2005 Heifer’s Volunteers of the Year - “We’re All in This Together”

By Barb Justus

Northwest Region
Eliza Penick and Carla Schneider
Isaak Egge, community relations coordina-tor for the Northwest Region, cannot believe his good fortune. In Seattle, Heifer volunteers Eliza Penick and Carla Schneider have joined forces to become the Northwest Heifer Dream Team.

“Carla and Eliza are a volunteer team unlike any other, and a dream come true for the Northwest Regional Office,” Egge says. “They have made incredible progress in promoting Heifer throughout the Pacific Northwest. They have developed a mechanism for recruiting, training and retaining new volunteers. They have developed a calendar of local events and make sure they are staffed with Heifer volunteers. They speak on Heifer’s behalf when-ever necessary and are always coming up with new ideas for how to promote Heifer.”
Penick was the first in the dream team to become involved with Heifer—at the age of 6. “Our church always had a Heifer booth at our annual fair, and I loved it, mostly because the fellow at the booth had bunnies. When I was 8, he didn’t show up for some reason, so my cousin and I took over. We decorated brown paper bags and worked the crowd collecting for Heifer. And I’ve been working for Heifer ever since!”

Schneider became involved with Heifer at a different point in life—when she was in graduate school at Seattle University. While working on a graduate degree in nonprofit management, she wrote her thesis on how to build Heifer support on college campuses.

“When I was making my final formal thesis presentation to my colleagues, I told them that I was working with a nonprofit that does it all—gender equity, sustainability, environmental issues, hunger, microcredit, livestock management, community building, everything,” Schneider says. “You could have heard a pin drop in that room as I outlined the scope of Heifer’s work.”
When Egge introduced Schneider and Penick to each other, their individual energy morphed into a formidable force
for Heifer. Together, they have single-handedly developed a Heifer presence in the Seattle area.
One of their pet projects is a monthly potluck dinner where they break bread and share experiences with other Heifer enthusiasts. “When we get together, I am reminded of one of the Cornerstones of Heifer, community building,” Schneider says. “That is what we are doing together, building a community of people who help one another and shore each other up. Everything we do for Heifer is community driven.”

Egge says, “Carla and Eliza have set a new standard for what it is to be a Heifer volunteer.”

Central Region
Jack Jackson
As a wildlife biologist with an advanced degree in environmental studies, Jack Jackson of Hugo, Oklahoma, knows a thing or two about investigative methodology.
“When I retired, I knew I would have a little time to invest in other pursuits, and I wanted to make sure I invested my time wisely,” Jackson says.

So Jackson began his research into organizations that interested him. Jackson reviewed charitable monitoring organizations to see how various groups were rated. He researched source materials to find the methodologies used by relief organizations and their outcomes. In all his research, Jackson says that Heifer stood out as a quality operation. 
But Jackson is a thorough man, and so he began his second round of inquiry into Heifer. “You can tell a lot about an organization by the people who work for it and support it,” he says. So in 2004, he arranged a two-week working vacation at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, to do some further sleuthing.

What he found pleased him. “Everyone I came in contact with at Heifer were quality folks, solid and credible, hard-working and dedicated,” Jackson says. “What I found at Heifer are people who not only have the right mindset to be successful, they have the right ‘heart set.’

Jackson lives in Southeastern Oklahoma where Heifer is unknown to a lot of people. That is all changing, thanks to Jackson. He has thoroughly familiarized himself with Heifer’s work, even traveling “to the field” on a Heifer Study Tour to see the work of Heifer firsthand.

“I can speak from experience when I tell people that Heifer is different than other organizations because it helps people directly at the point of need. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes,” Jackson says. “And what impresses me even more is that they do not try to impose any social or political agendas.”

Jackson has made countless presentations to civic groups, church groups and professional groups. He’s always ready for his next Heifer presentation. He jokes that he is like Paladin, the 1950s television gun-for-hire character, whose moniker was “have gun, will travel”—except that Jackson’s catch phrase is “have briefcase, will travel.”

“Jack’s enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me,” says Todd Montgomery, a community relations coordinator in the Central Region. “Heifer International has been able to accomplish so much because of amazing people like Jack.”

Mid-Atlantic Region
Ann Riggan, lead volunteer in Philadelphia, is truly a “woman of the world.” Having lived in many countries and been steeped in many cultures, she has unique insights and perspective about development and hunger issues. Given her experience, her devotion to Heifer and its mission is an immeasurable asset (and compliment) to the organization.

