Elderly Troupe Honored Among ‘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 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 Web site, http://pointsoflight.org, or by contacting the foundation at 1400 I Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington 20005; (202) 729-8184.

The recipients:

1622. Granny’s Band, Caledonia, Minn., a troupe of five people over the age of 75 who perform music, dance, and skits at nursing homes, schools, and county fairs; members of the group also serve as pen pals to local sixth graders.

1623. John Stephens, Columbia, Tenn., chairman of the Maury County Education/Community/Business Partnership, which seeks to help students academically and through career-development activities.

1624. The Rev. Jeni Prigmore, Duluth, Ga., founder of Bread for Life Ministry, which recruits volunteers to wrap and distribute baked goods that ordinarily would be discarded.

1625. Layton Community Action Council, Utah, through which high-school students participate in a “youth court” that metes out sentences of community service; the council also coordinates mentorship and neighborhood-watch programs.

1626. Helen Gladwin, Clifton Springs, N.Y., who has volunteered almost 90,000 hours at the Canandaigua V.A. Medical Center; at age 97, she continues to provide companionship to hospitalized veterans.

1627. Kenneth Halverson, Yankton, S.D., who established a Habitat for Humanity chapter that has built six homes for low-income families since 1994; he also helped to develop a job-training center and other community programs for mentally ill people.

1628. CARE Outreach, McArthur, Ohio, a volunteer organization that helps poor residents of Vinton County by distributing food, clothing, and Christmas presents; operating a homeless shelter; and giving emergency funds to help people pay their bills.

1629. Joyce Price, Shreveport, La., founder of the Student Referral Alternative Center, a school for youths who have been expelled or suspended from other schools in Caddo Parish.

1630. Emma Harris, Lame Deer, Mont., who, following the death of her daughter, helped to establish a Boys & Girls Club on the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Reservation, where she serves as the club’s program coordinator.

1631. Franklin McKinley Dental Clinic, Campbell, Calif., which recruits dentists to provide free care to poor children and also operates a mobile-dental program at local schools.

1632. Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement, Catlett, Va., which provides opportunities for elderly people across the country to participate in environmental projects; for example, in Pennsylvania, the group established a mentoring program through which elderly volunteers monitor the water quality of streams and rivers with local youths.