technicians.

1138. Karen (Batchelor Farmer) Allen, Detroit, who left her career as a lawyer in 1995 in order to create the Block Club, a collaborative effort of businesses, community groups, and individuals working to revitalize low-income Detroit neighborhoods, rehabilitate low-cost housing, and provide activities and employment opportunities for at-risk youths.

1139. L. Ann Voight, Atlanta, who coordinates Stephen’s Ministry, a network of 4,000 churches nationwide that aid people in need, and who has provided volunteer medical services in Haiti, Nigeria, and the Philippines.

1140. Social Action Committee, Southfield, Mich., whose members have initiated various volunteer activities, including providing Valentine’s Day treats to H.I.V.-positive children, repairing and painting the home of a low-income family, and canning food for famine victims in Bosnia.

1141. Isabella Cunningham, Riviera Beach, Fla., a retired teacher who founded Neighbors United, a community group that works on beautification and crime-prevention issues.

1142. Jodi Beldotti, Scituate, Mass., a former victim of domestic violence who founded the Yellow Brick Road Project, which provides employment-skills and computer training to abused women in the metropolitan Boston area.

1143. Samuel Hay, Toccoa, Ga., a retired physician who established a free health-care clinic where he volunteers two mornings each week and who volunteers at the local soup kitchen and Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

1144. Home B.A.S.E. at Worthington Kilbourne High School, Worthington, Ohio, a program through which students blend academic instruction with construction of a low-cost home in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity.

1145. Youth Options, Appleton, Wis., a program through which local teen-agers staff a telephone hotline for troubled peers and carry out educational activities on such issues as date rape, substance abuse, and teen-age pregnancy.

1146. Ed Baumgart, Reno, a volunteer at Desert Heights Elementary School — which enrolls a significant percentage of students from low-income and troubled families — who conducts reading groups, tutors students, and supervises playground activities.

1147. Sister Alice Marie Quinn, Los Angeles, who founded and directs the St. Vincent Meals on Wheels Program and who recently started a program that recruits volunteers to help senior citizens clean their homes.

1148. Young Leaders Academy, Baton Rouge, La., a program in which African-American boys participate for 10 years, during which they conduct community-service projects, receive tutoring and mentor services, and serve as mentors to younger children participating in the program.

1149. Can-Do Crew, Tucson, Ariz., a group of 565 volunteers from Davis Monthon Air Force Base who assist elderly and disabled adults with home repair and construction projects.

1150. Sister Elizabeth Brown, Okolona, Miss., who helped found the EXCEL service-learning program for local children and who is currently working to establish a community center and to combat racial tensions in her Mississippi town.

1151. Unity Shoppe, Santa Barbara, Cal., an organization that provides various services and products to low-income families, senior citizens, and individuals, including donated food and clothing and computer-skills training.

1152. Kevin Donahoe, Metarie, La., who conducts public education on the need for increased cancer research in memory of his father, who died from the disease in 1994.

1153. Imani House, Brooklyn, N.Y., a community-based organization that provides technology training for youths, English-as-a-second-language instruction for immigrants, a food pantry, and other services for low-income people.