“I am passionate about Heifer’s work and am dedicated to improving life and livelihoods in developing countries,” Riggan says. “My aim is to serve Heifer by bringing knowledge and insights about rural poverty and sustainable agricultural development gained over many years. First, I served as headmistress of a Harambee (self-help) School in a rural farming
community in highland Kenya while my husband was working with the Peace Corps on agriculture land settlement issues.

We then served in Chad supporting volunteers in improving basic food crops, water supplies and adapting agricultural techniques to benefit the small local farmers. “Later we worked in Latin America, South America, Asia and back in Africa on a major Ford Foundation assignment to strengthen the capacities of the international Agricultural Research Centers through partnering with the private sector, including NGOs [non-governmental organizations], and diversifying revenues.”

The Mid-Atlantic Region is now greatly honored to have Riggan as its greater Philadelphia area volunteer coordinator. She has been involved with Heifer as a donor for many years. In 2002, she spotted Heifer’s regional office about five minutes from her house, and she contacted the office to see how she could offer hands-on help. 
Riggan has coordinated volunteers in Philadelphia to provide coverage for speaking engagements, training, office work, fund-raising and other events. She and her husband, John, have hosted numerous Heifer volunteer meetings and social events in their home.

In April 2005, Riggan participated in the Honduras Study Tour.  Riggan came by her strong interest and dedication to helping the rural poor honestly.

“I grew up in post-war Europe, India, Somalia and Kenya,” Riggan says. “My father moved from the Marshall Plan, to the early foreign assistance programs and finally to USAID.”

Umaru Sule, community relations coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Region, says, “Growing up overseas most of her life certainly provided Ann with an international perspective of the world. She also became aware of the mistakes that many development organizations have made and is captivated by the concept of Heifer International. “Ann is a leader, not a manager. She is my mentor.”

Midwest Region/Chicago
“Cathy Cahill has literally driven the volunteer program in the Heifer Chicago office,” says Rosemary Larson, Heifer’s Chicago area representative. “She has designed the format and structure of the volunteer activities in our office. She is part of a two-person Heifer-Chicago brain trust.” How she became involved with the organization is a typical Heifer story. A Heifer gift catalog found its way to her, and after leafing through the publication, she was hooked. When she discovered that Heifer had an office in her hometown of Chicago, she called to see how she might get more involved.

“The more I found out about the organization, the more convinced I’ve become that Heifer has the answer to all of our futures—not just the futures of resource-poor people but your future and my future as well,” Cahill says. “It’s a good long-term solution to some of the globe’s most complex problems.”

Cahill, a management consultant, abhors waste of any kind. That’s how she originally became intrigued by Heifer; buying gifts out of the Gift Catalog provided a great way to work around giving superfluous presents. “One of the most heartening things about Heifer is how this process of ‘passing on the gift’ builds dignity within project partners,” Cahill says. “Can you imagine how it must feel to go from having nothing to being able to pass on something of incomparable value to your neighbor? And it builds dignity that continues to grow as more pass-ons are accomplished and as people become more self-sufficient.

“If I could offer a piece of advice to anyone considering making a gift to Heifer or getting involved as a volunteer, remember that everything you give to Heifer, no matter the size, grows exponentially. Each volunteer hour and each contribution continues to give for years to come. “If you want to make a big impact way out of proportion to the effort you put into it, get involved with Heifer!”

Midwest Region
Barbara Oakes
“Someone from the heavens must have dropped the Heifer Gift Catalog into my mailbox because I had never before heard of the organization before I received it in the mail. But by the time I got to page three of the catalog, I knew I had found my life’s passion,” says volunteer Barbara Oakes of Springfield, Ill., who is a lead volunteer in the Midwest Region. Since her introduction to Heifer in 2000 through the Christmas mailing, her enthusiasm for Heifer has been unquenchable.

In 2002, Oakes retired from her full-time job for the state of Illinois to pick up a full-time passion—spreading the good word about Heifer. She has volunteered at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Ark., for Lambing Weekend and Global Village Days in Perryville, participated in Study Tours to Poland and the Philippines, and helped with the Goshen 60th Anniversary celebrations in Goshen, Indiana. In 2004, Oakes spent more than 300 hours making presentations and leading workshops about Heifer.

