Storyteller, 17 Others Are ‘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://pointsoflight.org, or by contacting the foundation at 1400 I Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington 20005; (202) 729-8184.

The recipients:

1242. Sister Barbara Ginter Health Care Ministry, New Hartford, N.Y., which comprises a group of doctors, nurses, and other volunteers who provide health examinations for disadvantaged people and treat their short-term illnesses.

1243. Cherri Johnson, Sioux Falls, S.D., who gives clothes to newly arrived refugees, visiting them in their homes to see what items they need and then procuring the garments from her church congregation, the local volunteer center, and other sources.

1244. Henry Stern, Malibu, Cal., a high-school student who recruited members of his school’s Jewish Student Union, the Latin American Mecha Club, and the Young Black Scholars to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project; he also organized a schoolwide Holocaust-education program and volunteers for local charities.

1245. Farideh Koumehr, Sherman Oaks, Cal., an epidemiologist who founded the International Health and Epidemiology Research Center, which focuses on preventing gun-related violence among children and teen-agers.

1246. Delaware Mentor Program, Wilmington, which recruits lawyers, psychologists, and other professionals to provide direct services to female offenders at the Baylor Women’s Correctional Institute and the Sussex Work Release Center.

1247. Louise Watson, Grandfield, Okla., a member of the Oklahoma Tale Spinners who tells stories to children at a local Head Start program and who developed a program for elementary-school students that uses two bird puppets to teach kids about the dangers of drug use.

1248. Alicia Roy, Springfield, Mass., a high-school English instructor who has been a Big Sister to Jannell Drennan for more than seven years; their activities include volunteering at the local shelter of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

1249. Exceptional Parents Unlimited, Fresno, Cal., which provides free child-rearing and therapeutic services in English, Spanish, and Hmong to families whose children are disabled or have serious medical problems.

1250. Father Ralph Beiting, Lexington, Ky., who in 1957 founded a program that would become the Christian Appalachian Project; today, the organization has more than 270 employees and approximately 70 full-time volunteers.

1251. Dennis M. Nigro, Encinitas, Cal., a surgeon who operates Fresh Start, a private clinic where he performs free reconstructive surgeries on physically deformed children and young adults who are from as far away as Russia and Romania.

1252. Ashley Michelle Anderson, Houston, a teen-ager and former cheerleader who founded “cheeREADing,” a literacy program for children that includes pep rallies, interactive puppet shows, and story presentations.

1253. AD2 Advertising Club, Louisville, Ky., a group of 15 young advertising professionals that select one non-profit group each year that would benefit from a public-relations campaign; the group then develops the campaign, using its own funds, resources, and time.

1254. Options for Individuals, Louisville, Ky., a group of mentally impaired young adults that delivers meals to homebound elderly people throughout the Louisville metropolitan area.

1255. Janice Grabowski, Baltimore, who has volunteered for 12 years at Villa Maria, a treatment program for children experiencing emotional and behavioral problems; activities she has initiated include Easter egg hunts, cooking sessions, and karaoke and bingo nights.

1256. Lisa Paul, Wichita, Kan., a senior at Wichita East High School, who started the Kansas branch of Project Linus, which provides “security blankets” to children at hospitals and shelters.

1257. Judy Riley, Saco, Me., a first-grade teacher who started at her school a Foster Grandparent Program, which recruits people aged 60 and over to work with at-risk students.

1258. Daniel J. Flavin, McLean, Va., a high-school student who established Hearts and Hammers, a program that helps low-income and elderly people fix up their homes.

1259. Rachel’s Table, Worcester, Mass., a group that organizes more than 80 volunteers to distribute food donations to hungry people and that provides fresh milk to more than 2,000 needy children weekly.