Oakes has spent so much time on the road that she splurged on a sporty RV, her new Heifer home away from home. Not including her Study Tour to the Philippines, Oakes traveled close to 2,500 miles for Heifer in 2004. Everywhere Oakes travels she tells anyone who cares to listen about Heifer’s approach to hunger relief. Recently, she was at an outdoor rally of Women RVing, a nationwide organization. The members are an enthusiastic group of women who look for information, support and networking to expand their horizons and try new experiences. Oakes says that Heifer fit right in with their culture. These adventurous women were intrigued by the whole Heifer concept, particularly the idea of alternative gifts, since many of them, mothers and grandmothers, spend much of their year on the road, making traditional gift-giving more difficult.

Dave Boothby, manager of the Midwest Region, says, “While Barbara is one of our newer volunteers, she is definitely one of our most enthusiastic and dedicated.”

Midwest Region
“John Brockschink is a model volunteer,” says Midwest area representative Jason Bergman. “Not only will he excitedly accept any volunteer opportunity from our office, but he is even more proactive about finding his own opportunities to share Heifer International.”

Even though Brockschink has been active with Heifer for 20 years, his enthusiasm stays fresh. Brockschink and his late wife, Louise, first heard about Heifer International at their church 20 years ago. Brockschink, a farmer, was intrigued by what he heard, especially with the idea of “passing on the gift.” The Brockschinks decided to investigate Heifer firsthand, so they visited Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Ark., on their way to the New Orleans World Fair in 1984. They never quit coming back.

“Louise and I have taken Study Tours to Honduras, India, China and Cameroon, and we visited Bóthar in Ireland [one of Heifer’s sister organizations],”Brockschink says. “You cannot imagine until you see it yourself how a simple gift of even one animal can completely change the destiny of a family.” 

In September 2004, Brockschink took a Study Tour to Peru where he was astonished at the progress being made by Heifer project partners. Through passing on the gift, one project had grown from 60 to 600 families. As a farmer, Brockschink was also impressed by what the farmers in the harsh and dry areas had accomplished. He was particularly touched by the pride with which women showed him their new stoves equipped with chimney flues that use half as much wood and provide twice as much heat.

They told him how their health is better because they can cook without smoke stinging their eyes and making them cough. And their children are no longer exposed to open fires. “Just a $30 stove changed their lives,” Brockschink marvels. Brockschink adds that each Study Tour compels him to do more to help. In Iowa, Brockschink has become the “go-to” guy for other Heifer volunteers. He may arrange up to four presentations a month at schools, civic groups and churches.

Since Louise’s death in 2003, Brockschink has donated more than one $5,000 Gift Ark in her memory and in honor of all the wonderful times they had working side-by-side to help end hunger. Brockschink’s son, also named John, says, “There’s no telling how many thousands of people in the world have access to food today because of my dad.”

Northeast Region
Larry Colman of New York City had an epiphany a few years ago. Taking a break from his high-profile job with a Fortune 500 company, he had treated himself to a well-deserved vacation in the Caribbean.

“On the islands, I was surrounded by wealthy tourists with umbrella drinks in their hands and khaki shorts,” Colman says. “But in the countryside just a stone’s throw away from the resorts, people were living in abject poverty. The contrast was painful and uncomfortable. I remember thinking that
every human being, just by virtue of being a human being, deserves the essentials that it takes to build a life of self-sufficiency and dignity. And I also realized that I couldn’t just be complacent about this inequity.

“My resolve was only strengthened in this post-9/11 world. I firmly believe that once people around the world have equal opportunity, we will all be better off.”
Colman set about looking for a way to give resource-poor people a hand up. When he learned of Heifer International, he knew he had found a tool to use in his quest to help “level the playing field” around the world. 

Colman is a member of Men’s Divisions International (MDI), whose mission is to train men to serve their communities in a way that assures the success of future generations. Aware of the congruency of the missions of Heifer and MDI, Colman searched for a way to raise money for Heifer project partners through MDI. He decided to organize a walk-a-thon with proceeds going to Heifer. 

In 2004, the first year that Colman organized the walk-a-thon, it raised $7,000. In 2005, it raised $40,000. That year, actor Ed Asner, a longtime Heifer advocate, lent his name and support to the effort, and through the Heifer website, donations poured in from all over the country. Colman attributes the success of the walk-a-thon to thorough and professional planning. He is the finance director for a startup company in New York, so he knows a thing or two about launching new ventures successfully.

Pat Stanley, community relations coordinator for the Northeast Region, agrees. “Larry is an incredible guy. He has an amazing gift to tend to all the details.”
The most significant effect of his involvement with Heifer, Colman says, has been the opportunity to create a connection between himself and people around the world. “I can’t imagine how painful it must feel to be living with little or no hope and to feel as if no one cares. Through Heifer, we can demonstrate that there is enough for everyone and that people around the world can support one another in a sustainable way. We’re all in this together, and it’s a privilege to be on the helping end.”

Southeast Region
Patti Garrett of Decatur, Ga., sees the solution to world hunger as a huge jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle pieces are varied in size and impact, but every piece is needed.
“And Heifer is definitely a critical piece of this puzzle,” Garrett says. “That’s why I make the time to volunteer to this organization.”

Among the puzzle pieces of Heifer’s Cornerstones method of development, one piece in particular drew Garrett into the organization—nutrition. Garrett is a registered dietician who teaches at Georgia State.

“When I learned about Heifer’s approach to meeting hunger needs in a sustainable manner, I knew this was an organization with which I wanted to be involved,” Garrett says. “I am particularly impressed that Heifer meets the specific nutritional needs with food appropriate for the area. Having a protein source is so important so that children’s growth is not compromised. Heifer covers all the bases: food, sustainability and independence.”

Garrett became acquainted with Heifer quite by accident; she had agreed to hand deliver a Heifer display that a friend had borrowed from the Heifer Atlanta office.
“When I walked in the office and met the community relations coordinator, Elizabeth Elango, I was intrigued,” Garrett says. “She told me a little about Heifer between
answering phone call after phone call. Their office was full of life. I had just moved to Atlanta and was not yet employed, so I volunteered to help in the office. That was the beginning of a great relationship.” (Elango has since become Heifer’s West Africa program officer.)

Since then, Garrett has given many presentations on Heifer at churches and schools and to civic groups. She also heads up the fund-raising effort at her church every year.
Community Relations Coordinator Mondie Tharp says of Garrett: “She believes deeply in Heifer’s work and is willing to help out whenever and wherever she can. She is very socially aware and always strives to make the world a better place. She definitely has the admiration and gratitude of everyone in our office for all her work.”

Southwest Region
David Keeton
“I remember meeting a teenager in rural Thailand about 10 years ago,” says lead volunteer David Keeton from West Hollywood, California. “He was holding a rooster, which he thrust in my face with incredible pride. It was clearly his prized possession. He reminded me of the kids I see in Los Angeles tooling around in their brand new BMWs, their status symbols.

This is before I knew about Heifer, but I was reminded in a very real way how important farm animals are to people around the world and how they can change lives.”

Keeton has been a Heifer volunteer for only a couple of years, but he has made a great impact on thousands of lives in his short tenure. He’s a man who has not been afraid to change courses throughout this career—actor, producer, director, CPA, business owner, house renovator—and now he has beamed his high energy in the direction of Heifer International.

Keeton became involved with Heifer as many do—by buying alternative gifts for his employees, many of whom came from Latin America. His workers loved the idea that their boss was helping people from their countries of origin. After a few years of that, Keeton was invited to a Heifer dinner presentation in the Southwest Region, and before the dinner was over, Keeton sensed the next cataclysmic shift in his life. Keeton became a bona fide Heifer enthusiast.

Combining his background in home renovation and theater, Keeton offered his services to build sturdy, attractive structures for Heifer displays. Keeton used his construction knowledge, design instincts and often his crew of workers to build a special display called Beyond Our Borders.

Beyond Our Borders is a traveling educational exhibit featuring three replica dwellings of village life in Thailand, Uganda and Ecuador, all countries where Heifer has project partners. The display has been viewed by millions of visitors who have passed through the Orange County Fair and the Los Angeles County Fair, and Keeton is making arrangements to have it displayed at other public settings where he has contacts.

“David is an inspiring volunteer,” Pamela Edwards, the Southwest Region’s community relations coordinator, says. “David’s deep compassion and respect for Heifer’s partners around the globe inspires him.” Keeton, who is selling his business, likes to think big and is making plans to spread the word about Heifer in ways that will give the organization “the most bang for
its buck.”

“Heifer is what I’ve been looking for—a way to give back to a world that has been very good to me. My life partner, Frank Quijada, and I are totally devoted to the work of Heifer and its mission.”

Barb Justus is a freelance writer who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.